NBC anchor Brian Williams will be on camera again today – this time in a personal interview with Charles River Media Group. Right now, our crew is on location at Tufts University, shooting this material on our brand new RED Scarlet-X camera.
Take a look at our new 60 second commercial that details our mission statement.
Last week, CRMG welcomed a new client - Living Proof. Our video crew teamed up with this science-based beauty company to create broadcast demos for the QVC Home Shopping Network.
On-location in the Living Proof bio-tech labs, technicians conducted a visual product comparison and, in order to show authenticity to a TV viewing audience, we got it all in one smooth and seamless take… no cuts allowed!
TV Media Sales Consultant
Charles River Media Group is looking for talented and upbeat, media-focused representatives to seek out marketing opportunities and identify businesses interested in advertising on television, the web, or corporate communications. Charles River Media Group offers creative, customized, professional commercial spots, and TV placement packages. This is a commission-based opportunity where you can set your own hours. Although we are located in Boston, we have clients across the country and our consultants can work from any location.
Specifications/Skills:
1. Interest and working knowledge of TV production
2. Ability to network and create business connections
3. Strong interpersonal communication skills
4. High level of self-motivation
5. Ability to do one-on-one and group presentations
6. Creative thinking
7. Strong organizational skills
8. Reliable transportation
9. Team cooperation (maintain positive, cooperative attitude with all customers)
10. Desire to learn and grow professionally
Essential Functions & Responsibilities:
1. Attend a training session and work independently to identify and secure new clients interested in purchasing TV advertising services or corporate communications.
2. Learn company products, procedures, culture, and philosophy in dealing with current and prospective clients.
3. Independently seek out target businesses and arrange phone and in-person meetings.
4. Introduce, demonstrate, and promote commercial packages, corporate communications, and TV placement services, using the materials provided by company.
Compensation:
Position is paid on commission. Charles River Media Group will pay Consultant a percentage of the overall contracted budget for all successful new client referrals. This is a great opportunity for business and graduate students, and professionals of various backgrounds with corporate and retail connections.
Minimum Educational Requirements:
1. High School diploma required
2. Four year college degree preferred
3. Marketing and Media background a plus
Summary:
Here’s the deal… You learn what’s involved in a production with CRMG and either visit some local businesses or call up a friend at a corporation to pitch the idea of TV marketing. We have diverse array of media services to provide, and when your referral contracts our company for commercial or web production and/or TV placement, you get a cut of the gross profits – and it works out for everyone!
Contact:
Qualified Candidates should reply to consultant@charlesrivermedia.com using the heading “TV Media Sales Consultant.” Please send a resume and introductory email. No phone calls please.
This morning, the Charles River Media Group team interviewed celebrated fiction author, Gregory Maguire – best known for his popular novel, “Wicked,” which spawned the hit Broadway musical about the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Gregory Maguire received his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Tufts University. He is being honored this year at the Tufts University PT Barnum Awards, and this interview will be incorporated into one of the biographical pieces Charles River Media Group will be producing. Other 2012 PT Barnum winners include actor, Johnathan Hadary, news producer Marian Porges, and artistic director, Betsy Gregory.
This week we finalized our first national placement with the Oprah Winfrey Network. You can find out more about CRMG’s TV Spot Placement Services for both regional and national markets here.
And…..did you know that CRMG provided camerawork for an episode of Oprah’s last season on network television?
Charles River Media Group just wrapped up filming Jason Segel’s roast at Hasty Pudding’s Man of the Year. Check back soon for more photos and video!
In the meantime, enjoy these snapshots:
CRMG teamed up with SalesForce.com and Hill & Knowlton Strategies yesterday to capture a unique social media extravaganza that centered around something we all love: FREE BURRITOS!
We spent the day filming at the Boloco in Boston Commons for a big give-away event sponsored by Desk.com. Customers could receive a free burrito by checking-in to Boloco on FourSquare and Tweeting about the event. People were walking through the door with their phones ready-to-go, and the impressive turnout was a nod to the power of social media. We agree that this is a key-component for small businesses, and love to stay social-media-savvy at CRMG…. Check out our Facebook Page!
