On my way to Wellington recently to renew Tandem’s contract with the Office of the Clerk of the House for our website www.inthehouse.co.nz, I realised that Tandem is now one of the leading producers of online audio and video in New Zealand.

Tandem has been producing content for a long time. You Tube [...]]]>

On my way to Wellington recently to renew Tandem’s contract with the Office of the Clerk of the House for our website www.inthehouse.co.nz, I realised that Tandem is now one of the leading producers of online audio and video in New Zealand.

Tandem has been producing content for a long time. You Tube started in March 2005 and we uploaded our first video to You Tube by August of that year. The following month Tandem created a world first with our Podcast coverage of the 2005 election campaign which featured in depth interviews with each political leader of the day.

What an incredible ride it’s been!

In 2005 the biggest issue with online audio and video was internet speed, with quality of video willingly compromised just to get those moving images online.

Today quality matters with many viewers wanting high definition video.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the need for great story telling, and to present content on viewers terms.

The latest challenge we face is creating a content plan and a library of content that allows
easy search, share and cross linking to help find ‘what you want, when you want it, on any
device you choose’. In other words – publishing your content across today’s mixed media
world such as social media, podcasts, websites, blogs, tablets and smart phones, DVDs and sales presentations.

Therefore any content you produce has to be repurposed across one or all of your media channels with some requiring different formats and different story telling techniques.

One rule which hasn’t changed over the years is the ‘shovel’ rule. An example being
a television commercial you’ve produced and then ‘shoveled’  into your website.

It has never worked and will never work: wrong media, wrong message, wrong story telling and from the web viewers point of view a complete waste of space and their time.

Since 2005 Tandem has developed a 3P approach; planning, production and publishing.
Those 3P’s mean we plan the content; produce it to meet budget and connect with a target
audience; then importantly publish it in the correct format and start creating a library of
content that can be found, viewed and shared for years to come. This is what is referred to
by former Wired editor Chris Anderson back in late 2004 as the ‘Digital Long Tail‘. (http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Tail)

This long tail of content has always been our approach with Parliament’s
www.inthehouse.co.nz and at the time of writing the website has 11,292 videos with
over 510,514 total views. The publication side of content is the hardest to do. Building
the library of video that can be easily found and shared for years to come does take
commitment and thought, but the success of www.inthehouse.co.nz and it’s long tail of content shows the importance and popularity of a library that presents content that’s easily found and on the viewers terms.

This approach has also been used for Tandem’s coverage of the Royal Commission into
the Canterbury Earthquakes, which now has 1,021 videos and 30,616 views of the videos.

Other clients we produce and host video for include the Taupo District Council and the
Ellerslie International Flower Show and combining those with our other Tandem clients
such as NZ Pork, Deloitte and the Christchurch City Council means collectively we have
produced over 14,000 videos since those early days of wonder back in 2005.

Combined, those videos have received over six hundred thousand views. We may be wrong, but we think this massive production of content means Tandem is the one of the biggest producer of online audio and video in New Zealand.

Our prediction for the future is content is king. This means a central content library where all content can be found easily, will be the biggest challenge facing those in marketing, communications, sales and advertising. The library will also create that long tail of content that gives greater value for investment over future years.

Our solution to this issue is the creation of our LaBon (TM) website which is a ‘living and breathing online newsletter’ that can be quickly updated with an easily searched archive. We’ve used LaBon for all the above content rich websites. To see and read more about LaBon click here.

Finally one of the great jobs recently in Christchurch, was our online coverage of the Ellerslie International Flower Show using video, web streaming, podcasts, social media and photos. Heres the video of some of the best bits…

I won’t bore you with all of our earthquake stories, suffice to say the last 12 months since that day of February 22 has seen Tandem and our team working from several [...]]]> A new year, a new month and back into the old studios – with a brand new lick of paint and new gear!

I won’t bore you with all of our earthquake stories, suffice to say the last 12 months since that day of February 22 has seen Tandem and our team working from several locations with all the challenges involved.

We are now happily back in the studios on Oxford Terrace, ChCh city and all studios are up and running. One of the great advantages of the earthquakes is the fact you get rid of a lot of stuff you don’t need and haven’t used for ages. It’s a cleansing thing.

Looking back at 2011 it was, to paraphrase our former All Black Captain Sean Fiztpatrick, ‘ a year of two halves’. The start was all earthquakes, shocks and trying to stay in some sort of normality but from April onwards the year turned out to be our best ever. Go figure?

This year has also got off to a brilliant start filming a documentary for the 2012 World Buskers Festival – here’s the You Tube channel we set up for them. We are madly editing now and will finish the 44 minute documentary for release in April.

We’ve created blogs, social media and video for the 2012 Ellerslie International Flower Show, began work on a series of sports training DVDs for Athletics NZ and the The Royal Commission has again started with Tandem providing daily web streams and video archives through the LaBon (TM) website we’ve built. On top of that Parliament returned today with Tandem again editing and running the video website InTheHouse.

Who knows what this year has in store for us, but with luck we’ll build on the success of 2011 and still be here at the end of 2012.

We do want to thank all of our clients who have stayed with us on this shaky journey and look forward to working together again at some point through the year.

Tandem is providing social media content and video for the 2012 Ellerslie International Flower Show. The blog is ellerslielive and click here if you’d like to ‘like’ us at facebook. Through both we’ll can keep you in touch with all things Ellerslie up to and through the show.

Heres our latest video blog featuring Paul Wylaars a director of Zealandia. ‘A sea of flowers’

We’ve had earthquakes, world wide recession, World Cups, cup of tea elections, staff leaving, new staff arriving, studio moves and the unparalleled support of so many people that have helped in so many ways.

