Business Matters Magazine talks to Tony Lawrence, Kerrie Lawrence and Richard Davies, directors of Sound Images, a boutique production Company, with a National client base, based in Maleny.

For the last 28 years Sounds Images have been helping their clients present their credentials with polish, style and credibility .... that’s a long time to be in business. - Sound Images Managing Director Tony Lawrence says that it’s thanks to the loyalty of their clients – something they work hard for and never take for granted.  Many of their clients are completely new to the industry, so they make sure that their experience with them is both rewarding and time friendly.

Tony explains that their specialty is in video production, producing anything that involves HD filming and editing. This could be TV and cinema commercials, corporate & training videos , interactive DVD’S,  and programs for cable TV for clients all around the country .....  Brisbane,  Sydney,  Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast. In their 28 years, they’ve designed, filmed and edited literally thousands of productions for an impressive mix of clients, ranging from large corporations and government departments to small emerging businesses. They also give back to community, donating their time in producing Television commercials and fund- raising promotional DVD’s for groups like the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Sunshine Coast Health Foundation.

SOUNDS IMAGES is a boutique production company - their team - including the three working directors (Tony Lawrence - MD, Kerrie Lawrence – Creative Director, and Richard Davies – Production Director) - is very much ‘hands-on’ for every project. They don’t outsource elements of production and are personally accountable for the finished product, from script to screen. Although is it their profession, they also do it for pleasure, which they believe is reflected in their approach and results. They commit to meeting deadlines, no matter how tight, and are happy to shoot anytime their clients wish, anywhere in the world. 

Today, a corporate video can be used in so many ways -  For marketing, for training, for induction, or for conferences and special events. The finished video could be presented as an interactive DVD or CD ... it could be duplicated in the format of an ‘easy to post’, ‘easy to play’ DVD ... it could be embedded on a website ... or uploaded onto youtube.  Sound Images see their role as keeping up with the possibilities.

"Life is never boring ", says managing director, Tony Lawrence. "We not only help small businesses punch above their weight, but we are always involved in interesting and challenging projects .... it could be the production of commercials with actors like  John Wood for Living Choice or John Jarratt for Husqvarna, an interactive training DVD for the Queensland Police Service or the CMC ... a  patient education DVD for Laser Sight Centres or a training DVD for Queensland Rail."

Living and working on the Hinterland is an added bonus for this small group of film-makers, however the company vehicles do clock up many kilometres in servicing their clients. Creative Director Kerrie Lawrence regularly drives to Brisbane to take a brief with husband Tony.

"In the end we are story-tellers", says Kerrie "Telling the message that the client wants told, and using the best technology of the day to achieve it."

Technology has made Sound Images job so much easier particularly with communication to the outside world. TV Commercials are no longer copied onto broadcast tape formats and physically delivered to TV stations all over the country.  Now days files are simply sent by email.  Time consuming script meetings of  the old days which meant travelling back and forth to clients with first and revised drafts, progressing to lengthy faxes back and forwards, have also been replaced by the instant email.

Another major leap that has helped Sound Images greatly says Richard is that although we do still have a full studio floor and voice booth at the Mt Mellum studio where voiceover talent can come to put down an audio track, this rarely happens these days. Through the Web, you can now track down the type and style of voice our clients want and email them a script. Then, within a day they email back a completed WAV or MP3 file.  Who said life wasn’t meant to be easy.
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"What hasn’t changed over the years", adds Tony, "is good old fashioned service ... a commitment to delivering on our promises. Our culture at Sound Images has always been to ‘under promise and over deliver’ ... and we just don’t miss deadlines".

As for the future the Sound Images Tony adds, "We are very happy with where we are and we don’t have big growth plans,"  both Richard and Kerrie totally agree.  "We simply love what we do and enjoy being a boutique industry in a boutique environment."   No doubt that is one of the reasons why Sound Images is so successful.

Tony's top tips ...

• be absolutely honest and ethical in dealing with your clients and suppliers
• your product/service offering must be market competitive
• the difference between you and your competitor often comes down to the relationship and their experience in doing business with you 
• under promise and over deliver .... and you'll stand out from most other companies
• don't forget to 'hug' your clients .... it's far easier to retain existing clients than to win new ones.