“Created Here” Premiering at Sundance
January 22, 2020
Connecting Through Solitude
April 1, 2020
Austin is home to tremendous talent, and this city’s creative genius is perhaps most abundant in the video studios. That’s because the city is brimming with artists. It’s as if every person is handed a guitar, upon entering Austin, and we’re all expected to survive and thrive by our creativity.
Our city celebrates the arts in every flavor, most notably music, all of which is amplified through the video art form. Video built the Austin City Limits television show, along with countless concerts and ACL festivals. Video popularized SXSW, making it the largest music event of its kind.
Live broadcast video produced by ARISE Video Studio
Thanks to our city’s continual camera action, we are also “America’s #1 City for Startups,” a.k.a. “Silicon Hills.” In 2020, video marketing is the single greatest form of advertisement for emerging brands, just as it is the best way to promote a rock band. And did you know that Austin’s UT is the only place offering a Ph.D. in Advertising?
In the spirit of honoring Austin’s creative professionals, here are the city’s standout video studios. Specifically, we recognize the top Austin video studios for the following categories: Music Videos, Event Highlights, Wedding Films, Social Cause Marketing Videos, Narrative Commercials, Animation, and Austin Tribute.
Music Videos
Because of Austin’s budding film industry, we earn occasional comparisons to Los Angeles, gaining the nickname “Hollywild.” And the videos here do get wild! Personally, my first feature film is a documentary called Wild Family, all about nature’s role in family life.
Another wild video project I participated in is this music video by LEV, directed by my pal, Jefe Greenheart, and the production team at Onion Creek Productions. For this project, we trekked far out into the Hill Country, where we rocked out in a cave with a RED camera.
Event Highlights
Here in Austin, the city’s special events range from keynote speeches to multi-stage music festivals. It takes a bright mind to manage multiple cameras, capturing all the artistic angles. It takes a keen eye to record slow-motion closeups of a guitarist in action. To me, Circus Picnic has everything it takes, and they do an especially great job of amping up the entertainment.
Circus Picnic co-founders Kelly and Jefe Greenheart were my first mentors in movie-making. After they helped launch our Wild Family film, I teamed up with them as the video editor of a “Speakeasy” series they produced. This was a fabulous series of talks by prominent artists such as Moby and Rising Appalachia, presented by Wanderlust Festival.
If you’re familiar with Wanderlust Festival, you’ve probably seen the huge collection of amazing event highlights videos by Circus Picnic. These are hip, vibrant showcases of the human spirit. A few of my favorites include: Cute Kids Explain Yoga, Tribal Marking, and Follow Nahko into the Woods.
Wedding Films
Did you know that the Texas Hill Country is a popular place for destination weddings? Austin and the surrounding countryside offers lush scenery and a laid-back vibe, where it is common to see groomsmen in boots and blue jeans. The reason why I know this is because I film a lot of weddings.
To me, PhotoHouse Films is the best Austin studio for wedding photos and films. Creative director Will Herrington leads the team, delivering immersive cinema-quality camera coverage, with a time-tested system for capturing all the meaningful moments. PhotoHouse is my favorite place to work with as a videographer, because their system is top-notch, and their films are superb.
Social Cause Marketing Videos
By definition, a social cause marketing video is one that seeks to improve society by addressing a challenge and offering a solution. These videos have mass appeal because people appreciate charitable causes. They are likable and shareable because they aim to make the world a better place.
Arise Video Studio is among the best in Austin at this particular kind of video. We are a local leader in documentary-style promo videos, offering genuine connection and gentle invitations. In this way, we have a natural knack for social cause marketing videos.
This example is called The Global Sisterhood Pledge. It is a rallying cry for women of all ages and ethnicities to join together in unity as sisters. The video made major waves on social media, with a million Facebook views.
Narrative Commercials
All videos tell a story. The style of storytelling differs from one video to the next. On one end of the storytelling spectrum, video journalism offers the unbiased true story, delivering straightforward information about who what when where and why. On the other side, narrative commercials offer carefully strategized and scripted story made to persuade.
Advertising copywriters are creative professionals who specialize in storytelling for narrative commercials. In this role, the primary focus is the “big idea.” The big idea summarizes the strategy, synthesizes the story, and substantiates the storytelling. Because the big idea drives the lights cameras and action, I believe Austin’s best storyteller for narrative commercials is the ad agency GSD&M.
Narrative commercial by GSD&M
Animation
As a kid, I wanted to be a cartoon animator when I grew up. I started animating with Adobe Flash ten years ago, and over the years I’ve become a flashy animator for sure. But it’s a time-consuming art form, and I find that my preference is to handle the art direction and copywriting, and then handoff the animation work to a larger team.
That’s how I found Powerhouse Animation Studios. At the time, I worked as an art director for an Austin ad agency. We directed an animated ad for Mighty Fine Burgers, to be displayed on the UT jumbotron, and we handed the animation work to Powerhouse. Wow, they are stellar. To me, they are by far the best animation studio in Austin.
Animated promo video produced by Powerhouse Animation Studios
Austin Tribute
I’m proud to belong here in Austin, as one of the locals. I moved here in 2009, because it felt like home to me, and it still feels like home, after 11 lucky years here. I graduated from UT, with a master’s degree, and then met and married the lady I walk with. I appreciate the kindhearted people and the casual dress code. I enjoy the music scene and the entrepreneur spirit. I admire the great blue herons, the white-tailed deer, the juniper campfires, the year-round swimming…
I’ve had the opportunity to study the Austin mystique, as the manager of various marketing campaigns, and I’ve found three pillars that define this place: approachable people, easy-going atmosphere, and progressive thinking. Approachable people means that the Austin population is down-to-earth, level-headed, and kindred, including the brightest rock stars and the beautiful brides. Easy-going atmosphere speaks of the armadillos and turtles, who set the pace—it’s not a race. And progressive thinking is apparent everywhere, from the school system to the food trucks.
The single best Austin-focused video I’ve seen so far is this one, for the Visit Austin tourism initiative, by Arts + Labor. It’s got the Gary Clark blues, barbecues, bicycles, paddle boards, cowboy boots, two-steps, hula hoops, bubbles, sparklers, neon lights, local flavors, and pleasant weather. That just about sums up Austin, in my eyes.
