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Little Monsters Everyday People Need to Climb The Gain Divine Ladder To Make Intervention Via An Ad Impact Amnesty Int’l. page 14 page 15

THE LEADING PUBLICATION FOR COMMERCIAL, INTERACTIVE, & BRANDED CONTENT PRODUCTION January 30, 2009 $7.00

Midwest Series: What’s In Is Super Bowl Store For The New Year? Incentives spawn infrastructure in Adv. A Wise Wisconsin; Michigan urged to make On The spots eligible for tax credits; Illinois boosts its lensing stimulus package Investment? Midwest production and post artisans By Robert Goldrich and executives assess the state of the Lookout CHICAGO—The answer to this story’s biz, how they’re gearing up for ‘09 in headline is an emphatic yes if the terms of strategies, diversification and Agency Production Heads question is being posed to the chief varied content opportunities. marketing officer of CareerBuilder. See page 19 Share Their Visions for ‘09 com, an advertiser which now returns to the Super Bowl telecast for the fifth Full Moon Rising With A SHOOT Staff Report consecutive year. Trio Of Director Signings NEW YORK—Is the glass half full or half empty? “We see a clear return on investment Filmmaker Robert Black reunites with Is economic adversity an opportunity rather than a roadblock? each year from the Super Bowl, with a Moon exec producer Tom Mooney Does the audacity of hope apply to the advertising and marketing sectors? multi-month surge in job seeker traf- at New York-based Moon, which also Are we on the long and winding road to an economic recovery or approaching the fic and job applications, as well as in- adds directors Jeff Cooney and Liz precipice of a depression? creases in employer job postings and Hinlein for commercials. Cooney con- While assorted forecasts and statistical projections show a down or at best a flat year strengthened brand awareness,” said tinues to maintain Jeff Cooney Films in traditional and new media advertising expenditures for 2009, agency creatives and Richard Castellini, CMO at Chicago- for long-form projects. Moon and producers still need more than ever to connect with prospective consumers. Break- headquartered CareerBuilder.com. Cooney Films share the bond of being ing through with a relevant message to coveted target audiences becomes all the In the three months following its in association with EUE. more essential in a tight economy. 2008 Super Bowl advertising, Career- See page 4 In past economically challenged times, conventional wisdom called for dialing Builder.com posted: a 68 percent in- Marc Webb Pays Visit To up the hard sell, being a bit more conservative creatively, and careful about how crease in job applications as compared to deploy humor, if at all. to the prior year; a 20 percent hike in SHOOT’s Chat Room But these are markedly different times with consumers in control of their me- employer job postings on the Career- The noted music video/commercials dia and able to tune out at a moment’s notice. Ad folk might be hard pressed to Builder.com site; and 10 percent more director from Hollywood-based DNA make the hard sell in today’s marketplace. In tough times, the mantra becomes traffic than in ‘07. reflects on 500 Days of Summer, his get relevant or get lost. And perhaps there’s even more of a premium placed on Castellini noted that for Career- feature filmmaking debut, how the being able to entertain and engender a smile, if not a laugh. Builder.com the Super Bowl comes at experience will inform his short-form Whatever your take, these indeed are challenging times in terms of for- the opportune time of the year and de- work and how his clip/spot endeav- mulating effective advertising/marketing strategies and working within livers a mega audience that becomes ors prepared him for long form film- the parameters of reined in budgets. even more coveted in the current era making. The movie premiered at the But up to the daunting challenges are ad agency heads of production of media fragmentation. recently concluded Sundance Film who offered their thoughts, observations and advice as to how to best “From a seasonality standpoint, the Festival in Park City, Utah. tackle ‘09, a year which unlike ‘08 doesn’t have the built-in recession Super Bowl is ideal,” he related. “The See page 10 fighting buffers of the Summer Olympic Games and hotly contested beginning of the year is THE time for political campaigns spanning the presidential as well as Congressioinal job seekers to focus on looking for em- Continued on page 8 ployment. It’s also generally the time of Editing & Post Series: Continued on page 22 The Art Of Crossover Cutting Benjamin Button; Directors Refl ect On Their DGA Spot Nominations Diversifying At Sundance By Robert Goldrich The dual honors went to Fincher This marks Fincher’s first DGA able for comment at press time—has See page 16 LOS ANGELES—There’s a decid- for his feature The Curious Case of nomination in the feature film cat- via this year’s dual nomination made edly historic ring to this year’s field of Benjamin Button, and for three spots: egory and his second for commercials. a place for himself in Guild history. nominees for the Directors Guild of Nike’s “Fate” out of Wieden+Kennedy, He received his initial spot nomina- America (DGA) Award honoring the Portland, Ore.; Stand Up To Cancer’s tion back in 2004, winning that year’s MJZ best commercial director of 2008. Set- “Stand Up For Something” out of Lau- honor as the DGA’s best commercial Perhaps overshadowed by Fincher’s ting the headline precedent was David ra Ziskin Productions, Los Angeles; director of ‘03. accomplishment is the substantive bit Fincher who is believed to be the first and Apple’s “Hallway” from TBWA/ Whether or not he wins either of history that bicoastal/international director to earn nominations in the Media Arts, Los Angeles. Fincher’s honor or both at the DGA Awards production house MJZ continues to both the feature and commercial cat- commercialmaking home is bicoastal ceremony on Saturday (1/31) in Los make in the DGA competition. For egories in the same year. Anonymous Content. Angeles, Fincher—who was unavail- Continued on page 12

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spot.com.mentary By Robert Goldrich THE LEADING PUBLICATION FOR COMMERCIAL, INTERACTIVE, & BRANDED CONTENT PRODUCTION Well Red January 30, 2009 Volume 50 • Number 1 While SHOOT has the National Endowment of the Arts discuss a single book, with related ses- ture book paper burned. The response www.SHOOTonline.com covered crossover (NEA) designed to restore reading to sions such as author readings. was 451 degrees Fahrenheit.

EDITORIAL chapter and verse the center of American culture. Bridges’ conversation with Brad- The Big Read hopes to address a Publisher & Editorial Director over the years, it’s a dynamic particu- The Big Read—which the NEA bury reflects the inspirational spirit big need. An NEA report titled Read- Roberta Griefer 203.227.1699 ext. 13 [email protected] larly prominent in this week’s issue. presents in partnership with the Insti- of the Big Read. Bradbury talks about ing at Risk: A Survey of Literary Read- We offer the DGA Award nominees tute of Museum and Library Services his childhood, which was energized ing in America, found that not only is Editor Robert Goldrich story which includes David Fincher’s and in cooperation with Arts Mid- by his love of books and his “discov- literary reading in America declining 323.960.8035 ext. 6681 [email protected] accomplishment of gaining nomina- west—brings together partners across ery” of public libraries. His fascination rapidly among all groups, but that

Contributors tions in both the feature and com- the country to encourage reading for with dinosaurs, fairy tales, ideas and the rate of decline has accelerated, Christine Champagne mercial categories, as well Millie Takaki as our features in the Edi- In the crossover mix reported on in this issue of SHOOT, Bridges’ work ADVERTISING tors & Post Series—one on Sales Director, East/Midwest/Canada/Latin America on behalf of The Big Read stands out for its importance to society. Robert Alvarado spot savvy editors Angus 203.227.1699 ext. 15 [email protected] Wall and Kirk Baxter of Rock Paper pleasure and enlightenment. humanity led him to his career pur- especially among the young (a more

Sales Director, West Coast/International Scissors who cut the Fincher-directed Bridges (who also edited several of suit. As a struggling writer, he needed recent study shows an encouraging Meridith Riley The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; the videos, with others cut by his Red an office and recalls his first profes- bit of improvement on this front for 323.960-8035 ext. 6685 [email protected] the other on commercial editors who Car colleagues) directed insightful sional workspace, the basement of a adults but there’s much more progress Advertising Production contributed to fare at the recently con- individual conversations with such lu- UCLA library where he could rent a to be made). Gerald Giannone 203.227.1699 ext. 12 [email protected] cluded Sundance Film Festival. minary authors as Amy Tan, Rudolfo typewriter for 10 cents a half hour. The Big Read includes innovative Adding an extra dimension of social Anaya, Tobias Wolff, Ernest J. Gaines, For a typewriter expenditure of reading programs in selected cities Classified importance is the latest crossover en- Cynthia Ozick and Ray Bradbury. $9.80, he wrote The Fireman, the and towns, resources for discussing 203.227.1699 ext. 12 [email protected] deavor of hybrid artist Larry Bridges, These videos will be screened at predecessor to what became the now classic literature, a national public- SHOOTonline Directory Listings founder of Red Car. Director/editor assorted venues, most notably at Big classic Fahrenheit 451. He came upon ity campaign and a website providing 203.227.1699. ext. 14 [email protected] Bridges has helmed a series of video Read events in some 400 U.S. com- the title of that book by calling a fire comprehensive information on au- OFFICES Main Offi ce conversations with leading authors as munities in ‘09 during which attend- department chief in downtown Los thors and their works. Log onto www. 21 Charles Street #203 part of The Big Read, an initiative of ees get the opportunity to read and Angeles, asking him at what tempera- neabigread.org. Westport, CT 06880 USA 203.227.1699 Fax: 203.227.2787

West 650 N. Bronson Avenue, Suite B140 POV Los Angeles, CA 90004 USA 323.960.8035 Fax: 323.960.8036 By Howard Pyle

Circulation 203.227.1699 ext 12 [email protected] Versatile Viral

Editorial Production Manager/Reprints/Article Rights Michael Morgera Viral video in ad- festival last year. Each team was chal- turned them into reusable content we the result of our recent campaign was 203.227.1699 ext. 11 [email protected] vertising is here to lenged to make viral videos about the just remixed in various channels. that MTV got a show about young © 2009 DCA Business Media LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any stay—but people are environment in 48 hours, using only a Despite all the pixilated and hard- creatives addressing climate change, retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, still debating what role it should play Nokia and a Mac for editing. The cam- to-hear virals on YouTube, we’re start- Nokia received rich, branded content electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. or how useful it is. The revolution over paign content was distributed online, ing to see more and more that look for viral and broadcast, and we turned To Subscribe Go To the past few years isn’t simply that video via mobile, and broadcast globally great, and eventually the quality ques- mobile and viral content into an inter- www.shootonline.com/go/subscribe content can be posted online, but rather on MTV as part of a branded content tion will be a thing of the past. Smaller, nationally distributed TV show. Not For Subscription Service Inquires Email: that the very nature of what passes for program in January ‘09. The TV show more powerful media devices mean bad for a week in Cannes. [email protected] entertainment and advertising is chang- was shot almost entirely on the same that content can be created faster and ******* If your mailing label says RENEW, then go to www.SHOOTonline.com/go/renew ing dramatically. The smartest players mobile devices used by the teams, and cheaper. Clients know this and they’re Howard Pyle is creative director of and complete our online renewal form today. are innovating and experimenting. repurposes the campaign’s 120-plus already asking for it. Local Theory, New York (howard@

SHOOT (ISSN# 1055-9825) printed edition is published bi- While viral content certainly chal- pieces of viral online content. By embracing a broad viral strategy, localtheory.com). weekly except in July and August when published monthly) lenges the old systems of production Besides being integral to the cam- for $125.00 per year by DCA Business Media LLC, at 21 Charles Street, Westport, CT 06880. Printed periodicals postage paid at and is ripe with opportunity, there are paign strategy, using Nokia mobile Westport, CT and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Flash Back Send address changes to SHOOT, P.O. Box 184, Lowell, MA even more revolutionary changes to devices to shoot a huge chunk of the 01853 January 30, 2004 Feature fi lmmaker David Gordon Green has USPS (06-234) come. Through creating a viral and content allowed us to dramatically ex- broadcast campaign for Nokia’s N95 tend the scope of the campaign. We signed with Chelsea Pictures for spot representation in the U.S..... For SHOOT custom reprints please contact Michael Morgera 203.227.1699 ext. 11 or email to: mmorgera@ mobile phones, we’ve found that it’s had so much coverage that we had The Association of Independent Creative Editors has revised its ed- shootonline.com entirely possible to have a production the luxury to choose from the cream itorial guidelines, which had not been amended in more than fi ve SHOOT >e.dition published weekly except in January, technique that embraces this new real- of the crop. The best part was that the years. The revisions focus on payment, overages and bidding.... July, August, and December when three-times per month. ity, makes budgets go further and en- mobile footage was seamlessly inte- Two talents who came out of nowhere and became the talk of the SHOOT is produced in the U.S.A. gages online and broadcast audiences. grated into the show. town at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival were directors Morgan Spurlock and Shane Carruth. SHOOT is a member of We’ve just wrapped a campaign for We’ve found two points that are cru- Nokia where we used over 100 Nokia cial to successfully using mobile video N95 mobile phones to simultaneously to make TV programming: Relying January 29, 1999 Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Patricia Reed Scott, create viral and broadcast content—and heavily on mobile footage will defi- commissioner of the Mayor’s Offi ce of Film, Theatre and Broadcast- the content looks great. In addition to nitely decrease the cost of your video ing, announced that 1998 production expenditures in NYC hit new showcasing the product, these power- production, but you still can’t skimp highs across the board for spots, fi lms and TV.....Tracy Hauser is ex- ful mobile cameras made it possible to on editorial (The volume of footage iting her post as exec producer at Pavlov Productions, the commer- create content faster…and at a much we had to sift through was intense); cial division of Sony Pictures Entertainment.....Investment bank- cheaper price point. and let your viral segments become ing fi rm Warburg Pincus Equity Partners reached an agreement in The content follows teams as they the source material for the broadcast principle to acquire 51% of Four Media Company, a publicly traded competed in the Young Lions Film piece. Our online videos were also post holding corporation, in a deal valued at $80 million..... Competition at the Cannes Lions used as story segments for TV, which January 30, 2009 SHOOT 3 News

