With the rise of social media and millennials as the largest cohort of consumers, events remain a key marketing strategy for businesses. And with free access to visuals at the palm of our hands, photography, videography, and cinematography have become an ever-present force in the realm of new-age media.
Admittedly, while I am a visual arts major, I am relatively new to the lens universe, (perhaps I’m taking the compliments for the images I take on my phone a stretch too far) but I do see the value in pursuing the potential career options from cinematography, videography and photography. All of which allows me to explore my creative directing, styling, scene design etc, and I wanted to build a community that could help me decide on which brand to shoot my shot with.
After numerous legs around the diaspora, Sony Middle East & Africa commenced their South African #SonyAlphaFestival roadshow leg and I enjoyed the privilege of being amongst the many creatives sharing the good, drinks and networking.
The Legacy Yard in Umhlanga, Durban, was an exceptionally curated location for the event curating spaces that are perfect for creators to test shoot using Sony’s range of Alpha cameras.
My fellow creators and I whipped out our SD Cards with near infinite storage space and explored a wide range of experience zones (we shared in common with other tour stops around the country) ranging from:
- The Podcast Zone
- The Squid Games Zone
- The Model Shoot Zone
- And a Fitness and Wellness Zone
Hats Off To An Experience-Nuanced Marketing Activation
To quote Sajeer Shamsu, Head of Digital Imaging at Sony Middle East & Africa: “Sony’s Alpha cameras are specifically designed to meet the growing needs of today’s creators. The range combines versatility and magnificent image quality with user-friendly features that are specifically designed for still imagery and video. This makes the cameras ideal for those looking to transition to more advanced photography and videography.”
The Alpha Festival successfully attracted the region’s leading photographers, videographers, vloggers and content creators’, with intentions of improving their photography skills, and curated an exceptional marketing rollout strategy by inviting us to test their new range of camera’s for purchase consideration.
For example, the FX30 is a great fit for anyone looking to get started in filmmaking. It offers up-and-coming filmmakers’ cinematic expression with the latest imaging systems. It features a new back-illuminated 20.1 megapixels APS-CExmor R™ CMOS sensor (Super 35 format) with a dual base ISO (800/2500) to deliver high sensitivity, low noise, and 14+ stops1 of latitude.
Meanwhile, the Alpha 7 IV, launched last year, is the ultimate hybrid camera packed with outstanding still image quality and evolved video technology with advanced autofocus, enhanced operability and workflow capability.
It inherits technology taken from real-world movie production, including S-Cinetone™, and is adopted from Sony’s highly regarded Cinema Line cameras used by a broad range of filmmakers and content creators to deliver a rich, cinematic look.
The Alpha Festival began touring the country in October and will stop by other key African markets including Nigeria and Egypt.
A missed opportunity was for food photography/videography, and I equally hold myself to account as a semi-passionate foodie myself. Being treated to an hour-long sponsored buffet of vegan food, sushi, pizza, roasted chicken, onion rings, and more, and scraping just one image of the incredible delicacies we enjoyed was rather disappointing and equally inspired me to explore this area the next time we have an event like this come our way.
Alas, while I feel I did not get enough time to investigate all the Sony Cameras, the #SonyAlphaFestival has planted a seed that will shape my future in visual media. There was a time where I weaved in and out of the responsibilities of adulthood, sacrificing the little things that made me happy and while it is ill advised at times to transform your passions into business, I think I am comfortable picking up a new hobby and filling my cup again. We’ll cross the business part when we get there as there’s nothing wrong with getting a little dollar or ten thousand from your passions. *hint hint*
