Archive for August 18th, 2008

San Francisco-based Mekanism recently added directors Dave and Rory to its growing roster to create, develop, and shoot the firm’s live action and integrated campaigns. The duo, who met as creatives at Mother, NY are already residing in Mekanism’s new Manhattan digs. The pair bring a wide range of expertise across concept development, writing, art direction, direction, and design. After several years of award-winning agency creative experience working on campaigns for brands such as Miller, Dell, NBA, Target, J&J, Lincoln, and Puma, they moved on to launch their own indy production shop. Drawn by a pursuit of more involvement in shooting and storytelling, they collaboratively shot projects for clients such as Qualcomm, MTV, Rembrandt, and tbs, prior to joining Mekanism’s team in 2008. more

New York-based Sound Lounge Music and Sound Design (SLMSD), a division of leading audio post-production studio Sound Lounge recently hired Composer/Sound Designer Joel Corelitz and Sound Designer Phan Visutyothapibal. These growth initiatives in sound design are lead by recent addition, Executive Producer Marcus Smith, further strengthening SLMSD’s position as a progressive brand leader in the sound design and music space. more

Bicoastal International Crossroads is pleased to announce the addition of Midwest native Director/DP Ryan Gaw to their ever-expanding Commercial division roster. Ryan’s recent commercial credits include spots for major auto brands Porsche and Audi. For two years straight, Gaw worked with Carmichael Lynch on the Harley-Davidson account, directing all of their work which included: twenty plus commercials, three product videos, and a national integrated effort for the new Dark Custom. Gaw credits this experience with impelling his effort to expand upon his personal passion of shooting beautiful sheet metal. His early resume includes National car campaigns via Drive Thru Minneapolis as well as independent efforts for The Discovery Channel. Gaw has DP’d for many of the top commercial directors such as Jake Scott and Michael Kabelnikoff, as well as camera assisting for celebrity cinematographers such as Academy Award Winner Robert Richardson, Max Malkin and Dana Christiansen. Ryan’s experience has not been limited to the commercial industry; previous music video credits include Will Smith, Bo Bice, De la Soul, and Alien Ant Farm. more

The Brief:
In this six spot campaign, Mark Pellington of bicoastal Crossroads delivers all the quality and taste one expects from an ice cold Budweiser.

A scruffy young gent stands in front of a beer cooler perplexed amidst the array of beer selections. With percussions from the Jet’s song Are you gonna be my girl? sneaking in on the spot, a Bud delivery man approaches the young man and acts as a voice of reason. Finally, the enlightened young man acknowledges his muse as he reaches for a six pack of Budweiser.

The remaining :15 spots in the campaign feature an enthusiastic bartender serving the frothy brew and “lager lessons” to her male customers. The lessons are as follows: how to accomplish the perfect pour, Budweiser’s new signature glass, Budweiser’s 130 years of commitment to the same recipe, the Bud delivery man’s determination, and lastly why the best Budweiser comes from a tap. Dare we question The Great American Lager? more

Vancouver, BC – Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in DreamWorks Pictures’ “Tropic Thunder,” an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the biggest war film ever. After ballooning costs (and the out of control egos of the pampered cast) threaten to shut down the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast deep into the jungles of Southeast Asia for “increased realism,” where they inadvertently encounter real bad guys. CIS Visual Effects Group’s Vancouver, London and Hollywood facilities were called upon to support the action of this hilarious ‘movie within a movie’. more

BEIJING, CHINA, August 18, 2008 – The Vitec Group Broadcast Systems Division companies Clear-Com® Communication Systems and Nucomm are going for the gold at this year’s 2008 Beijing Olympics. Both companies are helping viewers stay close to all of the action as the broadcast networks assume their positions for the coverage of the games. more

ESPNU HD kicks off the 2008 College Football season with a topical graphics promotion package and toolkit created by the New York-based creative services agency Blue Room. The package, which includes opening vignettes, endpages, logo resolve, transitions, lower thirds, tune in bars, and full screen mortises, produced in both HD and SD, was used to create :30, :15, :10 and :5 spots that will begin airing nationally on ESPN August 21st .

Blue Room’s testosterone infused graphics package will be used to promote a diverse range of conferences and teams. The graphics will be utilized extensively throughout the season and will serve as an instantly identifiable look exclusive to ESPNU’s College Football promotion. more

Los Angeles & New York – (August 18, 2008) Commercial and music video editor Brandon Boudreaux has joined the editor roster at NOMAD Editing Company Based out of the New York office, Boudreaux is available to work via the Los Angeles office or on location worldwide. At NOMAD Edit, he is part of an award-winning editor roster that includes Tom Muldoon, John Murray, Debbie McMurtrey, Glenn Martin, Jared Coller and Jason Painter.

“Brandon is a great complement to our team. His approach and appreciation for the process echoes that of the other editors, but with a unique style that adds a dimension to the Nomad experience,� says NOMAD Edit’s New York Executive Producer Lynne Mannino. more

Pioneering motion picture technologist Gary Demos has joined Lowry Digital as senior algorithm scientist, reporting to Chief Technology Officer John Lowry.

Demos received the 2006 Gordon E. Sawyer Award for lifetime technical achievement from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. He was a leader in computer-generated images in the early 1970s, and began working on the processing and compression of high-resolution images by the late 1980s.

“Gary Demos has been exploring the frontiers of digital imaging for decades and his innovative technical solutions are widely recognized within our industry,� says Mike Inchalik, chief operating officer for Lowry Digital. “He is a valuable addition to our research and development team which continues to push the boundaries of image processing as we pursue ever higher levels of picture quality.� more

Monster meets LinkedIn for creative professionals; WhosCreative.com has announced the launch of its comprehensive online portfolio/social networking service for creative professionals. WhosCreative gives motion designers, animators, graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, digital artists, art directors, creative directors, web and gaming artists/programmers, fashion and film industry artists the chance to present their portfolios, be social and find freelance and fulltime jobs.

WhosCreative is the brainchild of Jon Lewis and Dwain Schenck, experienced recruiters and owners of ICA Creative – a placement firm in the graphics, post production and broadcasting industry. The site was developed as the ultimate place for artists to display their talent and as a tool for employers to find and manage talent. more