MoonPEOPLE & PROJECTS Rises With Directors Black, Cooney, Hinlein

By Robert Goldrich Borrowing Time, a feature-length rowing Time is in line with his body of moved over to the production house Prior to Moon, Black was repped for NEW YORK—Moon, the New York- documentary that Black wrote and work over the years, which centers on side of the business to pursue a direct- commercials via Los Angeles-based based production house headed by vet- directed about Holocaust survivor people-based storytelling—dating back ing career full-time. That pursuit has Form. At Moon, he sees himself serv- eran executive producer Tom Mooney Henri Landwirth. The film, which is to his days as an agency creative and yielded assorted credits, including ing as a resource to agencies which and formed in association with EUE currently seeking theatrical release, then as a director. His agency back- spots for the likes of the 2008 Bei- can tap into his directorial and agency Screen Gems, has brought three di- shows Landwirth, now in his early 80s, ground includes most notably serving jing Olympics, State Farm, Hyundai, creative experience. Furthermore rectors aboard its roster: Robert Black, returning to Auschwitz. Landwirth as a creative director at Foote, Cone Campbell’s Soup, Pacific Care, Nestle beyond traditional commercialmak- Jeff Cooney and Liz Hinlein. spent most of his teen years in differ- & Belding, San Francisco. Black then and Chrysler. Continued on page 23 Black’s joining marks a reunion ent Nazi concentration camps. Emi- with Mooney. The two had been to- grating to the U.S. impoverished and gether at the now defunct production unable to speak English, he became Dir. Evan Bernard Joins The Institute house Headquarters back when Black an accomplished businessman, and a earned a Directors Guild of America friend and confidante to pioneering VENICE, Calif.—Spot/music video viral short film Pound. Nominated for footage to convince the Beastie Boys’ (DGA) Award nomination as best American astronauts, including John director Evan Bernard has joined a YouTube Award, the piece depicts label, Grand Royal, to allow him to commercial director of the year on the Glenn. But beyond his free-enterprise The Institute for the Development two friends who meet on the street shoot the video for their single “Root of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness, and greet each other by engaging in Down” in 1995. the production company owned by an impressively long and complex He went on to turn out promos for Jeff Cooney has shifted producer Scott Gardenhour and pro- handshake, and then once it’s com- artists ranging from the underground his spot representation ducer/director Michael Bay. Bernard pleted, say goodbye with another long, rock of the Blues Explosion to major from his ongoing Jeff comes over to the Venice-based house elaborate handshake. pop performers such as Robbie Wil- from bicoastal Chelsea Pictures. liams, Moby and Green Day. In ‘96, Cooney Films to Moon. Bernard thrives in directing youth- Beastie roots Bernard served as DP on Free Tibet, oriented sports themed spots and per- After studying film and advertis- a feature documentary about the strength of spots for Baked Lay’s pota- success, Landwirth has made his big- formance work, often with a unique ing design at Syracuse University and first Tibetan Freedom Concert in San to chips out of BBDO New York, Rite gest mark as a humanitarian, found- comedic skew. Some of his interna- St. Martins School of Art in London, Francisco, organized by Beastie Boys’ Aid via Marc Advertising, Pittsburgh, ing several nonprofits, including Give tional ad work includes spots for glob- Evan moved to N.Y. and landed a gig Adam Yauch. In ‘00, Bernard’s video and Southwestern Bell from the then Kids The World, an Orlando, Fla.- al brands such as ESPN, Nike, adidas, as ‘cruise director’ for the “94” Lolla- for The Dixie Chicks, “Goodbye Earl”, DMB&B, St. Louis. based camp for terminally ill children. PlayStation, McDonald’s, MasterCard, palooza tour headlined by the Beastie won Music Video of the Year at the Mooney said he rekindled his re- While Black does not regard him- Toyota, Puma and Red Stripe. Boys. It was there that Bernard was CMA Awards as well as a 2001 MVPA lationship with Black upon seeing self as a documentary filmmaker, Bor- In June 2007, Bernard released his able to shoot enough super 8mm award for Country Video of the Year. Production House STORY Registers Cut+Run Relaunches In On Directorial Richter Scale N.Y., Secures Tina Mintus CHICAGO—Actor, director and he fi rst met STORY’s Grant.) NEW YORK—Cut+Run, with shops ously served as its co-exec producer. producer Andy Richter, best “I’ve always felt that commer- in London and Santa Monica, has re- Mintus was a partner at Version2, known for his long run as Co- cials are where I come from,” launched in New York with a 4,800 and has cut assorted spots over the nan O’Brien’s sidekick on Late Richter said. “It was the fi rst square foot loft space. The new Man- years for such clients as Target, Cover- Night, has signed with STORY, kind of shooting that I knew. hattan studio features such talent as girl, Samsung, Mercedes-Benz, Revlon which has offi ces in New York, As I got more involved in tele- editors Tina Mintus, Jon Grover and and Reebok, as well as music videos Chicago and Santa Monica, for vision, I’ve done a lot of pro- TG Herrington. for Ryan Adams, Slim and exclusive representation as a ducing, writing and pitching Mintus comes over Jessica Simpson. commercial director. It marks ideas…so I think this is within from Version2, which is Grover and Herrington the fi rst time that Richter has my wheelhouse.” winding down operations have long track records made himself available to di- Richter’s work for the Mis- (SHOOT, 12/19/08), while at Cut+Run. The latter rect spots. He recently made souri Lottery off ers testimony Grover and Herrington joined the L.A. office in his directorial debut with a Andy Richter to his skill as a fi lmmaker. The return to Cut+Run after ‘03 and moved to N.Y. in campaign for the Missouri two spots are set up as ads a brief stint at Cutting ‘05. Grover is originally Lottery out of St. Louis-based time comedies, Andy Richter for “Saint Nicholas Technical Room, a New York house from Cut+Run, London, Adamson, a full-service brand Controls the Universe for Fox Academy,” a trade school for founded by editor Chuck and has been with the experience agency. and Andy Barker, P.I. for NBC. would-be Santas. Men in red Willis and exec producer house for 11 years. STORY plans to market Rich- He also starred in Fox’s Quin- suits and fl uff y beards undergo Susan Willis, who both Herrington’s credits ter based on his comedic skills, tuplets and has guest starred boot camp training in diving had been at the previous Tina Mintus include spots for the likes something he honed in creat- in numerous shows. He was down chimneys and managing Cut+Run operation in N.Y. Chuck and of Coke, Mercedes, Budweiser and a ing sketches and other comedy among the stars of the hit ani- elves. Holiday Scratcher Tick- Susan Willis partnered with Cut+Run tongue-in-cheek Frys.com campaign. bits for Late Night and through mated feature Madagascar ets from the Missouri Lottery alum, editor Mike Douglas, and took Grover has edited for MasterCard, Mer- his subsequent experience in and recently reprised the role are off ered as an alternative to over what had been the Cut+Run N.Y. cedes, MTV, Hershey’s, Axe and Avis.. television and fi lm. STORY ex- in Madagascar II. He is also a “spread holiday magic.” premises to launch Cutting Room Cut+Run N.Y. is a foothold for not ecutive producer Cliff Grant as- fi ve-time Emmy Award nomi- Adamson executive cre- (SHOOT, 9/28/08). only resident talent but editors in the sessed that Richter is “extreme- nee for his work as a writer on ative director Tim Halpin said At that time, Cut+Run founder/edi- Santa Monica and London offices. ly well prepared to step behind Late Night. that the agency considered it tor Steve Gandolfi said his company For instance, the Manhattan facility the camera. He understands Richter is not entirely new a coup to land someone with planned to secure new space in Man- is slated to host upcoming projects for the process of working with ac- to commercials. After graduat- Richter’s comic pedigree to hattan and assemble talent for that editors Gandolfi (who recently took tors and casting, of setting up ing from Chicago’s Columbia direct the campaign. “Andy venture. True to his word, Cut+Run up stateside residency after moving shots, and editing.” College with a degree in fi lm, knows what’s funny,” Halpin has since signed Mintus, brought back out from London), Tim Hardy (Lon- In addition to his role on Late he worked for several years in observed. “And he’s been on Grover and Herrington and main- don) and Frank Effron (Santa Monica). Night, Richter produced and commercial production. (It was enough sets and worked with tained continuity with exec producer The entire roster of Cut+Run talent is starred in two network prime- through that experience that Continued on page 22 Angie Aguilera who’s been with available to cut in any of the company Cut+Run, N.Y., since 2005 and previ- offices as projects dictate. 4 SHOOT January 30, 2009

News

Comma Punctuates Expansion In L.A. Short Takes

SANTA MONICA, Calif.—Comma, an pop and hip-hop scenes performed at CAVIAR ON ICE FOR THE IDEAS UNIT original music house based in Chi- the agency, in some cases leading to Director Bram Coppens of production house Caviar, with shops in Los cago, has opened a facility in Santa advertising collaborations. Angeles, Brussels and Amsterdam, breaks the ice in “Cayman,” a :30 for Monica headed by creative director/ Rheude noted that Comma at one Q-Music out of The Ideas Unit, Amsterdam. composer Justin Hori. Over the past time had a composer, David Hutten, in The commercial features the several months, Comma had been L.A., who left the company about two reverse explosion of a Porsche operating out of interim space in L.A. and a half years ago. “We then turned Caymen—made entirely of with Hori, who moved over from the our attention to other things, includ- ice—as an attention-grabbing company’s Chicago headquarters, ing opening a sister sound design and means to promote the Dutch helping to lay the groundwork for the audio post house, but all along kept radio station’s “Win a Cayman” new Southern California quarters. it in the back of our minds that we sweepstakes. Hori has been with Comma since would revisit setting up a full service Danny Pauwels was creative its inception in 2001, quickly moving operation in L.A.,” said Rheude. director for The Ideas Unit. CLICK HERE TO VIEW SPOT up the ranks to full fledged composer Justin Hori “We learned from that first experi- Kato Maes executive pro- spanning a wide range of musical for projects out of the Chicago office. ence in L.A. that having a real West duced for Caviar with Bo De Group serving as producer. The DP was genres. His recent endeavors include Conversely Chicago-based Comma Coast presence opened up opportuni- Patrick Otten. spots for Qwest and El Jimador Tequila, owners/composers Larry Pecorella ties,” Rheude continued. “We could Koen Timmerman of Caviar, Brussels, was offline/online editor as well both from Draftfcb, Chicago, as well as and Rheude as well as composer tap into West Coast agencies, service as colorist. The audio post mixer was Yves De Mey of Soniville, Brussels. Nintendo and Eggo via Leo Burnett, Pete Schmidt will work out of L.A. as our Chicago clients when they were Chicago. He also just wrapped a viral needed to accommodate clientele on shooting in L.A. and we discovered SOC HOPS TO HONOR ITS PEERS, SUPPORTERS piece for McDonald’s out of Burnett. the West Coast. Organizing workflow that Detroit agencies were more will- The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) will honor its peers, support- Hori has a track record on McDon- at both locations will be executive pro- ing to work with us in that they kind ers and industry heavyweights at the annual SOC Lifetime Achievement ald’s, including its promotional tie-in ducer Bonny Dolan who will be shut- of leapfrog Chicago and come out to Awards at the Leonard Goldenson Theater of the Academy of Television campaign to DreamWorks’ Shrek. tling back and forth between the two L.A. on many projects.” Arts and Sciences in North Hollywood on Feb. 21. Furthermore he is no stranger to long studios. Dolan also continues to head Comma’s alluded to sound design/ The SOC President’s Award will be bestowed upon Mole Richardson form. Hori and Comma owner/com- up Fix, which is Comma’s licensing audio post shop is Chicago-based Par- executive Larry Mole Parker in recognition of his efforts to support the poser Bryan Rheude composed some and music supervision arm. ticle Audio, which opened in ‘07. An education of the entering filmmakers and the enduring culture of the of the music for the feature Anywhere Prior to coming aboard Comma a autonomous operation, Particle can members of the SOC. USA, which won the Special Jury Prize couple of years ago, Dolan had been collaborate with Comma as projects Longtime member of the SOC and Panavision exec Andy Romanoff is at last year’s Sundance Film Fest. a VP at Leo Burnett and director of its dictate. Particle talent includes sound set to receive the Society’s Distinguished Service Award in recognition While Hori is Comma/Santa Moni- Artist in Residence program through designers/mixers Dave Kaduk and for his support and hard-working dedication to motion picture camera ca’s resident talent, he will be available which major music acts from the rock, Katy Mindeman. crews and cinematographers during his professional career. Honoring the Lifetime Achievements of the following crew members, ARTISANS the SOC will present its “CAMMY” award to: Camera operator Michael Scott, SOC (Donnie Darko, Speed); camera technician Bob Hall (Dark A Brand New Start For Editor Louis Lyne Knight, The Pursuit of Happiness); still photographer Ralph Nelson (Frost/Nixon, Eagle Eye); mobile camera platform operator as helicopter DETROIT—Louis Lyne has come here, our young editors get a chance Rocky Morton, Graham Rose, Paul pilot Al Cerullo (Spiderman, I am Legend). aboard Start—a Detroit house headed to stretch their wings, they feel hon- Gay, Andrew Douglas, Danny Ducho- Recognizing Technical Achievement the SOC honors George Pad- by partner/executive producer Kris- ored to have Louis’ eyes and experi- vny, Thom Higgins, Yael Staav, Leslie dock, Chris Haarhoff, Mark O’Kane and David Emmerichs of GPI for the tin Redman and partner Richard ence support their perspectives.” Dektor, Kyle Cooper, Blair Hayes, Jeff PRO Camera Stabilization System. Gagnon—as senior editor. Lyne was Indeed Lyne’s experience is consider- Zwart, and Peter Chelsom. And Douglas Trumbull will be recognized for his Technical Achieve- formerly at Griot Editorial, where he able. The son of acclaimed filmmaker The life of a film gypsy also agreed ment and awarded for the development of the slit scan photographic enjoyed a five-year run. He just cut his Adrian Lyne (Unfaithful, Fatal Attrac- with Lyne; he has worked as an editor process in motion picture photography as featured in Stanley Kubrick’s first assignment at Start, an expansive tion, Flashdance, Indecent Proposal), in London, Paris, Barcelona, Istanbul, 2001: A Space Odyssey as well as many other film projects. digital project for the Ford F150 via Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Los Team Detroit Digital. Angeles, and Detroit. In fact, it was PEOPLE IN THE NEWS.... Over the years Lyne’s work has gar- on what Lyne calls “the-never-ending Director Steve Carr, whose filmography spans music videos and fea- nered D&AD Pencils, British Televi- job” for Pontiac—the carmaker’s “Pass ture films (including the recently released Paul Blart, Mall Cop starring sion Arrows, Clios, “Best in Show” at it Along” campaign—that he met Red- Kevin James), has joined the commercials roster of Buck Boys Produc- The Bessies and recognition at Cannes man, and formed a friendship and pro- tions, bicoastal and Chicago....McCann Worldgroup San Francisco has and the Caddies (now the ‘D Show’). fessional association that has led to this named Mike Windsor executive VP, executive director of integrated “I’ve enjoyed my role as an editor, move. Though not a Detroit native, he operations. Windsor will oversee the advertising agency’s technical but I also wanted to help create a com- has chosen to make the city his home. group as well as its production and studio operations. Windsor will also pany from the ground up,” said Lyne Lyne’s first project at Start reflects the be charged with evaluating process flow through the agency, working of the move, alluding to Start being spirit with which he has come aboard. with key stakeholders across the San Francisco units of McCann Erick- in its relative infancy, having been “Ford has given us the chance to work son, Universal McCann, MRM and Momentum. For the past year, Wind- launched in May 2007. as a team,” said Lyne. And it’s for the sor has been a consultant to Mc- He rounds out a Start roster com- web, so we get to push the envelope.” Cann Worldgroup. Previously, he prised of editors Adam E. Pillon and Louis Lyne The project also reunited Lyne with was with Creative Artists Agency Dan Succarde. “One of the jobs I feel Louis Lyne grew up on film sets—and producer Team Detroit exec producer (CAA), Beverly Hills, as head of most strongly about with Start is men- in cutting rooms. “I had unique op- Kelly Trudell, who has been very in- its corporate consulting practice, torship,” said Lyne. “Dan was one of portunities to see films being made fluential in his and Succarde’s careers. working with such clients as Ab- my assistants, and he’s now doing so and coming together in editorial,” “Louis is a world-class editor,” said ercrombie & Fitch, Coca-Cola, Has- well. Adam is coming into his own. recalled Lyne, who spent some of his Trudell. “He is insightful, talented and bro, Procter & Gamble and Star- The company we want to grow is one teen years syncing audio for his fa- trustworthy, and he can master the most wood Hotels. Prior to that he was where we can all revel in combined ther’s feature films. challenging editorial projects. We’ve be- Steve Carr president/CEO of Ogilvy Interac- success. The cross-pollination of The early start served Lyne well, come true friends as a result of the time tive. This was after his tour of duty with Anderson & Lembke. He joined people and talents translates to clients and in the spot world he has made a we’ve spent together in the trenches.” that agency’s San Francisco office in ‘94 and in ‘97 became global CEO when they walk in the door.” name for himself as an editor work- Start is represented nationwide by overseeing offices in S.F., New York, Amsterdam and Hong Kong..... Redman observed, “With Louis ing with such noted directors as Marni Halliburton. 6 SHOOT January 30, 2009

