
The devil’s in the detail
Perhaps one of the most ‘human’ things in life is our ability to take the fundamentals and make something so much more of them. Take for instance the idea of food. Theoretically, a simple process of ingesting enough calories and nutrients to sustain our daily activity.
But the reality? We’ve turned the idea of consumption into something so much more – something ‘elevated’; an experience that is about sensory pleasure, social bonding, psychological conflict – something that causes us pleasure, torment, anticipation, nostalgia, conflict (and something that resultantly, we’ve built a quite enormous economy around). As Italians, when it comes to food, we’ve made something of an art form of it.
And so too, the same is true with technology. Right at its heart, technological progress is undoubtedly driven by very precise, rigid, scientific principles. Bits and bytes. Networks and nodes. But what is it that drives the technological industry? So much more. Art, aesthetics, logistics, psychology, economy, ergonomics; all of these elements impact how a technology is adopted, how it is used, and how it provides value.
This is a significant concern of ours at Video Progetti. We already know that from a purely technological perspective, we have the expertise needed to provide clients with cutting-edge technologies that will allow them to push the boundaries of production. But what sets us apart is our attention to detail: the way that we combine elements to not only meet the technological needs of our clients, but their practical needs; the reality of their working world, their business case and their strategic objectives.
You can see this across a number of recent projects we’ve undertaken. There are the big and obvious things – like the logistical use of space to accommodate simultaneous teams undertaking different functions that carry with them their own spatial requirements (a sound engineer having very different needs to a camera painter in terms of the lighting and acoustics of their work station, for instance). And, as of this year, we’ve also had to design our spaces to accommodate health and safety, hygiene and legal requirements too.
But then there are the smaller considerations; a carpeted floor to bring comfort and visual softness to the environment, ergonomic chairs, lighting designed to avoid eye-strain in an setting dominated by monitors. The whole aesthetic style is designed to create a sense of calm and flow, a look that is professional without being sterile, making use of a colour palette that is elegant but neutral enough to allow the creatives on-board to focus on their task.
Workflow and ergonomics are also key. We choose products that favour usability as much as technical function; it is just as important to be able to do the basics quickly and accurately as it is to be able to scroll through endless, time-consuming and error-prone menus of options to achieve something unusual and ‘groundbreaking’. Everything needs to make logical sense – to reduce mental burden and physical process, minimizing error and effort. And of course nothing makes us happier than a perfectly ordered rack with immaculate cabling.
Ultimately, for us, it’s the trees that make the forest. Everyone must be carefully considered and nurtured; building the big picture and pursuing the ultimate strategic goal of our clients by paying careful attention to the small details, and ensuring that aesthetics and comfort don’t play second-fiddle to technological innovation. This is what it means to be more than just a system integrator, and to instead be an all-round consultancy firm that can bring knowledge and expertise to the whole process, from design to purchase to integration.
You can read more about our latest project and how we helped NVP to push the technological bounds of design for their OB7 truck. A collaborative project headed by NVP’s CEO Ivan Pintabona, with bodywork completed by Tommasini, Video Progetti’s recommendation for technical setup represented the strategic backbone of the project. With Pintabona’s intention to make the OB7 the Flagship of the NVP fleet, the ability to deliver UHD and HDR productions was the central point of focus. But in line with our wider philosophy of client engagement, it was important to think not only of the deployment of cutting-edge solutions, but instead the wider business case of the organisation, the strategic contribution of each technological element and their interplay within the installation as a whole – both in terms of technological integration as well as logistics and ergonomics.
Technology represents a tool for enhanced creativity, not an end in itself.