CUT OUT FOR WONGDOODY: PETER MARTIN Peter Martin, the helming duo (Peter Livolsi & Martin Dix) who gained inclusion into SHOOT’s New Directors Showcase earlier this year and then signed with Santa Monica-based harvest, has wrapped “Aussie Cut Out” for Full Tilt Poker and agency WongDoody, Culver City, Calif. In the spot, a live-action guy is seen socializing and cavorting in different scenes with motionless, life-sized cardboard cutout characters. In one scene, the real-life guy surrenders at the card table, saying “I fold,” apparently bluffed by an inanimate cutout being. We then see our protagonist hanging out with other cutouts, including two ladies wading in a swimming pool, and a gent next to the backyard barbecue. In the latter scenario, the cardboard character is inadvertently knocked into the barbie, catching on fire. Finally we see him posed with a collection of cutouts who happen to be photographic renderings of some of the world’s top poker players. A voiceover advises us to log onto fulltiltpoker.com for a chance to win the poker trip of a lifetime to Australia. The WongDoody team consisted of creative director Ed Ribeiro, senior art director Eric Goldstein, copywriter Eric Helin, executive producer Kait Gaskey and associate producer Melia Leidenthal. Bonnie Goldfarb and Scott Howard exec produced for harvest, with Brad Stevenson serving as producer. John Zilles was the DP. Editor/sound designer was Patrick Griffin of Lost Planet, Santa Monica. Colorist was Clark Muller of Riot, Santa Monica. Wren Waters of Therapy, Santa Monica, was online editor. Audio mixer was Jeff Payne of Eleven Sound, Santa Monica.
GROWTH IN STAGES Slated for phase one completion in spring 2007, Albuquerque Studios has started construction on its $74 million, 28-acre motion picture/TV production facility. Phase one will include eight soundstages (four 24,000-square-foot stages and four 18,000-square-foot stages). The first two of the 24,000-square-foot stages are slated to open in January. Pacifica Ventures, which operates the historic Culver Studios in Southern California, will own and operate Albuquerque Studios. According to Pacifica’s chairman/CFO Hal Katersky, the decision to build a major New Mexico complex was prompted by the state’s 25 percent production cost rebate program for film and TV……..
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS Editor Jair Peres has joined New York-based wild(child) editorial. While he currently resides in Brazil, the award-winning editor, whose work has been honored at such competitions as the Cannes International Advertising Festival, plans to move to Manhattan to become part of the local wild(child) ensemble. His credits span spots, music videos, TV shows and cinema….San Francisco-based agency Hoffman/Lewis has hired Mark Manion as VP, creative director to help manage and grow its St. Louis office. He comes over from GSD&M, Austin, Texas. Post house Optimus, with offices in Chicago and Santa Monica, has promoted assistant editors Glorily Velez and Justin Amore to full fledged editor positions. While Velez is in Chicago and Amore is in Santa Monica, they are both available in either Optimus location as are all the company’s cutters……New York-based visual effects boutique MassMarket has signed Jaime Scott, former Flame artist at The Mill, New York….Editor Bill Yukich has come aboard rOOm, Venice, Calif….
