By Theresa Piti
SHORT CUTS
Vinton Studios, Portland, Ore., has completed six commercials for ThermaCare and agency D’Arcy, New York. "Pre-Launch" (:15), "Walk/Don’t Walk" (:30), "Pedestrian" (:30), "Worker" (:30), "Runner" (:15) and "Sleep" (:30), feature a combination of CG and live action, both directed by Vinton’s Gayle Ayers. ThermaCare’s character, "Icon Guy," and his female counterpart appear on universal signs, such as a crosswalk, a pedestrian crossing, and a slippery when wet sign. The characters come to life through CG when they are struck with pain. After the ThermaCare heat wraps are applied, the characters leap from their signs and interact in live action situations. Additional Vinton Studios credits include executive producer Zilpha Yost; producer Mary Jane Wood; art director/character designer Robin Ator; storyboard artists Brian Ormiston and Tom Price; "Pre-Launch" animator and CG model builder Shawn MacInerny; "Walk/Don’t Walk" animator Travis Knight; "Pedestrian" and "Worker" animator Allan Steele; "Runner" and "Sleep" animator Chris Ohlgren; CG model builders Kerry Pierce and Charlie Ramos; animation editor Cam Williams; assistant animation editor Steve Briske; "Pre-Launch," "Walk/Don’t Walk," "Pedestrian" and "Runner" technical director Adrian Grey; "Worker" and "Sleep" technical director Clay Connally; "Pre-Launch" and "Walk/Don’t Walk" Flame artist Rebecca Bowen; "Pedestrian," "Worker," "Runner" and "Sleep" Flame artist Tom Burney; Flint artist Phil Guzzo; production assistants Deanna Rizzo, Billy Halkinrude, David Cole, Nick Childs and Louanne Moldovan. Blue Highway, Portland, and Circle Productions, Vancouver, B.C. combined on the live-action portion of the ads.
Phoenix Editorial, San Francisco, edited "Take Off," for Amtrak via agency Glass McClure Advertising, Sacramento, Calif. The :30 encourages Californians to "take off" and discover the best of the state by traveling on Amtrak. The spot features stock footage from Getty Images, Seattle, and existing scenes from Amtrak’s library. Phoenix’s Robbie Proctor cut the ad, with Sheila Smith producing. John Crossly was Smoke/online editor for Phoenix.
New York-based Charlex teamed with agency Draft Worldwide, New York, to construct a series of animated 3-D spots for CIT, based on the concept of "the new bottom line." The :30s were originally conceived by the agency as 2-D, but after conferring with Charlex, they decided to go with the 3-D technique. In the spots, the animated blue line accompanied by sound effects, moves continuously from frame to frame in one long "take," showing different business concepts, and changing into different forms that illustrate the kinds of business CIT works with, including a manufacturing production line, a city skyline, and a highway. At Charlex, each of the phases in the transformation of the line was created and rigged, to control the way it moves, using Maya and Shake software. Charlex credits include executive creative director Alex Weil, CG supervisor Bryan Godwin, designer/director Colin McGreal, lighting technical directors Karl Coyner and Mike Sparber, 3-D artist Bill Watral, animators Jeff Chavez and Sam Crees, Flame/Smoke artist Alan Neidorf, sound designer Jason Trammell, executive producer Amy Kindred, senior producer Steve Chiarello, and producer Katie Haser.
MUSIC NOTES
Mitch Dorf of POP Sound, Santa Monica, completed the final mix for MTV’s Aerosmith tribute special, Icon, which premiered recently on the music network. The show featured documentary and historical footage of the band, as well as a live performance with Kid Rock, Pink, Train, Papa Roach, Shakira, and the X-ecutioners, all singing Aerosmith songs such as "Janie’s Got a Gun" and "Last Child." Dorf collaborated with MTV producer Michael Dempsey and music supervisor Larry Shure on the project.
West Hollywood-headquartered 740 Sound Design recreated the sounds of the Winter Olympics for a :60 honoring Home Depot’s sponsorship of some of the Games’ athletes. Conceived by The Richards Group, Dallas, and directed by Ray Dillman of bicoastal Gartner, "Snow Portraits" features sleek slow-motion scenes of skeleton, snowboarding, slalom, hockey, cross-country skiing and speed skating events. Titles appear identifying the athletes, who include Gold Medalist Derek Parra, and the the departments they work in at Home Depot. 740’s Michael Johnson designed sound for the commercial, recreating the signature sound of each event. In addition, Johnson made original recordings and drew numerous elements from 740’s proprietary sound design library. Additional 740 crew included Scott Ganary and Dane Davis, executive producers; Matt Hedges, associate producer; John Fasal, field recordist; and John Roesch, Foley walker.
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More