Motion Theory's Mark Kudsi directs clip for Detroit agency Impatto
Having debuted at last month’s New York International Auto Show and now making the viral rounds on YouTube, the branded music video “Get Ready” is generating buzz for the North American rollout of the Fiat 500. The clip was directed by Mark Kudsi of Motion Theory for Detroit ad agency Impatto.
Featuring Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major recreated by MassiveMusic for the new soundtrack, “Get Ready” features slick documentary-style footage of an assembly line in the new Fiat plant in Toluca, Mexico. This footage–which captures cranes, robotic arms and other factory machinery as beautiful precise objects which in motion create a mechanical ballet–is combined with four loose storylines of regular individuals getting ready in their homes.
Kudsi found inspiration in romantic comedies, in which the action is intercut between two characters eagerly preparing for a blind date with each other, uncannily matching each other’s idiosyncrasies via parallel montage. Said Kudsi, “Instead of ‘boy meets girl,’ it’s ‘driver meets car.’ We’re so connected to our cars that we often name them, talk to them, and pick them based on how we think they’ll match our personalities and lifestyle. We wanted to celebrate this connection by bringing this extraordinarily synchronized magic to the time before that first ‘meeting.’ It’s all those things we don’t see that lead to love at first sight.”
Kudsi, a commercial director who has also made a name through music videos, including the Grammy Award-winning “Boom Boom Pow” for Black Eyed Peas, deployed his trademark interplay between music, visuals, style and concept–elements which laid the foundation for the larger Fiat campaign.
“Get Ready” re-launches the Fiat in North America after an absence of almost 30 years. Kudsi and his Motion Theory production team spent two days inside the Fiat Toluca plant documenting the production line as the Fiat 500 was being made from sheet metal into finished product. An additional two days were spent on location in Los Angeles shooting the talent vignettes. All told, Kudsi accumulated 36 hours of footage, which was edited in-house by Mirada‘s Lenny Messina. Kudsi deployed a variety of cameras on the shoot, including the RED, Canon 5D and 7D and two GoPro cameras mounted onto robotic arms and inside cars as they were being assembled. As part of the same Fiat USA marketing effort, Kudsi also shot numerous interviews with Fiat customers.
The Impatto team on “Get Ready” included president/CEO Michael D’Antonio, sr. writer Parag Tembulkar, sr. art director Craig Smith, head of integrated content Gail Simon, and producers Lorraine Kraus and Kristin Loudis.
Javier Jimenez exec produced for Motion Theory, with Anna Joseph serving as line producer. The DP was Ericd Schmidt. Teri Whittaker was the production designer.
Mirada, a sister shop to Motion Theory, was the post house on the job, with an ensemble of talent consisting of creative director kudsi, VFX producer James Taylor, online producer Christina Caldwell, sr. art director Jonathan Wu, lead compositing artist Ash Wagers, compositing artists Jason Lowe, Ed Laag, Thomas Horne, Oliver Scott and Phil Guthrie, code artists Keith Pasko and Tim Stutts, designer Chris Ballard, roto artist Midori Witsken, Flame artists Danny Yoon and Matt Bramante and production manager Tina Van Delden. Mirada’s editorial contingent was comprised of editor Messina, Fred Foquet who did additional editing, online editor Jeff Aquino and assistant editor Hoa Mai.
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer โ but not the trigger โ and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More