Creative Resources to Live and Die By
Hi there! It’s Sandy - Director at Nowadays and, more importantly, for the purposes of this blogpost, a firm believer in sharing and talking about literally anything that I love.
I don’t believe in gatekeeping. And why should I? It’s hard enough getting into the creative industries. When I first started, the mountain of obstacles seemed paralysingly intimidating. But it was due to the helping hands, the recommendations and the conversations people were willing to have with me, that eased me into it all. If I could do one thing now, it’s to be that person who’s there to help others too. Now, I think it’s time I gave back in the same way.
Recently, I’ve started seeing a shift - content creators on TikTok, IG Reels and Linkedin are putting forward their knowledge, resources and tools, for anyone and everyone to learn from. At Nowadays, we’ve been doing our little bit by hosting Ask Away Thursdays - an open invitation for those aspiring to work their way through the production industry, to come and ask their burning questions and get our honest opinions!
Seeing all of this inspired me to put together a list of tools and resources that have certainly saved me (and my work). For the more seasoned creatives who’ve been around the block a few hundred times, you may already be familiar with some old favourites like Shotdeck, Filmgrab, Pinterest, Short of the Week and even Deck of Brilliance. These remain a brilliant and an important part of my everyday toolkit, however, here are some additional gems that you may not have clocked!
A masterlist of various filming, animation and editing techniques - Eyecandy includes a breakdown of each technique, and a whole list of gifs for reference too! I’ve definitely used this tool as a way to not only figure out what the hell that one shot is called, but also as a little inspo tool to think of different ways of doing things!
An AI image search engine - simply click on an image you like the look of and travel down a clickthrough rabbit hole to reveal more images of a similar style. Same.energy has come through so many times when I’ve needed to collect moodboard imagery.
A search engine that uses AI collate and presents a list of stills and shots that depict whatever you’re searching for. You get a couple of free searches, or you can subscribe to their Basic plan for 14.90 euros a month. Even with a limited free use, Flim’s been pretty handy in helping me figure out what films and references have the look I’m going for.
A handy tool for image searching and moodboards. This tool collates images from around the web and categorises them based on your selected colour palette. As a previous designer, this tool has been handy for any moodboards and colour schemes I’ve pulled together. Particularly useful for art direction!
Ever wondered where you heard that one line from that one thing? Yarn.co comes through! Simply search a phrase and you’ll get a collection of clips from film and TV that have said that exact line. I’ve so far only used this for fun honestly, but you can see the appeal should you need to check whether your lines are overused or not!
A handy tool for those in advertising - Spectacle sorts ads into different categories. You can filter results based on the style, mood, industry and more! I’ve used Spectacle for more specific advertising and commercial reference searching, the filters definitely help!
I’m hoping any creatively road-blocked people out there can breathe a slight sigh of relief as they stumble upon these resources. There’s loads more out there too - feel free to drop your rec’s as well! And hey, if you’ve got more questions, maybe check out our next Ask Away Thursday that’s coming up in November!
Over and out!
Sandy xoxo
Lights, Camera, Accolades!
Dust off the shelves folks, we’ve got awards coming out our ears!
Well, not really, that would hurt. But we have had a few significant wins for our work recently and we’d love to take a moment to share with you all.
Firstly, our film ‘Hidden Opportunity’ for Impetus was entered into the EVCOM Clarion Awards under two categories, and came away with awards for both. The EVCOM Clarions celebrate true excellence across cause-driven corporate film, live events and experiences, so it's fantastic to be recognised for our work in this field. ‘Hidden Opportunity’ picked up a highly commended in Brand Communications, and a gold in Social Welfare.
We also picked up quite a few trophies at the Telly Awards. This one is a global award competition which honours excellence in video and television across all screens, and we've collected not one, not two…but 7 awards for our films! As well as winning big at EVCOM, ‘Hidden Opportunity’ picked up a silver in Directing and two golds for Social Impact & Cause Marketing at the Tellys.
Our side project, Wigmakers, was recognised with two Silver trophies for Videography and Short Form Documentary. First premiering at our Nowadays relaunch/15th birthday party, Wigmakers is a short form documentary about how two individuals’ experience of loss led to an unexpected change in career direction. It was directed by Jon Beagley, Nowadays Editor-turned-director, and the result.. Well, we are pretty big fans of it! Check it out below.
Last but certainly not least, our film with NSPCC about online safety picked up a silver in Public interest/awareness and a gold in Cause marketing.
In this campaign, we worked with the NSPCC to start conversations about the dangers of abuse to children via online portals, whether that be through gaming, chat rooms, or social media. 1 in 5 children are internet users and NSPCC recognises how extremely important and urgent it is to make those online spaces safe, especially when tech companies are prioritising clicks over child safety.
That’s it from us! As always, a huge shout-out to the crew/talent/team whose hard work made it happen.
If you’d like to see more from us, you can see our latest work here.