Corporate presentations to You Tube. It's all within the boundries of his world. Past MCA-I board member in the San Diego Chapter, Jeremy Sykes loves the demands of the diversified world of infomercials.
DR- So, your accent says that you are not originally from the US? Where are you from and how did you get your start?
JS- During High School in England, I worked as a sound tech in the theatre department, then whilst I was at Oxford University, I directed and lit many undergraduate theatrical productions. Meanwhile, I was also cutting my teeth working in a professional theater, where we had large national and international shows come through, from ballets and operas to West End plays and concerts.
After university, I moved to New York and worked as a PA in feature films (including "The Exterminator"). At that point, I decided to pursue working in the film business, moved to LA and became a camera tech, working on TV series (such as "Fantasy Island", "The Incredible Hulk") and features (including "Poltergeist", "Firefox").
A couple of years later, I settled in San Diego but continued to do the I-5 commute to LA, working freelance as either an AC or as a gaffer, now mainly doing commercials and television work, such as for Jiffy Lube, Tylenol, Orville Redenbacher, as well as for HBO, ESPN, MTV and Comedy Central.
DR- How has the business changed for you?
JS- When Betacams changed the face of video production, and after I had also bought my first film camera, an Arriflex 16SR2, I started working more as a DP and renting my camera out to production companies. Then when Avids hit the market, I thought it would be a good idea to offer one of those as a rental item too, so I started a post rental company, Planet Post. I had five Avid systems at that time, and shipped them all over the country.
Learning and understanding non-linear editing taught me how to edit and it was a natural progression for me to direct some projects. It also became easier for me to get more involved creatively and administratively, so I started to work more as a producer, too. Each job is different now, sometimes I just operate a camera, sometimes I'm responsible for the entire project. I love the variety… you meet people from all walks of life, see how people work and and live, and go to interesting places. It’s been very cool and a privilege to be able to go on a nuclear sub, be in a heart surgery, stand on the football field in the play-off’s, go to the president’s house in Rwanda, visit lone islands in the South Atlantic, film in the Namibian desert and the list goes on.
DR- What keeps you busiest?
JS- Currently I work on a lot of fitness and beauty infomercials and commercials (6 Second Abs, Perfect Push Up, Murad, Red Exerciser, Slendertone, various golf and household products, such as Oreck and Cuisinart), as well as corporate sales and training videos (Microsoft, Coca Cola, Mercedes, Lexus, Honda), and am developing some theatrical and web/tv projects, including a music/cooking show.
I work as a DP, a director and a producer, own several video cameras, including a RED camera, along with a variety of film and video lenses. I have a post-production company, Planet Post, and am a partner of a production facility, the San Diego Production Centre, but really I work all over Southern California, as well as travel extensively, wherever the jobs take me.
DR. I know that sometime back, you were working with Script-to-Screen in Orange County California, one of the leading infomercial specialists. JS: I probably worked on several hundred infomercials. And I've certainly worked with many of the leading national infomercial companies, including Script-to-Screen. I've done a whole range - from sports to household products, as well as health and beauty. These days it could be anything. What you work on could end up on the web, broadcast, big screen, video displays. It's all about content. DR: We don't talk to too many producers who have experience in this specialty. And it is really a specialty, isn't it? JS: It's a specialty, particularly in how infomercials approach marketing. What I like about infomercials is that they incorporate a large variety of shooting styles. You can have your multi-camera shoot, you can have your one-on-one testimonial shoots, your behind-the-scenes man on the street type. You often have some very technical things you need to shoot. It's a big variety.
DR: You have to be very diverse in your skills. JS: You need to be diverse. You need to think of fresh ways to do things. You need to work on larger types of productions, to the very small.
DR: I think we can say, because of the economics of the times, there are many more half-hour blocks available on TV. So there may be more opportunities to use infomercials to reach their target markets. JS: It's not just television anymore, it can be YouTube. Infomercials can be dissected, with segments being put up on YouTube or on websites. And that's as much of the market strategy as putting out the entire infomercial. And that applies to all the video in the industry now. The different ways that video is used has turned that world upside down.
DR Do you feel that today's professional is geared to this new usage environment? JS: It's interesting how each new technological development changes the way we view the business. You Tube comes out and everybody wants immediate video. People start using the technology to help them do that. Look at the impact of camcorders, a few years ago. It's similar really to the impact of the new DSLR cameras are having now. You've got a whole slew of people who can go out there and produce content, because it's a lot more accessible. It's cheaper, easier to operate and it's geared to single person use. It was the same thing when non-linear editing came out - the ease of use of desktop graphics. It brings video capability to everybody now. Anybody can out and shoot something and post it on YouTube.
DR: Of course, there's a downside to the professionals. JS: Professionals have to keep pace with the tools that are out there. They also have to keep pace with the content and the style of the content. A high school kid can grab a camera, then that video can be successful because of the content and the presentation.
DR: There seems to be something appealing about the home-made look. It may be even mmore interesting than the polished, professional look. JS: It's made television more alive and easy to connect to.
DR: Tell us about your participation with MCA-I. JS: MCA-I has been a great way to stay in touch with fellow professionals. To help us stay in touch with what's going on in the business. And our local chapter is great. We have some very interesting and useful topics. I appreciate the opportunity to build my relationships. That's not only rewarding, but inspiring. It's a good solid networking association.
Corporate presentations to You Tube. It's all within the boundries of his world. Past MCA-I board member in the San Diego Chapter, Jeremy Sykes loves the demands of the diversified world of infomercials.
A couple of years later, I settled in San Diego but continued to do the I-5 commute to LA, working freelance as either an AC or as a gaffer, now mainly doing commercials and television work, such as for Jiffy Lube, Tylenol, Orville Redenbacher, as well as for HBO, ESPN, MTV and Comedy Central.
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