ONE at Optimus today announced the addition of new Director Brian Johnson, who helmed three Ford Truck Month spots that began airing in southwest markets on February 1. Collaborating with <a href="Team Detroit/Retail First, <a href="Optimus directed, cut and finished the three spots, which reflect the “Join the Stampede” theme of Ford Truck Month. Shot in Austin, Texas, they capture a stampede of Ford F-Series trucks while showcasing the versatility, durability and range of capabilities of the Ford F-150 and Ford Super Duty trucks. The spots depict hard-working, every day guys utilizing their trucks for both work and play, reinforcing why Ford is a best-selling line of trucks with indomitable power, payload and fuel economy.
Johnson kicked off his signing with ONE at Optimus directing the Ford project, which was a true fully integrated job. Paul Rosckes, VFX supervisor, was on location for the shoot. Both he and Glen Noren, partner/effects director, led the VFX back in Chicago where Colorist Tyler Roth did color correction and Audio Engineer Joel Anderson handled final mixes. Editor Jim Staskauskas cut the spots out of <a href="Optimus Santa Monica.
“Brian’s experience handling large-scale jobs with lots of moving parts and an ambitious shot list combined with his ability to seamlessly direct a complex campaign made him the perfect guy for the job,” said ONE at Optimus Director of Production Craig Leffel. “The spots are a testament to the success of Optimus’ integrated model, which enabled us to take them from production through post. With industry-leading talent at our fingertips – both on staff and via the freelance community – we are able to bring together the optimal team for any job. For Ford, we enlisted world-class Director of Photography Dana Christiaansen and Line Producer Marsie Wallach, who collaborated with our team and <a href="Team Detroit to deliver the best result for the client.”
Most of the running footage was shot with the Edge Arm, resulting in smooth, fluid, swift and aggressive running footage of the trucks. With the camera acting not just as an observer of the action, but as a participant, viewers can feel the action, acceleration and powerful movement of the trucks. The end result is a bold and heroic composition of the trucks, keeping in line with the campaign’s overall look: rugged, heavy duty, masculine and beautiful to look at, but natural, unforced and not over stylized.
“My experience directing the Ford spots cemented my signing with ONE at Optimus,” said Johnson. “The entire job, especially the shoot, couldn’t have gone more smoothly, and that’s due to the support I had from the entire Optimus team. I’ve known and worked with ONE Executive Producer Kipp Christiansen for years, and he is one of the people I respect most in the industry. After meeting with Optimus President Tom Duff and Craig Leffel, I was so impressed by how the company was run. When I saw firsthand their leadership, passion, dedication and the level of support they give their employees, I knew ONE at Optimus was the right fit for me.”
With more than a decade of experience, Johnson is a multi-talented, accomplished director. His work is noteworthy for its impeccable art direction and lighting, the imaginative flair he brings to capturing memorable performances from both actors and non actors, and the breadth of styles represented in his body of work. He has repeatedly shown the ability to deliver excellent work in a broad range of styles in every genre he has undertaken. In addition to Ford, Johnson has recently helmed numerous story, dialogue and effects-driven spots for clients such as Acura, Xbox, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Sears, Microsoft, Amica Insurance and Verizon.
“From the start of the bidding process, we were very impressed by Brian and the team at Optimus,” commented Ryan Cook, director of regional production, <a href="Team Detroit. “The fact that they could house the whole project under one roof was great. Moreover, with an industry talent such as Dana as DP, we knew we were in excellent hands. They knocked the treatment out of the park, were easy to work, and remained consistently organized, on schedule and on budget throughout the entire production process – resulting in incredible spots for Ford and all the Ford Dealers.”
Credits
Agency: <a href="Team Detroit
Group Creative Director: Todd Chumley
Associate Creative Director/AD: Jerod Bunjer
Associate Creative Director/CW: Steven Presmyk
Director of Regional Production: Ryan Cook
Production: ONE at Optimus
Director of Production: Craig Leffel
Executive Producer: Kipp Christiansen
Director: Brian Johnson
Production Crew
Line Producer: Marsie Wallach
Director of Photography: Dana Christiaansen
Location Scout & Manager: Marcel Meyer
Production Supervisor: Buttons Pham
Post: <a href="Optimus
Editor: Jim Staskauskas
Colorist: Tyler Roth
VFX supervisor: Paul Rosckes
Partner/Effects Director: Glen Noren
Flame Compositors: Marko Markewycz, Cory Davis, Greg Huber
Audio Engineer: Joel Anderson
Executive Producer/Managing Director, Santa Monica: Therese Hunsberger
Executive Producer/Managing Director, Chicago: Gretchen Praeger
About Optimus
Optimus is a leading integrated production company with offices in Chicago and Santa Monica. A singular, streamlined creative-driven machine, Optimus offers all production services – production, editing, color correction, visual effects and design, audio mixing and finishing – under one roof. For more information, please visit www.optimus.com. Connect with us at www.facebook.com/Optimus161.
About <a href="Team Detroit
<a href="Team Detroit, headquartered in Dearborn, Mich., brings together five of WPP’s largest marketing and communications agencies in one central location to provide its clients access to best practices and talent for all necessary marketing and communications services. <a href="Team Detroit is the 21st century equivalent of the full-service agency, acting as a portal to provide a single point of contact and accountability. For more information, visit www.teamdetroit.com.