We just left Hasty Pudding’s 2012 Woman of the Year Awards. Check out these rush photos from Charles River Media Group of roast and press conference of Claire Danes. More photos and videos coming soon…and next week is Man of the Year Jason Segal.
The Man and Woman of the Year have been announced for the 2012 Awards at The Hasty Pudding Theatricals of Harvard University. Actors Claire Danes and Jason Segal will be recognized this year.
Charles River Media Group is looking forward to being in on the action again. Stay tuned - pictures and video will come on Friday provided by CRMG!
This weekend, the Charles River Media Group studio was transformed into a church and a prison… we had birds, blood, and a Spanish conquistador!
Our crew constructed a beautiful set for the filming of this sequence for CRMG’s feature film, “Marranos.” With this final epic shoot, we wrapped up principal photography for the movie and are on to the final editing stages! However, before the set is torn down and forgotten, we’d like everyone to note the delicate execution and artistry of Cody’s crown molding!
This independent film tells the story of Spanish Jews at the turn of the 16th century, whose lives are turned into a waking nightmare, when the call went out: all Jews must convert or die.
This month, we’re going to be releasing a lot of new commercials, corporate videos, and behind the scenes videos from recent projects. Here’s a promo we did with Steven Biondolillo to start with! Check out his poems after you watch this video.
Inspire and Motivate Your Team: Macaroni and Cheese Talks and Workshops
Our order is officially placed for the new Scarlet-X, and we might be the first in Boston to get one!
With burst modes up to 12 fps at full 5K resolution alongside 4K motion capture from 1-30 fps, the camera will allow us to simultaneously capture motion footage and still content. Can’t wait to start shooting with this baby!
The setting for our recent location production commercial was the frame of a beautiful Boston home, in the process of being built by our client, FBN Construction.
On the day of our shoot, the exterior walls were up and roof was in place, yet most beams were still exposed, providing a very dynamic shooting environment for us to play with. We arrived with a full truck of equipment, turned the house into a commercial set, and had an exceptionally smooth day of filming.
FBN upgraded to the ARRI Alexa camera package and so the detail and beauty of the construction really stood out on screen. Also, the authenticity of having the owner address the TV audience from this environment was an effective choice for this spot.
In one of his interview responses, Bob said, “We’ve built hundreds of houses before, but we never built this one.” CRMG can relate! For all the video production and commercials we’ve created, we’ve never built one like this.
Congressman Barney Frank is retiring.
His office called us moments ago for film coverage and Charles River Media Group is on it!
Link to the article here: www.huffingtonpost.com
For a recent commercial shoot for ApplianceZone.com, we decided to play with some effects to really capture the catastrophe of appliances gone wrong! We started by picking up a chicken and lighter fluid, chopped off the back of a mini-fridge, destroyed a microwave with hidden holes and smoke, and had random kitchen objects flying slow-motion across the screen. Needless to say, we had a little fun creating this TV spot!
Stay posted for a video of our adventures behind-the-scenes.
The Department of Defense + The Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality + CRMG
In February of 2011, Charles River Media Group began collaborating on content and logistics with returning client, Abt Associates. This year, the narrative video project targeted Nursing Home Staff and featured TeamSTEPPS program, a teamwork system developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
The process included 6 months of pre-production, 3 casting sessions, 2 comprehensive script revisions, 200+ phone calls, 4 storyboards, 4 call sheets, 4 jam-packed shooting days, 86 shot set-ups, 32 full P2 cards, 192 bottles of water, 24 actors, 12 matching scrubs, 3 nursing homes, 16 hotel rooms, 2,000+ travel miles, 1 favor from a fire chief, and enough Subway and Dunkin Donuts to merit a corporate sponsorship.
The initial idea consisted of 6 scripts that totaled 40 pages and ran approximately 55 minutes. Our preliminary challenge was to make the content as brief, manageable, and film-friendly as possible without cutting any of the necessary material. We successfully reworked the scripts and managed to save a day and a half of shooting, as well as a third of our budget. Being a medical video, it was immensely helpful that our direct contacts had nursing backgrounds themselves. Although the clients were newcomers to the media production process, CRMG was able to communicate with them throughout the planning process by maintaining a master document that detailed all proposals and revisions along the way.
