SHORT CUTS
Push Creative, New York, produced a series of vignettes celebrating Black History Month for The New TNN. The nine spots (three :30s, four :15s and two :05s) were created in collaboration with the networks in-house brand creative group and Push. Rudy Gaskins, Push’s creative director, conceptualized the campaign along with partner/producer Joan Baker. Each of the vignettes-directed by Gaskins-feature inspiring stories of everyday African-Americans who have overcome odds and hardships to achieve success. The spots, which are underscored by the vocals of singer Phoebe Snow, premiered in early February and ran throughout the entire month. New York-based Blink.fx worked on the postproduction chores of the job, with Mark Repasky and Mark Tyler as editors, along with Eli Tishberg of Image Group Post, New York. Blink’s Ben Orisich was Inferno artist, and Gary Arnold of sister shop Gary’s Chop Shop, New York, was audio mixer/producer. Additionally, Carbon Design, New York, developed the designs for the campaign, collaborating with Blink.fx throughout the project. Pierre Vilmenay was creative director and Nishat Akhtar was designer. Additional Push Creative credits go to producers Deborah Davis and Maria Lokken. This is the second campaign Push Creative has created for TNN. In January, the company created spots honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King by showcasing young men and women discussing sensitive issues including stereotyping, bi-racial perspectives and acts of racism.
Jason Painter of Swietlik Inc. cut an eight-spot campaign for the MAC AIDS Fund and the Elton John AIDS Foundation via Boston agency Area 17. The PSA feature such celebrities as Mary J. Blige, Shirley Manson of the rock outfit Garbage and John promoting safe sex. Michael Franzini of bicoastal Public Interest Productions (a division of bicoastal/international @radical.media) directed the :30s, shot the ads over a three-day period at CECO Stages, New York.
New York-based Salamandra Images worked on the editorial and audio mix for Discovery’s World Birthday documentary. The one-hour special documents the lives of nine mothers in nine different countries as they give birth within a 24-hour period. The :30 transports viewers around the world, through four regions (Japan, India, Agentina and Russia), and into the lives and situations of each mother. All scenes were shot from the point of view of the mom. Salamandra’s Michael Niemcewicz was the offline editor and audio mixer on the project. Blizzard Productions, New York, acted as the agency as well as production company for the Discovery Communications job.
MUSIC NOTES
Razorhead Music‘s Rosino Serrano composed the soundtrack for the feature El Crimen del Padre Amaro (The Crime of Father Amaro). The film, which has been nominated for this year’s Academy Awards in the "Best Foreign Language Film" category, depicts a young Catholic priest who breaks his vow of chastity by falling in love with a 16-year-old girl. Serrano’s commercial credits include compositions for the U.S. Postal Service, Glad and Panasonic. Previously, Serrano teamed up with Razorhead founder/composer Carlo Nicolau to score the Mexican film Santitos, which was a 1999 Sundance International Award winner. Serrano is also the musical director of the Thalia Spanish Theatre. Razorhead Music is headquartered in New York.
Scott Rea of Scott Rea Music, Los Angeles, contributed music to Blue Cross of California for "Dance Fever." The :60 promotes Blue Cross’ "Smart Choice" Medicare Supplement plan and features older folks, who, delighted with the benefits of the plan, begin dancing. Beard Boy Productions, Tustin, Calif. directed and created the ad, with Rich Underwood helming the spot.
St. Ives’ new campaign, directed by Norman Christianson of Cielo Films, Santa Monica, and Milan, Italy, features music by Mark Mothersbaugh of Mutato Muzika, Los Angeles. "Goldi" and "Radiant Duckling" showcase the St. Ives line of moisturizing body lotions in a fairy tale fashion. Robert Miltenberg produced for Mutato. The campaign was created by Campbell Mithun, Minneapolis.
IN GEAR
Lee Utterbach Cameras, a professional motion picture rental facility in San Francisco, has taken delivery of an Optimo 35mm Film Lens from Thales Angenieux. The Optimo 35mm Film Lens features a focal range of 24-290mm with advanced levels of optical performance across its spectrum. It has an aperture speed of T2.8, and produces high contrast and color reproduction. Thales Angenieux’s U.S. headquarters are in Totowa, N.J.
Discreet has made available its Inferno 5, Flame 8 and Flint 8 visual effects and compositing systems. The new key features of the products include mixed resolution architecture, wherein artists can import any resolution into a project and create compositions including layers of 601, HD, 2K or 6K images. Clips can also be converted from one format to another instantly. Additionally, Discreet’s 3-D compositing environment, Action, now features multiple animatable cameras as well as more extensive support for 3-D integration via the FBX file format from Kaydara. Artists can directly import and manipulate 3-D models generated in Discreet’s 3ds Max, as well as from other popular 3-D applications including Maya, Softimage|XSI, Softimage|3D and Lightwave. Discreet is a division of Autodesk Inc., and is based in Montreal.
