Rhinoceros Editorial and Post, New York, first emerged from the postproduction thicket in ’89 when David Binstock, CEO/ founder of the company, wanted to find a new name that clients could really grab by the horn. Up until then, the company was called the Multi-Video Group, which Binstock acknowledges was a bit of a mouthful. The name didn’t have the metaphorical chutzpah that would define the house. Though Multi-Video Group, New York, remains the parent company, the Rhinoceros moniker was chosen after a brainstorming session led by Binstock and a few of his editors. "It came at a time when rhinos were being killed by poachers," explains Binstock, a former editor. "We figured we would bring a little more attention to the subject, and it seemed like a powerful name for us as well."
With an international alliance and several newly opened—and soon to be opened—divisions, Rhinoceros is in no danger of extinction. The company’s origins date back to ’69, when Binstock launched now defunct DMC Films. Binstock’s business at the time consisted of editing TV commercials and printing the finished spots on film, since postproduction was largely confined to celluloid. In ’72, Binstock and editor Bennet Canarick, a former client (Binstock had done print and distribution for Canarick’s spot work), became partners. The two began to build their editing business, which led to the ’77 opening of the Multi-Video Group. The opening of Multi-Video came at a time when editors made the switch from film to video as the prevalent finishing medium in the post process. Today, the key Multi-Video executives include John Starace, a VP/partner/Avid editor, and Joseph Passarella, chief marketing officer/partner.
Binstock recalls the principles that shaped his approach in the company’s formative years: "Our philosophy as film editors was to do more and better work," he says. "We wanted to give the client all the conveniences that we possibly could, and grow a business committed to doing all that we could to achieve that."
That philosophy is precisely what gives the Multi-Video Group and Rhinoceros their direction today, and Binstock and his associates are making moves to give clients as many postproduction—and even production—"conveniences" as possible. "I look at us being an editorial boutique first and foremost, but with all the bells and whistles so that the client can come here and never have to leave," Binstock explains.
Evolving Rhino
The various divisions of Rhinoceros allow agencies almost one-stop shopping. To begin with, there’s Rhinoceros Editorial and Post, an editorial boutique headed by Binstock that practices what he describes as "conceptual editing through completion." The division boasts seven Avid editors and three online editors, though Binstock notes that most of the editors are equipped to cross over from online to offline and vice versa. Recent work from that division includes American General’s "Lance Armstrong," directed by Marcus Stevens of bicoastal Bedford Falls for Grey Advertising, New York, and Mop & Glo’s "Invincible," directed by Tricia Caruso of New York-based TAG Pictures through McCann-Erickson, New York.
Rhinoceros Visual Effects & Design, New York, is also headed up by Binstock, and features partner Bill Mahler, a visual effects and design artist. The division has eight visual effects and graphics artists working on everything from compositing to type design to 3-D computer animation and broadcast design. Rhinoceros took its first step into the graphics arena in ’94, when the company bought a Flint for compositing work. Recent credits for Rhinoceros Visual Effects & Design includes Revlon’s "Liquid Lip," directed by Herb Ritts of Ritts/Hayden, Los Angeles, via New York-based Tarlow Advertising; Gogurt’s "Sunroom" and "Beach," helmed by Pierre Dalpé of bicoastal Access Films, via Saatchi & Saatchi, New York; and Census 2000’s "Anthem," directed by Noble Jones of Celsius Films, New York, out of The Chisholm/ Mingo Group, New York.
The two Rhinoceros divisions are equipped with a plethora of hardware and software, including several pieces of HD equipment. They have a total of nine Avid editing rooms and three linear online rooms, one of which will be a HD linear suite by February. The company also has three Infernos, one of which is hi-def; a Fire non-linear hi-def edit system; three 3-D computer workstations utilizing Softimage, Alias and Maya; and two Mac workstations for high-end graphics work. A Sony HD telecine is expected to be operational in January. Binstock says Sony informed him that Rhinoceros’ telecine suite would be the first operational Sony HD telecine suite in the world.
In January of ’99, Rhinoceros launched production company Wall to Wall, which represents director J. Wesley Jones; there are plans to sign more directors in early 2000. Binstock says that the production division was a logical evolution for Rhinoceros. "Many times we would be in an editing session with a client, and the agency would ask us, ‘Who could we call to do production on a project?’ At a certain point, we decided that we would get involved with production so we could control more of the job."
