My Name is Sean Pierce, and I am the Director of Video for True Productions. In addition to our normal output we do several spec videos throughout year to highlight local businesses that we feel offer something unique to Chicago. We love our city, and we get very excited to show it off to people! Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting these projects and what went into making them.

Zach Harris, our lead editor chose to showcase a local music shop that focuses on a specific sound gaining in popularity. I asked him several questions about the project and what interested him.

Why did you choose this company to make a video about?
For this spec video I really wanted to highlight a business that makes an attempt to create community with the people they serve. I have an inherent interest in synthesizers and music making hardware, and have shopped at Nerd previous to the creation of this spec. I’ve also been to a lot of similar stores in the area and Nerd seems to me to be the most welcoming and helpful shop around for the services provided.

How did the brand inform the style?
The goal visually for the video was to try and incorporate some of the technical processes of music making into a visual form. The idea of feedback and delay is something very common in audio processing and present in some of the units sold at Nerd. So I decided to incorporate that into the interview portion of the video and create a live feedback loop by projecting the camera feed behind the interview subject.

What is something you would take from this piece to projects going forward?
Shooting during one of Nerd’s events allowed me to get a real sense of the community and people that are there day to day. Getting a direct understanding of who this piece is really for helped inform the flow and energy of the project.