Black & Blue Experience

Recently, Mark and his crew had the opportunity to work on something a little different, that turned out to be big fun! The Black & Blue Experience needed a music video that captured both their musical talents and the vibrant style they bring to their performances. Working with East Coast Entertainment and SV2 Studios, Mark produced, shot and edited the video to tell the story of this energetic band.

In just a few months since the video's release, East Coast CEO Larry Farber confirmed the band has already seen an increase in their bookings, as well as the size of venues they have been invited to play. "It's definitely helping them move forward."

Looking Back, Looking Forward

 As we kick off the new year, we want to take a moment to thank everyone who helped make 2013 a really great year for Mark Wagoner Productions, filled with lots of exciting and fun projects. From clients to crew, making great video and photography is a team effort, and not only could we not do it without you - it wouldn't be nearly as much fun!

We wish each of you a happy, healthy and creative new year! We'd love to be a part of your upcoming projects, so drop Mark a line or call the studio to discuss - 336.854.0406.

Thank you!

More Than Just Pretty Pictures...

Everyone knows a picture is worth a thousand words, right? But for your brand, don't you want more than just words?

   Style, comfort, sophistication, reliability, even sense of humor, can all be part of a brand's identity. The right imagery can communicate that to your audience even more effectively than copy. We work with you and your team to design photography and video images that communicate your brand's identity and personality to your market.

Flexsteel IHFC Showroom, 2013

   Flexsteel Furniture illustrates both style and comfort in the video that we produce for their television commercials. The overall production value sets it apart from much of the stock footage seen in traditional dealer ads, which communicates to their potential customers that Flexsteel is a high quality brand.

"When we started working with Mark on Flexsteel's commercial video, he really took the time to understand what we needed from the footage - beyond simple images of the furniture. We began working together on commercial spots, and he started seeing other opportunities to help build our overall image, such as virtual tours of the High Point Furniture Market showroom. He and his crew are fun to work with, and we get great images, too."
           ~ Justin Mills, Director of Advertising & PR, Flexsteel Industries, Inc.

South of France - Cote D'Ivoire and Lavender Fields

   When South of France introduced new packaging for their Natural Body Care products, they needed new photography to further define their soaps and body washes as exotic and luxurious. Mark worked with them and production designers at Ink Photography Productions to create artistic sets to capture the brand's new feel.

South of France - Vanilla Creme Caramel

    Sometimes a brand needs to feel accessible, more human. In those cases, the situation might call for a little comedy. Everyone dreads taking their car to the shop, right? When G-Force Marketing wanted to lighten the mood with a humorous character for a series of tv spots, Mark worked with them to create the world of "Betchadidn'tknow Guy." He rescues everyday folks from the the hazards of going to the wrong car repair shop, and steers them to the clean, professional dealer of our hero brand. With Mark behind the camera, his team of set designers, stylists, lighting & grip, and camera crew, brought "Betchadidn'tknow Guy" to life and had a blast doing it.

Here are a few behind the scenes photos from that shoot!

It'd be scary if it wasn't a set.

Would you trust this guy with your car?

Waiting room from hell.

Happily Ever After!

Give Mark a call at the studio to discuss how our photography and video production team can help you capture and promote your brand's identity.

Thirty Years Ago Today!

Today marks an event that I must say never really crossed my mind when I started Mark Wagoner Productions, then known as Mark Wagoner Fotografie. That was 30 years ago -- strange to even write that. 

In the summer of 1983, I had just returned from working in the Middle East and was planning my next move. It turned out that I met Lynn Jaffe that summer, who in time would become Lynn Wagoner. Also, I already had some business contacts in North Carolina, so I decided to look for a studio space in Greensboro. October 1st was the day that I moved into 12-H Wendy Court, the space that I still use as home base.

Before the cyc-wall, and what's that under the black cloth?

Back then, there was a darkroom instead of a kitchen, and they only computers in the studio were ones I photographed for Compute! Magazine. (I remember shooting a story about the very first Macintosh, which showed families with their home computers!)

A souvenir from the 10th anniversary.

I have been supported by a wealth of great team members, clients and friends. I find it really exciting that 30 years on I am in the middle of one of the busiest periods I have ever had! Thanks to everyone for contributing to the success of these first 30 years.

I am looking forward to many more great shoots with all the enthusiasm of that day in 1983, but with a hell of a lot more experience.

How many changes can you spot?

1984

1985

1986

Win 2 Tickets to "Wait Until Dark" at Triad Stage!

We've been fans of Triad Stage since the beginning, so when our friends at Bluezoom invited us to team up in creating promotional materials for their Lucky 13th Season, we jumped at the chance! We will be filming and editing trailers for each of the six MainStage productions this season. We've just completed the first piece for the thriller "Wait Until Dark", on stage from September 1 - 29. (See it here!) 

With help from the folks at Triad Stage & Bluezoom, Mark created a trailer that we hope will send a chill down your spine. We had a lot of fun working on the creepy visuals for the video. The trailers will be shown to audiences at local movie theaters throughout the season, as well as online - at a social media venue near you.

Mark Wagoner Productions is excited to continue our support of local arts groups with this partnership, and "Wait Until Dark" is going to be a great show. In fact, we're giving away a pair of tickets to the official Opening Night performance on Friday, September 6! Just leave a comment here on the blog or send Mark an email, and you're entered! Act fast, because we will randomly select a winner from all the entries we receive tomorrow morning, Wednesday, September 4. (You can also purchase tickets online!)

Enjoy the show!

Supporting the Arts

We're fortunate to have a vibrant arts community in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Mark Wagoner Productions is proud to have had many opportunities to help promote and contribute to its success.

     One recent project was a video to announce the rebranding of artsGreensboro (formerly the United Arts Council). Mark edited a collage of still images provided by a host of local photographers (including a few of his own), plus music and graphics, into an dynamic statement about creative life in our city.
     "We needed a high-energy video solution to help us rebrand the United Arts Council as ArtsGreensboro. Mark Wagoner’s fresh creative approach combined that change with emotionally engaging arts images and a rhythm that literally jump off the screen. It’s brilliant!"  --  Thomas Philion, President & CEO ArtsGreensboro
     Watch the video here!

     Another notable local arts event is the Eastern Music Festival. Mark has provided still photography and video to help promote EMF for years, and this year he was honored to see three of his images incorporated into the festival banners at Dana Auditorium on the campus of Guilford College.

2013 Telly Awards

We are so excited to announce that we have received three Tellys for creative work over the past year. The Telly Awards recognizes the very best film & video productions, groundbreaking online video content, and outstanding local, regional, & cable TV commercials and programs.

Set the Stage, a commercial spot that Mark directed for the United Arts Council of Greensboro's 17 Days Festival, won awards for use of animation and for non-profit promotion. Mark served as Director/DP on Esperanza, a short film created with Ink Photography Production, which was recognized for cinematography.

We are honored to have received these awards, and we are very grateful for the wonderful clients and partners who contribute to these exciting projects. Click the links below to view the winning videos!

Screen shot from "Set the Stage"

Screen shot from "Esperanza"