Archive for the ‘Web Design’ Category

We have just got back from our 9th Cannonball Run, the last 5 of which we have been responsible for all web, video and photography work as the rally roared across Europe.

The event is best described as a rolling party, where petrol heads from around the world come to drive on some of the best roads and track Europe has to offer, staying in some of the most luxurious hotels in beautiful destinations. This year we took in the sights and sounds of Portoroz (Slovenia), Rappalo, the Monza F1 track, Milan and Versailles.

The biggest challenge for us is the incredibly tight deadlines and quick turnaround on our work throughout the week. Each day the event website was updated with photos and a blog from the previous day. Every evening the video tapes from two cameras where logged and transferred to our mobile editing suite. During the day we edited, colour graded and mixed an appropriately pumping soundtrack, all while travelling between checkpoints. In 6 days we covered 2500 miles, captured and processed 18 hours of high definition video footage, took over 1200 images and edited a 15 minute video which received a standing ovation when it was shown at The Grand Hotel, Brighton, during the final night party. Oh, and we got to party a bit too!

The event is now over, but our work has really only just begun – we have now started work on editing a 50 minute documentary of the event and syndicating video content to various TV and News channels globally. And by the time we call ‘that’s a wrap’ on this years event, planning will be well underway for 2011!

It’s been a pretty hectic start to 2010, and following a trip to Zaafarana in Egypt and Les Coches in France to produce a selection of video podcasts I started to realise I had to really put some serious thought to hardware and workflows if I was to make it through an already busy year of web and video production.

I consider myself pretty technically comptent, to many I am considered a techie geek – always one to embrace the latest gadgets and push them to their full potential in my work. The last two years in particular have seen real advances in the kit and technologies at our disposal – HD DSLRs, go pros, prores, proxies, LT, quad cores blah blah blah and if we are not careful we can all be at risk of going into digital overload – not seeing the wood through the trees, the creative through the technical. Technology should help take some of the pain away to let us be completely focused on creativity, it shouldn’t dictate it.

With hardly any time to catch my breath I am already making filming and web design preperations for the Cannonball Run Europe which kicks off on 4th July and three sizeable corporate web videocasts scheduled in May. Rather than think about what technology I have at my disposal first, I am instead going to bust out the pad and pencil. (NB not an iPad!)

Great concepts and ideas come from not being tied to a gadget, so after completing this post the iPhone is going off.

We have been working hard over the last two months on the new site for Kamikaze Boarding.  One of the most enjoyable projects we have worked on for some time, with complete creative control over the design and content of the site.  As well as traditional design and e-commerce development, Blue Juice produced a short video for You Tube which included on set filming and green screen production.  The green screen footage was also used in flash video banners in the web shop.

Check it out now at www.kamikazeboarding.com

Over the last 6 months we have seen a notable increase in both client interest in incorporating video into their sites and online marketing solutions built and delivered through some form of video medium.

Perhaps suprisingly to many it is an incredibly cost effective and powerful method of delivering your message online, and with the success of the BBC iplayer and services such as Vimeo and YouTube, 2010 will be the year online video really comes of age and forms an important part of any web developers arsenal and many clients web sites.

Get in touch to find out more about the services offered by Blue Juice Multimedia.

We are pleased to announce that Dan Sweeney, the local kitesurfer we have sponsored throughout 2009 in the British Kitesurfing Championships has won the Junior title! Its been an exciting year for us both, with Blue Juice accompanying Dan on trips to Barbados, Cornwall and, err, Swansea! Dans web site, put together by us, has been a focal point for all his activities and we look forward to sponsoring Dan next year as he moves in to the pros.  Well done Dan!

Blue Juice Designs have successfully completed the redesign of the Leatherhead Football Club website.  The site was set live at 9am on Saturday 15th August 2009, 6 hours before their first game of the season against Worthing. Leatherhead FC play in the Ryman Division 1 South division, and the new season brings with it all the hopes and dreams of league and cup success.  Blue Juice were tasked with creating a new website that would act as focal point for supporters and sponsors, reflect the clubs image and grow with the club through the season.

Using a mixture of a Wordpress CRM backend and dynamic spry tables, the site enables easy updates by Club officials.

“We finally have a site we can be proud of!” – Dick Wilkinson, Leatherhead Football Club

We are pleased to announce Cavendish Chartered Surveyors, a nationwide surveying business, have chosen Blue Juice Designs to create their new brand identity and website.

Blue Juice Multimedia are pleased to announce that stage one of the Cannonball Run Europe (www.cannonballruneurope.co.uk) refresh is now live! Blue Juice faced a number of challenges on the revamp, not least integrating the existing content which has grown over the last 9 years into the the new template, and retaining search engine rankings throughout the changes.  With Stage One completed, Blue Juice are now tasked with reformatting and updating the content, in particular the multimedia sections of the site including the addition of HD video content.

In July 2009 Blue Juice will be present throughout the Cannonball event, filming and editing the daily podcast and managing the online blog pages, which will include Google Earth intergration with geotagged content.

Watch this space for more updates!