“Pirate Island“, a feature-length documentary that recently made its world premiere on the History Channel, follows legendary underwater archeologist Barry Clifford as he searches for pirate shipwrecks in the waters near Île Sainte-Marie, a tiny island off the coast of Madagascar. As with Somali pirates today, the Indian Ocean was terrorized in the 18th century by marauding seamen, who amassed huge fortunes by pillaging commercial vessels. Clifford, the only person to previously have found a pirate shipwreck, was seeking evidence of these early pirates and their booty.nnThe documentary is produced by www.originalfilm.com.>Original, a bi-coastal production company and one of the country’s top producers of television commercials. The company, which produced the film entirely in-house, has a desire to create a wide range of content both as part of a diversification strategy and to develop unique opportunities for its staff of directors and other talent. nnGeoffrey Madeja, who served as producer and cinematographer, developed the concept for the doc with Clifford, and led the crew on a five week shoot (that included extensive underwater shoots with dive teams). Editorial, computer animation and other post work was completed at www.originalfilm.com.>Original‘s production headquarters in Los Angeles.nn
nnMadeja and his crew recorded Clifford making a number of incredible finds, including five sunken pirate ships, some the obvious result of combat with British naval ships. Clifford and his dive teams retrieved cannon, cannonballs and homemade hand grenades, as well as Austrian and Dutch gold coins. They also found some lead coins used by pirates as gambling tokens. “We didn’t have time to fully excavate the shipwrecks; that will take years,” observes Madeja. “We just opened the glove compartment.”nnMadeja brought in a team of geologists who made what may have been the most intriguing discovery revealed in the show. Using scanning equipment to scour the grounds of a tiny islet, they unearthed a system of subterranean tunnels used by pirates to hide their loot.nnShooting in Madagascar posed a number of logistical hurdles. Upon landing on the island, Madeja found that his film permits had been revoked, prompting a new round of negotiations with local authorities. “There was also the challenge of getting film equipment, our crew and the excavation team to the remote location,” Madeja says. “Once production began, we were doing two or three dives a day, plus hiking through mountain and jungle environments.”nnMurky Indian Ocean waters also proved difficult to shoot in. “Often we couldn’t see more than a foot in front of us,” Madeja recalls. “We were also very careful to avoid stone fish and sea urchins—which had foot long tentacles.”nnBack in the more relaxed confines of www.originalfilm.com.>Original‘s production offices, a team of CG animators produced computer animated simulations of 18th century sea battles. Madeja’s crews shot live action background plates for the animated sequences to increase the sense of realism.nnAs challenging as the documentary was to pull off, Madeja suggests it would have been impossible without the resources offered by www.originalfilm.com.>Original. “The writers, the editors, the animators…we’ve got it all here under one roof,” he says. “That was really great.”n nAbout www.originalfilm.com.>Originalnwww.originalfilm.com.>Original is led by executive producers Bruce Mellon, Joe Piccirillo and Marc Lasko and maintains production offices in Los Angeles and New York City. The company’s post production division, headed by Jonathan Del Gatto, provides editorial, design, graphics and visual effects services. www.originalfilm.com.>Original is represented on the West Coast by Options, (310) 578-9383; on the East Coast by Jeff Devlin, (212) 832 2271 and Rich Scafler, 212 750-8111; in the Midwest by KK Reps (312) 533-4047; and in Texas by Jack Reed, (214) 213-8249. For more information, call (310) 445-9000 or (212) 832-2271, or visit www.originalfilm.com.www.originalfilm.com.>Original Joe Piccirillo Executive Producer (310)445-9000 Contact Joe via email
Contact:Media: Linda Rosner ArtisansPR 310.837.6008 Contact Linda via email
Agency Source Joins Forces With #BidforLA To Support LA’s Production Community
Today, Agency Source, the newly launched business development platform for ad agencies and production companies, announced its partnership with #BidforLA, an initiative designed to support Los Angeles’ advertising production community as it recovers from the recent wildfires. LA is home to some of the world’s top talent, many of whom have been severely impacted by the fires. #BidforLA encourages production companies, filmmakers, and creatives to prioritize LA-based businesses, crews, and services when bidding on projects. Submitting a bid for Los Angeles—whether or not other locations are being considered—helps keep the city competitive and generates crucial work for local talent. The initiative aims to strengthen the local industry, create jobs, and reinforce LA’s position as a global leader in creative production. Agency Source has teamed up with #BidforLA to provide a comprehensive platform that connects production teams with essential resources in Los Angeles, offering a curated list of trusted local providers, including production companies, post houses, and independent production representatives. The list is living and breathing and will stay live and up-to-date as more companies are added. View the full production list HERE . Agency Source CEO Ross MacRae states, “As soon as we were asked to participate, we said yes immediately. We proudly support the businesses and individuals affected by the LA fires. We aim to help all production studios in the area bounce back and thrive again.” Notes co-founder Veronica Lombardo, “When envisioning a resource... Read More