Executive Producer
Camp Lucky
Are you involved in virtual production or experimenting with AI, AR or other emerging disciplines or new technologies? Have you engaged in any real-world projects on these fronts? If so, relative to experimental and/or actual projects, briefly tell us about the work & what you’ve taken away from the experience.
Camp Lucky is uniquely positioned in that our production facility is outfitted with a Volumetric stage. This level of direct access has allowed our entire team, production and post, to work in tandem to push new applications of this emergent technology in the commercial arena. We have already completed more than eight commercials, shot entirely on our Volume with virtual environments ranging from commercial kitchens and living rooms to mountainside cottages and desert landscapes.
One recent application involved creating the lobby of a national fast-food chain, as our client was unable to close a store for filming and the budget did not allow for something of this scale to be constructed practically. Our environment artists designed a perfectly realistic dining room model, complete with branded booths, ceilings with hanging sconces, and windows that allowed a view outward toward foliage that swayed lightly in a virtual breeze. In this instance, the implementation of the Volume was absolutely critical in our ability to realize the client’s vision for this spot.
While shooting on a Volume is by no means the perfect solution for every application, it certainly has its place. With uniquely designed environments using the Unreal Engine, we are able to maintain complete control of every aspect of production from time of day, weather, lighting, sound, and so on. We learn something new with every project and are continually finding fresh and innovative ways to use this tech to bring creative visions to life.
Does your company have plans for any major diversification and/or expansion/investment in technology and talent this year and if so, what? How will this investment or diversification add value to what you can offer to clients? If instead you have already realized any actual expansion, made such an investment and/or diversified significantly recently, share those developments with us along with what they mean to your staff and clients.
Our roster of talent is varied and diverse, not only in their backgrounds but also the paths that brought them into our industry. I feel we all share that love and passion for creating a visual narrative, whether that be in a :06 social spot or a 90-minute feature film.
The move of content from the screen to online, broke down the barriers of classically defined media buys. Longform deliverables and brand films blurred the lines as some commercials started to look more like features.
This transition opened our eyes to the possibilities of allowing what was seemingly a natural progression to find a permanent place at Camp Lucky. For years, our full roster of talent had been involved in feature film and episodic work while balancing the demands of the commercial workflow. As these opportunities continued to increase, we decided to make it official by establishing a separate Longform division with a staff dedicated solely to that cause.
This expansion puts in place a structure that can more soundly respond to, as well as grow, this type of new work. And, while we scaled up our staff to meet these demands, we’re extremely fortunate that our full roster now has the ability and increased access to follow their passion into new arenas.
While the foundation of our company has been grounded in commercials for more than three decades, we feel this expansion fuels the passion of our roster of filmmakers which, in turn, benefits our entire client base.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More