Alamo Film

Brand storytelling from San Antonio and Austin

Alamo Film combines independent filmmakers and a content marketing producer, and says the combination yields marketing that entertains instead of interrupting. The company works from San Antonio and Austin in Texas and describes its video production as full service, running from the first idea to the finished film. It says its team has worked on national commercials, internationally distributed feature films and award-winning shorts, and that its clients have included national brands, organizations, other filmmakers and individuals. The site also says the company has won dozens of Quill Awards from the IABC, which it calls the Oscar of communication excellence, and that no project is too small.

Formats the company produces

Its pages list documentary and corporate filmmaking, feature film production and development, corporate commercials and interviews, marketing video and brand storytelling. The site's keyword listing also points to aerial video and photography, motion graphics, script writing, and web and graphic design as related work.

Planning before the camera rolls

The firm calls pre-production the most important phase of a video project. Ideas are turned into a script, which is then broken down and planned in full. Because the team has a background in illustration and graphic design, it says it can show ideas visually and quickly, so production starts without lost time. Planning covers production scheduling, storyboarding and shot listing, location scouting and management, and talent and crew contracts.

Editing, sound and animation

For production and post-production the company runs a 4K pipeline and keeps footage RAW until the end. It edits in Adobe Premiere, working with 4K directly on the timeline to avoid transcoding, and does sound editing, design and mixing in Pro Tools. Its lead editor has more than two decades of experience, and the team says it has cut everything from 30-second commercial spots to full-length features. Visual effects and animation are made with Adobe Creative Cloud, Lightwave 3D, Procreate and pencil and paper, either to add to a production or to build one from scratch. Digital imaging technician work is also listed.

Alamo Film is a video production and brand storytelling company working out of San Antonio and Austin, Texas. It pairs independent filmmakers with a content marketing producer, and takes projects from first idea through to finished film.

What Alamo Film offers

• Commercials and brand films: marketing videos that tell a brand's story rather than interrupt viewers.
• Corporate video and interviews: corporate films, interview pieces and documentaries.
• Feature and short films: development and production of features and shorts.
• Pre-production: scripting, breakdowns and full planning before shooting.
• Production and post-production: a 4K workflow that keeps footage in RAW until final delivery, plus animation.

Customers and markets

The team has worked on national commercials, feature films distributed internationally and short films, and has made work for national brands, organisations, other filmmakers and individuals. It says no project is too small.

Key facts

• Based in: San Antonio and Austin, Texas
• Producer: Mark Harlien, marketer and producer, winner of three IABC Gold Quill awards
• Format: 4K production with RAW footage through post-production