Category: iAproductions News

The West Virginia Housing Development Fund came to iA for a better way to educate potential homebuyers about the process of shopping for, choosing, and financing their own home.

iA responded by writing and producing a 4 part video series utilizing the trending technique known as “whiteboard animation”.  To create the effect, iA turned to Videoscribe to create the foundation of the clips, but chose to enhance the effect using Apple Motion for a smoother result.  The final video series now resides on YouTube and is embedded on the WVHDF web site.  The videos have also been shown at realtor luncheons across the state to better familiarize the real estate community with the home buying process.

This is a playlist consisting of 4 videos.
Dancers Rehearse

Dancers Rehearse

What do an adorable little girl, two disgruntled moving men, four square dancers, a frazzled family and an eighties rocker have in common? They are all part of two TV spots created by iA to promote the West Virginia Housing Development Fund’s new “Movin Up” home loan program. The program was designed for existing homeowners who want to move up to a larger home or are just ready for a change.

The first of the two comedy spots titled Get Movin’ depicts a family who must wait in line as a teen daughter monopolizes their home’s only bathroom. “Nothing could be more to the point or funnier.” said iA’s Carl Varney, the spot’s creator. “These folks really need a larger home.”

In the second spot called Change male and female characters who “change with the times, change their minds and finally change places” thanks to a “Movin’ Up” home loan.

“We’re grateful that the Fund let us run with our ideas for these spots. It’s not every day an institutional client has the vision and the courage to use comedy to promote a financial product,” said director Bill Hogan.

The spots premiered on TV stations across the state in February and met with immediate, positive feedback. George Gannon, the Fund’s Communications Manager reported unprecedented traffic on the Fund’s Facebook page and web site within twenty-four hours of posting the “Movin’ Up” spots. Patti Shamblin, a loan origination manager with the Fund, reports increased phone traffic since the spots began airing.

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Frontier Logo RedA new thirty-second Frontier Communications spot produced by iAproductions for West Virginia markets has been picked up for use by multiple Frontier regional business units. The spot titled Best Gift Ever employs kinetic typography and animation to herald Frontier’s holiday customer promotion. The spot offers customers a $450 Apple gift card as an incentive to sign up for Frontier’s “Triple Play” package for phone, TV and internet service.

This is the second spot produced by iAproductions for Frontier that utilizes an animation technique known as kinetic typography.  Kinetic typography involves the creation of blocks of text, animated in sync with speech and music, that convey a particular idea or emotion.  It’s first recognized use was during the opening credits of Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest in 1959.  iAproductions previously employed this technique on a grander scale to promote Frontier Communications’ “Custom Value Pricing” promotion.

Response to the spot in West Virginia broke sales records and Frontier’s home office immediately took notice and requested the spot be adapted for use throughout the Frontier system of twenty-eight states. According to iA’s Creative Director Bill Hogan, “The spot was so successful that Frontier requested the spot be retooled for extended use following the promotion.” Hogan went on to say, “It’s been a pleasure to work with Frontier’s Southeastern region marketing team and we are grateful to them for providing us with the opportunity to ‘go national’ with the gift card spot. For us it’s the Best Gift Ever!”

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Frontier Logo RedImage Associates’ client Frontier Communications is reporting great results from their recent Custom Value Pricing TV campaign. The campaign, which is currently running in West Virginia and Myrtle Beach, SC, has more than exceeded the company’s expectations in terms of in-bound telephone calls and web page visits. If you want your phone to ring with potential new customers for your company’s next big promotion, call Image Associates today at (304) 546-2583.

[tubepress video=”jKrFRjvg31w” embeddedHeight=”180″ embeddedWidth=”280″ fullscreen=”true” showInfo=”false” showRelated=”false” playerImplementation=”youtube”]iA just completed a brand new television commercial for Frontier Communications.  The spot, featuring Frontier’s Custom Value Pricing, offers a $68.75 per month special price for phone service, high-speed Internet and Dish Satellite TV.  The commercial utilizes kinetic typography, an animation technique using motion and text to express ideas. Image Associates also produced a companion :60 radio spot, as well.