News

Agency Production Heads Off er Feedback On Prospects For ‘09

Continued from page 1 Matt Bonin, elections. The advertising/marketing community will have to proactively take the initiative and create VP/head of video, its own opportunities. Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami and Boulder, Colo. Indeed opportunities or the lack thereof will be a key topic this year, as it was an implied factor in During each of the three most recent recessions, art has flourished. our survey question designed to get varied opinions as to where the industry is headed and ad folks’ Downturns in the early ‘70s propelled Warhol. The ‘80s saw Schnabel present state of mind. rise to fame. And Damien Hirst in the ‘90s. Does having less lead to SHOOT posed the following query to various advertising agency heads of production, seeking finding a way to do more with less? Or does it lead to the weak being their prognostications.: trimmed from the pack to reveal the best work? Maybe both. There are parallels for the production world. That’s what the Gazing into your crystal ball, what do you foresee or envision for the production front in 2009? (This test of 2009 will be. Do more with less and use creativity, not dol- is an open season question. You can talk about the economy and its impact, how your role might evolve, lars, to solve problems. Smart money management, talent and the nature of the work you see yourself doing in the new year, or any other production aspect you care passion will lead to success this year. Unlike perhaps, years past, all three components will be to reflect upon or address.) necessary to survive and succeed this year. Production, editorial, music, and finishing companies The following is a sampling of the feedback we received from advertising agency professionals will all contract, and the end result a year from now might be a more talented industry than ever from coast to coast: before. The opportunity is there every day to transcend and make commerce and art.

Regina Ebel, Richard O’Neill, executive VP, director of TV production, head of broadcast production, BROADCAST BBDO New York. TBWA\Chiat\Day, Los Angeles It will be more important than ever for pro- “Hope” works when there is “Help.” 2009 CINEMA ducers to think outside the box and come up will be the year to lend a hand and give those IS . with ways to deliver the work more efficiently that have hope some help. During the Great in terms of both time and money. Depression people needed work. The same This translates into great creative opportu- is happening now and it’s hard to hear from nities. It will allow producers to research and friends and colleagues facing hard times. I BO look for new talent, from directors to graphic hope that 2009 will be the year that the pro- TM BROADCAST CINEMA INC artists, editors, post houses, music and sound duction community will create jobs to help design. At the same time, it’s an opportunity to work with long-standing those friends and colleagues made less fortunate by the economic down- A partners and to leverage those relationships to come up with smarter ways to turn. I hope that businesses help by creating more work for the advertising DIVISION deliver great production value within tighter budgets. and production communities. I hope that those with jobs do the best work

OF It’s really a producer’s dream come true: a chance to solve problems (what ever and understand that it is up to the advertising and production commu- ® we do best) and deliver great work that both the client and agency can be nities to spur spending and investing in our economy, and help make 2009 especially proud of. a better year for those who have hope.

Cindy Fluitt, Brian Schierman, director of broadcast production, senior VP, executive producer, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco broadcast/digital media, BCi Here, every year is full of surprises and imaginative solutions. MRM Worldwide, New York. , If the rest of the year is anything like these past three weeks, we Not long ago, television, radio specializing in will likely have an abundance of both. and print were the foundation Consumers have always been forgiving about the way things of a client’s advertising cam- the rental of look, as long as it’s a great idea. Youtube proves that everyday. paign. Today, society is more If ever there was a time to lean on the power of irresist- technologically adept and more HD/SD ible, charming, resonating ideas, it’s now. keenly aware of when they’re Since the economy is on everybody’s mind, I can imag- being sold to. As advertisers, we must seek strategic and creative cinema ine we will get pressure to produce more economical work than ever. ways to conquer these challenges. packages For us, that’s a day like any other day. This has always been part of our production DNA. In our current economic climate, with advertising budgets Now that HD is ordinary, here comes 3D. It’s an exciting time and as technology con- being slashed, client expectations for greater consumer demand in multiple tinues to evolve, things will continue to happen at blazing speed. Maybe even faster than and brand awareness are stronger than ever. blazing, if that’s possible! Clients are looking to get the most out of their advertising frame rates and dollars. The web is a cost efficient means of connecting with media formats. Diane Jackson, consumers directly. Our clients at MRM (eg. US ARMY, Nikon, senior VP/executive director of MasterCard, Intel, Mobil) expect the same high production val- integrated production, DDB Chicago ues and smart writing in their digital work as they are used to The mood of the country is about Hope and Change getting in their commercials and print work. For the best and this, I believe will extend beyond political rhetoric. Another important consideration is developing innovative and prices, quality The new Pepsi work is perhaps the first example of this, effective ways for brands to connect with consumers. This is es- including the uncanny similarity of the new logo design sential for all types of media whether it be in television, print, a and service in and the Barack Obama button. web experience, mobile phone applications or other forms of con- As our industry braces itself for challenging times, we tent. This year, MRM has launched a virtual world on GOARMY. New York City. must explore new ways of doing things. 2009 will require COM. There, visitors can explore a virtual Army post and a mul- ingenuity, curiosity and the freedom to fail as we determine who we are as advertisers titude of operations and areas of interest. We’ve also launched and how our “big Ideas” work, beyond just finding a new place to slap a message. “Straight From Iraq”, a webcast platform that allows the public to CALL: Things will become more considered and measured, as the ROI will be increasingly interact with and ask questions of soldiers serving in Iraq. scrutinized but we must not lose sight of the entertainment value expected by consumers, These are just two of many success stories. 212.541.5390 even in embedded pre-roll media. In the coming year, you can expect to see more of these types OR E-MAIL: The question of ownership of intellectual property will become a bigger talking point, of successful digital experiences being developed. With more already a hot topic with AICP Next. and more engaging content being produced, consumers will con- In a time where money is hard earned and scarce, great creative ideas will ultimately be tinue to be driven to the clients’ brands with impressive numbers [email protected] the strongest currency. that often rival the responses to traditional media.

8 SHOOT January 30, 2009

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CHAT ROOM

Marc Webb Music video/commercial director makes his feature fi lmmaking debut at 2009 Sundance Festival

By Robert Goldrich Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. The milestone for the di- Marc Webb is an accomplished music video director who rector became all the more auspicious with the fi lm premiering at the has successfully diversifi ed into commercials, his involve- recently concluded Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. ment in both disciplines coming via Hollywood-based pro- Described in the Sundance guide as “a postmodern love story” that duction house DNA. turns the romantic comedy genre “topsy turvy,” 500 Days of Summer is fu- Webb’s ad endeavors include work for Target as well as eled by a role reversal (it’s the woman who doesn’t want to commit) and a series of USA Network promos for the tongue-in-cheek energized by dance numbers, split screens, a Los Angeles backdrop, and detective series Monk. Among his lauded music videos two dynamic performances by Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel. are My Chemical Romance’s “Helena,” All American Rejects’ “It’s a coming of age story masquerading as a romantic comedy,” “Move Along” and Weezer’s “Perfect Situation,” all of which shared Webb whose initial career fi lmmaking experience entailed helm- contributed to his earning director of the year distinction ing behind-the-scenes documentaries on select artists. a couple of years ago at the Music Video Production Asso- The director then dovetailed into music videos, spots and even short ciation (MVPA) Awards. “Move Along” also scored an MVPA fi lms, most notably Seascape which premiered at the Aspen Comedy kudo as pop video of the year and a coveted MTV VMA. Festival several years ago. He looks to continue maintaining a broad But now, independent of DNA, Webb has made his fea- range of projects, with features likely becoming a bit more prominent in ture directorial debut with 500 Days of Summer, starring the mix in light of the splash being made by 500 Days of Summer.

SHOOT: What attracted you to 500 Just the dynamic of finding something tors was probably the biggest differ- doors for you in commercials? Webb: No. During my senior year Days of Summer? How did you end up beautiful where you wouldn’t expect ence. But that was the most rewarding in college I came to Sundance with landing the project? to added to the film. part of it all—Joe and Zooey are terrific, Webb: Someone was giving me shit a friend, Ed Helms, and we served as insightful performers. They are very awhile ago for not having dialogue volunteers. We were parking cars for Webb: Somewhere between puberty SHOOT: How did your work in televi- different from each other in terms of on my reel. I don’t know what to say the Festival. and when I started paying taxes, I sion commercials and all those music their methods but their chemistry is to that—except now I just did a movie That was about 10 years ago. I wound stopped being interested in romantic videos over the years help to prepare quite fantastic. with dialogue in it. up meeting at that time director Doug comedies. They weren’t part of my you for and inform your first experi- Also the people at Fox Searchlight Hopefully that will open up some Pray whose film Hype was being DNA. I liked them when I was younger ence in feature filmmaking? were open to me directing the film. more doors for me in commercials. I’d screened at Sundance. but then I thought they stopped deal- Some people seem to be conditioned very much like to take on some com- It turned out that Doug and I had ing with the truth. They didn’t reflect Webb: For the last eight years, I’ve to think of music video artists as only mercials now before I get back into quite a lot in common. He’s from Mad- life, certainly not my life. been getting up every morning and thinking on a visual level. My video feature films. ison, Wisconsin, and so am I. We both Then in the fall of 2006 I got a going to set or prepping or writing work has been all over the place, ex- went to Colorado College but I didn’t script which I forgot about and left in treatments, primarily for music vid- ploring different styles and genres but SHOOT: What is currently pending know back then that he had been a my backpack for about three weeks. student there. When I finally read the script, I abso- 500 Days of Summer marked the I wound up working for Doug and lutely loved it. It was written by people that’s pretty much how I broke into who clearly felt the same way I did theatrical feature directing debut of the business. It turned out to be a ter- about romantic comedies. Webb who describes the movie, which rific break for me. By the time I threw my hat into the As things turned out, we’ve all ring, Fox Searchlight had purchased stars Joseph-Gordon-Levitt and Zooey somehow managed to come full circle. the script so I had to go through a This year’s Sundance Film Festival whole process of interviews and meet- Deschanel, as “a coming of age story marked a reunion of sorts for the ings before I got hired. masquerading as a romantic comedy.” three of us. We spent another year developing Ed is an actor and is in the cast the script, casting it and finding loca- of the Polish Brothers film Manure, tions. At first we were supposed to go eos. The process of making film is much of it has been narrative. for you on the feature filmmaking which debuted this month at Sun- to Canada but we managed to get to second nature to me on some level. The people at Fox Searchlight front now that you have 500 Days of dance. [See feature story in this issue shoot it in Los Angeles, which I think I’ve learned a lot about the nuts and knew I directed videos that told sto- Summer under your belt? on Sundance editors, including Cary was very important. bolts of filmmaking, have had great ries. They knew that I was a storyteller. Gries of Red Car and Griot Editorial When you see the movie, you un- chances to experiment, to try out They were very supportive and speak Webb: I have some things in the hop- who cut Manure.] derstand that the Los Angeles settings different methods and techniques. I the language of filmmakers. per that I’m not yet at liberty to dis- I have my feature film at Sundance. are distinctive and bring a lot to the know what a 12-hour day can be like, cuss. Plus maybe something else will And Doug Pray [whose spotmaking film. We shoot in downtown Los An- I know where the camera should be, SHOOT: How will your first feature come out of the Sundance Festival. home is Oil Factory, Los Angeles] geles so much and try to pretend it’s what needs to be done. film experience impact or inform your Now, though, I have a definite window directed Art & Copy [about leading somewhere else. But when you stop So showing up on set the first day work in music videos and commer- of opportunity to take on commercials creative luminaries in advertising, and pretending, you discover what Los of the feature felt quite natural to me. cials? What will you be able to bring and videos. their profound influence on society— Angeles has to offer. It has a great his- They’re two sides of the same coin in back to clips and spots based on what SHOOT, 1/9] which was one of a select tory and a lot of beautiful places which some sense. you learned from the movie? Does SHOOT: Was this your first time at the group of films selected for Sundance’s meshed with the themes of the movie. Dealing so extensively with the ac- the work in dialogue open up some Sundance Film Festival? documentary competition. 10 SHOOT January 30, 2009

