Works from the danimations online video series Naturescope are on show at Gallery M in Marion Cultural Centre until April 1st. The three episodes are presented as part of a community art exhibition entitled ‘The Demise or Otherwise of South Australia’s Gulfs’. Conceived and wrangled by passionate environmentalists from the Save Our Gulfs Coalition, over 90 artists from around Spencer and St Vincent’s Gulfs responded to the theme in a very diverse range of media and working styles. We were thrilled to be asked to contribute our work, and also produced for the occasion a limited edition DVD featuring the three videos. It is available from the gallery for $15. For more information about the exhibition, visit Gallery M’s website. To see the Naturescope videos without leaving your computer or cellphone, view them on Youtube.

We love lending our services to worthwhile causes. When we heard about the MS Society of SA and NT’s ‘Mighty Swim’ team marathon fundraiser, our curiousity led us straight into production mode. Dropping into the event for its commencement, a brief spell overnight and again for the 24 hour swim-off’s conclusion, the end result of this lean, improvised single camera shoot can be seen in the two short videos embedded below. In keeping with the theme of accessibility and social inclusion, all our videos are closed captioned for the hearing impaired. Closed captions can be helpful for foreign viewers too who may be unfamiliar with Australian accents! The event was a great thing to be a part of, and we are confident that these online videos will play their part in supporting public awareness of Multiple Sclerosis and this novel fundraising event.

When we first began work on Cuttlefish Country back in August of 2011, we did not forsee the story growing to such scale and complexity. What began as a short documentary project has grown into a full-length feature film project, and we’re thrilled at the prospect. After initially investigating the mystery of the missing Giant Australian Cuttlefish aggregation of Upper Spencer Gulf, we decided to extend the scope of the project to include more background on BHP Billiton’s massive proposed Olympic Dam mine expansion. Every answered question led to new questions, and we soon found ourselves compelled to tell the story of the incoming South Australian mining boom and to explore the opportunities and the challenges which lie ahead for mining companies, regional communities, the South Australian Government and the environment.

The cuttlefish and their plight will still feature prominently in the story, while broader topics are also addressed including groundwater use, energy consumption, the nuclear power debate and infrastructure challenges. Stylistically, the film will feature a diversity of opinion in interviews, many spectacular locations around South Australia, and a significant number of animated sequences, including stop-motion and illustrated styles. The project remains independently funded, and has received no grant monies or external investment. As this project has effectively placed our service business on hold, we appreciate any and all private contributions to our production through the purchasing of campaign merchandise, and in-kind sponsorship. We are striveing for an April 2012 release date, with screening venues and distribution TBC. You can find out more about the project and connect with us on social networks at Cuttlefish Country.

Danimations offers production and coaching services to help vloggers take their video communications to the next level. A low-cost option for anyone looking to generate content on Youtube, vlogging (short for video blogging) has never been easier to get started with. It’s being embraced by an ever-widening variety of personal and business communicators- but all vlogs are not created equal! Good vlogging starts with the message- but if the production quality falls short of expectations you set by your brand or presence elsewhere, you could be doing yourself a disservice. The good news is, we’re here to help. Danimations offers professional coaching for emerging vloggers, plus affordable production packages to spice up your vlog content with titling elements, insert shots and animation. We can also review your content, and provide you with distribution and search-engine optimisation services. To show you what we’ve been doing with vloggers lately, take a look at the playlist below. We deliver and communicate online, servicing clients all over the world. New customer enquiries are always welcome.

One of our most innovative South Australian clients Wire By Click has just taken a giant leap with its online video presence, after realising the fantastic opportunities awaiting proactive businesses on Youtube. Wire By Click offers a radical new alternative to traditional, labour-intensive soft wiring approaches for commercial and domestic applications. As a start-up company in their early years of trading, founder Mark Fahey and his team identified the need to clearly demonstrate the benefits of using their 3 and 5 pin wiring solutions to increase customer take-up. A phonecall later, and we were commissioned to produce a series of low-budget videos to do just that. The job moved from concept to Youtube-distributed reality within a week, and has been put to immediate work. Take a look at Wire By Click’s products and video below and imagine what a series of online videos could do to help you grow your business. New customer enquiries are always welcome.

