IMGN Media and LUMIX teamed up to create a long-form video campaign that would showcase the exceptional quality of LUMIX’s S5IIX camera in an exciting and holistic format. Using IMGN’s network of content creators and LUMIX’s production capabilities, the teams joined forces to create the Shutter Showdown, a captivating full-length reality series and filmmaking competition where the S5IIX was the star of the show. The overarching goal of this campaign was not only to market a camera, but to also demonstrate how LUMIX is creating a community and elevating content creators, and what viewers might be able to achieve with the right camera by their side.
In the Spring of 2023, the team at LUMIX cameras approached IMGN to produce a new project that would promote their line of high-end consumer cameras. The idea they had to come up with internally was essentially a straightforward execution of the popular trope of "Camera Camp" (something almost all the major brands in the industry do). We decided that this was well-worn space from a content perspective, and set about building something more ambitious and impressive. What we arrived at was a full reality show, in the vein of Great British Bakeoff or The Challenge - pitting four incredible photographers and filmmakers against each other in a series of grueling camera challenges.
So, in July of 2023, IMGN Media sent filmmakers Dylan Kato, Fritz Bacon, Armando Ferreira, and Matt Daigneau to Cle Elum, Washington and set them loose on the magnificent surrounding environment of the Central Cascade Mountains. The contestants stayed at the Showdown Lodge in Cle Elum, where host Howie Collings led the creators through a series of short film challenges using the LUMIX S5IIX. After each day of challenges, expert judges Sean Robinson, Christina Dobre, Jon Simo, reviewed the creators’ work and scored them based on quality, creativity, originality, technical prowess and vibe.
On the first day of the Shutter Showdown, the creators were paired up with a wilderness athlete to create a short action item. With only a few hours of shooting time and limited camera equipment, the creators ventured outdoors to create a short film on the fly. On day two of the competition, the filmmakers split up and traveled to various outdoor locations to create a short narrative film and capture stunning shots of the sunset. Using travel guides and a few hours to research, the creators selected their shoot locations and set out into the wilderness. The competition heated up on day three as the creators went head-to-head in the final Shutter Showdown challenge. Tasked with creating a short cooking film, the creators teamed up with an expert chef to design a menu, plan a creative vision, and cook a meal together. After three days of fierce competition, the judges’ scores were added up and the winner of the first ever Shutter Showdown was announced.
IMGN Media in partnership with LUMIX captured the competition in three long-form episodes that premiered on LUMIX's YouTube Channel in November 2023. Each episode followed the contestants' journeys as they navigated the challenges and pushed their filmmaking skills the limit. Confessional-like interviews added a reality-show element to the series as the creators reflected on their thought processes during each challenge. Overall, the Shutter Showdown was not only a fun competition, but an authentic way for LUMIX to engage with the content creator community. Through this execution, IMGN Media and LUMIX successfully amplified the work of four up and coming creators while also showcasing the abilities of LUMIX’s S5IIX camera.
After a smart promotional push across LUMIX’s social channels, the series has resulted in over 10.2 million impressions and over 6.3M video views on YouTube with a 30% video completion rate. Additionally, LUMIX secured 40+ pieces of long form and short form content and has garnered over 25,000 hours of YouTube content watched to date. Additionally, the show saw an overwhelmingly positive response from audiences online, with the vast majority of comments on the episodes praising the ingenuity and creativity of the show, and looking forward to the next season. Overall, the Shutter Showdown campaign demonstrated IMGN Media’s ability to break away from the norm and seamlessly blend product marketing with the art of content creation.