One huge positive from the year [...]]]> The past 12 months have been some of the maddest, craziest days we’ve ever experienced.

We’ve had earthquakes, world wide recession, World Cups, cup of tea elections, staff leaving, new staff arriving, studio moves and the unparalleled support of so many people that have helped in so many ways.

One huge positive from the year has been the faith in Tandem of you and your business. So to our clients, voice actors and suppliers we thank you sincerely for all of your support and encouragement, the year would have been nothing without you.

As we head into the new year we want you to know that Tandem is feeling very positive about our move back to our Oxford Terrace studios in January 2012, and about the opportunities of our up coming projects; but more about that later.

Please enjoy our Christmas video (from our temporary studios) and we hope that you have a happy Christmas and that 2012 will bring you peace, health and happiness.
See you in the New Year:)

Tandem Studios is very proud to have been apart of the ‘Share an Idea’ campaign that recently won the ”unanimous overall winner” of this years Co-creation Award. The international award celebrate the most original and successful co-creation initiatives.

2011 is the first time the Netherlands based Co-creation association has given the award to [...]]]>

Tandem Studios is very proud to have been apart of the ‘Share an Idea’ campaign that recently won the ”unanimous overall winner” of this years Co-creation Award. The international award celebrate the most original and successful co-creation initiatives.

2011 is the first time the Netherlands based Co-creation association has given the award to an initiative outside Europe.

Share an idea was the Christchurch City Council solution for the community to become involved with sharing of ideas for the redevelopment of the Central City following the Earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.

Tandems involvement was across multiple media:

1. Radio commercials which involved our team hitting the streets and recording citizens thoughts an ideas and producing a series of 30 second commercials which ran across the the two months of the campaign.

2. Filming the Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker for a DVD to welcome visitors at each roadshow.

3. Set up the Share an Idea You Tube channel.

4. Created a You Tube Booth at the biggest roadshow, filming peoples ideas and uploading within 15 minutes for playback on in house monitors, You Tube and the Share an Idea website.

5. Editing and posting online the video of roadshow guest speakers.

6. Converting 15 minute Power point presentation to DVD and and posting online (Draft City Plan), adding voice over, music and graphics.

7. Editing You Tube ideas from the youngest contributors into a viral video which was eventually placed onto the front page of the NZ Herald website.

Tandem adds our congratulations to all of those people who successfully brought the ‘Share an Idea’ campaign to life and to those many citizens of Christchurch who gave their ideas to the future of our city.

In New Zealand on 22 February 2011 the Canterbury region, including Christchurch, suffered a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in which 182 people died and many were injured.
The Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission of inquiry will report on the causes of building failure as a result of the [...]]]> The Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission

In New Zealand on 22 February 2011 the Canterbury region, including Christchurch, suffered a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in which 182 people died and many were injured.
The Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission of inquiry will report on the causes of building failure as a result of the earthquakes as well as the legal and best-practice requirements for buildings in New Zealand Central Business Districts. The inquiry began in May 2011.

Tandem was commissioned to provide a complete streaming solution and video library for the public hearings.
The brief involved the setting up of 16 in house microphones for the Commission, legal team and witnesses. Three digital cameras which cover every moment and is streamed live via the Internet and through four televisions though out the commission venue.
We have three staff who look after the audio, cameras and streaming with another recording every moment and editing the video for the website, which streams the hearings and hosts the video library.
The video is easily searched through meta tags, key words and various categories. Each video links to any documents presented or displayed during the video.

The website and streaming solution we’ve built is based on our Labon service (living and breathing online news) which we provide for Taupo District Council, The Clerk of the House for New Zealand Parliament and during the Rugby World Cup, the Wellington City Council.

Here is the link to the schedule of the hearings which run till the end of March.

To play the live stream and access the video library click here…

We are very happy to announce our association with next year’s Ellerslie International Flower Show in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Tandem will provide videos and blogs prior to and during the show from the LaBon website ellerslielive.co.nz
From March 7 – 11 2012 at our garden based studio, Tandem will stream [...]]]>

We are very happy to announce our association with next year’s Ellerslie International Flower Show in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Tandem will provide videos and blogs prior to and during the show from the LaBon website ellerslielive.co.nz
From March 7 – 11 2012 at our garden based studio, Tandem will stream live from the show and keep you connected online with video, images and all things Ellerslie.
You can also follow Ellerslie International Flower Show on Facebook, and You Tube

Our first video blog is a postcard of Christchurch in bloom on a November spring day, from sunrise to sunset. Recent images of Christchurch have been about the earthquake but we wanted to show the other side of Christchurch, a side that is still fine and one we love: our gardens and flowers.

The Ellerslie International Flower Show runs from 7th to 11th March at Hagley Park, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Tickets on sale now at the Ellerslie International Flower Show website.

Tandem [...]]]> Heres a sample of what we can do for your powerpoint presentation. The Christchurch City Council wanted their powerpoint of the new Draft City Plan to be put into a DVD with a voice over and for that DVD to be looped on TV screens at all the roadshows planned for the city.

Tandem took those power point files, produced the voice over and created the DVD all within a couple of days.

A tribute to lyttelton and it’s amazing people after the massive [...]]]> It is hard to believe that it has been 12 months since the 7.1 hit Canterbury. Like the strong spirited people of Christchurch, Tandem was there through it all. Here are a couple of videos that we made since September 4th 2010.

A tribute to lyttelton and it’s amazing people after the massive 6.3 earthquake, that occurred on the 22nd of February 2011.