We’re up to our necks in cuttlefish, drama and mystery as the story for our pending documentary film Cuttlefish Country unfolds. Failing dismally to recognise and protect its environmental assets (and the associated commercial opportunities they present), a stack of industrial proposals are pegged for the narrow strip of land known as the Point Lowly Peninsula in Upper Spencer Gulf. The Santos Gas Fractionation facility sticks out like a sore thumb on this wonderful strip of South Australian coastline, and is currently involved in a court battle with the EPA over water pollution. It’s hard to imagine how the State Government of South Australia has failed thus far to consider evaluating an alternative development strategy for the area- capitalising on the amazing and unique Giant Cuttlefish aggregation which happens there each winter, its scenic coastline, beaches, rocky reefs, mangroves, sea grasses and sponge-gardens. The spot has long been reknown for its snapper fishing and crabbing too, and three Aquatic Reserves protect adjacent waters. Put simply, Point Lowly’s at threat from a wholesale industrialisation agenda from private sector and State Government proponents. Emma and I are now on the case, and we’ve launched a website where you can find out more and sign a petition to relocate the most alarming industrial proposal- a desalination plant to provide water to BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam mine at Roxby Downs. The plant will pump salty brine back into the Upper Spencer Gulf system, which poses horrendous risks to bottom-dwelling marine species like the Giant Australian Cuttlefish, prawns, and the myriad of creatures who use surrounding habitat as fish nurseries. We aim to complete the documentary film by October 2011, and we’re releasing interviews as we go to help raise the level of public awareness and concern. Please help us set the course of regional development in this state towards a sustainable future!

The first two episodes of NatureScope‘s new nature documentary video series are now live. Prompted by danimations directors’ love of nature, biology and conservation, the channel endeavours to show Australian nature at its best. It also aims to prompt viewer engagement with conservation and habitat restoration efforts, and considers no plant, insect or animal subject too small or otherwise insignificant to consider and celebrate. The first episode features the flora and fauna of the Mark Oliphant Conservation Park, near Heathfield in the Adelaide Hills. The 200 hectare park is named after Sir Mark Oliphant, a celebrated South Australian physicist, humanitarian and environmentalist. Coincidentally, danimations studio is also located in the Mark Oliphant Building at Flinders University- such was the man’s impact on the state (he even became State Governer in the 1970′s, during Don Dunstan’s glory days). The video features Adelaide Hills icons the Western Grey Kangaroo and Koala, and a selection of bush butterflies, recorded during a Summer hike.

The second episode is a prelude to our forthcoming danimations documentary Cuttlefish Country which will explore the dramatic recent history of the giant cuttlefish migration to the upper Spencer Gulf each Winter. The human residents of nearby Whyalla are in arms at the moment, with various proposed industrial developments causing anxiety, deep concern and even anger over the future of the Point Lowly Peninsula. So powerful and timely is the story, that we have decided to release interviews from the film in short form, as we go. Each will be posted in the NatureScope channel, and we strongly encourage you to grab and share them with your friends and workmates. You can also help spur NatureScope along by watching and sharing our videos on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else you share media. If you’d like to financially support our work, why not buy some photographic art or gift cards from our store on Redbubble? If you care about the Australian environment, its flora and fauna, help inspire others to do the same. Up NatureScope!

Our new ‘How-To’ video channel Danimations’ Digital Media Tips is now showing on Youtube.com . The first three episodes have attracted ears and eyes from around the globe, all seeking to overcome challenges that arise when technology and creativity intertwine. Whether recovering lost photos, modding your smartphone or sharpening your production skills, each episode offers a timely and practical solution to a specific digital media problem. Future episodes will cover Android smartphone mods and applications, PC and Linux software and digital photography and videography tips. The videos will focus on providin cost-effective solutions, prioritising the use of free and open-source software and processes whenever available. Specialty tips on ‘big box’ software including Adobe Premiere, Photoshop and Flash will also feature. If you have a burning question related to digital creativity, ask away. If we can’t help you out right away, we’ll work out how and share the knowledge in a future episode.

Flinders Partners, the commercialisation arm of Flinders University, is embracing video blogging as an exciting extension to its communications and marketing effort. The company prepares and launches commercial ventures and partnerships derived from cutting-edge university research- making its activities a fine match for an internet and tech-savvy audience. The organisation’s management team are eager to share their diverse portfolio of projects with an expanding audience online, and will post developments, war-stories and demonstrations in an informal and personal style. Danimations provides Flinders Partners with tuition, direction and production support and will further enhance the vlog’s impact with distribution, tracking and search engine optimisation. If your company or organisation is looking to create the right impression on the world’s 2nd most searched website (YouTube.com), we look forward to hearing from you. To see Flinders Partners’ vlog content in action, check out the embedded playlist below.

We are proud to announce that our primary danimations Youtube channel is now officially part of the Youtube Partner Program. What does that mean? Well, Google has reviewed and approved our content for its good standing, popularity, subscriber base and promise of growth. The program (whose precise entry prerequisites remain shrouded in mystery) unlocks exciting additional features of Youtube’s user accounts and channel pages. These include further channel page customisation options, custom content boxes and external links from text and banner graphics. Importantly from a business perspective, Partner Program status means that your content is also prioritised by Youtube’s recommendations engine, so more people will be exposed to your brand and content. Integration of advertising into and adjacent to your videos can also be enabled on a per video basis, offering a revenue split managed by Google’s AdSense engine. In short, YPP status makes your content easier to find, look sexier, integrate better with your other web presences and introduces a new revenue stream for your business. We assist all of our clients in developing Youtube channels to tap into its fantastic marketing and communications potential (it is the world’s second-most-searched website after Google, after all) and our video production and distribution packages start at $1499. Phone and email enquiries are always welcome.