To find the right faces to bring the storylines to life, CRMG posted casting calls throughout New England and recommended actors we have worked with in the past. CRMG recorded these auditions in our Newton Center studio to share with the client. Through this process, the cast was assembled quickly and with general consensus.
Finding appropriate locations for filming posed a challenge. Shutting down an entire nurses’ station did not seem to be a viable option, so we considered building a set in-studio and began investigating medical facilities that were available for rent. In the end, we managed to secure a nursing home in Connecticut that gave us free-reign of their nurses’ station for a full day. For the two other scripts, we found nursing homes in Boston that were ideal for filming one scene in conference room and another in a rehabilitation therapy gym. The benefit of a location shoot is the accuracy of the setting with minimal set dressing and construction costs.
With location photos in hand, the CRMG team drafted specific shot lists and diagrams for each scene, walking through camera movements and lighting set-ups for every angle ahead of time. Conceptual storyboarding prompted discussion and provided visual reference to share between department heads.
Our shooting days begin with an overview of team responsibilities. By the time actors arrive and go to hair and make-up, the grips are hard at work unpacking equipment and assisting the gaffer in assembling lights, flags, gels and diffusion in order to generate the most natural, even lighting for the talent on camera. When shooting involves windows, multiple subjects or intricate background elements, our lighting configuration surpasses the standard 3-point set-up. This is one reason why we budget so much time into a typical shooting day.Next on the to-do list was booking additional equipment and crew, as well as approving, creating and purchasing props and wardrobe. We researched medical equipment, manufactured custom “Shady Pines Nursing Home” nametags, and ironed the creases out of the newly-ordered scrubs. Then, after stocking up on craft services and tackling an actor cancellation and a last-minute crew replacement, we ended pre-production with a 12-person CRMG crew.
Another reason is to allow buffer time to conquer unexpected complications. For instance, the nurses’ station in the middle of a functioning facility is a high-traffic area, so residents and nurses still needed access to the hallway where we were stationed. Audio in a new setting often has it’s own challenges to adjust to, as well. Here, it was the noise of intercoms and beeping which we would either shoot around or pass off as ambience in the edit.
The talent and crew made it through a huge amount of content in quite a short time frame for this project. The production value included dolly shots, blocking, costume changes and multiple locations. The final step included an assembly edit for our client, and then enhancing and refining the final product to satisfaction. Our clients were at our side throughout the entire process. By the end, they had a much better understanding of all the details, structure, and flexibility involved in a production like this. It was a pleasure working with our friends through Abt Associates on such an ambitious project as TeamSTEPPS.
On Monday, Charles River Media Group filmed Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick as he met with AIDS Vaccine 2012 conference organizers at the State House in Boston. This shoot is part of a larger project advertising next year’s AIDS Vaccine conference which is one of the largest in the world. The 2011 conference is being held in Bangkok, Thailand and this video headed by Bruce is being shown at the conference. The 2012 conference in Boston is expected to attract more than 1,000 researchers, clinicians, and community advocates from around the world.
The Governor and his staff were very generous with his time and we discovered that one of his Communications Aide in attendance was a former student of Don’s from Tufts University.
AIDS Vaccine 2012 conference organizers, Lindsey Robert Baden, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine (BWH), Dan H. Barouch, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine (BIDMC) and Galit Alter, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Medicine (HMS) met with the Governor. CRMG members included Don Schechter, Bruce Petschek, Cody Signore, and intern Hillary.
Last week we had a blast wrapping up a 3 Day Project for The Tufts Institute of the Environment. Charles River Media Group is creating 3 videos this summer highlighting some of the programs and initiatives that TIE supports. These films will showcase their TELI program, TIE Fellow, and WISS (Water: Systems, Science and Society). We filmed at their Medford and Grafton campuses as well as near the Mystic River in Alewife. We were on our last set of interviews when mother nature decided to dump some rain on our crew. Fear not, the gear was well protected.
From the Tufts website:
The Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE) is an interdisciplinary, university-wide education and research institute devoted to advancing and disseminating knowledge about the many ways that human interactions affect the environment. TIE brings together existing environmental efforts at Tufts and helps to catalyze new research, outreach, service, and teaching initiatives.
