Building on the huge success of the multimedia Melody Forest concert series and the Orpheum Theater event in New Orleans, we went back to the drawing board to create an even more beautiful, more engrossing and more magical mosaic of video installations, images, lights, and music. Debut on January 15, 2016 in Helsinki, soon touring the world.
Blooming Rock was proud to be the creative director and producer for this massive multimedia collaboration between the New Orleans Symphony Chorus and famed Finnish classical duo Jussi Makkonen and Nazig Azezian. We scripted and executed the video and light installations for a performance that brought the newly restored Orpheum Theater to a thunderous standing ovation.
A wild music video inspired by 80's effects and Rambo movies for celebrity author, character and blogger Raggarimorsian (The Rebellious Bride) and rock star Timo "Tex" Turpeinen. A video so cheesy it's totally hip.
A massive communications and training program for the hospital district of southern Finland. Five informative videos for an audience of tens of thousands of workers, combining studio shoots, interviews, animation and candid footage.
Aira Vehaskari was featured as playable character placeholder voice in addition to final minor character voices for the game company's 2016 blockbuster game Quantum Break. Details under NDA.
Blooming Rock was thrilled to partner with cellist Jussi Makkonen and pianist Nazig Azezian to create an ambitious concert series for children based on their best-selling CD and book of the same name. The concert series combines live musical performances with captivating video installations filmed in some of Finland's most inspirational places.
Scripted, directed and produced a series of five promotional videos for mobile music app Mubik to launch their international web marketing campaign.
A haunting classical music video where musicians Jussi Makkonen and Nazig Azezian come to life as the characters trapped in a ghost story. Filmed in landscapes dear to the composer Jean Sibelius, even at the decrepit cabin where he spent his honeymoon.
A simple tune serves as a flashback for the musicians, who wander an ancient farmhouse, mirrored by the people who might have lived there a hundred years ago.
Scripted four thought-provoking videos for Roy Marketing and TalviDigital, where web marketing experts share their expertise and surprising revelations about what works on the web.
Scripted, directed and produced recruitment video for mobile platform company Telrock.
Produced testimonial videos of satisfied customers for Finnish organization Kaato, which helps companies set up and expand operations in Finland.
Tourism video for travel agency Pohjolan Matkat, advertising a cultural sightseeing trip called "In the footsteps of Sibelius" that takes tourists through the scenic Koli area of central Finland, with a focus on classical music and cultural attractions.
Created tailor-made media training workshop for RedLynx employees to help launch their new game Trials Frontier. This included workshop to build launch event communications plan and training for on-camera presentations and interviews with international media.
A music video where a simple song transports the performers into a lush natural world of their own imaginations. Opera singer Esa Ruuttunen and cellists Jussi Makkonen, Ulla Lampela, Iida-Vilhelmiina Laine and Matti Makkonen perform the first single from their new album: "Oi kaunis synnyinmaamme," composed by Toivo Kuula.
News anchor and British immigrant David Mawby applies his sharp wit and insatiable curiosity to his adopted home town of Tampere, Finland. Revealed are the offbeat stories and characters behind some of the city's hidden gems. Aired by Yle Aamu-TV.
Episodes:
At 19, Finnish student Katja Toivola fell in love with New Orleans. Inspired, she taught herself how to play the trombone and moved there to make her dreams of becoming a jazz musician come true – only to lose everything in hurricane Katrina. Devastated but determined, Katja fought to rebuild her life and her career. 30 minutes, first aired 19.05.2013 on Yle.
Acclaimed cellist Jussi Makkonen takes a break from his international schedule to tour Finland’s schools. He combines storytelling with live performances to bring to life Finland’s most famous composer, in a drive to teach kids about their cultural heritage.
A biographical video introducing acclaimed Finnish cellist Jussi Makkonen and his controversial interpretations of Finland's iconic composer Sibelius.
Finnish-to-English translation and voice-over recording/editing of hundreds of educational web videos for children's football coaches.
Two call-to-action videos (in English and Finnish) sponsored by Aalto University and Boardman Tulenkantajat to raise awareness of how valuable failure is to a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
An eight-part video campaign sponsored by Aalto University and Boardman Tulenkantajat, in which Finnish celebrities reveal the big and not-so-big failures of their lives. At times poignant, heartbreaking, and funny, these Finns share how they dealt with failure and grew in spite (or because) of it.
Episodes:
A five-minute documentary of a mother of three who attempts to smash a shiny gold Jaguar through 14 cars. In doing so she would break the world record held by her father. Aired by Yle Aamu-TV.
Spunky indie pop-punk girl band MIAU struggles to rise from obscurity, and fulfils a seemingly impossible dream of playing a big music festival stage.
A short fiction film edited by Blooming Rock about an uptight banker lesbian whose girlfriend sends her to a porn shop to buy a dildo. Featured at the Helsinki Short Film Festival, Vinokino Film Festival, Tampere Short Film Festival. Written and directed by Eeva Putro.
Finland's charming TV personality Ella Kanninen takes the viewer on a behind-the-scenes trip to her adopted homeland in Tuscany. A five-part mini-travel series commissioned by Finnish Broadcasting Company.
Episodes:
A short documentary commissioned by the Finnish Broadcasting Company on Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and what it means to a community ravaged by disaster to uphold its tradition of revelry in the face of misery.
A five-part series of video biographies to commemorate the recipients of Finland's first-ever Democracy Prize. The winners are individuals or organizations who are true heroes through their volunteer work. Aired in special theatre showings and by the national public broadcaster Yle.
A tongue-in-cheek travel mini-series about Åland, the autonomous province which discovered priceless champagne in a ship wreck. The episodes explore the quirky island's specialized gastronomic treats and local food heroes, including celebrity chef Michael Björklund.
Episodes:
When Kari Tenhunen, a sergeant-major of the Finnish army nears his retirement age, he decides to enlist in the country's peacekeeping mission to Afghanistan. There, the ageing soldier finds himself in an arid and unfamiliar landscape but copes by reading the Koran and writing poetry in an attempt to understand his surroundings. Back home, his poetry is a lifeline when he is cast adrift in a society that feels too unstructured and aimless after the NATO camp. A 28-minute documentary.
A news story about the evolution of a new sign language, developed by deaf Afghans in Pakistani refugee camps. Deaf Afghans who return to Kabul begin to teach their new language and demand better education.
A half-hour documentary sponsored by the Finnish Foreign Ministry and Yle. With Tanzania receiving accolades for advances in education, one group of children is left behind. The very different stories of a deaf teen, a child with Down's syndrome, and a government minister who lost his sight and mobility to polio shed light on the plight of special education in Tanzania.
