QNX Video Shoot

It was another bang-up job for the BSL video team this past Thursday, as we headed out to the offices of QNX Software Systems, to shoot a three-minute video for a brand new client.

Without tangling you in too much technical jargon, it’s pretty easy to describe QNX’s awesomeness in a nutshell. For the last thirty years this company has been developing ultra-reliable software that has impacted a TON of what we do on a day-to-day basis – from changing the way we use the Internet or take medicine, to the development of sustainable technologies in the home or improving your online shopping experience – the sky seems to be the limit for how QNX touches our lives.

Starting bright and early before sunrise, our team got to work prepping for the talent – and in this case the talent was the client himself – Andy Gryc, QNX Product Marketing Manager – as well as the QNX Connected Car. The QNX Connected Car is one of their latest game-changing innovations featuring a slew of state-of-the-art bells and whistles, including the Apple iPod Out – the very focus of the video itself.

Shooting was well underway by 9am and things were looking good. Andy appeared to be something of a natural, and pairing his talent with the seemingly limitless capabilities of our Canon 5D made the men behind the camera, John and Sean, pretty impressed with the outcome. All scenes were wrapped by 1pm, and the footage was already into production by 3pm (superhuman talents aside, our team still needed to eat). Fast forward a cool 24 hours after the shoot itself and the client already had the rough cut in hand.

But we can’t hog all of the glory. We owe the uber-efficiency of this shoot to a mélange of variables – really good technology + natural talent and lovable new client + positive attitudes across the board = an excellent chance for success. Thankfully we were able to capture some highlights of this magical mix on our BSL Flickr Page.

Happy Birthday BSL

The gang at BSL got together and celebrated our 37^th anniversary this past Friday. As a matter of fact, we actually have a few official milestones we can celebrate – but we found another one, giving us the gleaming excuse to have a "happy hour on steroids" after a very busy week.

Yes, the discovery of one simple legal document confirming the original Banfield as an official corporation on August 13^th, 1973 enabled us to toast to the BSL back-story. And anyone who has worked at BSL understands that these kinds of events can end in myriad ways – sometimes it’s half the company playing pool at the Elmdale til 1am, other times it’s the whole company bustin’ moves in the Market. In this case it wound up a select few, fulfilling a fictional obligation to finish the leftover alcohol and engaging in simultaneous power chats at the boardroom table.

Quite fittingly, the photos I took of the occasion happen to be just as blurry as my memories of it. But somehow I’m still able to classify it as a night to remember.

More Bells and Whistles for BSL

I was at a party this past Friday, and found myself in the company of two wildly passionate photographers. Cut from two very different cloths (one a professional photographer and videographer for a popular salon downtown and the other a critically acclaimed, somewhat controversial trailblazer on the Ottawa art scene) these two spent the better part of the evening gushing over how the Canon 5D has changed their lives and work as they know it. Under normal circumstances this topic would be considerably irrelevant to me – but since BSL has picked up their own 5D recently, I could actually admit I knew what the fuss was about.

This year the BSL Digital Studio has been getting some serious nips and tucks, since welcoming Motion Graphics Specialist Sean Cusson. As BSL’s New Media Director Sean has been largely responsible for this boost – by bringing his own skills to the table, training other staff in new media (such as 3D animation), and adding some shiny new tools to the box.

Since the face lift BSL is now able to make the majority of our clients’ digital dreams come true in house – with full capability to produce high-quality photography and video, after effects, rendering, editing – a considerable gamut. But beyond the technology itself, Sean’s close connections with the video industry have also given BSL access to a large pool of local talent – making the search for the perfect subject a breeze.

Like they say – the proof is in the pudding. And since we love pudding here – we’ll let the tools and talent speak for themselves. Check out this video we did for the Canadian War Museum and Museum of Civilization – all shot with the 5D. And here’s a sneak peek at a video shoot we just had for a very – *ahem* – exciting new project (also shot with the 5D, featuring some hot, fresh talent).