It’s been another busy week here at Charles River Media Group.
On Sunday, while Cody Signore and Bruce Petschek were filming for the Winchester Ballet School, Don Schechter joined Pulitzer Prize winning photographer David Turnley to film Robert Kraft at Gillette Stadium. Mr. Kraft is the Chairman and CEO of the Kraft Group and is the owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots, Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution, and Gillette Stadium itself. Don joined David on a quick tour of Mr. Kraft’s owner’s box and trophy room, and then conducted the interview – for Harvard Business School – in his office.
Two of the impressive Super Bowl Rings belonging to Mr. Kraft.
On Monday a small CRMG crew consisting of Don, Bruce, Cody, and Chuck head over to Vicor’s headquarters in Andover, MA to film an engineer describe one of their products. This half day shoot was followed by a quick edit of the material and draft 1 was sent off to Vicor before the end of the day.
On Tuesday we wrapped up the Vicor video and began preparations for the completion of the set we are building for the last shoot of our film, Marranos. We also placed Leanne’s voice over for the PT Barnum Awards into our edit while beginning work on two new “digital” commercials. One television spot is for a North Carolina law firm and, the other is for tax attorneys based in Florida.
Today – Wednesday – we will be wrapping up those PT Barnum awards which consist of biographical films about Hank Azaria, Rob and Pru Sternin, David Rone, and Gary Winick.
The rest of the week will include continued set construction, a new intern joining us, the completion of the two television spots, editing on Marranos, and preparations for filming new vignettes about environmental initiatives at Tufts University.
Hello World!
Welcome to the first blog post of our all new website.
I am sitting in my office in Newton Center on a beautiful spring day listening to the sound of sets being built in our studio. It’s an exciting time here at CRMG.
Where to begin?
This new website – our third in the past decade – represents a new stage in Charles River Media Group’s development. We started off as a very loose collaboration of media professionals. Some were freelancers, others were crammed into offices in Revere and Brookline, MA. Our recent expansion into our Newton Center facility provides us a controlled environment to both film our own projects and rent affordable to others. New staff is working and have been hired to complete current projects and expand into new sectors. Our capabilities are now limitless.
More importantly, our human network is strong. Whether it’s our work with new CRMG personnel, new freelancers, or new companies, organizations, and businesses, the relationships we have built and maintain amongst all of us is, in my opinion, our greatest strength. When you move past the technological tricks and glitz and past the budgets and timetables, it is ultimately the willingness by everyone to create an outstanding and effective creative product – regardless of sector (business, corporate, TV, non-profit, political, etc.) – that is our greatest strength.
Many years ago, when I first started the business, I went to the Small Business Administration for some of their free advice. I met with two retired gentleman who had run various retail businesses. They asked me to explain my business model. They listened in horror as I described my desire to create an organization dedicated to the following principles: 1) Create high quality productions regardless of sector, 2) Provide flexible costs to accommodate clients’ budgetary restrictions, 3) Establish the company as a national brand, and 4) Foster the creative film works of CRMG staff and collaborators.
The SBA thought I was nuts….and they were right….but it worked. I disregarded their advice to focus solely on car commercials or corporate presentations, and tried to do it all. That’s why we have perhaps the most diverse client list around.
Where we stand.
We are currently finishing up edits for various non-profits and corporations. We have a few television commercials to wrap up as well as some productions about to begin. Our creative work – the feature film “Marranos” – is nearing it’s end. The sets that we are currently constructing for the final remaining scenes will also serve as flats for future commercial use in the studio.We are also in the early stages of developing new models for feature filmmaking and have various scripts and treatments in the pipeline.
What’s next?
One of my favorite television shows, The West Wing, featured Martin Sheen as the President of the United States often asking, “What’s next?”
Even though we are expanding our resources and our client base…
Even though an election season is heating up and the airwaves will be busy with activity…
And even though the recession will (hopefully) soon be in the distant past…
We don’t exactly know the shape of CRMG’s future.
Isn’t it exciting?
-Don Schechter
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