News

Directors Discuss Spots That Earned Them DGA Nominations

David Fincher Fredrik Bond Rupert Sanders Tom Kuntz Peter Thwaites

Continued from page 1 ize the world to make it more quirky. and Nike Brand Jordan’s “Clock Tow- to attend the DGA Awards ceremony. Thwaites the second straight year, MJZ has tal- We made it feel like any town, like er” out of Wieden+Kennedy. When he was nominated for best com- Rounding out this year’s lineup of lied three spot directorial nominees. this could happen in any town. That “‘Strategy’ is a bit of a grand word to mercial director of ‘06, Kuntz couldn’t DGA nominees is Peter Thwaites of And that achievement doesn’t even helped us make the spot feel as real use when trying to explain why these get to the awards gala because he was Gorgeous, London, who is repped represent the high water mark for and credible as possible.” spots were selected for DGA consid- shooting in Australia. stateside by Anonymous Content. This the company, which had four of the By contrast, the linchpin of Levi’s eration,” said Sanders. “These were Asked what his latest nomina- is Thwaites’ first career DGA Award five nominated helmers for best com- “First Time,” assessed Bond, “was the simply three of the jobs we were most tion means to him, Kuntz observed, nomination, which he earned for mercial director of ‘05. In fact for six chemistry between that young couple. proud of. The three films show an abil- “There’s something satisfying, reaf- Barclaycard’s “Waterslide” from BBH of the past seven years, MJZ has had That’s something I love doing—finding ity to adapt and approach each project firming and reassuring about getting London, and Guinness’ “Light Show” more than one nominee for the cov- the right chemistry and exploring the individually rather than a director say- it a second time. You think that maybe out of Irish International BBDO. eted DGA commercial director of the dynamic of how actors play off against ing, ‘this is what I do, this is my look the first time wasn’t that much of a The former shows a swim trunks- year honor. each other. It’s like musical instru- and I’ll slap it onto everything I do.’ We fluke. The industry is so competitive clad employee on a bizarre commute This time around, MJZ’s nominees ments and finding out which instru- created different worlds for each spot and to again be nominated means a home from the office—his mode of for best commercial director distinc- ments play off each other the best. In a and tried something different.” great deal.” transportation being an enormous wa- tion are: Fredrik Bond, Tom Kuntz lot of spots you just need a strong face Monster’s “Legs” for example takes Kuntz his second nomination for: terslide that runs throughout the city. and Rupert Sanders. or look. But this spot took weeks of us to a small village where we confront Skittles’ “Pinata” via TBWA\Chiat\ Along the way he slip slides through a Bond is now a three-time spot direc- casting and scrutinizing. You need to the odd sight of a towering man with Day, New York; Xbox’s “Lips” for grocery store where he buys a banana tor of the year nominee, having been observe the people and spend time in massive legs. He walks through the TAG, San Francisco; FedEx’s “Carrier which he pays for by sliding his Bar- nominated last year as well as for best casting them, then bring them back village witnessing various slices of life Pigeons” (a high-profile Super Bowl claycard past a sensor. He is able to use spot helmer of ‘04. together to see how they work off of until he finally reaches an elaborate spot in’08) for BBDO New York; and the card repeatedly without slowing “I originally thought it would only each other. When you see that chem- underground destination which is his the California Milk Processor Board’s down his slide home. happen to me once for 2004,” recalled istry finally work, it’s gratifying” workplace—a room housing a larger “White Gold Is” out of Goodby, Silver- “From a directing point of view, the Bond. “Then when it happened again As for Carling’s “Space,” Bond than life gyrosphere contraption with stein & Partners in San Francisco. commercial was a huge balancing act,” in ‘07 and now this year, each time noted, “The challenge lies in the spe- a man seated aboard who is peddling Bond largely credits MJZ president related Thwaites. “The key was balanc- makes me happier. To be chosen by cial effects and creating a whole world away feverishly. For a moment he stops David Zander with determining what ing elements of post and live action and your peers and directors you admire and dynamic between the actors. That peddling so that his replacement can spots to select for presentation to DGA trying to make something so technical so much is the highest honor. And for spot could have easily become a 1960s’ take over. When the peddling comes to judges. “I tend to go with David’s di- be true to a human storyline that con- commercial directors to get this kind sci-fi show. But we made it something a halt, so too does the power through- rection on this,” said Bond, “because nects with people. That’s always the of recognition from the DGA—in the much more because the story is about out the village, triggering various bits he has a broader, big picture perspec- hardest thing for a director who serves same sphere as TV and feature direc- friendship. It was very important to of chaos. tive. If certain work jumps out at him, as a balancing force, overseer and cre- tors—is lovely.” play that as credible as possible.” Then our original large-legged it has a good chance of jumping out ative force on this kind of project. The Bond earned this year’s nomination chap comes to the rescue. He begins for other people.” director has to keep his eye on the ball, on the strength of three commercials: Two-timers peddling and in the process returns Kuntz recalled that Zander recom- making sure you stay true to the simple Guinness’ “Fridge Magnet” out of Meanwhile Bond’s colleagues at the village to normal. mended three of the commercials as idea. I felt sort of like a ringleader with Irish International BBDO, Dublin; MJZ, Sanders and Kuntz, are now Sanders described “Legs” as “kind DGA entries: “Pinata,” “Carrier Pi- so many post people and resources Levi’s “First Time” for BBH London; both two-time DGA spot director of of Eastern European and other world- geons” and “Lips.” [from The Mill, London] involved. and Carling’s “Space” from Beattie the year nominees. Sanders was first ly. There was a magic realism to it all “I pretty much agreed with David Guinness’ “Light Show” also en- McGuinness Bungay, London. nominated for best commercial direc- which is rare in advertising where but at the same time I urged him tailed collaboration with The Mill. “I went with the work that I put the tor of ‘05. Kuntz’s first nod came for much of the comedy can be slapstick.” to look at ‘White Gold,’ said Kuntz. “The idea was an office building be- most heart into and for which I felt calendar year ‘06. This same sort of magical quality is “That spot for Goodby [introducing us ing a pint of Guinness as reflected in very happy about the final outcome,” “I made a conscious decision when also evident in Traveler’s “Delivery.” to spandex-clad rock star White Gold the configuration of lights that are related Bond of the rationale behind I originally joined MJZ that I wanted Sanders related, “The man and the gi- brandishing a guitar full of milk] was on inside the building at night,” said selecting which spots to submit to to up the game and be in a stable ant umbrella took on the qualities of a part of an interesting campaign with Thwaites. “Again it was important DGA judges. “I was also conscious of with the best directing talent,” related fable, with human warmth and charm. dance videos and other elements so within this essentially visual piece to it being quite nice to show a range a Sanders. “This keeps you competitive It was a bit more optimistic and color- it wasn’t your conventional self-con- keep a narrative flow by managing the work, in this case comedy, visual ef- and the quality of your work at the ful than ‘Legs’ and very much based tained commercial that totally speaks scale of the job and keeping the focus fects and character treatments.” utmost—so it’s great to see the MJZ di- on the feel of kids’ fairy tales.” for itself. But I thought it provided a on the simplicity of the idea.” Bond said he loved “the absurdity rectors so well represented in the DGA Offering quite a departure from taste of a great campaign and wanted Thwaites, who’s no stranger to direct- and mayhem that engrossed a town” competitions. It’s like playing for a pre- “Legs” and “Delivery” was Brand to include it for that reason. I’m glad ing for stateside clients, hopes the DGA in “Fridge Magnet.” The spot shows mier division soccer club. If you’re sur- Jordan’s “Clock Tower,” which the David agreed.” recognition will advance his career in refrigerators literally being drawn to a rounded by top players in the league, director characterized as being “an Kuntz added that having three American advertising even further. Guinness delivery truck, leaving their you cannot afford to miss training and atmospheric piece, much darker and MJZ directors in the field of nominees “I love the comedy opportunities roosts to be close to the object of their to slack off. You must strive to be your more forboding and nocturnal.” “keeps you humble. You aren’t ‘THE’ coming out of the U.S.,” said Thwaites. affection, Guinness ale. best to stay on the field.” DGA nominee at the company—you’re “Perhaps it’s a good time to bring the “For me a key to the spot was mak- Sanders’ latest DGA Award nomina- Kuntz one of several. At the same time that’s family out and spend some time in ing it a very real world even though tion came on the basis of Monster.com’s Kuntz hopes the second time around pretty cool. I’m happy for everybody. America and try to establish more of these unreal things were happening “Legs” for BBDO New York; Travelers’ will be the charm. It figures to be in one It’s always cool to be in the company a direct connection with the agencies. in it,” said Bond. “We didn’t try to styl- “Delivery” from Fallon Minneapolis; respect—this time he will likely be able of talented people.” We’ll see.” 12 SHOOT January 30, 2009 315MADISONAVENUENYC10017 TEL2129861584 FAX2129 862113 WWW.RHINOFX.COM AGRAVITYCO Top Spot of the Week Dante Ariola, Method Studios Set Guilala Loose For TheLadders.com By Christine Champagne car at one point—but doing no damage and on location in Cape Town, South of Company 3, Santa Monica, going If you grew up watching those wonder- and gaining little notice from humans Africa, with production support pro- back and forth with Method Studios to fully cheesy monster movies Japanese because of their small stature and vided by Cape Town’s MIA. The city achieve what Frisch describes as a “pris- filmmakers churned out in the 1960s, weak roars. offered Ariola and his crew, including tine color correct and composite.” you may remember Guilala. “If you think about it, this is what DP Philipe Le Sourd, wide latitude in Credit also goes to Human, New Then again, you may not. makes TheLadders different from what they could shoot, allowing them York, which composed the menacing Guilala, who caused destruction other job search sites,” a voiceover to stage the gas station explosion for monster movie track that accompa- in the 1967 feature The X from Outer intones as a scary gargantuan Guilala real and perform a stunt involving a nies “Little Creatures,” with sound de- Space, never quite became a star. arrives on the scene, blowing up a gas car racing down a street and flipping. sign from Santa Monica-based house But Guilala has enjoyed a revival station with a fireball spewed from his With the stunts and background 740 Sound. 40 years later in Japan, mouth and picking up plates shot, Ariola headed into the stu- starring in the 2008 a car and throwing it dio where he got old school, shooting feature Guilala’s Coun- down the street as peo- a guy in a Guilala suit performing vari- top terattack: The Touyako ple run for their lives. ous actions in front of a bluescreen. Summit One-Shot Cri- “Welcome to The Guilala suit was actually the sis, and now he’s being TheLadders: a pre- original suit worn in the Guilala films, Spot seen in America in a mium job site for only by the way, and it stood six feet tall and of the week new :45 for job search 100K plus jobs and only weighed about 100 pounds. The guy service TheLadders ti- 100K plus talent,” the inside the suit wore a vest outfitted CLIENT tled “Little Creatures.” voiceover concludes. with hoses through which cool water TheLadders Created by Fallon was pumped to keep his body temper- AGENCY Minneapolis and di- Big strategy ature down. Even with that accommo- Fallon Minneapolis. rected by Dante Ariola Dante Ariola According to Fallon dation, the man could only wear the Al Kelly, executive creative director; of Los Angeles-based MJZ, “Little executive creative director Al Kelly, suit for about 10 minutes or so before Dean Hanson, art director; Dean Creatures” opens with Guilala lum- the goal with “Little Creatures” was to he needed a break. Buckhorn, copywriter; Vic Palumbo, director of broadcast production; bering toward an oncoming truck. Of use abstract imagery to make the point The fact that he could perform at Amanda Revere, producer; Matt Pol- course, any monster movie aficionado that TheLadders is for big talent. all in the suit and give the character a ski, assistant producer. knows what’ll happen next—Guilala Fallon director of broadcast produc- sense of personality is rather remark- PRODUCTION COMPANY will pick up the truck and toss the ve- tion Vic Palumbo said that everyone able given the limitations it imposed, MJZ, Los Angeles. hicle like it was a toy. involved in the making of the spot— Palumbo said, pointing out, “He had Dante Ariola, director; Philipe Le But that’s not what happens. In- the agency, Ariola and Venice, Calif.- to be very expressive with his body to Sourd, DP; Jeff Scruton and David stead, the truck passes above Guilala, based effects house Method Studios— translate those emotions—the frustra- Zander, executive producers; Natalie revealing that this version of the mon- wanted to stay true to the monster tion, the disappointment.” Hill, producer. Shot on location and ster isn’t even a foot tall and therefore movie genre of the 1960s “and to stay While Ariola worked to get the onstage in Cape Town, South Africa. hardly a threat to anyone. In fact, as true to the genre, we had to try to do best performance he could out of his MIA, South Africa. the spot goes on, we see mini Guila- as much of it as we could in-camera.” talent, Method Studios VFX supervi- EDITORIAL las trying to wreak havoc—attacking a “Little Creatures” was shot onstage sor/Flame artist Alex Frisch and VFX Rock Paper Scissors, Santa supervisor/lead CG artist Andy Boyd Monica, Calif. were focused on “recreating the cam- Kirk Baxter, editor; Mike Goble, pro- ducer. era setups onstage, matching the cam- VISUAL EFFECTS era setups of the background plates Method Studios, Venice, Calif. that we shot earlier in Cape Town,” Alex Frisch, VFX supervisor/Flame art- Frisch said, ensuring that the eyelines ist; Andy Body, VFX supervisor/lead and camera angles would be correct. CG artist; Katrina Salicrup, Noah Cad- Once the shoot wrapped, Kirk Bax- dis, Andy Davis, Flame artists; Matt ter of Rock Paper Scissors, Santa Mon- Hackett, Floyd Raymer, Jonathan ica, cut “Little Creatures,” and Method Vaughn, Jack Zaloga, Alex Lee, Todd Studios combined the elements. Herman, CG artists; Andy Mower, Ryan Raith, Craig Hilditch, Amanda Practical match Burton, Edgar Diaz, Jay Robinson, “For us, the challenge was creating Pam Gonzalez, assist/roto; Helen the 3D Guilala so that he would match Hughes, executive producer/director absolutely perfectly with the real prac- of production; Moylene Boyd, project manager. tical suit that was shot,” Frisch said, POST noting, “There are quite a few shots Company 3, Santa Monica where it cuts from a studio shot to a Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist. 3D guy and back to the studio shot.” MUSIC If he had to peg the toughest sce- Human, New York. nario to put together, Boyd said it was SOUND DESIGN when the large Guilala blew up the 740 Sound, Santa Monica. gas station. “That was combining a 3D Eddie Kim and Andrew Tracy, sound monster, the 2D studio shot monster, designers; Scott Ganary, executive 3D cars and a real explosion,” Boyd producer. said. “It was challenging to bring to- LIME Studios, Venice. CLICK HERE TO VIEW SPOT gether all of those effects in one shot.” Rohan Young, Sam Casas, Loren Sil- Size definitely matters in this :45 for TheLadders as diminutive monsters fall far short of their goal to terrorize a city. However when a huge beast spew- The entire job was done at 2K reso- ber, mixers. ing fireballs enters the scene, wreaking havoc is no problem. Welcome to the big leagues--TheLadders website for big talent seeking 100K plus jobs. lution, with colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld 14 SHOOT January 30, 2009 The Best Work You May Never See Feeling The Power Of One For Amnesty Int’l. By Robert Goldrich Sean Broughton, creative director for Smoke & Mirrors, New York, related, The power of an individual to make a positive difference in the world is attain- “Interaction was a key aspect of the film, so each ‘hero’ was shot against green able nirvana for the idealist and Polyanna-like foolishness to the cynic. This screen, with the distance traveled, terrain, camera heights and angles calculated 90-second film for Amnesty International makes a strong case for the former prior to shoot. Lighting was matched to the pre-selected background scenes and even in the face of atrocities being committed all over the globe. everything was shot with locked-off camera in HD to allow for movement later We open on a young African American man who smiles confidently into the in post. Kim [Gehrig] wanted to make sure the heroes stood out, so it was an old camera after setting his bicycle aside. Then in what seems a world away we see news VHS machine that finished the catalog of work executed in each scene. The footage of a man who is about to be lynched. Suddenly the African-American enters hero character was played off to the old tape format and then matted back in.” the scene and lifts the noose off the intended victim’s neck, saving his life. Next an elderly woman intervenes, holding back a line of militia who had Coming together been beating demonstrators in the streets. To see this gray-haired, rather frail Ed Sayer, Mother’s producer on the job, said, “We gained the eclectic opinions looking woman stop the violence is an inspiring sight. of all this top post talent and when anyone talked, everyone listened. So the film A middle-aged man then comes to the rescue in another broadcast news feed received the benefit of all that experience and the joy of all that talent.” scenario, untying a prisoner’s hands and removing his blindfold. The Mother creatives were Ed Warren and Pablo Escobar. Then another man leaves his world to free people from a dark prison cell. Lead VFX artist for Rushes was Rufus Blackwell. Framestores’ Flame artist A pregnant woman exits the safety of her home to stop the beating of an in- was Stephane Allender. nocent man halfway around the world. The DP was Mattias Montero. Editor was Joe Guest of Final Cut, London. Next a woman in a business suit performs the heroic feet of standing between a firing squad and its target, preventing a foreign government-sponsored execution. And finally a gal in a jogger’s sweats ends her workout in a lovely neighbor- Client Amnesty International Agency Mother, London Ed hood park to go to far more dangerous turf where she takes a semiautomatic Warren, Pablo Escobar, creatives; Ed Sayers, producer. Produc- tion Academy Films, London Kim Gehrig, director; Lucy Gos- weapon away from a child. This after we see assorted scenes of children being sage producer; Mattias Montero, DP. Post Smoke & Mirrors, armed and deployed as soldiers. The camera returns to this last heroine, at which time we see a supered mes- New York and London Sean Broughton, creative director (NY); sage that simply reads, “You Are Powerful.” Marios Theodosi, Flame artist (London); Jo Morgan, managing This short for Amnesty International—depicting everyday people briefly director (NY); Celest Gilbert, executive producer (NY); Belinda leaving their comfortable environments, entering scenes of violence and then Grew, Paul Schleicher, producers (London); Lauren Shawe, helping to stop the atrocities—was directed by Kim Gehrig of Academy Films, producer (NY). Rushes, London Rufus Blackwell, lead VFX art- ist; Adam Watson, Richie White, Marcus Wood, Leo Weston,

