In 2012 I was tasked with creating a new pre-roll video for TED Talks. TED Talk views had just crossed the one billion mark and we were inspired by the question: How do you visualize the concept of a single idea on the TED platform having an exponential impact?
The piece had to be abstract enough to stay relevant to TED's broad range of topics but specific enough to spark a sense of anticipation and drama in the seconds before each video. Also, it had to be timeless enough to serve as the TED Talk introduction for at least four years.
We collaborated with PsyOp who delivered outstanding work despite a microscopic budget.
With 28 million views, Amy Cuddy's talk is the second-most watched TED Talk in history.
This is the first TED Talk ever filmed in 4k. We collaborated with Corrino Media Group and used RED cameras with a proprietary modification to capture the quadcopters for live broadcast.
Every major TED Conference opens with an animation that sets the tone for the rest of the week. The video needs to integrate every speaker's name, the conference theme, and stay within the constraints of the style guide developed for that year.
In 2013 I worked with Oliver Jeffers and Mac Premo to develop the opening for TED's "The Young, The Wise, The Undiscovered" flagship conference in Vancouver, BC.
I fell in love with TED after watching my first Talk back in 2006 – Ze Frank's 2004 Nerdcore Comedy piece. Ten years later he delivered something with with a tone that was equally hilarious and ominous, something I’d never seen before on a TED stage. In addition to the camerawork, the editing of this Talk was particularly crucial at capturing the unusual mood he created in the room that day.
Filming TED Women 2013 was a good reminder how great talks overcome all creative and technical limitations. Even with few of the directing tools we typically had at our fingertips – no dolly, jib, steadicam, bespoke set, extensive lighting grid, etc. – the talks at that conference had as much emotional impact on TED.com as they did during the live show.