The fruitful collaboration between bicoastal Union Editorial and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions is ongoing, as evidenced this weekend by the SXSW worldwide premiere of Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine. Union created the main title sequence and graphics for the entire film, which has just been acquired by Magnolia Pictures.
"We love working with Chris and Union: smart, cutting edge and stylish, and always in touch with story," said Gibney, referring to Creative Director Chris Bialkowski, who oversees the graphics division of Union in NY. Bialkowski has worked on numerous projects for Jigsaw Productions, including the title sequences for CNN’s Death Row Stories and Amazon's The New Yorker Presents series. “This was a very collaborative process, working closely with (editor) Michael Palmer, and it really came together when we hit upon a classic Chicago typeface from the glory days of the original Apple computers,” said Bialkowski. “It was subliminal and iconic at the same time, and it worked beautifully as a design theme for us.” Bialkowski’s other feature titles/graphics credits at Union NY include X/Y, out now, and HBO's upcoming Everything Is Copy, a documentary about Nora Ephron produced by Graydon Carter of Vanity Fair, for whom Bialkowski has also done several online projects.
The new film marks the latest success for the fledgling graphics division of Union, which is extremely active despite being established less than two years ago. “The New Yorker Presents was a really fun project,” he recalled. “We were given access to the magazine’s entire archive and given tremendous creative liberty with the material. We gained a lot of insight into the last century.” Bialkowski called Death Row Stories, the division’s first project with Jigsaw, “a great jumping off point for the relationship; we designed something that’s been integral to the show ever since.” He credits the atmosphere and workflow within Union as a major influence and a draw for clients in the feature and commercial arenas. “With so many awesome editors here, we’ve often had the opportunity to jump on board from the beginning of the process, honing in on the challenges and needs of the project,” he observed, citing current beauty projects for CoverGirl and Garnier as examples. “It makes for a consistent workflow and an end product we can all be really proud of.”
Gibney, who is represented by Chelsea Pictures for commercials, recently collaborated with a bevy of Union editors on “Mustang Moments”, in which a test drive behind the wheel of a new 2015 Ford Mustang becomes the chance for some lucky drivers to fulfill their dreams. For the Ford campaign, created via Team Detroit, post was done at resolution LA. Previously, Union Partner/Editor Sloane Klevin was editor/co-producer of Gibney’s “Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God”, and “Taxi to the Dark Side,” which received the Academy Award® for Best Documentary. The pair also worked together on “Freakonomics,” with Gibney directing and Klevin editing.
Prolific filmmakers Gibney and James Marsh, among other distinctive voices in film, have found a home with the talent at Union, which also counts “The Theory of Everything,” “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me,” “Man on Wire” and “Project Nim,” among its narrative and documentary credits.
About Union
Union Editorial has offices in Santa Monica, CA, New York City, Austin TX, and London, where it maintains an alliance with Marshall Street Editors. Union is presided over by Partner/Managing Director Michael Raimondi and Partner/Executive Producer Caryn Maclean. The Union roster is comprised of Partner/Editors Jim Haygood, Einar, Jay Friedkin, Sloane Klevin, Marco Perez, and editors Nico Alba, Jinx Godfrey, Nicholas Wayman-Harris, Rachael Waxler, Daniel Luna, Jason Lucas, Paul Plew, Ben Longland, Laura Milstein, Eric Argiro, Mike Colao, as well as select projects with Tim Thornton Allen, Patric Ryan, Ryan Boucher, Jono Griffith/Circus, and Alex Hagon.
About the Film
A CNN Films and Jigsaw production, Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine offers a portrait of the Apple co-founder. It was produced by Viva Van Loock and Gibney and executive produced for CNN Films by Vinnie Malhotra and Amy Entelis and for Jigsaw by Stacey Offman and Gaby Darbyshire. It now becomes the seventh film directed by Gibney to be distributed by Magnolia, which acquired the theatrical, VOD and home entertainment rights shortly after the SXSW premiere. CNN Films has the television broadcast distribution rights.
