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Are You Being SOCIAL? ILM's Greg Grusby: the studio's primary social platforms are Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, but there is more to come. 24 they truly enjoy the interactivity and feedback the process offers. Currently ILM's primary social media channels are Twitter for micro-blogging, along with Facebook and YouTube. Greg Grusby, senior manager, PR & communications, at the iconic visual effects studio, says there is a little bit of cross over, but they make an effort to use the strengths of each platform. "Twitter allows us to engage, not only fans, but clients and our employees, and potential employees, where they naturally spend their time… and that's online, whether it's on their phone, their computer, or on a tablet," he explains. ILM's social media department, which is essentially an extension of the studio's fourperson public relations department, posts news and videos and starts conversations. They also use platforms as an opportunity to stay in touch with clients who have moved on to other projects by congratulating them on new work or award wins. "It keeps that line of communication open, which is important to us," says Grusby. "We work with so many filmmakers throughout the year, and we want to keep in touch with all of them. Because it's about making the experience, interactive, Grusby says they use Twitter like "a telephone and not a megaphone. We want to be able to have a conversation and not just be blasting out what we think is important. We want the conversation." Facebook allows the studio to post imagery and fun things like "Five Questions With" ILM artists or technicians. "Some of our artists are doing interesting things, and we can push that out there and allow the community of people that follow us to ask questions." Questions roll in on all of ILM's social networks, and they do their best to answer as many of them as they can, but the volume Post • February 2013 Post0213_022-25-social mediaRAV5finalread.indd 24 is substantial, and getting to them all is essen- COLORFLOW tially impossible: at press time, ILM had Alexander MacLean is co-founder with almost 34K followers on Twitter (@ILMVFX) Alexander Black in the recently opened DI and close to 38K on Facebook. studio Colorflow (www.colorflow.com), ILM's YouTube Channel, which currently which is located within the Saul Zaentz has over 2.5 million views, hosts examples of Media Center in Berkeley. the studio's work and making-of videos. PeoIn 2009, company founder and managing ple can in turn share those videos on their director Black opened Colorflow as a test social media platform of choice. "It ends up facility to see if this type of business could spreading far and wide that way," explains sustain itself in the Bay Area. After working Grusby. "And we can make sure information on small documentaries and digital cinema about a given project is accurate. It also allows packages, he was convinced a DI shop workus to immediately see if people are enjoying ing on high-end projects could thrive and it, and we get suggestions and requests." decided to take what he called his 700-foot He points to an Avengers video they put "closet operation" to the next level. out just after Christmas. (They got an Oscar It was then that he reached out to nom for the VFX work on the film, BTW) MacLean, who recently had moved from San Within a few days there were half a million Francisco to New York to work at Katabatic views. "That's a pretty remarkable change Digital. He asked him to join the DI studio's compared to how it used to be where you founding team. never knew who was seeing your stuff. You "We started doing color on Final Cut Pro, would be lucky to get it on broadcast TV or and then we put a Lustre in a closet and found hope people would see it at a trade show.This the right people," describes MacLean, who in just extends our reach and allows us to put up 2009 dropped out of college after one semescontent that people seem to be hungry for." ter to work in post full time. "Then we added Grusby explains all the interest this way: Smoke, and a year and a half later, a "People still don't fully understand how visual 7,500-square-foot full DI facility with a theater, effects and sound design are done, so we can and the whole nine yards." pull the curtains back a little and explain The new facility, which opened in July what we do, the tools involved and the art- 2012, features a Lustre 2013 in combination ists — people get excited." with Smoke 2012, allowing them to send ILM is currently looking at how they can timelines back and forth between both use all popular social media, whether that's Autodesk tools. There are also two AssimiPinterest or a Tumblr blog, in addition to late Scratch systems running primarily on updating their Website. "We are looking at commercials as well as a DaVinci Resolve what we can do for our Web presence, but and an Avid Symphony. "It's all about what for now the social media channels have really the artist wants to use," says MacLean. taken over, and it seems to be the first place MacLean, who admits the studio was people go to find out about the company. quiet on social media until it got up and runAre they on Twitter? Do they have a Facebook page. Are they on YouTube?" Grusby says, that in the "old days" — about five years ago — a company had one person getting social media up and running, "but it wasn't a core spoke of a communications wheel. Now I think it's at the center and probably at the core of our communications program. He concludes with this: social media is not an option, it's a necessity. "You have to be on it or you Colorflow's Alex MacLean, pictured color grading One More Chance don't exist. You have to be with director Battiste Fenwick, calls Twitter "a 24/7 cocktail party." part of the conversation, and we want to be because we have some ning, says Colorflow is now ready to let the really smart people here who have interest- world know it exists, and expects to use ing things to say and are willing to share." Twitter most of all because "it's the most www.postmagazine.com 1/24/13 10:45 AM