The 3rd SHOOT Commercial Production Forum, presented in partnership with Source TV, was made possible in part by a series of industry sponsors. Additionally, exhibitors were a major part of the proceedings, showcasing products and services to Forum attendees.
Gold sponsors were Kodak and Getty Images. For Kodak, sponsorship was a natural as reflected in opening remarks by New York-based regional account manager Sarabeth Litt, who related, “Kodak has a long history with the advertising and production communities. That’s why we continue to develop the most advanced products and services to enable you to express your creative vision and ‘get noticed.'” Litt noted that more than 70 percent of Kodak’s R&D budget is dedicated to advancing film technology. “Our Vision 2 250D film introduced earlier this year along with Kodak Look Manager System will soon be followed by our latest addition to the Vision2 family next month, so stay tuned.” Kodak’s lounge area at The Forum offered attendees the opportunity to learn more about the “Get Noticed” campaign; their fun and informative approach to learning about production and workflow. For more information, log onto www.getnoticed.com.
In his remarks to Forum attendees, Ross Dabrow, director of North American Film Sales of Getty Images, noted that Getty was proud to be a sponsor of the event. “We look to participate in and support forums where industry leaders come together to debate and discuss creativity and the industry’s changing landscape. Our goal is to support the commercial production industry as it evolves and provides creative solutions whenever possible.”
In that vein, Dabrow shared news of “The Next Big Idea,” a Getty initiative for a short film, peer-juried competition which allows entrants complete creative freedom in accessing all the collections available on gettyimages.com. The annual competition began in ’04. Ten winners will make the final cut and have their films premiered around the world–and one will win $10,000 to support more creative endeavors. Attendees were able to get information on entering “The Next Big Idea” at the Getty lounge area. For more info, log onto www.gettyimages.com/film.
FilmCore was a Forum sponsor. A leading editorial house with operations in Santa Monica and San Francisco, FilmCore is about to formally launch its New York facility.
The Forum also benefited from several industry association supporters: the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), the Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE), the Association of Music Producers (AMP) and the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI).
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Exhibitors also made news at the Forum. For example, Comp 24, the comping and color correction house with full service production facilities in New York and Los Angeles, announced at the Forum the addition to New York-based It’s In The Works to its family of companies. Carl Perman, president of It’s In The Works, assumes the role of senior VP at Comp 24. It’s In The Works has been creating top quality color corrected packages since 1946. In addition to Carl, Ken Wasserman, President, chatted with attendees throughout the day.
Film commissions had a presence on the exhibit floor as well. Mark Dixon, locations manager for the Connecticut Film Division, reached out to New York producers, noting that Connecticut is a resource for numerous locations, including New England-style sites. Fairfield’s proximity to New York makes it the most lensed region of Connecticut. The Connecticut Film Division coordinates the permitting process at the local and state levels and serves as a liaison to both industry and government. Also manning the booth was project manager, Ellen Woolf.
A contingent of film commissioners from Northern California came to the Forum to gain exposure for their locations (coastlines, redwood groves, ranches, farms, cityscapes, former military bases open for filming) and to explain the free assistance and cost savings they offer to commercial producers, ad agencies, filmmakers and location scouts. The areas represented lie north, south and east of San Francisco. The film commission group included Barbara Hillman form Berkeley, Brena Bailey from San Mateo County, Jim Reikowsky from Vallejo/Solano County, Karen Nordstrand from Monterey County and Barbara Bryant from Humboldt County.
“As the commercial and advertising industries evolve, we offer the stability of easy-to-secure locations, many of which are fee-free California state beaches and parks,” said Karen Nordstrand, director of film production at the Monterey County Film Commission. “The great thing about contacting our Northern California Film Commissions in the future is that we are friendly competitors who are familiar with each other’s locations and freely refer business to each other. We can help save time and money for production companies coming to our area.”
Barbara Bryant, film commissioner at the Humboldt County Film Commission, related that “commercials are a significant contributor to the economic environment here.”
The Utah Film Commission was represented by its director Aaron Syrett and Brook Robinson. Utah has long been a host to commercials, gaining a reputation as a backdrop for many automotive ads. The state’s production and post infrastructure has been built up steadily over the years.
Production services also were prominent on the Forum exhibit floor, represented by such notables as Philip Key, managing director of Moonlighting Film Production Services in South Africa. Key served as a panelist for the Forum discussion exploring “Industry Perspectives On Global Production.” Under his purview, Moonlighting has extended its reach beyond South Africa–with Moonlighting + Rojas Films in Chile, and with Eclipse Films in Romania. Francisco Rojas and Nicci Rojas were present at the booth with Philip.
The Forum exhibitors additionally offered attendees a look-see at new technology, a prime example being LocationView, which in essence is a video assist that knows no geographic bounds. The system provides key executives and artisans–such as clients and agency creatives/account people–with accessibility to work as it is being shot on location or stage anywhere. Via an accompanying chat function and/or teleconference, people who can’t be at a shoot in person can still see what’s happening and provide feedback. The technology is from a company aptly named LocationView, a subsidiary of the 10-year-old, Hollywood-based Videorama! Industries, which is widely recognized as a stalwart in video assist playback on set or location. On hand to showcase the technology at their Forum booth were LocationView’s co-founder and general manager R. Scott Lawrence, head of business and development John Locher, and sales representative Joshua Greenberg.
Among the other Forum exhibitors were Framepool represented by Peter Carstens, Shoot Latin America represented by its director, Karen Watts, and Global Production Network represented by president/CEO Harry Tracosas.