London, for Mother, London. credits Marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, VFX artists; Emma Watterson, producer; Joe Dymond, Dan You Are Powerful is Amnesty International’s brand film and is being screened in Alterman, Anthony Laranjo, Noel Harmes, Combustion artists; movie theaters across the U.K. The piece underscores the good that can be done Adrian Seery, colorist. Framestore, London Stephane Allender, Flame artist; Pauline Piper, producer. Editorial Final Cut, Lon- by those who contribute money, time and resources to Amnesty International. don Joe Guest, editor Audio Factory, London Ben Firth, mixer. All the action in the short unfolds to the moving accompaniment of the song Music “Until The Day is Done,” donated by REM “Until the Day is Done,” donated by REM. Ordinary people make extraordinary rescues. Post foursome The seven scenes bringing ordinary folk to the rescue in extraordinary real-life news footage situa- tions were divided among four post houses: Smoke & Mirrors, New York and London; Framestore, Lon- don; and Rushes, London. Collaboration among the houses was paramount as the central idea relied heavily on post, composit- ing hero characters into news footage so they appear to interact with the events. Fifty days of post work CLICK HERE TO VIEW SPOT were required but only 11 days were available.

January 30, 2009 SHOOT 15 EDITING & POST

The Long And Short Of It For Editors Angus Wall And Kirk Baxter Refl ections On Cutting The Curious Case of Benjamin Button And Crossing Over With Filmmaker David Fincher

By Robert Goldrich good edited) and Zodiac. Wall also was While David Fincher made Directors an editorial consultant on Fincher’s Guild of America (DGA) Awards his- Fight Club (edited by Haygood). tory by recently garnering nomina- Baxter doesn’t have quite as long a tions in both the feature and commer- history with Fincher as Wall, but the cial categories in the same year, there collaborations have been notable, the were a couple of editors reveling in first feature being Zodiac for which that accomplishment in that they had Baxter did some cutting before land- a hand in the short and long of that ing the full-fledged editorial gig with Guild-recognized work. Wall on Button. And the commercials Fincher of course earned the dual Baxter cut for Fincher along the way DGA honors for his feature The Cu- include the earlier alluded to “Stand rious Case of Benjamin Button, and Up For Something” as well as the new for three spots: Nike’s “Fate” via Apple iPhone launch. Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore.; David Fincher Angus Wall Kirk Baxter Asked to compare cutting features Stand Up To Cancer’s “Stand Up For at the same time.” ited scenes separately but we also col- work on, was also a daunting experi- as opposed to commercials, Baxter as- Something” out of Laura Ziskin Pro- Editor Wall observed, “David un- laborated on other scenes. Sometimes ence given the sheer size and scope of sessed, “Commercials are harder from ductions, Los Angeles; and Apple’s derstands that the nondestructive as- movies are divided in half like in The the project. Major contributions were my experience. They’re constantly “Hallway” from TBWA\Media Arts pect of the process is post. In produc- Godfather I understand one editor’s made by such visual effects studios underestimated in terms of how hard Lab, Los Angeles. Fincher directs tion you can have the figurative gun work ended and another’s began at as Asylum [tugboat scenes], Digital they are to put together.” commercials via bicoastal production to your head to get stuff done, It can a certain point. But with David it’s an Domain [Benjamin Button’s face] and Meanwhile Wall observed, “With house Anonymous Content. be a pressure cooker. But in editorial organic experience for some scenes— Lola [“youth’n’izing” actors], among commercials you know when you’re Editors Angus Wall and Kirk Bax- you can stretch out and see what is we’re sending material back and forth, others. “You don’t ever want to look at done. You can work on a movie seem- ter teamed to cut The Curious Case of right for the piece. David is the easiest there’s sort of a group effort involved. the top of the peak of the giant moun- ingly forever. The quantity of work on a Benjamin Button, with Wall also edit- guy to work with. Editorially he’s very There was a dinner scene in the mov- tain when you’re climbing it,” said movie is so that you have to make good ing “Fate” and Baxter “Stand Up For clear, open and collaborative. He’s a ie where Cate [Blanchett] is wearing Wall. “You learn to watch your feet and choices all along the way. You’re building Something” and “Hallway.” fantastic director who can give you a red dress and is out to dinner with that’s what we did on this film...David a skyscraper and if you make a mistake And talk about crossing over on the big picture while also comment- Brad [Pitt] who had just come back used to ask the question, ‘How do you in the construction, you’re dead. Movies a grand scale—at press time Wall and ing on how the reading of a single from the war and is moving a lot eat a whale?’ The answer—’one bite at a live and die by everyday decisions.” Baxter had earned a best editing Os- syllable should sound in someone’s slower. By contrast she’s moving and time.’ So we just worked long and hard Wall also finds a greater connec- car nomination for Benjamin Button. performance. Obviously he is going to living life a hundred miles an hour. I each day. And part of what kept us go- tion with characters in feature films. SHOOT caught up with the two edi- give you all the pieces you need to put assembled the scene to a rough piece ing was that the film was so well writ- “You build a relationship with the tors—whose post roost is Santa Monica- a scene together. As an editor, you just of music. Angus took a crack at it later ten and the project was so challenging. characters which you don’t really get based Rock Paper Scissors—to gain their try to take it that five percent further but turned the flow into dissolves. He We would feed off of that.” in commercials. There’s a depth to insights into and reflections on Button to make the work even better.” showed it to me and I thought that Baxter and Wall added, though, that personalities that you rarely get in as well as collaborating with Fincher. Wall added that his experience on was twice as good as what I had done. the challenge wasn’t added to unnec- commercials. Sometimes you can get On the latter score, Baxter related, Button “highlighted the fact that the We then worked to continue to refine essarily. “We didn’t get caught up in that on a music video. You can end up “I’ve found it incredibly simple to creation of pictures doesn’t end with that. Based on our changes, David got the aging process being in reverse for falling in love with characters.” work with David. He’s very clear, very photography. Post is such a fascinating Cate to re-read the voice faster to fit the lead character,” related Wall. “Even Another difference between spots helpful yet is always there if you stray place to be because it is increasingly the pacing. We laid the new voice to though that’s a departure from the and features, continued Wall, is that off the path. He will talk to me about where pictures are being made, not just the scene and it moved twenty percent norm, it’s still a very linear story. That’s “people are so polite in offering their a scene as if I’m an actor who’s going being put into a format for people can faster. We trimmed the scene down one of the aspects that’s interesting opinions on commercials. That’s not to go out and perform it. He will talk see. Image making continues through- and tightened it up. [Sound designer] about the movie. It doesn’t make a always the case in features. And in a about it in an ethereal way, keeping out postproduction. The top directors Ren Klyce [whose spot roost is his own huge deal about Benjamin’s predica- way it’s nice to hear from people who things loose so we can consider and understand this—that images are going Mit Out Sound in Sausalito, Calif.] re- ment. The movie treats him as an ev- can be brutally honest about the work then use the right building blocks. As to be part photography and part ani- fined the music. We went into DI and eryman who just happens to be aging but not get personal. It’s purely about things start to form, he gets even more mation. So many creative possibilities changed the whole section of the dis- the other way. That’s the approach Da- what’s best for the work. People don’t useful and specific to help each artist are inherent in this approach.” solves to make sure there was no ugli- vid took for the film. It’s an approach beat around the bush, they’re very di- with his specific craft. You very much Baxter noted that “while David ness in them. Claudio [cinematogra- that brought realism to the story.” rect and that kind of feedback can be want to please David. You try to do keeps it simple and allows us to go pher Miranda] monitored this as well. very useful.” things proactively to help him since off and edit, he also brings others in When you think of how many hands Debt of gratitude In that vein, Baxter said at one point he has such a great understanding of to help us so that we all collaborate touched that one pure scene to make Wall met Fincher in 1998 back dur- he and Wall “toyed” with the idea of re- how to give you freedom and help you on certain scenes. Angus and I ed- it just right—with David all the while ing their days together at Propaganda. moving the hummingbird from the end running up and down the sidelines as “I was the vault guy and he generous- of Button. “Ren let us know that wasn’t the coach or referee, it was a wonder- ly give me a commercial to edit,” re- a good idea. He came a few degrees ful collaborative experience.” called Wall. “Originally Jim Haygood short of abusing me about the idea of Wall said that he and Baxter was supposed to edit it but he had to losing the hummingbird. But what he “leaned on Ren heavily. Ren helped us leave for a family emergency. So I got said was all good. It was all about mak- all the way through [Button] in terms the chance.” ing the work the best it could be.” of rough mixes, music from New Or- The commercial was “Mr. Robin- Wall affirmed, “I have no problem leans that kept in time with scenes. son’s Neighborhood” [featuring bas- with Ren ringing and telling me his Way before composers came in, Ren ketball star David Robinson] for Nike opinion. I think that’s part of my not was there finding the right palette of and it helped to launch Wall’s career as feeling like the movie is mine. You get sound to help drive our work. David an editor. “I owe David a huge amount your mind in that place where this and Ren have known each other since for the opportunities he’s given me.” isn’t for yourself, it’s to help David re- their late teens. There’s a trusting cre- Those opportunities span assorted alize his art and vision. You’re always ative bond there.” spots, including some memorable Nike the rubber man at the ready, poised Trust came in handy all the way fare, as well as the Fincher-directed fea- to re-do whatever needs to be done to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button around as Button, while gratifying to tures Panic Room (which he and Hay- make the film great.” 16 SHOOT January 30, 2009 EDITING & POST

