The Tongal Blongal » Staff Picks

Official Staff Pick: “What It Takes To Get Decent Service Around Here” – David Lackey

caleb — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:54:34 +0000

This week’s Staff Pick is David Lackey’s “What It Takes To Get Decent Support Around Here.” The jump cuts really make this video and serve as a great example of how effective editing is oftentimes just as important as good footage. It also doesn’t hurt that David’s actor is both totally believable and very funny. Because this video is so good, I think it’s only fair to point out that there is one thing that detracts from its overall awesomeness – use of the RMC logo.

This is one of the biggest challenges all creators must face when generated branded content (especially when a minimum use requirement exists). One way to deal with this is to simply place the company logo in the bottom right corner for the duration of the video. Another is to incorporate the product or brand in some other way way, as in a screen shot of the application in use. The more creative your solution, the less the audience feels like they’re being inundated and the more they appreciate the content of your work.

Thank you for the excellent submission, David, and keep up the good work!

Tongal Staff Pick: “The Fantastical Bulk” – Nick Mundy

caleb — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:47:52 +0000

This week’s Staff Pick is Nick Mundy’s “The Fantastical Bulk” from the $10,000 LendingTree You To The Rescue Commercial Contest. We like this video for two reasons: its simplicity and its humor. As for the former, the entire video is a single, 30-second, well-framed, static shot. The latter is pretty self-explanatory – a great back-story for a spin-off comic book character gets you some pretty big points. Thanks, Nick!

Tongal Staff Pick: “In A World…” – Christiano Covino

caleb — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:06:40 +0000

This week’s Tongal staff pick is Christiano Covino’s “In A World” from the $7,500 Binaca Have A Blast Commercial Contest. Although making fun of movie trailer voice overs might seem like well-worn territory, Christiano’s take is both unique and perfectly suited for Binaca’s product. If you haven’t seen it, you can check the commercial out below. We think it’s “minty fresh.”

Tongal Staff Pick: “Angry Zeus” – David Lackey

caleb — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:17:46 +0000

This week’s Tongal Staff Pick comes to us courtesy of David Lackey and the Texas A&M Aggie Swamp Video Club. His entry into the $10,000 LendingTree You To The Rescue Commercial Contest, “Angry Zeus – The Right Tool For Smiting,” is an awesome mixture of originality and personality. It’s super quirky with some Life Aquatic set pieces thrown in for good measure. To top it off, Zeus’ look is a ten. Right up our alley, thanks David!

Tongal Staff Pick: “Binaca Blast” – Tai Howard

caleb — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:04:12 +0000

This week’s Tongal Staff Pick is Tai Howard’s “Binaca Blast” from the $7,500 Binaca Have a Blast Commercial Contest. Based on Mitch Wissick’s “There’s Always Time For Fresh Breath“, Tai’s video is beautifully crafted from all angles. Aesthetically, his commercial looks like an action film, with the use of close-ups, the shallow depth of field, the handheld camerawork, and the rack focus techniques all contributing to a sense of urgency that immediately pulls the viewer in. The oil drum bomb prop is also incredible looking as are the animated renderings of the bomb going off and the smoldering aftermath. That said, there are two small things that make this video a staff favorite: 1) The hero’s Christian Bale as Batman sounding voice when he delivers the, “I got this” line and 2) the post-bomb hair and make-up…awesome. Thanks, Tai!

Tongal Staff Pick: “Loans That Change Lives” – Colin Duffy

caleb — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:38:17 +0000

This week’s Staff Pick is Colin Duffy et al.’s “Kiva: Loans That Change Lives” from the $10,000 Kiva Instructional Video Contest. We really enjoyed this documentary-style narrative with its rich colors, dynamic handheld camera techniques, and skillful use of variable frame rates. Also, despite its length, the video never drags or feels long – a stellar accomplishment considering the miniscule attention spans of most modern video consumers. Thanks, Colin!

Tongal Staff Pick: “Died Hard” – Nick Mundy

caleb — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:17:07 +0000

Nick Mundy’s “Died Hard” is incredible for a number of reasons. Not only does it parody one of my favorite action films or all-time (Die Hard, duh) brilliantly, but it also has great production value and takes Mitch Wissick’s concept to an entirely different place. Check out Nick’s video below and the clip it was based on below that.

Tongal Staff Pick: “Helping Entrepreneurs Get Off The Ground” – Reid MacDonald

caleb — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:20:39 +0000

This week’s Staff Pick comes to us courtesy of Reid MacDonald. His submission for the Kiva Instructional Video Competition, “Kiva – Helping Entrepreneurs Get Off The Ground,” is, in a word, phenomenal. To start, the concept is excellent; I genuinely believe that you would be hard-pressed to generate a more eloquent visual metaphor for the Kiva loan process than Reid’s balloons. We also really enjoyed the minimalist aesthetic of the green shirts against the white soundstage along with the elegant composition and beautiful lighting of each shot. It never hurts to have eleven extras, some upbeat stock piano riffs, and a professionally recorded voice over, either. Thanks, Reid!

Tongal Staff Pick: “Mama Mattress Chase” – Bryan Pentecostes

caleb — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:13:53 +0000

Staff Picks is a new feature of the Tongal site that highlights non-winning contest entries worthy of recognition and praise for their technical and conceptual excellence.

To start things off, we hearken back to the $10,000 LendingTree You To The Rescue Commercial Contest. Bryan Pentecostes’ beautiful execution of Tina Radel’s “Don’t Sleep On Your Finances” Concept is definitely one of those videos that still makes us say, “wow.” From a production standpoint, the commercial is well lit, well shot, well directed, well acted, and well edited. Also, given such a literal interpretation of the original concept, it’s great to see that Bryan took the time to locate and shoot an actual garbage truck. The use of natural lighting and basic handheld camera techniques also lend a realistic, almost documentary, feel to the whole commercial. Mama Mattress Chase is a seriously solid video and the first official Tongal Staff Pick. Congratulations, Bryan!