Video Hero & Creative Ninja Tamer Tewfik Talks Creativity, Music & Corporate Video Greatness

As the President of SQ Video Productions, Tamer Tewfik applies his skill in the art of storytelling to provide his clients a competitive edge in their corporate videos. As an active musician, composer and technology enthusiast, Tamer employs passionate music, clever camera work and creative editing to lead his creative team in making their client's videos shine in the best light possible!

Tamer, you are have the gift of creativity. Video. Music. More. Your creativity can be seen in everything from commercials to corporate videos to spotlights on ESPN and more. Do you think creativity is a gift?

I believe all human beings have the desire for a creative outlet. It's our duty as human beings to find our outlet. I think the true gift is being able to use your creative mind to make a living.

What was the first big video project you did, and were you nervous?

Our first video project was also our longest. Turned out to be a 40 minute documentary on the history of an educational organization. I suppose it's always a little nerve-racking to be the creative, staring at a blank canvas with the expectation that you're going to make something wonderful, but I've been doing this long enough to know that it will be great. Videos are stories and stories are a process. Stories tell you where to go, you don't tell the story where to go. If you are able to see the direction that the story is giving, you will always get a great result.

In working with businesses, what have you found is the pros and cons, in terms of delivering exceptional corporate videos that merge your eye for creative detail with their requirements for client recruitment and service promotion?

There is always a tug-of-war between the artistic creative side and the corporate informative side. You have to find a balance between both. Some clients tell us, "This project is in your hands! Do what you do best! We trust you!" Other clients have a specific vision of what they want and they do not want to stray from that vision. Sometimes you have to know how to just cover the gig. In the end, the client has to be happy with the result.

Would you rather read a book or listen to music?

Music is the best story. I hear music as stories.

If you were a tree, your leaves would be what color?

A deep red. I feel like a seasoned person.

What are the three biggest elements companies must keep in mind when beginning work on a corporate video project - other than budget! Speaking strictly creatively, assuming they have all the money in the world, what would absolutely make their video memorable?

The first element is IDENTIFY. You want to identify the purpose the video will serve, who your audience will be and what information you want the audience to remember. The second element is EMOTION. A good story always makes you laugh and cry. Music is essential for this. Watch a sad scene from your favorite tear-jerker on mute and you will not be affected the same way. You have to find the inspiration in the story and use pictures and music to get that emotional trigger. If you can inspire your audience, you will make a great video. The last element is QUALITY. You need crisp clear images and full sounding audio. Your video message is how you are presenting yourself to the world. If you look like you're not being serious with your business, your audience will have no choice but to assume that you would not be serious with theirs either.

Do you enjoy working with live events more than staged video projects?

I really do not have a preference but I can tell you that LIVE events are little bit more nerve-racking as you only have one chance to get that shot!

You are a musician too, tell us about your life in music?

Music is my life. I have always been fascinated with the fact of music can manipulate our emotions. This is the reason why we work very hard to find the right music for our videos. To us, it's the most important part. Sometimes we have to compose our own music to get the right kind of feeling for the scene. I cannot imagine my life without an instrument in it. I continue to play piano and sing with my jazz ensembles. My music site is www.tamertewfik.com.

Would you rather your kids grow to be Nobel Prize winning authors, celebrated artists or leaders in politics, science or education? Or, reality TV billionaires? Kim Kardashian isn't getting any younger.

I don't have a preference concerning what my children do when they grow up. I do wish that they would find a way to make a living using the creative mind because I feel the people who do that are just more fulfilled in their lives. I will support any direction they choose to go in as long as they understand that it takes hard work, determination, and dedication to achieve their goals.

What are webmeracials? Are businesses using them more, and why?

Webmercial is a recently coined term which basically means a short video meant to advertise on a website. The standard television commercial is 30 seconds. The standard radio commercial is 60 seconds. Webmercials really have no time limit but we have found that when you are trying to sell B2B or B2C It is helpful to keep the video length under a minute. Two minutes maximum.

What is one of your favorite quotes? And what does this quote mean to you?

One of my of my favorite quotes is by poet E.E. Cummings. "I am through you, so I." Through my relationship with you, I can be myself.

For more, visit Tamer Tewfik at http://www.sqproductions.com.