Ollie Allgrove

In our lesson today we had a visit and presentation made by Ollie Allgrove who is currently working in the film business as an executive producer and is able to make the occasional music video. Below are some notes that i made during the presentation.

• He is an executive producer, and deals with the business side within the music and film industry.
• Algarve is involved in creating feature films, music videos and commercials. Began as a runner and is now used to making videos work within a smaller budget. This made him realise that budgets aren't important, you work just as hard with a low budget as you would with a high budget.
• Currently works for Passion Pictures, born from the film 'who framed roger rabbit' where live animation and real life was brought together ( an original of its time)
• Passion Pictures is an independent company and animation company that makes an occasional music video, feature film, tv commercials, nature documentaries. It has worked well with the gorillaz and their use of animation in their music video's.
• The picture company is meant to tell stories through animation, live action and design.
• They represent the talent, talent management as they represent directors, producers and VFX artists.
• They represent directors because it is what the commissioners want, they want the view and idea that the director is all about and what they have come up with.
• A director is a leader. They offer unique visual voices and they offer a creative point of view.
• Allgrove believes that you tour an album these days to make money where as it used to be the process of selling or advertising your records, but nowadays they don't sell records because everything is digital.
• Why do you make a pop video? - it is a way of establishing the artist and showing them to the audience, selling an image.
• The use and creation of a treatment speaks to the artist and is about creating hits, controversy, noise and make an initial impact.
• The collaboration is known as the musician/ artist and director sharing ideas.
• A way of doing this is creating a brief (background of artist and what happens in the song, looking at the lyrics). The treatment is the creative idea realised, putting the idea down on paper. The purpose of a treatment is to create the start and journey towards the video shoot and to sell the idea to the audience and artist.
• The shoot- when you actually make the idea happen. 
• The edit- crafting and story telling. This process is when you create the emotion that the viewer should be feeling. 
• 'Don't fix it in post!' is what Allgrove mentioned as a key thing to remember as it is a very expensive way of doing it, get everything done efficiently first. However post effects can add a lot more to a lower budget production. 
• Allgrove made it clear that animation is an important technique used in music videos made by Passion Pictures. A clear example of this was any 'gorillaz' music video made.