For the past two weeks we have been working on creating Open Runway’s new concept video. A few days ago, we finally finished and uploaded it to our Youtube Channel! Andrea described the video to her friend as “my life’s work,” and even though it only took us a couple weeks to create it, it is one of our proudest accomplishments! We hope you like it as much as we do!

Open Runway Concept Video

Andrea’s Experience: When I started the project I was familiar with iMovie thanks to an overzealous Egyptology professor who liked to incorporate media into his curriculum by having us make movies about everything from the Sphinx to the typology of pre-dynastic pottery. But now that we’re done I can say with confidence that I am an expert! Kailai and I created scenes and animations that I didn’t know were even possible. When Monika, Open Runway’s founder and CEO, requested we have words flying in one at a time over an image, I was tempted to say, “Impossible! Lower your expectations lady, I’m not a professional film editor!” Instead I sucked it up and tried to discover a way to accomplish the task. Ok, I may have complained about not knowing how to do it, but I still figured it out! With a combination of Kailai’s supreme Photoshop skills, some PowerPoint innovation, and an application called Camtasia that allows you to record your computer screen, we created our masterpiece! So if you are looking to make an expert promotional video using only the resources found on your computer, take some advice from me. The help tab is your best friend! Without it I would never have known there is a green screen effect in iMovie or that you can group objects in PowerPoint in order to make them animate at the same time.

Kailai’s Experience: Working with Andrea on the concept video was really fun. In the beginning I was worried that I would not be able to contribute much to this project as I’m a total rookie on video editing but my powerpoint and photoshop skills combined with Andrea’s iMovie expertise proved to be a great combination. In my humble opinion, the video looks awesome! I am really amazed how different the final video looks from our first version. After we came up with the first draft video, we spent hours discussing and getting feedback from the entire Open Runway team to make sure that we were conveying the right message concisely and effectively. We are basically using the same storyboard for the video as what we first developed at the very beginning of this project. However, after two weeks of polishing and MANY versions later, the video looks much more professional.

As we were resource constrained we found a way to create the video just using using Powerpoint, Photoshop and Camtasia to fake the effects of professional video editing software. We think we did a great job of fooling people’s eyes. Well, at least my friends’ eyes.

Good luck in all your movie making endeavors and don’t forget to check out our masterpiece!

On Friday, August 6, 24 companies banded together on Facebook to become one voice that yelled in unison “You Can Design Your Own!” The mass customization movement is making people rethink the way they purchase. Whether it’s designing your own engagement ring or designing your own hamburger (thanks Burger King). YOU have spoken and YOU want it YOUR way.

Carmen Magar founder of Chocri, a site that lets you design your own chocolate bars (yum!), organized the campaign. Open Runway was just one of 24 companies that purchased and ran a DYO themed Facebook ad for the campaign with the goal being to reach 8 million impressions and  spread awareness of the Co-Creation and Design Your Own trend. The movement gained traction after various news outlets picked the story up.

The result was better than anyone could have imagined, in total the campaign generated over 14 million impressions. With just $50, our ad itself garnered hundreds of thousands of impressions, lots of clicks and many new sign-ups for our private beta. All in all we were thrilled with the outcome.

Here is the complete list of companies that participated in the campaign:

Open Runway – DYO Women’s fashion shoes

Blank Label – DYO Men’s Dress Shirts

Chocri – DYO Chocolate Bars

Spreadshirt – DYO T-Shirts

LaudiVidni – DYO Handbags

Gemvara – DYO Jewelry

Shoes of Prey – DYO Shoes

Wagner Skis – DYO Skis

Gemkitty – DYO Jewelry

Snaptotes – DYO Bags

Element Bars – DYO Energy Bars

YouBars – DYO Protein, Energy, and Nutrition Bars

Red Moon Pet Food – DYO Pet Food

Rooms By You – DYO Home Decor

Lindgolf – DYO Golf Clubs

Artaic – DYO Illuminated Mosaic

Melboteri – DYO Bags

IndiDenim – DYO Jeans

Kidlandia – DYO Kids Gifts

Maguba – DYO Clogs

Personalwine – DYO Wine

Proper Cloth – DYO Dress Shirts

Design A Tea – DYO Tea

Selve – DYO Shoes