iSPOT first came across Guerilla FX/New York, an independent design, effects and post finishing company, through the work it did on “End-to-End,” (iSPOT of the Week, May 2) a video ad for Foot Locker and Adidas that used time-lapse photography to show a graffiti artist at work. Since then, the company has done work for Nike that uses slow motion photography to show world class athletes in action. Thor Raxlen, co-owner of Guerilla/FX, is a talented director whose work often transcends the boundaries of its intentions, as when an online video ad it produced becomes a TV commercial. Raxlen discusses some of the work he’s done and how he’s created it in this week’s iChat.
Raxlen: A good example is we did some work for TRESemmé (hair care products) for Campbell Mithun. Originally, they wanted to do a set of how to style your hair with a celebrity stylist for a web site. They brought in models and we made six little webisodes. I wanted to add something extra to give it a fashion flair, so I said why don’t we do a splash cut and show them on the street showing off their new looks. It could be the first thing you see when you come to the site or it could be played in a banner. They were planning on doing traditional broadcast in a different direction but when they saw the splash cut, they really liked it so they ended up using it as a TV spot. That’s the rear engineering method of doing TV but it came out really well and it was a cool project. That’s the way we approach a new media project. We look at it as how can we create as many assets as possible. Not just shoot one linear piece, we’re going to try and create as much stuff as possible. So we tend to overshoot with a ton of different cameras. We’ll shoot high def and take a hand-cranked Bolex, a lot of different texture and flavors out of the same material because you’re never really sure what the final application will be. Often what you create they’ll think will be great in a different format, so suddenly it becomes something new.
iSPOT: Do you start with a specific assignment and just get creative?
Raxlen: Each job is a little different. In that case, they wanted a series of hair styles that people would learn how to do, but they were open to looking at other things. Other jobs like Nike we were given the material for broadcast so we purposely made sure we covered ourselves. It depends on every client. Some are more specific and know exactly what they want. A lot of the work we do with Atmosphere they know what they want and it’s more like a traditional film or broadcast approach. They want something very specific and that’s cool, too. It depends on the client.
iSOT: Do you usually get direction from the agency or come up with your own ideas?
Raxlen: I think it’s usually a cooperation, but I want to bring more to the table. If I have a small assignment I want to make something interesting out of it. If you make something good, they’ll find a way to use it. That’s why we’ve been successful.
iSPOT: Can you tell us about the different cameras you use and how they go beyond traditional video cameras.
Raxlen: If you have to do effects, you want to be working in high def or film but if you’re not, you can mix different things. We’ll shoot with a mini cam, it’s a Canon that shoots 1080i hi def. It fits in your palm, you can tape it to a wall, it’s great for weird angle shots. You can use a wide angle adaptor and stick it on the floor and if someone walks by, you get a great shot. For the Nike work, we used the Phantom camera that shoots slow motion at 1000 frames a second. Sometimes you just want to shoot 35mm. We use traditional HD cameras like HVX200 from Panasonic and VariCams that shoot up to 60 frames, but I like to throw in an old hand-cranked Bolex because it gives you a look that’s softer and different, not so perfect and clean. If you look at TRESemmé, it looks really cool. You can beat up digital film to make it look like that, but that’s a lot of work. You can treat digital video for some things, but it’s better to use a better instrument. Initially budgets were so small you had to shoot on video but we’re starting to get into land where we’re able to apply whatever tool is necessary. It’s not quite broadcast budgets but we’re getting there.
iSPOT: How is shooting for the web different from TV?
Raxlen: We shoot live action and 3D files and work it all in. The way it gets disseminated is really interesting, too. It’s not just a linear presentation. People can meander through the website and see a lot of work. That’s why it’s important to create a lot of content and a lot of good content. So people don’t leave.
iSPOT: What are some of the new projects you’re working on?
Raxlen: We’re working on an interesting piece for Atmosphere for Citibank. We’re shooting a woman live action and doing a treatment where she has almost a bobble head and we’re shooting her on a green screen and we’ve created all these 2D and 3D animations. It’s Monty Python-esque. It’s for the web and we’ll be shooting it in early August with postproduction finished by mid-September. We’re also doing something for Ford out of Detroit. They’re using rappers, VJs and spoken poets. Cars will drive in to the site and the person will get out on your screen.
iSPOT: We interviewed the creators of the Diet Coke/Mentos videos who are proud of the fact they shot them quickly with one camera, which is representative of the trend where anyone can shoot a video ad. Is there really a need for elaborate production for online video ads these days?
Raxlen: I really like their attitude, it can work well in the right place at the right time. But it’s a different animal when you’re trying to craft something for a specific purpose. For every one of those viral videos that actually works, there’s thousands you never hear about. You don’t get lucky that often. You can have a camera at the right place at the right time, but if you want something to have a high rate of success, you’re better off crafting it. Those guys could be the next Steven Spielberg and I love the idea of grabbing a camera and coming up with something cool. That’s what’s great about today’s technology. But we try to be professional in crafting the work and when you go with this approach, your chance of success is a lot higher. But it’s an appropriate question for today’s world. The America’s Funniest Home Videos style has changed the game but at the end of the day filmmaking is still filmmaking and there’s a certain discipline to it. That’s my defense.