A Natural Time For Sundance As Editors Diversify Into Long Form Spot Cutters Sam Sneade And Cary Gries Dovetail Into Features; Kim Bica Edits Tongue-In-Cheek Short Film

By Robert Goldrich worked together some 10 years ago features,” related Sneade. “The way murder of his father. How could I re- The film stars newcomer Edward While White Lightnin’, which pre- on various commercials. “Dominic White Lightnin’ was pitched to me sist that? Actually the story is extraor- Hogg playing opposite Carrie Fisher, miered at this month’s Sundance Film knew me from commercials and I was as a true story of a schizophrenic dinary and that coupled with Dominic making for what Sneade described as Festival in Park City, Utah, marked the guess gravitated towards me for this hillbilly mountain dancer who is tor- being one of the brightest guys I’ve “an interesting May to September ro- feature directorial debut of noted spot film based on my experience editing mented by thoughts of revenge for the ever met drew me to the project.” Continued on page 18 helmer Dominic Murphy of bicoastal/ international Partizan, the dramatic film enjoyed the benefit of an artisan with feature and commercial experi- ence, editor Sam Sneade whose Euro- pean and American roosts are, respec- tively, Speade, London, and Beast, bicoastal and Dallas. Meanwhile also making his edito- rial mark at the 2009 Sundance Fest was Cary Gries who cuts commercials via Griot Editorial in the Detroit mar- ket, and Red Car throughout the rest of the U.S. Gries edited the offbeat comedy Manure, a Sundance Pre- mieres presentation directed by Mi- chael Polish (who wrote the film with his brother Mark Polish). Then there’s editor Kim Bica, who has partnered in the recently launched edit house Arcade in Santa Monica. Bica, formerly of Lost Planet, edited The Kinda Sutra, a Sundance short directed by documentary/spot filmmaker Jessica Yu of bicoastal Nonfiction Unlimited. SHOOT gained insights from this trio of ‘09 Sundance editors on their projects as well as reflections on cross- ing over from one filmmaking disci- pline to another. Sneade Sam Sneade is no stranger to cross- ing over. He had a re-cutting hand for instance in Sexy Beast, the feature filmmaking debut of lauded spot di- rector Jonathan Glazer. Sneade later

Sam Sneade edited Glazer’s Birth which starred Nicole Kidman, and then Stoned, a British rock bio which was the first movie directed by film industry en- trepreneur Stephen Woolley. Prior to embarking on White Lightnin, Sneade cut the Spanish Arabic drama Arritmia, a.k.a. Guantanamo Bay, for helmer Vincente Penarrocha. Sneade received a call out of the blue from Dominic Murphy about editing White Lightnin’. The two had January 30, 2009 SHOOT 17 EDITING & POST

Editors Collaborate With Directors Murphy, Polish And Yu

Continued from page 17 said Sneade. “That made me able to treat Jon Gries, who lived two doors down they are the first to gain major theater with her film.” mance.” As for the biggest challenge a film like Sexy Beast [released in 2000], from them in Hollywood. Jon Gries play. He started his career cutting docu- After their initial meeting to discuss he faced as an editor on this project, for example, in that same way which has gone on to act in several Polish mentaries before diversifying into music The Kinda Sutra, Yu had to go out of Sneade related, “Like most films, the helped greatly in the editing.” brothers films over the years, includ- videos. Then in the late 1980s, Gries town on another shoot. “So I started challenge is to get the narrative flowing Sneade also hearkened back to his ing Twin Falls, Idaho and Northfork, moved into music video and spot direct- cutting on my own,” said Bica, “and we in a watchable and engaging way, to pull earlier spot days cutting for director The Astronaut Farmer and Manure. ing. “I had tired of editing but then Avid discussed the work every evening after the viewer through the story to a kind Tony Kaye. “At times there was no real But it wasn’t until recently that Cary and nonlinear came along and I fell back her shoot. Because the animation was of logical conclusion. This story makes script,” recalled Sneade. “There was Gries had occasion to collaborate pro- in love with editing,” he recalled. “So not done yet, I had to imagine what sense within its own world, meaning the footage from which you could write fessionally with the Polish brothers, when I moved back into editing, I added would happen as each person was tell- editing challenge was to give structural your own idea half the time. That sort getting hired to cut Stay Cool, a comedy commercials to my repertoire since I had ing their story. I used sound to help me integrity to the crazy world within the of freedom to improvise, which com- that’s cut from the John Hughes film- been directing commercials.” time it out and depict what was hap- film. And then there are the levels of mercials teach you, was a great learn- making cloth. Cool, though, become Gries’ spot editing credits span such pening. For example, one guy believed giving the plot plausibility through the ing experience when you get into fea- hotter when an editor the brothers se- clients as Dodge, an international Scrab- that when women went swimming, editing while at the same time leaving tures and hit problems.” cured for another movie, Manure, had ble campaign (which was out of Y&R little pollywogs would swim into the room for doubt. Is this main character Sneade’s earlier ad collaborations to leave that project. Suddenly Gries in Irvine, Calif.) and a classic Budweiser woman and make her pregnant, so you telling us the truth? Is he lying? And of with Murphy include work for Sony, was offered Manure as well, giving Clydesdales commercial, “Champion,” can imagine how that could be depict- course the third major level of the chal- Caffrey’s beer, and a BBC spot en- him a pair of Polish brothers’ features directed by Geoffrey Barish for the 1996 ed. We refined at each stage of the ani- lenge is to keep the film entertaining.” couraging people to acquire computer to edit pretty much back to back (with Summer Olympics. Gries cut “Cham- mation and Jessica and I only worked The working arrangement with skills. Among Sneade’s other notable some concurrent work as well). pion” out of the former edit house Supe- together twice to finish it off. But even Murphy proved stimulating, according credits was an American Express com- Making this dual duty much sim- rior Assembly. though we had so little face time, I was to Sneade. “Dominic can be quite a mercial featuring Kate Winslet. pler, said editor Gries, was that he Gries’ work has also encompassed so impressed with Jessica and what formidable editor in his own right and As for how his feature experience found himself “on the same wave- television programs, including Emmy- a smart filmmaker she is...She found at one point in time we were communi- has informed his work in commercials, length as the brothers. We hit it off nominated efforts for the series Real really interesting stories but ones that cating digitally. We were each inhabiting Sneade observed, “I’m not altogether immediately. I had always gotten what People and the special Rowan & Martin’s everyone can relate to. This a subject separate cutting rooms, simultaneously sure. I’d say the discipline of a narra- they were doing, I love their work and Laugh In: 25th Anniversary Reunion. matter that everyone can participate in doing our own selects. We are commu- tive in features teaches you to respect sensibilities. It’s intelligent comedy As for what he thinks Manure and as a viewer, very smart.” nicating via Avid rather than his being the discipline of the idea behind a lot with a mix of sophisticated drama, Stay Cool will enable him to bring Yu said that Bica “naturally under- in the room looking over my shoulder. of commercials. Does this idea make balancing both to convey a poignancy back to his ongoing spot editing pur- stood how the film was going to work— And our work came together in a sense, sense and are we exhibiting the idea in while keeping the humor flowing. suits, Gries related, “I hope it will en- the humor and the tone, that there is with two pairs of eyes looking at every- the best possible way? It’s not just a case And because they were working on able people to see that I have comedy poignancy in the fact that all of these thing, both parties bringing something of flash, whiz, bang, wallop in thirty sec- two films, they let go and gave me the chops, that there’s a larger range to adults were slightly confused kids (or to the table. If I missed something or he onds. At the end of the day it is all about freedom to work. Right after Manure, what I can do. Much of my work in in some cases, adolescents) at one time... did, I could choose what worked best communicating something in a com- they went on to the next movie. They commercials has been of the visual The second thing is the pacing. Because and edit accordingly.” mercial, doing justice to the idea.” felt comfortable going on to the next anthem variety, which is great. But I Kim works in spots, she has a sense of Sneade has found his commercial ed- film trusting that I would do well by believe anyone who can cut well can how to keep the story moving.” iting experience, which dates back to the Gries the work they had already finished... cut anything. So I would like my work Noting that she was on another late 1980s, as invaluable to his occasional Cary Gries has known feature direc- By the time they came back after for the Polish brothers to translate into shoot during the rough cut stage feature endeavors. “There’s a plastic tor/writer Michael Polish and writer/ shooting both features, I had three more dialogue and an even greater which facilitated her and Bica shar- nature to commercials where you can actor Mark Polish for some 15 years, be- versions or variations of Manure for range in the opportunities presented ing cuts back and forth and providing mold and shape things, take bits from fore the brothers had ever made a film. them to consider.” to me for commercials.” feedback, Yu related, “I trusted her to everything to make a greater whole,” Gries met the duo through his brother, Manure stars Billy Bob Thornton, be able to interpret everything.” Tea Leoni and Kyle MacLachlan. Leoni Bica Of working in the short film for- plays Rosemary, the estranged daugh- While she was still at Lost Planet, mat, Yu added, “The nice thing about ter of the just dearly departed Mr. Kim Bica (who has since become a short is that you have the freedom to Rose, the mastermind behind Rose’s partnered in edit house Arcade) cut make something the length you feel it Manure Company. Rosemary is in line The Kinda Sutra, which was selected needs to be. That was a fun thing to to take over the family business but for screening at Sundance in the U.S. play with; you don’t have the restric- is unaware of a plan for an unfriendly documentary shorts category. The tions that you might with specific company takeover by a ruthless fertil- film was directed by Jessica Yu, an Os- broadcast limitations. I think we both izer rep (MacLachlan). Whether she car-winning documentary filmmaker felt that the version clocking in right likes it or not, Rose must trust her top for Breathing Lessons in ‘97, and who around eight minutes felt right.” salesman Patrick Fitzpatrick (portrayed has debuted such feature-length work by Thornton) to save the day. at Sundance as The Living Museum Promos Manure was shot almost entirely on (‘99), In The Realms of the Unreal (‘04) Bica’s former Lost Planet colleagues stage, recreating the Kansas farmbelt. and Protagonist (‘07). also made their mark at Sundance. To White Lightnin’ “There were maybe three exterior The Kinda Sutra shows various help commemorate the 25th anniver- shots in the whole film,” said Gries. people remembering back when they sary of the Sundance Festival, editors “But the biggest challenge was on a were kids how they thought babies Jennifer Dean, Bruce Herrman and technical level because the movie was were born. The short combines docu- Tyler Temple-Higgins of Lost Planet shot on the Red camera. To some de- mentary interviews with charming created montages that highlighted gree it felt like we were beta test partic- Karma Sutra-inspired animation. filmmakers who were able to use Sun- ipants. There were scenes for instance Being a long-time admirer of Yu’s dance as a platform to launch their where we had guys falling out of the work, Bica—whose high-profile spot now flourishing careers. Noted editor sky wearing parachutes. When pan- credits include Nike and American Hank Corwin, founder of Lost Planet, ning or tilting a Red camera, it makes Express—jumped at the opportunity oversaw the cutting of each film, with it difficult to do the cable removal we to cut the short. The editor described company editors Jesse Haas and Josh needed to do on those chutes. So there the best part of the project from a Schaeffer contributing to the overall were things like that to figure out all personal standpoint as “meeting and Sundance project. along the way.” working with Jessica. She is a really These promos ran before every Manure and Stay Cool are the sixth smart filmmaker, very decisive and screening during the entire run of the Manure and seventh features cut by Gries, but very clear on what she wants to do festival from January 15-25. 18 SHOOT January 30, 2009 MIDWEST

Setting The Table For ‘09

The lesson learned in the Midwest is that the “I”’s have it, the “I”’s being incen- clients in the advertising and corporate sectors, were early adapters to the Wis- tives and infrastructure. Without one or the other in today’s competitive mar- consin film tax incentive program, understanding the opportunity it provides Infrastructure, ketplace and economy, business prospects falter. Consider California which has the creative community and the revenue it will bring to the state. production infrastructure of historic proportions—both talent and resources—but In response, Sijan-Rozina and Davenport partnered with noted real estate de- no financial or tax incentives program for filming. veloper Darrick Dysland to ultimately launch the sound stage and film campus Incentives Are The Golden State is losing production, particularly features and commercials RDI Stages, which offers not only soundstages but also high-end production of- as reflected in recently released year-end (2008) statistics in Greater Los Angeles fice space, a digital still photography studio, a recording studio, an interactive (SHOOT, 1/16), with officials citing a lack of an incentives initiative to counteract media design firm, full kitchen facilities, and adjacent space for lighting, grip Prime Entrees On the measures that have been enacted in most other states. And the lack of incen- and set building. tives can over the long haul erode infrastructure. Furthermore RDI Stages is looking to build a local talent pool to meet produc- Conversely incentives can help tion needs. The facility has entered The Midwest’s to build infrastructure as inves- into a relationship with Milwau- tors see the prudence of building kee-area post secondary schools Tfacilities and gathering resources with established film programs, Industry Menu to work in tandem with financial enabling them to tap into the RDI perks that will attract filming to resources and apply coursework their regions. to real industry applications. Stu- A SHOOT Staff Report In the Midwest, incentive and dents and schools benefit as does infrastructure carry great promise Wisconsin itself with homegrown and in many cases have already talent that can fill crew and other translated into more production industry-related positions, making for different states in the region, the state all the more attractive to perhaps most notably Illinois, prospective feature, TV, commer- Michigan and Wisconsin. cial, music video, multimedia, in- A prime example is Wisconsin teractive and other projects. which has firmly in place its 25 per- RDI Stages has connected with cent Film Tax Credit program with such educational institutions in two types of credits (for more info, the state as MATC (Milwaukee log onto www.filmwisconsin.net). Area Technical College), the Uni- In turn this incentives program, versity of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, for which commercials are eligible and Marquette University. (as long as producers file an ap- “We’ve partnered with these plication prior to the shoot) has schools, offering them internships helped to spawn infrastructure, to help increase the depth of a a centerpiece being RDI Stages, talent pool that already has great Wisconsin’s first and only indepen- crews,” said Sijan-Rozina. “Besides dent studio rental complex, which adding to the depth of talent here, formally opened with a gala party we are also helping to cultivate a on January 8. Consisting of two separate buildings at a combined 27,000 square new generation of crew members and artisans for the state—talent who hopefully feet of space, RDI is nestled in the residential suburb of St. Francis, just outside will stay in Wisconsin as we develop employment opportunities.” downtown Milwaukee. The complex, which offers four stages—the largest being Sijan-Rozina added that the post secondary schools are becoming more so- 4,800 square feet with full support resources—was two years in the making at an phisticated in their training and resources. For example, MATC, already estab- investment of some $6 million. lished as a leading photography school, has expanded its communications and Management exec Janine Sijan-Rozina and noted photographer Tom Daven- creative arts program, putting in place a state-of-the-art motion capture system port, co-founders of longstanding still photography studio RDImage, which has Continued on page 20 January 30, 2009 SHOOT 19 MIDWEST

