A new commercial for Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights is meant to spur viewers to run for their lives…and straight into the amusement park. A Common Thread produced the spot for Los Angeles agency David & Goliath, delivering a chilling piece of filmmaking that plays like a 30-second horror flick.nnIn Gates, four teens are walking along a foggy street in the dead of night when they spot another teen running at breakneck speed, pursued by a horde of crazed and ravenous zombies. Screaming, they bolt and seek safety behind a pair of towering iron gates. However, the moment they slam the gates shut and turn around, they find themselves confronted by another blood-thirsty mob of horrific creatures —they’ve locked themselves inside Universal Studios.nnA Common Thread and director Clay Staub invested the spot with all the trappings of a teen slasher movie: kinetic cinematography, ghoulish make-up, creepy locations and fevered performances. “Clay pulled from his background as a 2nd Unit Director on Dawn of the Dead, 300 and The Thing,” explains A Common Thread executive producer J.P. McMahon. “He knows how to manage zombies and monsters. He worked with them intensely on how to run, crawl and growl—it’s got a hellish vibe.”nnTo lens the spot, A Common Thread tapped director of photography Gonzalo Amat, whose credits include “The Devil Inside.” His footage is both beautiful and haunting.nnOne of the challenges of the production, notes McMahon, was to squeeze the classic horror movie narrative arc into a half-minute format. “The story starts off in slow motion but ramps up quickly and takes viewers on a high-speed thrill ride to the end,” he says. “The goal was to make it as scary as hell.”nn
nnCreditsnTitle: GatesnClient: Universal StudiosnnAgency: David & Goliath, Los Angeles.nDavid Angelo, Chairman, Chief Creative Officer; Ben Purcell, Creative Director; Steve Yee, Creative Director; Carrie Lighthall, Agency Senior Producer.nnProduction: A Common Thread, Los Angeles.nClay Staub, director; J.P. McMahon, Executive Producer; Tristan Drew, Executive Producer; Gonzalo Amat, Director of Photography. nnCreature FX: Sota FX, Los Angeles. Roy Knyrim.nnA Common Thread is located at 4081 Redwood Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90066. For more information, call 310.823.7300 or visit www.acommonthread.tv.J.P. McMahon Executive Producer/Partner A Common Thread 310.823.7300 Contact J.P. via email
Contact:Tristan Drew Executive Producer/Partner A Common Thread 310.823.7300 Contact Tristan 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