Photographer and cinematographer Max Esposito knows how to tell a story.
He doesn’t need scripts to clutter what he’s trying to say. Max tells stories with emotive imagery. His videos are mini-cinematic masterpieces. Every shot (moving or not) captures a moment, a feeling, a reaction. He captures the human element.
Fireworks, hot dogs and the 4th of July
Google Image Search Results for Fireworks
Here (on the left) are the Google image search results for the words “4th of July fireworks.”
Exactly what you expected, isn’t it? 1.4 million photographs of fireworks exploding in the night sky.
But the Fourth of July isn’t about the Fireworks. It’s about America. It’s about independence and the great melting pot we live in. It’s about celebrating what we are.
Unlike nearly every other photographer in the world, Max isn’t interested in the fireworks. He’s interested in capturing the real story.
Sometimes the story isn’t the story
- Flickr’s search results for “Boston Fireworks” – no fewer than 19,500 images
For almost 40 years, the Boston Pops have celebrated July 4th with hundreds of thousands of people on the banks of the Charles river. Their star-studded concert always ends with a spectacular fireworks display.
Photographers from all over the world arrive early to stake their claim on the best vantage point to snap pictures of the fireworks as they explode over the back bay skyline.
Not Max.
No, Max looks for the crowded spots. He looks at the people. He captures what they’re eating and what sports they’re playing. He watches others watch the sun go down. Max films the magnitude of the experience so we can taste the hot dogs, smell the sulfur in the air, feel the sweat on our skin, and the anticipation on the river bank.
Max’s Masterpiece
Watch Max’s masterpiece. Seriously, don’t skip this part. It’s four minutes of the most patriotic cinema I’ve ever experienced. There’s not one American flag, no apple pie, and not one shot of the Boston Pops. In fact, the fireworks don’t even start until three minutes in and there are only 11 (count ‘em) shots of fireworks in the whole video.
http://www.vimeo.com/13163101This film gives me goose bumps. There’s no voice over or natural sound — just people. People playing, smiling, laughing. People watching in awe as the fireworks explode overhead. People pondering America. There are people from all walks of life, different nationalities and cultures all coming together to steal a kiss and celebrate this day.
The fireworks aren’t the story. The people are.
What we can learn from Max
Sometimes, in fact most times, the best story isn’t the most obvious story. It’s not the loudest noise or the biggest splash. Those are the attention grabbers, but the story that dives a little deeper, past the superficial, is far more valuable and powerful. That story is unique.
Max’s stories are about people and his films evoke emotion. (If you still don’t believe me watch this one.) He connects with people.
Every brand, every marketer and every storyteller can learn something from Max Esposito.
Don’t follow the fireworks, follow the human sparks.
P.S. Check out Max’s “Two minute portraits.“
Anita Roy Dobbs
Since Anita first tagged up with the Tippingpoint Team in 2007, she has flexed an array of skills from previous positions in publishing, television production, indie filmmaking, and offline as well as online community trailblazing. This extensive experience enables her to oversee a spectrum of content creation and distribution so the puzzle pieces come together in a coherent picture and the work flows.
From her studies in fine art and theater at Yale, she has an illuminated love of line and story. In her years at Boston Film/Video Foundation and then studies in the UC Santa Cruz Film/Video Department, she has an expansive passion for teaching and learning (especially about and through media).
"Since my earliest memories, I've dreamt one week of being an inventor, the next week, an animator, then a research scientist, a portrait artist, a director -- I'll stop there, but none of those dreams has stopped; I still want to be every one of those things. At Tippingpoint Labs, I get to exercise all those faculties while helping our team and our contributors develop their own dream roles."Brad Schwarzenbach
As an analyst on the Tippingpoint Strategy team, Brad explores new opportunities for clients to build relationships with their customers. He’s always testing new social media channels, poring over analytic data, and identifying emerging trends. He also speaks at conferences & events about uncovering powerful messages hidden within brands' unique values.
Brad’s research has contributed to the development of content & contributor strategies for such clients as Breville, Rodale, Long’s Jewelers, and Fusionapps, as well as being a frequent contributor to the Tippingpoint blog. He’s been “listening” to the way we communicate online since the old AOL People Connection days and watched the way that digital communication has evolved.
An English and Creative Writing major at the University of Connecticut, Brad’s spent most of his career creating web content and becoming intimately familiar with web theory for Bayard, Inc. and TomTom Inc., giving Brad keen ears and eyes to what, exactly, makes web content valuable.
Outside the office, Brad feels most at home with his beautiful wife-to-be Kristina, or on the golf course. “There’s a distinct pace and rhythm to the way people communicate online. Understanding and taking part in them yields amazing opportunities for my clients to not only grow but to improve their business. I’m constantly looking for those opportunities.”Brett Virmalo
As a creative director at Tippingpoint Labs, Brett leads a team deploying ecommerce and content marketing solutions for global B2B and consumer clients.
Brett has worked with clients including PG&E, Kodak, American Express, TomTom, Putnam Investments, and most recently, Breville. He has been with Tippingpoint Labs since 2003 serving as a designer, developer, art director, and now creative director.Eric Sagalyn
Eric Sagalyn joined the Tippingpoint Labs team in the summer of 2009, bringing a unique blend of user experience, visual design and development skills. At Tippingpoint Labs, Eric plays the role of "user advocate," insuring a user-centric approach to all technology solutions.
Over the past decade Eric has worked with startups, non-profits and publicly traded companies including Public Radio Exchange (PRX), uLocate/where.com, WGBH/NCAM and the Boston Beer Company, brewer of Sam Adams. His extensive experience in new technology has led him to unique opportunities, including launching one of the first location-based iPhone app, Where, co-founding Drync, a mobile wine journal, and, in 2005, live-blogging the birth of his son (with his wife’s blessing, of course).
