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.”
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More