ALEX HUGHES - PAINTED D✹NKEY

PAINTED DONKEY is an art-forward production company, specialising in feature film, music videos and branded audiovisual media.

We work with artists to create their best work and brands to create massively shareable vehicles for their message.

Idea, pre-production, filming, photography, editing, delivery; all in-house, executed by artists.

It is currently operating as invite-only. If you'd like to be the first to know when we open up to work with new brands and artists, please use the contact page to let us know.

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OUR PRINCIPLES:

ART OVER MONEY -- money is business, art is life.
LIVE OFF THE LAND -- ingenuity, creativity and scrappiness.
AUTHENTICITY at ALL LEVELS -- don’t shy away from the unique.
SHAKE HANDS with INNOVATION but HUG SIMPLICITY.
NO AI -- human ingenuity over machine copy and paste.

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WHO WE ARE:

ALEX HUGHES

Alex created Painted Donkey to bridge the gap between art and audience. He has amassed over 100,000 views across platforms and has made multiple festival-darling short films. A devout cinephile and filmmaker, Alex treats every project like its his own.

HEIDI PFIZENMAIER

With a love of art in all shapes and sizes (qualified chef, inspired painter, naturalistic photographer), Heidi is an integral part of our team, operating as our backbone of creativity.

RICHARD FARAMEAD

Cutting his nails as an AD in the Australian film industry, Richard has gone on to become our behind-the-scenes mastermind of producing and executing. The seasoned vet to our naive youth, he keeps his feet on the ground so our heads can go to the clouds.

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YOU

Every project is a collaboration.

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OUR PROCESS:

1 - IDEA (ABSTRACTION)

Without the seed, the tree cannot exist.

Through collaboration, we work down to the essence of the project -- What is it we are trying to say? How should it be said? Finally, why are we saying anything at all?

This step is often overlooked, but bells and whistles won't save a bad idea. At Painted Donkey, we understand how important the conceptualisation stage is to the final product and have a thoughtful structure on how to ensure it delivers.

2 - PRE-PRODUCTION (CULTIVATE)

Athletes win in the training room.

This stage is all about massaging the minutiae and cultivating everything necessary to the production of the project.

To ensure we are always ready for what is to come, we uncovered a simple formula that guarantees our success.

S-Strategy: the plan of action.

S-Systems: the proven procedures to follow the plan.

S-Synergy: the ideal people coming together to achieve the plan - the whole becoming greater than the sums.

3 - EXECUTION (ALL CYLINDERS)

Massive action, executed with high levels of focus and energy. This is the "shoot" -- the stage where we capture the magic through a lens.

We work as a team to follow through on what we layed out in the first two stages. This is where the project is given breath.

It's simple really, we point a camera at what needs to seen.

4 - POST-PRODUCTION (ASSEMBLAGE)

The difference between a cook and a chef...

This process is often talked about as if it were a science, all technique and no art. Our post-production stage is incredibly intuition coded. A lot of people have the technical know-how, but few have put as much time and effort into developing their "taste". Utilising a combination of tried-and-tested cinematic editing techniques, with the new school of internet montage when necessary, we know when to let a moment seep and when to force a shot to punch and kick.

It's a lot like cooking. One can know how to hold a knife and light a stove, but it is the creative combination of flavours and sensations that form a memorable meal.

5 - DELIVERY (FROM THE ROOFTOPS)

The "deliverables" are the multiple forms a project takes shape: for an ad, that could be a long form version, short form version and vertical and horizontal formats, as well as photographs that relate back to the primary media. For a film it might be all the different required packages and file types...

But that is the nuts and bolts, what delivery is really about is letting people know whatever we just made exists. Through extremely effective techniques, we have streamlined the "viral" formula. It doesn't always hit, such is way of the undulating ocean of the internet, but it maximises our chances of wild fire success. The formula is as follows:

The Hook - an initial pull that captures an audience's attention

The "WTF" - the part of a project that makes it unique, shocking, awe-inspiring, different... and thus massively shareable

The Rooftops - the multiple channels of high exposure that showcase the project in front of as many eyes as possible

The Wait - the baited breath of patience, as we see if our hard work takes hold

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