Created and directed by Jimmy Diebold of Bodega Studios, this short features a spectacular light show in CenturyLink Field, Seattle (home of the NFL’s Seahawks). Making it all the more spectacular are that Diebold and a skeleton crew made the short sans special effects and with only one night in the stadium.
Diebold took thousands of still photos from assorted perspectives, and assembled them to sync up with a dubstep rendition of “Midnight City” by M83, remixed by Patrick Reza. Choreographing the light show was a logistical challenge in but one night given that the stadium lights take considerable time to warm up. Securing the help of DP Adam Marsden, CSC, and recruiting via a Craigslist ad seven Seattle-based photographers, Diebold and his producer Clint Goldman, San Francisco-based executive producer/partner of the bicoastal Bodega, were able to bring the short to fruition and had it posted online prior to the Super Bowl; at press time, it had generated some 350,000 hits and counting.
Calling the piece a light show doesn’t do it full justice. The show plays almost like an art film, essentially like a classic animation, made up of thousands of still images and entailing the selection of the proper light combinations from potentially hundreds of thousands in order to capture the rich details of each light in a unique manner.
“Creating the light effects in-camera–how it bounces and spills off of the stadium’s contours–requires special consideration, but it’s the only way to achieve such beautiful, natural images,” related Diebold. In the big picture, the director said he wanted “to create a piece that was an architectural appreciation and provided a sense of place, but also captured the raw energy and excitement of what happens there. I knew it would be a departure from anything I’d done before.”
Diebold worked closely with Reza on the latter’s already existing dubstep remix of “Midnight City” and how to best deploy it in the film.
The spec piece, a passion project for Diebold, is picking up momentum online–and there’s the prospect of it perhaps being used by the Seahawks and the Seattle Sounders soccer team during their games at CenturyLink Field.
Actor Steve Guttenberg Returns To L.A. Neighborhood Now Charred By Devastating Wildfire
Steve Guttenberg awoke Thursday morning to a grim reality: The treacherous wildfire that tore through the Pacific Palisades had left his once-lush neighborhood charred and unrecognizable.
With homes smoldered, streets emptied and friends scattered by evacuation orders, Guttenberg counted himself among the fortunate. His property was miraculously spared. But the actor-producer still struggled to reconcile his relief with the haunting sight of his ravaged, once lavish community.
"Just this morning, I woke up and I was really conscious of my mental state and my mental health, because the last three days, I've seen so much tragedy," said Guttenberg, pacing through the ruins of his neighborhood. He said his home has electricity but no running water.
Guttenberg thanked God that his block was safe, but he said about 20 homes were burned "pretty bad" in his 80-home community after wind-whipped fires tore across Los Angeles, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled as the fires burned uncontained Wednesday. He said the fires are the worst he's ever seen in his 66-years.
The wildfires have burned the homes of several celebrities including Billy Crystal, Carey Elwes and Paris Hilton.
Guttenberg said he never expected all of this to happen.
"It's like when someone dies suddenly," he said. "It's like when someone gets hit by a car. You never expect that to happen. That's how shocking it was."
During Guttenberg's stroll, it was an eerie scene with scorched palm trees, homes reduced to ash and rubble, and the daytime skies casted an ominous twilight over the devastation.
"I've seen people scared, people in wheelchairs, mothers and fathers trying to find their kids, people having anxiety and panic... Read More