Every second Friday afternoon, you’ll find Bolster’s Creative team crammed into a meeting room (a Zoom window for now), beers in hand, for a catch-up colloquially known as ‘Content Crush’. This is where our designers, producers, editors and creators come together to share their favourite pieces of content.
For this month’s Content Crush, we have Hugo Dean, Bolster’s Creative Producer. He learns how to correctly cook rice, has a run at being Beyonce’s assistant, and crushes on a couple of great shots. Enjoy!
Uncle Roger
“Uncle Roger needs the fire! Who use induction stove?!”
Not only is this piece of content hysterical, it’s also educational. Uncle Roger gives us an almost eight minute crash course in how not to cook rice in this cheap and cheerful YouTube masterpiece. Kooky post-production flourishes (crash zooms, recolouring, slow-mo and sound effects) emphasise his reactions while a very basic split-screen technique keeps our eyes glued to the screen. This is a masterclass in low-touch content and we crushed on it super hard.
Choose your own adventure Twitter threads
Remember those Goosebumps books from the late-’90s where you could choose your own adventure? You know — “If you want to follow the werewolf into the forest turn to page 43. If you want to ride your bike to the old mill with the Thompson twins turn to page 86.” I pity you if you don’t.
The point is — this ‘choose your own adventure’ style of storytelling is a classic we never thought could push back into our socials. However, through geniuses like @CORYNASSBITCH in mid-2019 and @AlexPattyy earlier this year, they’re back! Using Twitter’s thread functions, now you can be Beyonce’s personal assistant or work on RuPaul’s Fracking Ranch. The goal is simple — don’t get fired! Follow through the steps and answer tough questions like ‘do you bring Beyonce granola and strawberries or a full five-star buffet?’ Or ‘who do you invite to RuPaul’s fundraiser, Ellen DeGeneres, Meghan McCain, or JK Rowling?’ Choose wisely content crushers …
Stomping Ground product shots
Don’t have the cash to run a product shoot? In this economic climate, I get it. Here’s an approach that the legends at Stomping Ground have nailed. Take an existing product shot and some artwork layers, add a touch of motion and sound. And BOOM! Cost effective, classy, engaging and fun.
Anybody else stinging for a Stomping Ground tinnie?
In-Camera FX will always be G.O.A.T.
Look, we love motion design. We love After Effects. We love Illustrator. In fact we love the entire Adobe Creative Suite (Adobe Brand Manager, @ me). However, when we see a bit of content that just screams “Sup everyone this is an optical illusion and we did it with nothing but good ol’ fashioned trickery” we can’t help but crush on it.
This is a photograph. Of a person. Holding a mirror. That’s literally it. Absolutely gorgeous.
Tune in next month for the musings of another-content craving-crusher from Bolster’s creative department.
Look back at our previous crushes here.
