Thoughts from Perimeter

WE ARE GROWING

2008-08-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

For the last 16 years, Perimeter Productions has been a 2 person creative services team providing creative direction, writing, design, producing, and directing services for the corporate and educational markets. We specialize in high concept work in the areas of corporate image, meetings, marketing, training, trade shows, educational and documentary programs, and permanent installations using large screen displays in retail and museum environments. We are thrilled to announce that in order to meet our business demands, we have added three new staff members:

Caitlin Hammel is our Associate Producer and Editor. She graduated with honors from the University of Chicago in 2001 with a double major in Cinema/Media Studies and English. She began at Perimeter Productions as a video production assistant, and has since developed her skills as a production coordinator on shoots for Best Buy, Target, and Ameriprise. She is now an Associate Producer/Editor at Perimeter in charge of editing on Final Cut Pro, scheduling, booking crews, supervising edits and managing the budget on various projects. Caitlin is also involved in the Minneapolis/ St. Paul theater community, both as an actress and as a teaching artist. Caitlin currently works with Steppingstone Theater, Stages Theater and Youth Performance Company as a theater educator.

Leah Kelly is the newest member of our team, and joins us as an Account Representative as well as handling our marketing services. Leah spent the last six years at General Mills, most recently as a Promotion Planner on the Box Tops for Education program. Previous to Box Tops, Leah served as a liaison between the marketing teams and General Mills trademark licensees, focusing on branding and visual development. She managed the creative development of licensed products. A trend specialist from her days as a retail buyer Leah coached licensees on applying trends to create innovative, differentiated products. She also analyzed market conditions and trends in order to identify growth categories.

Kesa Collins has joined us as our Technology Consultant. We are thrilled that Kesa has created and maintains our website, as well as keeping our technologies running smoothly. Kesa comes to us out of the education system, having spent the last 4 years as a high school math teacher. She is now an actuary with Hewitt Associates, working in pension valuation. Finally, Kesa is an active part of the Twin Cities theater community as an accomplished Stage Manager. We feel lucky to have such a versatile resource as a part of our team.

PERIMETER IN THE COMMUNITY

2008-08-26T11:18:00.001-07:00

We love the Twin Cities, and have been living here for more than 30 years. The Cities have so much to offer in business, arts and leisure activities. We go to shows of all sorts, take the dogs for walks, and some of us perform in shows too. Here are some of the things that we have done in the past year that we are the most proud of:

BOB HAMMEL

Youth Performance Company -- Tuck in "Tuck Everlasting

No Refunds Theater -- The Witness in "Things that are Done In The Dark"

13 Lunas Arts Collective -- Professor Freeman in "Upside Down"

Nimbus Theatre -- Video Projection Design for "TV MEN"

CAITLIN HAMMEL

Nimbus Theatre -- TV Men and The Irresistible Rise of Big Daddy Ubu
20% Theatre Company -- 3.1.81

DID YOU FRINGE?

2008-08-26T10:41:00.001-07:00

We did! We love the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and take this time of year to enjoy the many creative outlets the cities have to offer, to keep up to date on cutting edge theatrical trends and to see great shows. We hope that all of you saw some of the great shows that the Fringe had to offer. Hope to see you there next year!

A NEW SERVICE FOR THE TWIN CITIES ARTS COMMUNITY!

2008-08-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

Too many artists today are performing for small houses. Are you one of them? Perimeter Productions can create teasers and trailers – “Coming Soon”, “Starring” “Thrills and Spills,” “A Must See” – to use on your website, in email blasts, and on video sharing sites. We give people a taste of what will happen on your stage – with sound and movement!

EXPERIENCE COUNTS!

2008-08-26T10:38:00.001-07:00

When Ameriprise Financial decided to hold a series of training meetings for their 11,000 advisors, Steven Elbert, Executive Producer & Director for their Incentives & Meeting Management, turned to Perimeter Productions to help develop the video components for the event. In the space of less than four months, Perimeter produced, wrote and directed more than 18 video segments, including 5 general session videos, 8 breakout session training modules, four break room videos and a branding video for the lobby. During this process, Ameriprise relied on Michele Blanchard’s expertise in branding, financial services, compliance and training to develop videos that delivered the message without compromising approved legal, regulatory and branding standards. Her background brought the winning edge to the program and helped make it the success that it was.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS - BY MICHELE BLANCHARD

2008-08-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

Many years ago, on a family trip across Nebraska, I decided we needed to pay a visit to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. I had read about it in a travel magazine. Seeing actual dinosaur fossils in situ, what could be cooler than that? We were scheduled for a chuck wagon dinner that included a ride in a covered wagon along the actual Oregon Trail which I was very excited about (okay, I’m a geek), but I thought we could fit in a small detour and see some fossils.

The small detour took us on a long, long drive around the northwest corner of Nebraska – not the most exciting prospect. When we got to the turnoff for the Agate Fossil Beds, there was nothing in sight (it was Nebraska – very flat) for miles and miles. My husband said: “It’s a chuck wagon dinner or the fossil beds. Make a choice.” I chose the fossil beds.

