Video production boosted in growing CBR stable

CBR Marketing Solutions has boosted its already comprehensive stable of digital offerings with the launch of a new video production department, CBR Productions, headed by young and dynamic film duo, Chace Geyer and Devin Risely.

Says MD of CBR Marketing Solutions Craig Munitz, “Video production has been one of the services we’ve offered to clients for some time, and now, with the launch of an in-house department, we are able to offer it as a core competency, with the ability to deliver the same creativity we apply to other service offerings.” Video is one of the biggest growth areas in digital media in 2017, with Adobe reporting that 51,9% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI.

“We’ve done some work for international and local films, in South Africa and abroad, and it has been an excellent training ground for us,” says Geyer, “but this opportunity to build and develop a Production House that focuses on the digital space was too exciting to pass up.”

Joburgers Geyer (25) and Risely (28) were working on location in Cape Town on Red Sea Diving Resort & Outlander– Geyer as a coordinator on RSDR and Risely as a Special Effects Technician on Outlander– when the offer that could not be refused came through from CBR.

The two met in third year at AFDA – The South African School of Motion Picture Medium & Live Performance – in 2013 and did a short film called Oasis that won multiple awards in Uni. In fourth year they were both selected for a cultural exchange programme with Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University in Orange County, California. There they gained valuable insight into the US film markets and gained access to knowledge from some of the top filmmakers in the USA

The two are excited about their new gig at CBR. “Many commercials today are orientated towards TV – production houses then often try to edit them down to what they think will work on digital and social media. But it doesn’t necessarily line up and fit,” explains Risely. “You have to create digital media specific videos. Social media needs shorter time and space. Your video has to be captivating within the first few seconds if you want it to be watched – and people to take action at the end of it. You don’t have time to set up narrative as you do on TV.”

Geyer adds that with the film training and experience they have had, “we bring all our cinematic film understanding to videography – to the digital space. We take into account all that’s important in film, such as lighting, framing, movement, and so on. With videos, you have to bring the climax to the front of the video, hook people in from the beginning, entice them to stay to the end of the video and take the next step – to purchase or subscribe or do whatever it is that your video is aiming to achieve.”

Notes Risely, “Our job is to get consumers to engage effectively with our clients. We determine what our clients’ needs are and present them in the best possible light – it’s blockbuster marketing.”

Says Craig Munitz, MD of CBR Marketing, “We’re delighted to welcome these talented young people to our team and to add this new video offering to our clients. The CBR Production department will work closely with our clients, building relationships, and ensuring that the video strategy adapts as the client’s business evolves. They have the skills to create high quality videos that will ensure that our customers get return a on their investment.”