Optimus and ONE at Optimus recently teamed with agency 426 Inc. to direct, edit and finish a spot for the National Auto Parts Association (NAPA) website. “The Art of Braking”–directed by ONE at Optimus director Mark Pallman and cut by Optimus editor Jim Staskauskas–leverages 22 ReplayXD cameras mounted at various points on a Ford Mustang and a Ford 4 x 4 in action to capture the power and responsiveness of Reactive One® performance brake rotors, sold at NAPA.
In the spot, stunt driver and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car driver Jon Capps maneuvers a car armed with Reactive One Performance brakes at speeds north of 90 mph. He gives the brakes a run for their money, and they perform beautifully. At the end of the spot, we see that Capps has spelled out “One” in skid marks, effectively creating a piece of art using a rotor, rubber and asphalt.
With all the cameras–mounted everywhere from the wheel wells to the gas and brake pedals to the gear shift to the driver’s helmet–Optimus had 30 hours of footage to from which to cut the 60-second spot. “The ReplayXD cameras provided us with amazing angles and incredibly high quality pictures, as they are small enough to be mounted almost anywhere and they hold up in the most extreme conditions,” commented Staskauskas, who has significant experience cutting high action, high speed work. “We even put one on a remote control helicopter for aerial shots. The result is a beautiful spot highlighting all the best angles from the shoot.”
“The NAPA spot is a great example of the benefits of working with an integrated production house such as Optimus,” said ONE at Optimus executive producer Kipp Christiansen. “Our production and post teams were on set to ideate and execute with 426 Inc., allowing for creative collaboration and streamlined communication throughout the entire process. Moreover, we were very impressed by the performance of the ReplayXD cameras and their incredibly nimble and sturdy mounts, which allowed us to capture angles and stabilized footage that we could not have gotten with other cameras. We were able to supplement the provocative camera angles with narrative, including close-ups of the driver getting into the car and the installation of the brake rotors.”
“Beatles ’64” Documentary Captures Intimate Moments From Landmark U.S. Visit
Likely most people have seen iconic footage of the Beatles performing on "The Ed Sullivan Show." But how many have seen Paul McCartney during that same U.S. trip feeding seagulls off his hotel balcony?
That moment — as well as George Harrison and John Lennon goofing around by exchanging their jackets — are part of the Disney+ documentary "Beatles '64," an intimate look at the English band's first trip to America that uses rare and newly restored footage. It streams Friday.
"It's so fun to be the fly on the wall in those really intimate moments," says Margaret Bodde, who produced alongside Martin Scorsese. "It's just this incredible gift of time and technology to be able to see it now with the decades of time stripped away so that you really feel like you're there."
"Beatles '64" leans into footage of the 14-day trip filmed by documentarians Albert and David Maysles, who left behind 11 hours of the Fab Four goofing around in New York's Plaza hotel or traveling. It was restored by Park Road Post in New Zealand.
"It's beautiful, although it's black and white and it's not widescreen," says director David Tedeschi. "It's like it was shot yesterday and it captures the youth of the four Beatles and the fans."
The footage is augmented by interviews with the two surviving members of the band and people whose lives were impacted, including some of the women who as teens stood outside their hotel hoping to catch a glimpse of the Beatles.
"It was like a crazy love," fan Vickie Brenna-Costa recalls in the documentary. "I can't really understand it now. But then, it was natural."
The film shows the four heartthrobs flirting and dancing at the Peppermint Lounge disco, Harrison noodling with a Woody Guthrie riff on his guitar... Read More