When not advocating on behalf of users everywhere, Eric is a classically trained chef, beer connoisseur, explorer, fighter of epic Lego battles and all-around family man.
"Too often business requirements and a users needs are at odds. But it doesn't need to be that way. Understanding both allows us to align requirements with needs to provide the best solution for everyone."Jim Cosco
Jim Cosco founded Tippingpoint Labs in 2002 in an effort to pursue the creation and distribution of high-quality content for the purposes of marketing and advertising. Jim’s experience as an executive producer, producer, director, and writer for television programming ranging from local public affairs and national news to reality television, enables him to create compelling stories designed to trigger powerful, emotional responses from his audience. No matter the medium, Jim’s passion for story-telling remains the common thread in all of his projects and is always the founding principle in driving his team to deliver high-quality, relevant content at every turn.
Jim relies heavily on his journalistic routes to create transparent, honest, and open content that helps build trust and nurtures meaningful brand relationships over the long term.
Since the early nineties Jim has devised and executed projects for clients like MTV, Fox News Channel, ABC, Putnam Investments, and Tufts University. He has directed television shows and independent features, written screenplays and television treatments, and created content for marketing campaigns and product launches.Josh Cole
Joseph Stucker
An intern on the Tippingpoint Labs Strategy Team, Joseph assists the senior strategists by conducting research, data analysis and parsing, and reporting. Currently a senior at Boston University, Joseph is studying Mass Communications with a minor in sociology. He spends his time analyzing the social aspects of the Internet and how people move within the network of the Internet. Away from his academics and Tippingpoint Labs, Joseph sits on the Vision and PR committees of his hometown library and is currently involved in furthering the agenda of building a new library for the town of Salisbury.
"The Internet has become a fully embedded element of our contemporary society, an integral part of our everyday lives. It interests me to evaluate how we as a society and as individuals interact within a virtual world. The Internet follows both the tendencies of real-life social interactions and its own distinct behavior patterns."Rebecca Garnick Ast
Rebecca brought her passion for strategic brand development to Tippingpoint Labs in early 2010. As Brand Director, her role includes championing the focused growth of the agency through mutually beneficial partnerships and results oriented initiatives that help strengthen brand credibility, reach and influence.
A skilled marketing executive, Rebecca has successfully built both entrepreneurial and established brands. Through business-driven marketing programs and partnerships with worldwide leaders including Rolex, Ogilvy, P&G and Wal-Mart, she has championed increased revenue and decreased customer acquisition costs. Coupled with her entrepreneurial experience at Streamline.com, LifeClips and RunMyErrand, she has a well rounded, flexible and thorough marketing approach
She earned an MBA from Babson College where she focused on entrepreneurship, opportunity identification, marketing and consumer behavior.
"Consumer behavior in the digital space is evolving. The only way to be successful is to deliver the right message, apply the right media, and distribute on the right channel. TPL is securely positioned to deliver on this promise of building branded relationships that lead to measurable results."Sean Boice
As an eCommerce Solutions Architect at Tippingpoint Labs, Sean architects, builds, and maintains Tippingpoint Labs’ ecommerce platforms and other critical sub-systems. In addition to his primary client-facing responsibilities he also manages Tippingpoint Labs’ Infrastructure making certain that it’s always on the cutting-edge.
Sean brings many years of startup experience to Tippingpoint Labs that he acquired while holding senior engineering positions at number of Boston’s high-tech startups and technology firms.Tyler Magnin
Tyler Magnin serves as an Editorial Assistant at Tippingpoint Labs. His primary objectives involve content production for Tippingpoint Labs' clients as well as the Tippingpoint Labs blog. Staying at the front of social trends is something Tyler prides himself in. Uniquely fashionable with a mind geared towards positive social change, Tyler believes in new wave media in its ability to universalize and connect.
With a love for the arts, Tyler studies Film and Poetry as a Boston University undergraduate. Most recently, Tyler's short film "Wake Up!" has gained recognition by The Boston Phoenix and is currently in collaboration with the NCAC to fight art censorship. Tyler is a member of Boston University's spoken word poetry team Speak For Yourself with whom he tours and performs. As a senior in high school he published a chapbook of poetry titled My Trip.
When not in school or at the office, Tyler designs and distributes clothing for Conscious Minds Inc. He also enjoys painting and making music with his friends. As a contemporary renaissance artist, Tyler is ready to take on any challenge with an arsenal of creativity.Andrew Davis
In 2002, Andrew founded Tippingpoint Labs with journalist James Cosco. Since then, he's spent countless hours exploring the online universe and building a methodological approach to developing digital strategies that drive revenue or reduce costs.
Andrew's always asking big questions and analyzing data to understand markets, online forces and even business models. Andrew's research has resulted in the creation of innovative online metrics including Online Brand Value and Category Brand Value, eye-opening graphical representations of website evolution through the New Media Life Cycle and even using online data to predict offline revenue.
When he's not surfing the web, Andrew's traveling the globe speaking to a wide-variety of audiences about everything from social media to the future of print. Andrew is a frequent contributor to the Tippingpoint Labs website and has been creating valuable content since the early 1990s for The Jim Henson Company, CNN, The Today Show and MTV.
He's contributed to a book of short stories, called The Way Things Were and produced and co-wrote Roadside Ambition a documentary film about one small town with two huge balls.
"In a world where content is consumed as rapidly as it's created, companies need to develop a sound strategy to creating valuable online experiences that can, and should, be leveraged enterprise-wide. There is a content solution to every business challenge."