With substantial investments in HD technology, Binstock believes that hi-def will be adopted at a quick clip, and he’s encouraging clients to use the medium. On the post side, Binstock is ready for HD. "We’re investing in the hi-def technology now because the networks are beginning to broadcast in hi-def this year, and there’s going to be more and more hi-def programming in the next year or so," he says. "Our clients are going to want to produce commercials in HD as well. And we want to be able to help clients do whatever they need when it comes to hi-def [post]."
Binstock is also nudging his clients to explore the hi-def territory on the production end. "We’re showing clients and trying to get them to start working in [high-definition]," he says, adding that Wall to Wall now has a HD camera. "If they want to save some money, they can do a wonderful job shooting in HD." Jones, for example, has been experimenting with the HD camera, and produced an untitled spec spot for Timberland. The commercial shows the boots performing in a mountain setting, captured in HD’s crystal clarity.
Rhinoceros has run an in-house audio mixing facility for five years, and it will soon be complemented by New York-based Wax, a joint venture between Rhinoceros Editorial and Post and Gary Sutcliffe, the president/executive producer of New York-based Sutcliffe Music & Sound Design. The new entity will offer original compositions and sound design from a new roster of composers that the company is now in the process of hiring.
There are also plans to create a new media entity within the next year. That as-yet-unnamed venture will leverage Rhinoceros’ graphics and design experience into interactive and broadband endeavors. Having seen postproduction change from a film- to a video- to a digital-based process, Binstock knows the tools of the trade are malleable. He believes, though, that his key assets are the people who work for him. You can have all the fancy postproduction boxes in the world, Binstock notes, but it simply won’t make a difference if you don’t have the people who can do the job to achieve client expectations. "If the talent isn’t there, forget it," he declares. "Talent is key to everything." Binstock emphasizes that his company’s talent base consists of full-time employees. "The same staff is here at all times," he notes. "If a client wants to work with somebody, we don’t have to call around to see if the same freelancer is available. Having the people on staff is a very important feature in terms of the stability of the company."
Globalization
In July of ’98, Rhinoceros fell in cahoots with another force of nature. At that time, Gravity, a visual effects house based in Tel Aviv, became a partner in Rhinoceros Visual Effects & Design. Rhinoceros has an ongoing option to become a partner in Gravity. In addition to doing visual effects for commercials, music videos and features in the Israeli market, Gravity researches and develops technology and software. That R&D has yielded algorithms used for image compression and manipulation, as well as production technology such as the Z-Cam, a camera system used to capture three dimensional imagery. In addition to Digital Domain, Venice, Calif., Gravity is one of the companies involved with Digital Renaissance, a visual effects company based in Oberhausen, Germany.
Binstock says the alliance with Gravity is the first step in establishing what he envisions as a company with an international presence. "The whole concept of our affiliation with Gravity is to become one international company with various offices around the world and an international talent pool." Binstock says the current plan is to open joint Rhinoceros-Gravity offices in the U.K. and Spain within the next two years. With talent available from around the world, Binstock believes clients could draw from "different designers and different styles," depending on the nature of their project. Gravity has already added to the international profile of Rhinoceros’ current staff, as some of Gravity’s creatives have now migrated to Rhinoceros’ New York offices. Israeli emigrants include Vico Sharabani, a design artist, and Yfat Meiri, a producer for both the editorial and visual effects divisions of Rhinoceros.
Ronnie Braun, partner/chairman of the board at Gravity, describes the relationship with Rhinoceros as a "synergistic" endeavor that will enable both companies to "reach new plateaus. Being involved in territories other than our mother territory enables us to cross-fertilize creatively, and helps us to streamline the way in which we operate and train people," observes Braun. "It enables people to travel from place to place, and as a result, it makes their lives more interesting." Braun adds that any technology or software developed at Gravity then becomes available to the entire company. "If we create a sophisticated solution to one project, [it is] accessible to everyone in our organization."
Binstock and Braun describe a relationship that will enable the companies to work on a spot project around the clock by shuttling digital files from international locations. "The ability to do jobs anywhere in the world today is only as far away as a T1 line," says Binstock.
With so much happening at Rhinoceros, Binstock pauses to reflect again on the company name: "We’re not an endangered species, by any means."i
