Super Bowl LV
“Stand By Me”
The NFL and CBS Sports wanted to open Super Bowl LV with a film that honored the tireless work of those who kept the world running during the global pandemic. Because the Super Bowl is the highest viewed television program in the world, the film needed to maintain high cinematic quality despite restrictions to traditional filmmaking caused by lockdown events associated with the global pandemic.
Using it’s background in livestreaming and live broadcast production, Story Firm developed shippable livestream and teleprompter kits to integrate the camera systems of cinematographers into video conferencing and create a screen in front of the camera lens to allow for direct eye contact between interviewer and interviewee. The dropkits enabled CBS Sports directors and producers off-site to communicate seamlessly with film teams and on-screen guests.
The film was viewed live by 96.4 million people during the opening of Super Bowl LV and won the 2021 Sports Emmy for “Outstanding Opening/Tease”.
Meta
“Let Me Explain!”
Meta’s Communications Department wanted to create an episodic news show to give company employees and public users a digestible way to understand the development of new and existing products. The challenge to production was that access to offices and film studios was restricted due to Covid-19.
To allow the show’s host to film from their home office, Story Firm developed a custom home production studio with remotely operated camera, lighting, audio, and teleprompter systems. Production was done with an entirely remote crew with Meta producers tuning in remotely. Animation and editing was provided by BIEN and executive producing supported by Only Today.
Meta
“Meta Health Summit 2022”
Meta wanted to create a virtual event that captured leading voices in the development of Covid 19 treatments across the globe.
Story Firm’s Producer and Director, George Mihaly lead remote production across the United States with Meta team members and US based health officials, Switzerland with the World Health Organization, Indonesia with the country’s Health Minister, Nepal with a Senior Advisor at Unicef, and other healthcare professionals in South Africa, Thailand, Singapore, Kenya, and Belgium.
“Communities Summit 2022”
Facebook’s Groups and Communities Program has been a driver of user growth since its inception. To celebrate the program and announce new product features, Facebook hosted the Communities Summit 2022 Event across 6 regions and in 4 languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, and German).
Story Firm’s Producer and Director, George Mihaly lead remote productions for group leaders, Facebook team members, and group admins across the globe. Filming locations included United States, Germany, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, England, Australia, France. Additionally, custom camera and teleprompter dropkits were also developed and used for filming sessions across the United States.
The main event and regional events totaled 2 million views.
Playing With Fire
The Documentary
George Mihaly was a cinematographer for “Playing With Fire”, a personal finance documentary about Scott Rieken’s family’s journey towards financial independence. Filming included interviews with Vicki Robin, J.D. Roth, Mr. Money Mustache, and J. L. Collins among others.
“U.S. News & World Report named the film a “Top 10 Best Finance Movies of the Decade”. The documentary was featured by USA Today, NY Times, The Guardian, Business Insider, Forbes, and NPR.