They are eclectic, eccentric, resilient, resourceful, mercurial and often positively pugnacious. This could describe the characters Rosemary Rodriguez created in her indie feature Silver Skies, or it could describe the crew she came to adore at a very real New York post house. “I love Just Add Water!” exclaimed the director.
Ms. Rodriguez’s motion picture, Silver Skies, is the story of a group of senior citizens whose lives are turned upside down when their Los Angeles area apartment complex is sold out from under them for condos. The dramatic comedy’s cast includes George Hamilton, Valerie Perrine, Jack McGee and Mariette Hartley.
Silver Skies editor Francis Zuccarello needed superior computational power and a more convenient location at which he could work with his director. He turned to his long-time colleagues, Joe DeFilipps, Jonathan Levy and Enrico Madonna for help. The three owners eagerly made space available to Zuccarello at Just Add Water.
The Lucky Strike extra was to befriend the delightful Rodriguez, who has a busy schedule as an episodic television director. She and her editor would only have three weeks side by side. The environment of Just Add Water, a creative and intimately familial company, stimulated swift problem solving and free form exploration.
Today, even a low budget motion picture needs visual effects. Executive Producer DeFilipps made certain Just Add Water was there for Rodriguez, in rough cut and completion stages.
Motion Designer Sarah Cortese supplied the VFX expertise that brought life to display screens in the movie. “It was great to see that Rosemary’s characters, although seniors, are cool with computers and smart phones.”
Smoke artist Taylor Vavra retouched moments in a crucial scene at historic Hollywood Racetrack Park, with amazing results.
But in Silver Skies, not only the effects are special. According to Joe DeFilipps, “The performances are superb. The story is so timely. It deals viscerally with aging. Who doesn’t have an elderly parent, with serious problems related to health, money–and pride?”
Staff editor, Peggy Pardo, stated after screening the movie “I was invested immediately. The characters are underdogs. I was rooting for them all the way.”
In appreciation, Rodriguez insisted Just Add Water and its sister color grading facility, Out Of the Blue, receive an on-screen product placement. No documentary can do that.
“Just Add Water became a retreat for my movie and me. I could relax and easily focus on Silver Skies.” Or to quote one of Rodriguez’s own characters, “It’s our home.” And you know, there’s no place like home.
About Just Add Water
Just Add Water, Inc. (JAW) is a full-service post-production facility located in midtown Manhattan. The company’s award-winning editors have serviced the advertising industry and corporate markets for more than twenty years, creating TV commercials, interactive content, corporate videos and more. JAW is a member of the Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) with a multitude of clients including Amtrak, AOL, AT&T, Bayer, Bear Stearns, Burlington Coat Factory, Dassault Falcon Jet, DWS Scudder, Fruit of the Loom, Gillette, HSBC, JC Penney, Lifesavers, Macys, Mars, NFL, Nautica, Nikon, Novartis, Oral-B, P&G, PepsiCo, Showtime, Sony, SPX, Versace and Victoria's Secret. For more information visit www.justaddwater.tv.