We drove a long, long, long way down another road. About halfway there, the paved road ended and we were driving on dirt. Lots of ruts. Finally, we found the turnoff to the actual Agate Fossil Beds site. It didn’t look promising – there was a trailer, period – but I had sacrificed my chuck wagon dinner so I was committed.

Inside the trailer were several truly lame dioramas – about the level of a sub-par museum of natural history. “Where were the fossils?” we inquired. The staff pointed to a long, long boardwalk across the high plain prairie. In the distance was a butte. It was a hot day in July. But I had given up my chuck wagon dinner for this. We set off across the plains.

At the end of the boardwalk (considerately built to prevent us from succumbing to rattlesnake bite), we started climbing. At the first fossil site, there was no fossil. Just a sign stating that the actual fossil was temporarily on display in Lincoln, Nebraska. Disappointing, but the path seemed to stretch onward. We continued to climb.

Guess what? No fossils. Just more empty former fossil sites – more notes telling us where we could see the fossils if we wanted to travel back across the state and re-enter civilization.

I raved throughout the long, long way back down the butte and across the prairie. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the helpful experts back there in the trailer. Unfortunately, by the time we trailed back there, it was closed for the day. Everyone was back home – presumably with a cold beer in their hands – laughing. (What we would have done if one of us had been bitten by a rattlesnake is another issue. Die, probably.) Enraged, I trailed around and around the site, looking for some means of venting my displeasure. I finally tore a deposit slip out of my checkbook and wrote a blistering note to the rangers before cramming it under the door.

I never got my chuck wagon dinner, but I did learn an important lesson – don’t send someone off across the prairie to see fossils if the fossils aren’t there.

OUR LATEST PROJECT: SOLO - A DOCUMENTARY

2008-08-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

All documentaries start with one core idea and many end up telling a different story than the producers intended. Making a documentary is an exploration. Ernest Shackleton set off to the South Pole. Along the way, he was trapped in the ice, rowed hundreds of miles over open ocean, climbed mountains, and finally rescued his men. This made a much better story than the original idea of the trip to the South Pole.

Solo is the journey of six McKnight Artist Fellows in Dance, as they explore their art through the commissioning of a choreographer who creates a unique dance for them. We watch as Tamara Nadel, Colette Illarde, Mifa Ko, Karla Grotting, Abdo Sayegh, and Laura Selle Virtucio explore their goals, dreams, and desires for the future.

This has been an ambitious project for us, and we are happy to report that the principal photography is complete. We are now in the process of editing over 100 hours of footage down into the concise, compelling story that it is.

JUST FINISHED

2008-08-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Ameriprise Financial National Conference

Every other year, Ameriprise Financial throws a three day national conference to celebrate the achievements of their top advisors. Since 1994, Perimeter Productions has been an integral part of the process – developing creative for the event’s video support as well as writing, producing, directing and editing standalone videos and video roll-ins. For this year’s conference, Perimeter was involved in creating five videos focusing on the advisor/client relationship, mock “commercials” to provide a little fun and introduce speakers, speaker support, advisor recognition videos and the announcement for the 2010 conference and an “Extreme Office Branding” video.

AWARD WINNING WORK

2008-08-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce that Perimeter Productions has garnered seven awards for three different films in international competitions!

“Extreme Makeover – Advisor Technology Edition” has won both a Bronze Remi Award at the 41^st WorldFest 2008 Houston International Film Festival, and a Silver Telly Award.

Winning in the category of Employee Communications, the video uses a humorous "reality show" format that informs Ameriprise Financial Advisors about new technology that will help them run their business. Using real Ameriprise staffers to update an advisor’s computer desktop, the video communicates the dedication of the technology department. There were more than 4,500 category entries in all film and video competitions, and around 15% of the entries won award.

Perimeter received a CINE Golden Eagle from the Council on International Non-Theatrical Events (CINE) for “Shore Breaking Waves”, a video created for Ameriprise financial which tells the story of a financial advisor who broke his neck and his struggle to recover from this accident. During this struggle, he was able to save his practice and the livelihood of his family due to good financial planning. Additional awards for this video include: a Certificate of Merit from the Chicago International Film Festival, a Bronze Statue from the Telly Awards, and a finalist certificate in the Midas Award.

For the Minnesota Advertising Federation, Perimeter received a Silver Award from the W³Awards and a Merit Award at The Show for “AdFed 100 Videos”– 4 videos produced for the ADFed 100 website, celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the Minnesota Advertising Federation. http://adfed100.org/

A video created by Perimeter for Johns Hopkins University and the Department of Defense received an Honorable Mention from the Columbus International Film & Video Festival - The Chris Awards. “Best Practices: Building Blocks for Enhancing School Environment” is a documentary that looks at four schools selected by Johns Hopkins as schools that exemplify the principles that make effective school programs work. The design for the packaging, print material and DVD was recognized with a Certificate of Excellence – Media of Print from the same Film Festival.

We Tell Your Stories...

2008-02-12T11:23:00.001-08:00

"What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story."
-Pedro Calderón de la Barca