Midwest Production/Post Artisans and Executives Off er Their

Continued from page 19 Kimberly Fairman, for students. director of sales & marketing, RingSide Creative, Oak Park, Mich. Incentives 1) RingSide Creative has a broad range of capabilities. As for other parts of the Midwest, Illinois recently passed a significant increase in the state’s filming The integration of our services is highly valued by our cli- incentives program, establishing a 30 percent tax credit on total production spending in the state for ents. The result is increased efficiency and an end product qualified theatrical features, TV programs, commercials and ad-related projects (SHOOT, 12/19/08). that is stronger and consistent with the creative vision. We A major impetus for the passage of the new incentives was the increased competition for filming plan to fully embrace the value of our integrated approach. business, particularly from nearby Wisconsin and Michigan. The latter has a 40 percent tax credit for Our range of capabilities allows us to easily pursue oppor- features and TV. Reportedly Michigan is eyeing the development of new TV and movie production tunities in new markets. stages, reasoning that this key infrastructure component will help to create and maintain production- related jobs in the state. 2) Pray for global warming...all kidding aside, we should do everything possible to keep work in Yet all is not rosy as commercials remain a glaring omission from the Michigan incentives program. the region. Industry folk in Michigan have on their wish list making spot production eligible for state incentives, as reflected in a SHOOT survey of execs and artisans in the Midwest. SHOOT posed the following two questions in the survey: Samantha Hart, president, 1) Given the state of the economy, what are your plans to make the most of 2009? Crossing over Foundation Content, Chicago and/or diversifying into other kinds of work and/or markets? Rethinking how you position yourself, 1) 2009 marks Foundation’s five year anniversary. During your offerings, your talent to the marketplace at large? this time we have grown from a core of four people to a staff of 30. This year we plan to expand our Los Angeles produc- 2) What should the Midwest do or consider to take full advantage of opportunities in the new year? tion unit and continue to foster our young, creative talent.

Here’s a sampling of the feedback we received: 2) The obvious answer is to take advantage of the Illinois tax incentives and encourage clients on both coasts to “go mid-coastal!” Tom Duff, president, Optimus, Chicago Don Hoeg, 1) Our plan for 2009 is really an extension of what we director/owner, started in 2008, that of combining our postproduction RADAR Studios, Chicago strength and reputation with a new way the production 1) FX artist John Truckenbrod and I opened RADAR model can work with ONE at Optimus headed by John No- almost 10 years ago as a visual effects production company ble. It’s a model where efficiency and creativity are one and that handled jobs from conception to finish. We created the same. It’s the one-call, one-stop shop for all our clients a niche in the marketplace as a one-stop shop for great production and postproduction needs. There are tremen- creative work. Although we have expanded our staff to in- dous economic benefits we can offer by having all services clude CG directors Mark Angres and Sean Skube, our 2D/ under one roof. Couple that with the inherent advantage of having full control of collaboration with Design team, the Gray Bros. & Matt, editors Greg Somer- the client, and you have the best of both worlds. We are also set up to be able to collaborate with not lot and Brian Willard and live action director Sam Macon, only our agencies, but production companies and other editorial houses as well. In today’s climate, very little has changed about the actual way we work. As a tight-knit group of artists, we continue we all need each other to win this game, none of us can do it alone, but partnering with agencies, and to produce spots using every technique, including live action, design, FX, stop motion and CG. Last competitor/partners is a win-win for all. year we increased our production capabilities with the expansion of our stage space. We are uniquely positioned for this marketplace, but this is nothing new for RADAR. We have worked as a lean cre- 2) We in the Midwest would be well served by all of us helping each other, from the AAAAs to the ative shop from the start. Hands down, our team had their best creative year yet in ’08. Our plan for AICE and the AICP. I guess this can also apply nationally, but might be more effective on the local RADAR in ’09 is to continue to find more challenging work for our team and to continue to excel in levels. The new technology challenges surrounding the move to DTV, the new cameras, and the file- all the creative we produce. based workflow is throwing us all in a frenzy. Throw in the different format requirements from the networks and you have organized chaos at best. If we all get together, form committees to develop 2) Doing great work leads to opportunities to produce even better work. Regardless of where you guidelines and seminar material, we could help each other through this crazy transition. are located.

Fierce Competition, Tight Client Budgets, Tough Economic Climate... Reserve Ad Space Today: That’s The Time To Advertise—That Time is Now! East/Midwest/Canada/ Latin America Your Ad Agency & Production Industry Clients have a strong emotional connection with SHOOT, 203.227.1699 ext. 15 making the environment conducive to your message. [email protected] Advertise to raise awareness of your company, its talent, services or products— and—take a bite out of your competition! West Coast / International In addition to the latest NEWS and best NEW WORK, here’s what’s coming up... 323.960.8035 ext. 6685 [email protected] FEBRUARY 13 ISSUE FEBRUARY 27 ISSUE MARCH 13 ISSUE Classified / Recruitment AD AGENCY CREATIVES AD AGENCY PRODUCERS AD AGENCY CREATIVES 203.227.1999 ext. 12 Critique Super Bowl Ads On Evolving Roles/Integrated Production EDITING & POSTPRODUCTION classifi[email protected] VISUAL EFFECTS & ANIMATION VISUAL EFFECTS (VES) AWARD WINNERS With: Top Ten Chart MUSIC & SOUND Publisher Original Music Production CINEMATOGRAPHERS & CAMERAS ROAD TO NAB,Part I: Post,Editing 203.227.1999 ext. 13 With: Top Ten Spot Tracks Chart Sundance Film Fest Wrap Up Visual Effects hardware/software Music Libraries [email protected] SOUTHWEST PRODUCTION & POST SAN FRANCISCO/No.CA PRODUCTION & POST SOUTHEAST PRODUCTION & POST Bonus Distribution: VES Awards, 2/21 Ad Space Deadline: February 4 Ad Space Deadline: February 18 Ad Space Deadline: March 4

20 SHOOT January 30, 2009 MIDWEST

Feedback On Prospects and Business Strategies For 2009

Tim Jacobs, Steve Wild, executive producer, president, Grace & Wild, Inc., Protein Editorial, Chicago Farmington Hills, Mich. 1) Protein Editorial launched a model that represents top independent edi- 1) Grace & Wild is no different than tors as opposed to a traditional salaried roster. Our model really lends itself to most of the surviving businesses the state of the economy by allowing scalability of each project according to the in our marketplace who have con- requirements of the job. The beauty of this niche is that we’re able to match tinually embraced the need for the best editor for the job without being restrained by who’s in house. We’re change and reinventing their orga- headquartered in Chicago with our core group of editors here and in L.A. Our nizations. After all, our technology talent remains independent, while working closely with us to market and pro- dependence has required reinvest- duce their work. This partnership is beneficial to both the editors and us. From ment for analog to digital, digital a marketing standpoint we’re setting up traditional screenings and introducing people to the amazing body of work we’ve to high definition, high definition to 2-4-6-8K data; and now, delivery of collected from our editors. We’re also using a U.K. based company called GetAReel to customize and deliver reels seam- 3D stereoscopic visual images for broadcasting, movies and videogames. lessly. Other than that we believe that this industry is only as strong as its community. Therefore, we’re doing everything we This process has been an evolution, not a revolution. Of course, the pro- can to support the Midwest community in these tough times. The best example of this can be found on Oak Street beach, cess of “crossing over” and “diversifying” is not something you decide to where many industry folks gather every Wednesday during the summer to watch the sunset and play bocce ball in Beach do and then implement the next day. But what’s different this time around Bocce Ball League created by Dominic Bernacchi (West Coast sales rep. @radical media) and myself. This is not only an is while we are still evolving to service higher resolution demands, we are inexpensive way to have fun, but it’s a great place to network as well. also striving to repurpose our resources to create and deliver content to media channels that have quite different requirements, such as web and 2) I believe the Midwest should try to support the Midwest production and postproduction community as much as pos- podcasts, mobile messaging and advertising, digital signage, etc. Follow- sible. There are so many talented people in this market, it’s amazing. After spending the last 10 years on the West Coast, I ing our customers’ needs and interests, several years ago we began a mi- was encouraged about how deep this market really runs. I believe that the community here really believes in each other gration from being a traditional “broadcast quality production and post and believes in this market. Not to mention they get to play Beach Bocce Ball in the summers! technical services provider” toward providing more creative and project management services for development of new media content and distri- bution. New for 2009, Grace & Wild is formally debuting its “Emerging Don McNeill, Media Solutions” operating division (www.emergingmediasolutions.com, president, or, www.gracewild.com/emerge). Within the EMERGE group, we have Digital Kitchen, Chicago developed certain talent and skills we feel are unique, and which have al- 1) Digital Kitchen is already an incredibly diverse company, responsible for lowed us to benefit our clients with services that bridge the void between work in motion graphics, movie and TV titles, live action, experiential, guerilla, producing for broadcast and alternative media delivery channels. web and retail. So for us, it’s not about diversifying or crossing over, but rather focusing our time and efforts. It’s our belief that in today’s market, we need 2) Like many Midwest states, Michigan recently passed a film incentive to provide a point of difference. And in a downturn, that point of difference package. While Grace & Wild’s hdstudios and Filmcraft Imaging divisions is value. We feel we’re well positioned, because we ideate, create and execute. have benefitted from new business created by the program, it’s no secret When you can control all points along the compass, you create better integration our Detroit ‘auto-centric’ advertising community has endured great pres- and better value for money. sure recently. Unlike other economic downturns, advertisers don’t believe There’s no doubt that the local market had a tough year and we all will face a tough 2009. But the good news is that that ‘selling harder’ is a solution, and budgets have been decimated. Also, more than ever, technology has allowed us to work beyond geographical and psychological boundaries. Although we’re other entertainment projects are suffering from lack of funding sources. based in four cities, we don’t feel tied to our geography; we are one company, capable of servicing business wherever we Economic adversity no longer creates more work for the advertising com- find it. munity (ever changing auto pricing and financing offers often carried us through periods of turmoil). This time, all businesses, in all industries, 2) I think the Midwest feels its limitations due to decades of being perceived as only fit to handle packaged goods, beer are suffering….media not excluded. I doubt anyone has a viable answer and automobiles. Because of the niche the Midwest carved out and because of the traditional stability of the client base, to this dilemma, but I will be very interested to read this article and see there has been little reason to evolve as rapidly as the East and West Coasts. This year, however, it’s unavoidable. The eco- if someone has a “magic bullet” to help the Midwest, and the rest of the nomic climate is going to force change, and that’s a good thing. If navigated properly, these lean times will force agencies, nation for that matter. production companies and clients to explore alternative, creative solutions and bolder moves. The opportunity exists to break free from the stereotypes that have held the Midwest back and allow us to define the future on our terms. CLASSIFIEDS To place classified ad simply email ad copy to: [email protected] Michael Suggs, managing partner, Your reply will contain price estimate and PDF proof of ad for your review. Milagro Post, Southfield, Mich. Print classifieds run online for 30 days as FREE bonus with email 1) We’re optimistic about 2009. Now, more than ever, diversification is key to distribution on SHOOT >e.dition every Friday during 30 day period online. survival given the state of the economy. Commercial work is only part of what For further info/rates/deadlines go to www.shootonline.com/go/classified we do. For Ron Rose Productions and Milagro Post, the Michigan film incen- tive continues to be a revenue source for us. We’ve leveraged our technology EMPLOYMENT and infrastructure to service filmmakers. There is more and more interest from filmmakers to shoot and post in Michigan. Ron Rose has been providing ADR and looping services for major motion picture studios (i.e. Paramount, Twentieth POSITIONS WANTED: Edit Shop Seeks New Editor Century Fox) as well as independent studios for a number of years. From edito- Looking For NYC creative editing boutique run by industry veterans is looking for rial to deliverables, Milagro has been providing Digital Intermediate solutions to filmmakers and ad clients for almost three New Directors a new editor to add to the family. years. Web development is yet another revenue stream for us. Our web group provides turnkey services for web develop- Seeking Candidates must be commercials ment by designing, building and hosting custom web solutions. We create and deliver content for cinema, TV, web and Commercial Work editors and have at least three mobile providing an integrated experience for filmmakers and ad clients. We continue to explore new business ideas. Visit years experience, a great reel and a client base. We’re looking for 2) In Michigan, there is a real need for the inclusion of commercial film projects to the language of the state film produc- www.shootonline.com/go/search someone who really loves film- tion incentive. This would be especially meaningful for the automotive industry. GM, Ford and Chrysler spend millions to download SHOOT’s making and who understands the of dollars annually in the production of their ad campaigns. The ad agencies that service them are in Michigan. With a 2009 New Directors Showcase ad industry. Please send resumes potential rebate of up to 42 percent of all dollars spent on qualifying productions, they could use the incentive to stretch and links to reels to: their ad dollars. And, in turn, provide much needed jobs and revenue, not only for those of us in the business, but also for Entry Form [email protected] many merchants, vendors, and retailers here in Michigan. This is evidenced by recent film productions shot here. January 30, 2009 SHOOT 21 News

