FLIPP the script… and the way you think about still and moving picture production

November 19 2019, 12:45 pm | BY Ricki Green | No Comments

Photographer/Director: Stuart Miller
Campaign: Hard Yakka

In 2020, visual storytelling is set to continue its rapid evolution as audiences consume more content cross-platform than ever before. As such, visual-based social media channels will remain key consumer communication tools alongside traditional above the line advertising. With the rise and rise of content marketing, impactful branded imagery is now an essential part of any promotional arsenal for businesses large and small. And as budgets continue to shrink with brands looking to squeeze even more out of their marketing dollar, bespoke visuals that add real value are ever more compelling.

With this in mind, Australian boutique production agency, FLIPP, is placing a sustained focus on expanding their core: producing head-turning (or thumb-stopping) imagery in collaboration with the best artists and the finest agency creative talent in the business. Taking the time to drill down on their values has motivated this agile team and resulted in a new tagline: FLIPP the way you think about still and moving picture production. A pun, sure, but one that resonates with their client base who come for the inspiring talent and high production values and stay for the honesty, the ease and the industry experience (and maybe the traditional debrief over a long lunch).

Founder and GM, Joclyn McCahon – whose unique personal expertise spans ad agency, feature films (hello, The Matrix and Star Wars) and TV – explains: “We want our clients to rethink the traditional production company experience. At FLIPP, we value transparency without ever sacrificing quality. Our clients are loyal because they know we work hard but we’re not hard work – we get shit done and we make their lives that little bit easier.”

As brands push to extract even more value from shoots and the drive to create video persists, independent companies like FLIPP are able to offer an efficient and budget conscious way to fulfill objectives.

Says McCahon: “Where much of our work was traditionally stills led, we are noticing around 75 per cent of briefs now involve a motion element, while an increasing number are completely motion led.”

It’s the reason she’s signed on an in-house “gun editor”, Audrey Svoboda, further streamlining processes and keeping costs down.

Adds McCahon: “As clients seek to capture more video content, we have evolved our capacity to offer a full service tailored specifically to the brief, resulting in both economy and cohesion.”

Evidence of this shift can be seen in FLIPP’s production work on Hard Yakka’s 2018 new brand direction, various AMEX campaigns and for Qantas Business Rewards. In collaboration with award-winning director/photographer Stuart Miller, both began as large-scale stills productions that were proactively switched up to capture thumb-stopping motion in tandem with imagery. Each resulted in a fully integrated suite of assets that spoke to both brief and budget.

“We have stepped into a new position in the market…a new way of working,” says McCahon, citing social media as the jumping-off point for this evolution. “It’s why we’re encouraging our clients to rethink the traditional production process of creating brand imagery. We think of it as creative problem solving: you don’t necessarily need complicated narratives or dialogue, especially to make something sing on social, but taking a holistic approach to production that delivers highly integrated outcomes is really working for our clients – and it’s rewarding to have the capacity to do that.”

And they couldn’t do it alone. McCahon cites FLIPP’s impressive talent roster as the company’s most valuable resource. “The artists we represent are truly artists – photographers, directors and stylists that know just how to capture the imagination,” she explains. “They’re our greatest asset…we’re proud of the art that they produce.” Not only does FLIPP rep some of the country’s most exciting commercial photographers and DOPs, they also boast top industry experts-in-their-field on the books. Think celebrated photographic artist and cinematographer, Murray Fredericks; food stylist and trained chef, Jacque Malouf; drone and underwater specialist, Jem Cresswell; cool creatives and lifestyle snappers, Ian & Erick (yes, they’re identical!). It’s a unique mix, and that excites McCahon. Because whether it’s capturing the unadulterated joy of cruise ship travel, or making ice cream look even more dreamy, FLIPP’s artists are handpicked to deliver something unique. “And importantly, they’re genuinely lovely people, just like us!” she laughs.

Having spent over 12 years building the business, McCahon and her team are energized by where the industry is headed and thriving on the creative challenge that producing this new breed of content provides. “We love pulling rabbits out of hats to create visual stories that truly engage with people,” she says. “We want the FLIPP experience to achieve the absolute best outcomes for our clients, but love that we can do that with creative integrity and fun.”

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