Production Line: Creativity and Collaboration with Isaiah Cary

Isaiah Cary is an experienced commercial producer with a proven track record of delivering high-quality video productions for clients across various industries. He’s skilled in managing projects from concept to completion, leading cross-functional teams, and ensuring client satisfaction. He’s on the production team at Alkemy X, a global creative media company headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. When he’s not on set, he enjoys traveling, hitting the slopes, and country music. 

LBB> Can you talk us through one or two of the most exciting recent productions that you’ve been involved in that you think had a really interesting innovation or technological aspect to them?

Isaiah> One of the most exciting productions I was recently a part of was working with Brightline Interactive on their “Pose With” campaigns. Alkemy X captured the live action and completed the post-production for their interactive AR fan experiences for the Dallas Cowboys and other professional sports teams. Seeing the product come to life from pre-production to using the mobile experience was amazing.

Producing visuals for an interactive experience that fans can take with them via a smartphone is a new piece of content that I hadn’t personally produced before. 

LBB> Virtual production is growing in popularity with film and TV - what’s your thoughts about its potential in the advertising space?

Isaiah> Alkemy X has been using virtual production, when appropriate, for a long time now. I think it is a great opportunity to utilise the latest tech and get more people involved in the production process on both the agency/client side and the production side. It allows them to be as creative and collaborative as possible without needing to gather everyone in one physical place.

LBB> It looks like, if it does catch on, it will involve quite a different workflow/process is that something agencies and brands need to educate themselves on?

Isaiah> Most agencies and brands are already aware of the different workflows, I think with more technology coming out and as it becomes more available, agencies are eager to try new tactics. Our team can step in as the experts and guide the process when questions arise. 

LBB> With so many platforms to produce for, what’s your preference, to maximise assets across platforms or to produce content that’s more tailored to each content - or some sort of balance?

Isaiah> Personally, I prefer maximising assets by producing something for broadcast with the correct framing that allows you flexibility in post. You can expose your work to just about any platform and reach the largest audience possible. I love a good Instagram video or TikTok, but you can achieve the same results with standard broadcast specs if you plan correctly.

Quite often production involves trying to solve a problem that’s never been attempted before and that can mean hacking existing technology or trying to find new technologies. 

Problem-solving is one of my favourite things about being in production. Sometimes you can’t predict what issues you will run into, but you have to deal with them anyway. Luckily I work with really experienced pros and we’re able to pivot or find creative solutions to overcome it. 

LBB> When you get a project that has such technological challenges, how do you and your team like to approach them?

Isaiah> When we gather a team for a project, we’re working with the best crew members with years of experience in the kind of tech we're working with. If it’s something completely new or something I’m not familiar with, research is key. You do a lot of learning on the job as well.

LBB> We’re seeing the line between content and commerce blur, with shoppable social content, shoppable livestreams and things like that. Is that having an impact on how you approach production or the sort of skills needed?

Isaiah> I haven’t personally been on any livestream shoots yet, but it is something we are capable of doing and is becoming a growing target. Our production team is very flexible when it comes to meeting the needs of the clients/agencies/brands we work with. Their needs evolve and we evolve with them.

LBB> What are the technologies that you have your eye on that either are having a big impact on how production is done - or have the potential to change things in a big way?

Isaiah> I have my eye on working with the new Sony BURANO 8K. The new Sony Fx6 is such a great camera at a very affordable price and has been a go-to for most projects. I think that it’s going be a great camera with great specs for some VFX jobs. With more and more edits needing VFX and wanting to shoot 8k for the post team it seems like it's fitting a nice niche.