ANA, AAAA, AAF Support DTV Delay Senate Approves Postponing Transition Date From 2/17 To 6/12 We Live in Public, directed by Ondi Timoner who is repped NEW YORK—As SHOOT went to categorized as either “completely” or receive television transmission would for spots by bicoastal Nonfi ction Unlimited, has earned press, the U.S. Senate had approved “partially unready” for the transition. cut off many millions of Americans the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Documentary Competi- postponing the country’s transition to As of January 2009, Nielsen Media from important media access, includ- tion at the recently concluded Sundance Film Festival.... digital TV from Feb. 17 to June 12. It Research estimated that 5.7 percent ing commercial messages. Also at the Sundance Fest, boutique distributor Arthouse now appears likely that some sort of of television households were “com- The ad industry groups further Films bought worldwide rights to the documentary Art delay, which has the backing of Presi- pletely unready,” meaning they did contend that the proposed four-month & Copy, which explores the impact of advertising and dent Obama’s administration, will not have any sets equipped to receive delay in implementation would give creativity on modern culture. Art & Copy was directed come to pass. digital signals. This amounts to ap- the government the opportunity to by Doug Pray whose commercialmaking home is Oil Fac- On the ad industry front, three key proximately 6.5 million households. address the issues it has had with the tory, Los Angeles....Director Jason Zada has signed with bicoastal production house Tool of North America. Zada, groups—the Association of National Meanwhile, another 9.2 percent TV converter box coupon program, who left his position last year as executive creative direc- Advertisers (ANA), the American of homes were “partially unready,” including unclear expiration dates, tor at EVB—a leading digital interactive marketing/ad agency he Association of Advertising Agencies meaning they contained at least one and reimbursement funds that have co-founded in San Francisco—to pursue directing full time (SHOOT, (AAAA) and the American Advertis- set that was not equipped to receive been depleted. Removing these im- 9/12/08), brings to Tool expertise in both the advertising and digital ing Federation (AAF)—have expressed digital signals and one or more sets pediments would in turn allow more content arenas. He also has extensive directorial experience, having their joint support for the four-month that are ready; this translates to about of the “unready” households to up- helmed high-profi le projects during his EVB tenure as well as inde- reprieve. The organizations cited the 10.5 million households. grade their systems and be deemed pendently in recent months. His projects often entail storytelling amount of households that are not These 17 million “unready” house- ready for the pending transition. across a cross-section of media....Hal Kirkland and Masashi Kawa- ready for the transition, as well as the holds would lose television reception The ANA, AAAA and AAF con- mura have joined the creative department of BBH New York. Both chance for the government to address either completely or partially should tend that by June the prospects are are hybrid creatives who have worked at numerous agencies around some unresolved issues that arose the transition occur in February. The much better for a smooth digital tran- the world, most recently at 180 in Amsterdam....Marty Orzio has be- throughout the transition process. ANA, AAAA and AAF are concerned sition in which few or no households come chief creative offi cer at New York-based agency Gotham. He Currently many households are still that this sudden loss of the ability to would lose television transmission. formerly served as chief creative offi cer at Energy BBDO, Chicago. Orzio fi rst made an industry splash at Lowe & Partners, New York, where he spent a dozen years and became best known for lauded work on the Mercedes-Benz account. He later was partner/executive Big Game Lover: CareerBuilder.com creative director at Merkley Newman Harty, New York....

Continued from page 1 through ocean waves), being regularly year when employers focus on hiring.” ridiculed by fellow workers (a man in As for viewership, Castellini noted, deadpan fashion greets a guy who’s “There is nothing like the Super Bowl seated at a workstation with a cheer- in terms of a mass audience. The top ful “hey, dummy”), sitting next to an five primetime TV network show undesirable coworker (who’s dressed today might get 20 million viewers. in Speedo swim trunks while clip- Peepshow Post Productions, the London house which Years ago the norm would have been ping his toenails) and daydreaming set up a New York shop last year, has secured Sara Barn- 40 million. Options are so vast—hun- about punching small animals (with a thouse as its West Coast sales representative. Peepshow dreds of TV stations, DVRS, the In- small cuddly, koala bear—who’s wear- features such talent as editors Gary Knight and Andrea MacArthur....Stephen Arnold Music, Dallas, has brought ternet. It’s difficult to get a truly mass ing eyeglasses—on the receiving end). Brad Dawson aboard as VP, sales & marketing. He for- audience. So the Super Bowl is even of These different tip-offs are recited and merly served as general sales manager for KBTV, the NBC affi liate in more value today in terms of deliver- Richard Castellini continually repeated in a Twelve Days Beaumont, Texas.....Directors Moshe & Eddie Brakha of production ing eyeballs.” you’re in the wrong job and need to of Xmas-like (yet not sing songy) fash- house Commercial Head, Los Angeles, are now represented by Para- Plus, continued Castellini, there’s make a change. We open on a wom- ion, heightening the absurdity as well digm, Beverly Hills....The Skouras Agency, Santa Monica, has signed the Super Bowl dynamic of the com- an, for instance, who’s so distraught as the all too real need felt by many DP Marten Tedin for representation....Dattner Dispoto and Associ- mercials being part of the marquee that she’s primal screaming in her that a change of job is imperative. ates, Los Angeles has signed DPs Adam Beckman and Danny Moder event, for some just as important as car as she drives into her workplace The end tag slogan “Start Building” for representation in all areas.....DPs Rolf Kestermann and Joseph the football game itself. “It’s the one parking lot. Other “tip-offs” that you appears on screen. Labisi have joined Endeavor, Beverly Hills, as clients in features, day of the year when a lot of people re- should look for another gig include Perhaps even more during tough television, music videos and commercials.....Innovative Artists, San- ally want to watch commercials...That fantasizing about being elsewhere economic times, observed Castellini, ta Monica, has signed DP Bengt Jan Jönsson for features, TV, com- has really helped a new and emerging (we see the woman riding a dolphin people need a laugh. mercials and music videos. The DP is now represented by Innovative brand like CareerBuilder. The Super Artists’ Robbyn Foxx and Jeff Mahoney.... Bowl has been a great way to spring- board our brand awareness.” STORY Signs Richter Laugh factor Continued from page 4 have an excess of time or mon- While job hunting takes on con- enough actors and crew that ey, but I fi nd those constraints siderable weight and seriousness in we had complete confi dence challenging and fun. I like the light of rising unemployment and in him. There was a lot of good challenge of making the spots >January 30/Los Angeles, California: The Annie Awards. global economic woes, the Big Game collaborative stuff happening that are funny enough that www.annieawards.org :60, titled “Tips,” that CareerBuilder. on the set…it couldn’t have people want to watch them.” >January 31/Los Angeles, California: DGA 61st Annual com is debuting on Sunday (2/1) via gone any better.” STORY is represented on the Awards Dinner. www.dga.org Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., def- “Andy came in with a lot East Coast by Laura Zinn, in >February 7/Burbank, California: Digital Cinema Society initely tickles the funnybone, keeping of ideas, many of which we the Midwest by Doug Stieber seminar on Web Intelligence. www.digitalcinemasociety. with the client’s signature humor over ended up shooting and are & Company, in the Southeast org the years while positioning the online in the spot,” added Adamson by Miller Associates, in the >February 10/Los Angeles, California: How to site as a conduit to seeking helpful tips associate creative director Southwest by Alyson Griffi th, Successfully Build & Manage a Digital Agency or Divsion and real leads for gainful employment. Troy Jones. “He was hungry to and on the West Coast by Char course. www.laredogroup.com/agency/business Directed by Tom Kuntz of bicoast- show what he could do.” & Associates. All are indepen- >February 21/Los Angeles, California: VES Awards al/international MJZ, the Super Bowl Richter related, “We didn’t dent rep fi rms. Dinner. www.visualeff ectssociety.com spot offers us several indicators that 22 SHOOT January 30, 2009 Moon Adds Three Directors To Its Commercialmaking Roster

Continued from page 4 credits for the likes of Revlon, Maybel- stores. Based on this work, Hinlein spotmaking career to earn a Master’s tinue to draw fashion/beauty work via ing, there’s the prospect of Black and line and Clairol, as well as European was sought out for a Revlon commer- degree in cinematography from the Moon while diversifying into different Mooney helping to develop longer work for Nivea. She had formerly been cial and from there built momentum American Film Institute. She has since kinds of storytelling ad assignments. form content for ad/marketing clients. repped by Bridge Street Films, N.Y. as a spot director in the beauty arena. shot a soon to be released feature and Black, Cooney and Hinlein join a She got her break helming in-house Her work encompasses noted celebs, a couple of short films, and is now re- Moon directorial roster that also in- Cooney films for MAC cosmetics, which gained including Halle Berry for Revlon. committed to commercials via Moon. cludes Agust Baldursson, Duccio Fab- Meanwhile director Cooney shifts exposure at fashion shows and in retail Hinlein took a hiatus from her Hinlein said she would like to con- rie and helming team The Londons. his spot representation from his Jeff Cooney Films (also an EUE Screen Gems shop) to Moon. He continues to maintain Jeff Cooney Films for long- form projects. Call For Entries YOUR NAME Cooney joins Moon on the heels HERE of wrapping work that Mooney said showcases the director’s prowess in light comedy, social relevance and people-based storytelling, including a campaign for U.S. nonprofit philan- thropic organization Changing The New Present out of New York agency Straw- New berry Frog. The group was founded on the principle that holiday gift givers can make the world a better place. One of the Changing The Present spots, “True Luxury,” recently made DirectorsDirectors SHOOT’s “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery (12/12/08). The piece starts out like a cliche holiday commer- cial as a husband walks his wife, her eyes closed, out from their house to the garage. A light snow is falling as WantedWanted the gent clicks the remote control he’s holding to open the garage door. At the same time, his spouse opens her eyes to see her present--not a bow-topped luxury car, but a bow-topped sheep. SHOOT’sSHOOT’s 20092009 7th7th AnnualAnnual Surprisingly the woman is thrilled with the gift of livestock as a voiceover instructs us to “Give a gift that matters,” NewNew DirectorsDirectors SearchSearch IsIs On!On! at which point we see an animated box Do You Have open with descriptions of gifts emerging ALWAYS A PACKED HOUSE What Work is such as sheep for impoverished farm- What It Takes To - STANDING ROOM ONLY Eligible to Enter? ers, tutoring deaf children or building a Be The Next Hot Category 1 shelter. An end tag carries the website New Director? Traditional Broadcast: TV spots, spec work, cinema ads, branded content address changingthepresent.org. SHOOT is conducting a worldwide Category 2 Cooney also recently directed a “Save search to discover the best up-and-com- Alternative Media Content: Our Sports” PSA for Mount Vernon ing directors who, based on their initial webisodes, spots created for online use, AFTER PARTY ROCKS mobile-phone content, in-game ad- High School, which Mooney wrote as work, show promise to soon make major positive contributions to advertising vertising, advergaming, virals, alternate reality gaming, ads created for PDAs part of a grass-roots effort to save inter- and/or entertainment in its traditional The final reel will be screened for an audience of key and emerging forms. This global search advertising agency and production industry decision- Category 3 scholastic sports for the Westchester, makers at SHOOT’s 2009 New Directors Showcase is conducted by SHOOT’s editorial staff Other: N.Y.-area school. The athletic program Event at the DGA Theatre in New York City on May 28. with input from advertising agency music videos, short films, feature films was jeopardized by a major cut in school creative directors & heads of production, Directors can submit work that was funding. Cooney’s heartfelt PSA played as well as production company heads New Directors receive enormous film students. One bond the directors completed in the last 16 months. and established directors. The search is career-making exposure! share is great style and vision, whether (January 2008-April 2009) (excerpts an integral role in raising enough mon- it be reflected in comedy, visuals or being conducted between January 30th from shorts, and excerpts from long- “It was an honor to be recognized storytelling. ey to preserve the sports program for and April 15th 2009. form film or other entertainment fare in SHOOT’s 2007 New Directors should be NO MORE than 5 minutes Must be directing com- the 2008-’09 school year. Showcase. As a new director in such a ENTER SHOOT’S NEW DIRECTOR in length) After the best work is chosen SHOOT will mercials less than two years (three if Among Cooney’s other latest direc- competitive market, you need all the SEARCH NOW... compile the 2009 SHOOT New Directors work has been regional only) & must be street cred you can get since there’s just It could be a big step towards being torial credits are: a public service cam- Showcase Reel and interview the direc- available to direct commercials. over 150 million directors in the U.S. noticed by the companies that can tors for a special feature that will appear paign (spots and a documentary) for alone.” represent you and the agency cre- Entry Deadline in SHOOT’s May 29th issue, pdf version, My First Vote (myfirstvote.tv), which Rob Luehrs atives and producers that can hire you. April 15, 2009 HTML e.dition, and on SHOOTonline. SHOOT 2007 New Director, helped to successfully drum up the com, bringing worldwide attention to Reactor Films Entry Fee youth vote, particularly in the so-called the work and the directors. In addition, $75.00 for first piece of work, the work will be screened for an audi- See the directors’ work that was cho- $25.00 each addtl presidential swing states, for the 2008 ence of key advertising agency and sen for last years showcase event on For additional entry information national election; and the director’s production industry decision-makers SHOOT’s 2009 New Directors Web Reel [email protected] ongoing work for Icy Hot featuring at SHOOT’s 2009 New Directors Show- at www. shootonline.com/go/search. or by telephone at basketball star Shaquille O’Neal for case Event at the DGA Theatre in New The directors selected for the Show- 323/960-8035, ext 6681 York City on May 28. Coverage of that case come from diverse backgrounds. Over 25 Showcase Finalists receive priceless agency The Joey Company, Brooklyn. event will appear in SHOOT in June and Some first established themselves on FOR SPONSORSHIP INFO career-building exposure plus a gala [email protected] the agency side of the business, while email the showcase reel will be posted on evening event in front of a packed house at or by phone at 203-227-1699, ext.13 Hinlein SHOOT’s website. others were DPs, feature filmmakers or the DGA Theatre in New York City. Hinlein brings fashion and beauty expertise to the Moon roster, with spot Entry Forms at WWW.SHOOTONLINE.COM/GO/SEARCH January 30, 2009 SHOOT 23