This spot opens on star hockey player Duncan Keith of the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks seen in slow motion as he maneuvers in the rink, making quick stops and kicking up a slushy ice-crystal snow with his skates. We hear his voiceover which relates, “Last season, I left seven teeth on the ice. I still have 25 more.”
The tagline “One Goal” appears on screen, referring to the Blackhawks quest to capture a second consecutive NHL Stanley Cup.
“Keith-Snow” was one of five spots in this Blackhawks campaign produced by ONE at Optimus, with editing/post/audio performed at Optimus, for Ogilvy & Mather, Chicago.
Appropriately for a campaign featuring multiple star players and carrying the “One Goal” slogan, ONE at Optimus and Optimus provided a one-stop production and post solution, with Jim Matlosz serving as director/DP for ONE, collaborating with his support team at the production house, the post artisans at Optimus and creatives at Ogilvy.
“Because of inevitable difficulties of professional player availabilities we literally had one week to shoot and edit these beautifully conceived concepts,” said ONE at Optimus exec producer/managing director John Noble. “The team’s seamless collaboration from shoot through post was instrumental in turning around the project so quickly for agency producer Mike Diedrich and the Ogilvy creative team.”
Working around each player’s schedule and availability constricted the production timeline yet the end result appears anything but rushed. Each spot features a stunning slow-motion effect, which was achieved with a Phantom HD GOLD high-speed digital camera, rented from Fletcher Camera & Lenses. “Shooting with the Phantom enabled us to capture a level of clarity–such as individual ice crystals flying from a player’s skate–that allows for the viewer to make an emotional connection with the spot and the player,” said Optimus exec producer Brian Hrastar.
During the five-hour shoot, the Phantom GOLD and three Canon 7Ds were employed — of which one was used for overhead shots — were running continuously. A technique that Matlosz says he often uses when directing spots with professional athletes, “When I work in these situations, I like to keep the cameras running at all times so that we have a better chance of capturing dramatic angles and the players’ personalities. The more we get out of the athletes during production, the better it will be during post.”
While in postproduction, Optimus editor Randy Palmer took his cues from the almost somber, slower version of the song “Here Come the Hawks” that plays throughout the spots. “The real time Canon footage and sound effects added a visceral tension to the striking slow-motion footage of the Phantom,” he commented. “The pace of the music, along with the voiceover dialogue by each player, guided the editing decisions; with the real time footage adding some tension to keep the viewer engaged before cutting back to a portrait.”
Review: Director Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked”
It's the ultimate celebrity redemption tour, two decades in the making. In the annals of pop culture, few characters have undergone an image makeover quite like the Wicked Witch of the West.
Oh, she may have been vengeful and scary in "The Wizard of Oz." But something changed — like, REALLY changed — on the way from the yellow brick road to the Great White Way. Since 2003, crowds have packed nightly into "Wicked" at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre to cheer as the green-skinned, misunderstood Elphaba rises up on her broomstick to belt "Defying Gravity," that enduring girl-power anthem.
How many people have seen "Wicked"? Rudimentary math suggests more than 15 million on Broadway alone. And now we have "Wicked" the movie, director Jon M. Chu's lavish, faithful, impeccably crafted (and nearly three-hour) ode to this origin story of Elphaba and her (eventual) bestie — Glinda, the very good and very blonde. Welcome to Hollywood, ladies.
Before we get to what this movie does well (Those big numbers! Those costumes!), just a couple thornier issues to ponder. Will this "Wicked," powered by a soulful Cynthia Erivo (owner of one of the best singing voices on the planet) and a sprightly, comedic, hair-tossing Ariana Grande, turn even musical theater haters into lovers?
Tricky question. Some people just don't buy into the musical thing, and they should be allowed to live freely amongst us. But if people breaking into song delights rather than flummoxes you, if elaborate dance numbers in village squares and fantastical nightclubs and emerald-hued cities make perfect sense to you, and especially if you already love "Wicked," well then, you will likely love this film. If it feels like they made the best "Wicked" movie money could buy — well, it's... Read More