Sponsor Spotlight: Deconstructing a Successful Video with One Story Productions

Written by Hanna De Hoyos and Aaron Weiss, One Story Productions.

In today’s world of marketing communications, video is an important branding tool. Every organization, from corporations to non-profits, has a story to tell. More and more, companies are turning to the impact of video as a way to share their causes and captivate their audiences. According to ReelSEO, YouTube changes at a rate of 33 percent a year, having a serious impact on video marketing (Jarobe, 2015). If your organization is not utilizing video for marketing and branding, you are missing out on an opportunity to share your story with the world.

We met with WCA Sponsor Aaron Weiss of One Story Productions to discuss the deconstruction of a video, the creative process of bringing an organization’s story and its meaning to life.

 One Story Productions was asked to create a series of videos for the opening of the East Austin restaurant Qui. The purpose of the series was to showcase the unique approach chef and owner Paul Qui took in assembling a creative team to bring together this one-of-a-kind project to life.

Paul Qui brought together seven external teams to design and curate the look and feel of Qui. It was the goal of One Story Productions to seamlessly document the process and accumulation of all the creative energies collaborating on the inception of this unique project. Part of the video series involved profiling A Parallel Architects, Aaron Goeth of Windmill Bicycles, artist/musician Peelander Yellow, Mr. and Mrs. Sew It All, Public School, Keith Kreeger Studios and Griffon Ramsey.

Weiss deconstructs the first video of that series that combines the stories of all the contributors:

In this micro-documentary, we are first introduced to our main character, Paul Qui, as he explains his vision for assembling the best local, specialized and creative people to collaborate on the vision for his first brick and mortar restaurant, Qui.

The assigned themes illustrated authenticity, inspiration, creativity, hospitality and obviously collaboration. We wanted to show how Paul was creating a family, and that inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere.
Through each of the interviews, we wanted the audience to experience Paul’s vision and his commitment to the project. Aesthetically, the viewers see a documentary approach to storytelling and experience a behind-the-scenes look into the process of each partner. The vibe is welcoming and the natural lighting of scenes and environments flow into one another.

Music plays an important role in the video, supporting the light-heartedness of the “characters” and the restaurant. Although the accompanying song is an original piece, the intention was to give it an interesting and familiar melody.

For branding purposes, the name of the restaurant “Qui,” is mentioned throughout the video— since it is Paul’s last name—however, the actual logo is subtle and only shown at the beginning and the end.

The video ends with Paul explaining how this initial project is just the beginning of his long-term vision to weave together the creative, cultural and collaborative aspects of the Austin community.

With over 70,000 plays on their website, this video has become somewhat viral locally and has been
truly successful in communicating the Qui brand to its patrons.

You can view the other seven videos on the Qui website here:
http://quiaustin.com/homies/

About One Story Productions
One Story Productions is an Austin-based production company, specializing in creating video content for large and small organizations. One Story partners with non-profits and businesses to tell the stories behind their missions. One Story Productions is proud to be a new sponsor of WCA and would like to engage the membership in thoughts about video production best practices. One Story is led by Founder/Director, Aaron Weiss.

Contact One Story Productions:
Phone: 512-789-8539
Email: aaron@onestoryproductions.com
Website: onestoryproductions.com