The television commercial will be running in selected markets throughout West Virginia and featured in movie theaters in West Virginia, Raleigh-Durham, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC.

For more information about Frontier’s Custom Value Pricing, visit their website at www.frontier.com/save

MSAA LogoiA recently had the privilege of working with Dan and Mary Kerns and their great staff at Mountain State Agency Alliance, an area insurance organization.  MSAA approached Image Associates about producing two videos for their website.  The videos feature testimonials from MSAA agents talking about the benefits a partnership offers and also includes MSAA staff members highlighting the services and benefits they offer participating agencies. The video will be utilized as a recruiting tool for prospective new MSAA member agencies.

MSAA was very pleased with the finished products and has asked Image Associates to produce another video later this year.

There has never been a better time to improve the effectiveness of your company’s website than by adding video.  Call us today at (304) 546-2583 to learn more.

Vertical UW LogoiA was chosen again by United Way of Central West Virginia to produce their annual Community Impact Fund video.  2011 marked the fourth consecutive year the agency has called on Image Associates to produce this integral part of their annual fundraising effort.

Regarding working with iA, United Way President John Ballengee commented, “United Way of Central West Virginia has worked closely with Image Associates over the past several years to produce our annual campaign video.  We need a message every year that is both educational and inspirational.  Bill Hogan and the production staff at Image Associates have never let us down.  From script writing to editing to the final product, IA produces quality work that we are always proud to share with the community.  We look forward to working with the iA staff well into the future.”

United Way’s Janice Amspoker added, “In my position as Resource and Development Director for United Way of Central West Virginia, I work closely with the staff at iA and appreciate the personal attention given to our projects. iA takes a basic concept or idea and truly makes it come alive on film.”

Super8 Poster2The Steven Spielberg/J.J. Abrams blockbuster “Super 8” roared into theatres this June and with it months of secrecy concerning the role of Charleston’s iA Productions finally came to an end. When iA first began talks with Paramount Pictures in August 2010, the company was sworn to secrecy. In fact, the producers were so concerned with secrecy that the production had two working titles before adopting the “Super 8” moniker.

Now iA can tell all. iA served as the film’s production services company, providing almost everything the production used while shooting in West Virginia – from filmstock to flamethrowers, from hair extensions to explosives and everything in between. From August 2010 through January 2011, iA staff interacted daily with the Paramount crew, both in-state and back in Los Angeles. Long hours were spent making purchases, overseeing expenditures and making certain every last item would arrive on time for each day’s shooting in Weirton, WV.

What can we do for your next production? Anybody need a slightly used freight train?

Telly AwardsThe winners of the 32nd Annual Telly Awards have been announced and Image Associates’ iA Productions received two Telly Awards for its television commercials for the West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care and Ghareeb Dental Group. “With nearly 11,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries, it’s quite an honor to be selected,” said iA Productions Creative Director Bill Hogan. “It is especially gratifying that the concepts for these award-winners were crafted by our advertising division – Image Associates, LLC.”

One thirty-second spot for the West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care brings home its message, urging West Virginians to declare their end-of-life wishes, with an electrifying conclusion in which a medical device called a defibrillator is seen from a patient’s point of view as it discharges, complete with jarring sound effect.

In direct contrast, the imagery found in the Ghareeb Dental spots features actual patients simply smiling at the camera in extended close ups, is upbeat and fun and supported by a light and airy Indy-style music track.

The new awards bring iA’s Telly total to twenty-one since 1996. “No other West Virginia production company even comes close,” said Hogan. “Our dedication to quality and creativity have always distinguished us from our competitors. Being recognized by the Telly’s is simply the icing on the cake.”

iA Director William F. Hogan will be featured in an upcoming issue of Markee magazine, a trade publication aimed at reaching executives in the film industry.

“I am honored to be chosen as one of the subjects for an issue of Markee,” said Hogan. “Opportunities to show the nation what we can do in the West Virginia film industry are rare, and when one arises, we have to take advantage.”

Hogan’s decades of experience in the film industry and his wide array of both shooting projects and clients are the focus of the piece, according to writers at Markee.