The new year got off to a smashing start at Producers in Baltimore. Director, Rip Lambert, and Executive Producer, Ross Jones, headed to Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, Florida for a 3-day commercial shoot for Dick’s Sporting Goods‘ Slazenger brand of high-end golf equipment. Dick’s creative director, Frank Igrec, had some concepts but wanted Lambert and Jones to partner with ad agency, Martino Flynn, to develop the storyboards. “Time was really of the essence,” said Lambert who is also Producers‘ president. “We had a creative call with agency, Martino Flynn, and six days later we were shooting. We knew once we got back we only had a few days to get the spots on the air.”
Everything was shot and edited using RED Digital Cinema workflow. Jones explained how their extensive experience with RED workflow paid off. “It started with DP, Manny Vouniozos, who is a pro’s pro. We filmed one of the commercials in its entirety the first day we were there. Our senior editor, Dave Hudson, flew in that night. We set him up in the clubhouse to start editing the next morning.”
Producers‘ senior editor for the last 15 years, Hudson says he has been in this position before. “I think companies have come to rely on us to put out high-quality work even when time isn’t necessarily on our side. I was editing with a MacBook Pro running Final Cut equipped with RED Rocket. At lunch time or at the end of the day, the clients were coming in and sitting down with me to see where we were.”
The shoot wasn’t without its challenges for Jones and the production crew of 35. Like most of the country, central Florida had unseasonably cold temperatures this winter. Jones says every morning there was frost on the greens. “The frost was an unforeseen, which wouldn’t have worked for the commercials obviously, not to mention the fact that the course didn’t want us out there ruining the turf. So we had to wait for the ground crew to come out and water it down to get rid of the frost. The folks at Grand Cypress are very production savvy, which is the reason we picked that particular course. They provided everything from golf carts to mobile generators. In this business, it helps to know the best, most accommodating places for a production.”
“It worked out great”, reflects Hudson. “We brought the rough cuts back, moved everything over seamlessly to our Avid systems for finishing. We had to create a few special effects back in our studio, but we got the first round of spots out on time and Dick’s was very happy with the creative.”
“It was all about the planning,” says Lambert. “Even though time was against us, we had many moving parts going at the same time each with a professional in charge focused on their area of expertise. We communicated well along the way, and wouldn’t you know it – success!”
Credits:
Frank Igrec – Creative Director for Dick’s Sporting Goods
Kristen Garmey – Broadcast Production Manager for Dick’s Sporting Goods
Chris Flynn – Partner for Martino Flynn
Brad Garratt – Creative Supervisor for Martino Flynn
Rip Lambert – Director for Producers
Ross Jones – Executive Producer for Producers
Manny Vouniozos – Director of Photography
Karen Phillips – Executive Producer, Post for Producers
Dave Hudson – Senior Editor for Producers
Bob Bragg – Senior Sound Designer/Mixer for Producers
Chris Abolt – Compositor/Motion Designer for Producers
Kirk Davis – Colorist for Producers
