“It all starts with a stolen car.” Against a dark background with distant lights, that simple message, conveyed in a bold red font, unfolds somewhat frenetically across the screen. Through hurried, yet precisely framed moments, an unidentified man approaches a black car, smashing the driver’s side window with a silver crowbar. In methodical fashion, the thief quickly starts the car and prepares to speed away, dropping the crowbar out the window as he does so. Dropping to the ground with a clatter, the bar is seen to be dramatically inscribed with the word “Jacked.” In the background, two flashing police cars take up speedy pursuit of the stolen vehicle. To view the sequence, click here: http://gunshop.tv/press/jacked/jacked_open_web.mov
Such is the open for “Jacked: Auto Theft Task Force,” a new show on A&E. All show packaging was created by Gunshop (www.gunshop.tv) — the San Francisco-based, digital production company — working in close collaboration with A&E and Pangolin Films. The project is a perfect example of small scale broadcast budgets leveraging talent and new technology for high end results.
Filmed in Northern New Jersey, the weekly show follows the Essex/Union Auto Theft Task Force (ATTF) — a.k.a. “The Wolf Pack” – as they bring dedication and the latest technology to the fight against automobile thefts.
“‘Jacked’ contributes to the A&E network’s new brand of ‘true drama’,” says Stacy Nimmo, Creative Director at Gunshop. “In keeping with that idea, we wanted a stylized, visceral look to pervade the show and its packaging. For their part, the producers wanted the speed and precision of the car theft to be the central focus of package, conveying the criminal sophistication that these dedicated officers are up against. To accomplish that, we ended up employing a challenging mix of location shooting, stunts, car interiors, and more, all on a very tight time line. Through tight, stylish graphic framing, we were able to come up with a slick, yet gritty look and feel.”
“From the beginning, we had a lot of faith in the Gunshop team,” says Joey Allen, Producer at Pangolin Pictures. “They were unfailingly creative and professional, and came to the table with some great ideas. We were truly elated how they managed to bring all the show elements together so seamlessly and quickly.”
Gunshop‘s speedy and successful accomplishment is made all the more impressive in that they chose to use new and unfamiliar technology on the project. According to Nimmo, “We used the Red One digital camera, mainly because it allowed us to have additional frame size, film lenses, and a 16-bit color space. While working with such cutting-edge technology has its challenges, we were able to design an entirely new workflow which greatly enhanced the eventual quality of the project. Working with the Red One was truly amazing. The color latitude and depth of field was fantastic. Having exceptionally high-quality live action really opens up our creative possibilities, especially on a tight project like Jacked.”
“Jacked: Auto Theft Task Force” premiered with back-to-back half hour episodes, last night, August 21 at 10 pm on A&E.
Technologies used: Red One digital camera; Red Cine; Final Cut Pro; Adobe AfterEffects
ABOUT GUNSHOP: San Francisco-based Gunshop is an end-to-end production facility for building brand-related stories appropriate to any media platform. Partnering with clients such as MTV, Toyota, Microsoft, AOL, and Nike, the company consistently provides complete creative concept, design, live action, edit and interactive services.
