In producing his first TV series, Martin Rodahl, the Norwegian-born filmmaker, assembled a coalition of commercial post-production companies that are stretching in new directions too. Although these companies have worked with America’s leading advertising agencies and brands in the past, “Our Longest Drive,” a six-week series that airs Tuesdays at 10:30 PM Eastern on The Golf Channel, represents a journey they haven’t taken.nnInstrumental to Rodahl’s completion of “Our Longest Drive” was The Colonie, the Chicago-based post-production house known for its commercial work. Brian Sepanik, one of The Colonie‘s three principle owners, served as the series’ primary editor. Sepanik viewed 400 hours of Rodahl’s amassed footage and began work on the project more than a year ago.nnChicago-based NoiseFloor, led by owner Cory Coken, handled the all aspects of sound design and audio mixing for the series, while Company 3 and Tyler Roth spearheaded the coloring effort. Shawn Sutta and Audiocastle were responsible for music composition and licensing.nnnn”‘Our Longest Drive‘ is my largest endeavor to date,” noted Rodahl, the owner of 71 Degrees North, the busy commercial and branded content production company that closed for a month last summer to document the travels of four retired men, one of whom was dead, to the Arctic Circle for golf on the summer solstice. “I loved the story behind this adventure and wanted to reconnect with the Arctic, having grown up in Norway,” Rodahl said.nnRodahl assembled a crew of three other men, all fellow graduates from Northwestern University’s film program, who accompanied him through seven US states, two Canadian provinces and two territories from Chicago to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada – a road trip by RV and Jeep that lasted 18 days and covered 5500 miles. nn”It’s rare when someone embarks on his first long format work and has it picked up by a network,” Rodahl noted. “The Golf Channel is the perfect spot for this story about adventure, discovery, loss and legacy, and, oh yes, golf. The network saw in Our Longest Drive a way to extend its audiences beyond its core. The experiences of the characters and the wisdom of age they impart from one episode to another makes this story universal,” he added.nnAlthough Rodahl admits he’s had excellent help from his collaborators, he served on the series in roles other than director and producer, including part-time cinematographer, writer, and sales representative. “I’ve been on ‘Our Longest Drive‘ for nearly two years now,” he said. “We finished a rough cut of a feature-length version before The Golf Channel caught wind of our progress. Vic Zast, the originator of the idea, contacted the network long before meeting me, but his plea for sponsorship went unheeded because he and his friends were unknown entities. Once we presented our cut to the network, however, they immediately saw the potential of the story and its characters.”nnZast, a horse racing journalist with a background in the perfume business, is happy with 71 Degrees North‘s involvement and the Golf Channel outcome. “I know how difficult it is to place something on network television, and to do it at first try at age 67 is a dream come true,” he said. “I knew from the beginning that we had a good idea, even though I developed it on drugs while recovering from heart surgery. But we were lucky to find the one filmmaker who fit the job of telling our story like a glove,” Zast remarked.nn”Our Longest Drive” airs Tuesdays at 10:30 PM Eastern on The Golf Channel.nnCompanies involved in the series production:nn71 Degrees NorthnDirector/Producer: Martin RodahlnnThe ColonienEditor/Partner: Brian SepaniknnNoise-FloornSound designer/Owner: Cory CokennnCompany 3nColorist: Tyler RothnnAudiocastlenMusic Composition: Shawn Sutta
Martin Rodahl 71 Degrees North Contact Martin via email
Who Needs Los Angeles? We Do.
One doesn't have to be a statistician to know that there are fewer commercials being shot in the U.S. today for the American market than ever before, and a dramatic decrease in L.A. in particular. In the last five years, as reported by FilmLA (the office tasked with issuing permits), L.A. commercial production has dipped 31 percent. But here’s the thing: This doesn’t mean that L.A. has lost its importance as the production center of the world. Production in L.A. is vital. It is the go-to. It’s where you can count on access to exemplary crews, a support infrastructure second to none, varied location and backlot options, a large population of on-screen talent and (fairly) predictable weather. The fact is, with overall decline and now the devastation of the fires, we’re on the brink of losing this mainstay resource. Without employment opportunities and now many without homes, talented and trained crew are bound to leave either the industry or the LA area for other opportunities, unless there are enough job opportunities to sustain a solid living. Now is the time when we ALL must support and bolster this community. Production is needed in L.A., now! Of course, advertising is a business, and marketers’ money should be spent as efficiently as possible, BUT we have to think beyond each production and know that if we lose the incredible resource of L.A. production as we know it, then marketers, agencies and the industry loses in the long run. Over the past several days, some agencies have issued directives to production companies that are unilaterally pushing upcoming production options out of L.A. The fact is L.A. is a large area, and many sections of the city and county are not directly impacted... Read More