Hey everyone, we’re Oxen Made, a small production company based in Tampa, FL. We wanted to start by saying that it’s a privilege to be asked to be a part of Scott’s blog as we’ve been a follower and admirer of his for probably 10 years or so.
Oxen is a small company that focuses on commercial and branded content with a few corporate films thrown in from time to time. We choose to be small intentionally and put a focus on growing and supporting the local filmmaking community by using the tremendous freelancers available in the area. Everyone has different levels of experience or specialties and we love the challenge of finding fresh talent specific to each job; it helps keep us on our toes. Finding a new crew can sometimes mean we aren’t the most affordable option, but by finding exactly the right crew for each job we always offer the best final product.
We tend to handle projects from creative conception all the way through to the final edit. Although we work the full spectrum, we can also work in anonymity along with other video partners assisting as a standalone production or post-production collaborator. Tampa is a small market and we’ve been fortunate to meet some of the most creative individuals in the industry. Those connections help us get the job done right while allowing us to help others as well; It’s all about collaboration not competition. We’re only about a year old but are very proud of what we’ve put together in that time.
One of our favorite parts of the job is experimenting with new equipment. Since camera technology is changing so fast we have yet to commit big money to a camera system, mostly because it’ll be obsolete in a couple years. When we started the company we purchased a Sony FS7 as a basic in house 4K camera to have for internal and lower budget projects but find ourselves renting for the majority of our projects. Renting is especially rewarding because it allows us to test cameras without sinking a small fortune into them. Recently we’ve used the Canon C300 MKll, the new Panasonic VariCam LT and we just got back from a week long shoot in Colorado where we tested out the Sony FS5 recording 12-bit RAW to Convergent Design’s Odyssey 7Q+.
We also make an effort to use new technologies to make the filmmaking process easier for both ourselves and our clients. Two of our favorite things we’re currently using are for the pre and post production processes are StudioBinder and Frame IO. StudioBinder is our go to resource for creating and managing our call sheets. If you’ve has ever made a call sheet and used any kind of cringe worthy excel spreadsheet then stop reading this (right now) and go sign up for StudioBinder (right now), trust us you won’t be disappointed. Our second essential resource is Frame IO; it’s used to collaborate with our clients during the edit process, which cuts out a lot of time. Think of it as a cross between Dropbox and Basecamp, it allows for a streamlined method for the client to provide their feedback. One of the most notable features is that they can make frame accurate comments as well as make annotations, download, share and invite other collaborators. Recently the awesome people at Frame IO made it possible to integrate feedback and comments directly inside of Premiere (our NLE [Non-Linear Editing software] of choice) which is HUGE (they do have something for Final Cut Pro X also). They also just released a standalone iOS version of Frame IO which took home a 2016 Apple Design Award.
Providing value in addition to the content we create is what we go out of our way to do with all of our clients. Since we know all of the in’s and outs of multiple camera platforms, NLE’s and more, we can offer incredible value by implementing our knowledge to specifically meet the unique needs of every client.
Thanks for reading and be sure to keep an eye on our blog where our next post will be discussing our experience shooting RAW with the FS5. Feel free to reach out with any questions and give us a follow on Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, Twitter, and LinkedIn!
https://vimeo.com/153010618
