“SAINTS LA” has been launched in Downtown Los Angeles as a new, full-service, visual effects, broadcast design, and motion graphics production boutique, specializing in the creation of visual imagery for TV commercials, feature films, television programs and promos, web content, videogames, and music videos. The founders of SAINTS LA are industry veterans Mark Larranaga and Zach Kinney, who have also just announced the completion of a three spot Kodak campaign for Deutsch New York and the Thomas Cobb Group.
ABOUT THE KODAK PRINTER CAMPAIGN
The Kodak Printer Campaign is comprised of three intricate commercials, all shot with motion control and assembled by SAINTS LA.
All three of the Kodak Printer spots where shot practically by the Thomas Cobb Group and produced by Paul Middlemiss. SAINTS LA founder/Visual Effects Supervisor Mark Larranaga said, “When I saw the first boards on these spots, and the planned complexity of these commercials, I was led to believe that the only way we could pull them off was to go all CG on them. However, the agency wanted to try and keep everything in-camera. This approach led to an amazing, three-day, motion control shoot, which incorporated mechanically designed props and custom made printers.”
He adds, “Trying to shoot everything in-camera turned out some amazing photography. However, there was still a large amount of work that we had to accomplish in post. Since the agency had decided to try and capture everything in-camera, this meant that all of the printers and props featured within the three spots needed to work perfectly. Since this was an analog approach, some motion control passes worked better than others. This left us with the creative job of having to match-up all of the motion control passes — mixing and matching passes that worked better than others, as well as having to composite the spots to perfection. We also had to incorporate some 3D elements toward the end of the job.”
Spot # 1 is titled “Overspend” (:30). This first commercial launches into a single row of generic printers, with each counting down and spinning like the wheels of a large odometer. The spot illustrates that millions of dollars are lost into an abyss of paper caused by the over spending by consumers of ink and the over printing demanded by these commonly used printers.
Spot # 2 is titled “Bleeding Wallet” (:15). This spot begins with a wallet, from which ink slowly starts to leaks out from the sides. The spot illustrates how much money consumers are really loosing on ink every time they print.
Spot # 3 is titled “Printing Money” (:15). In this spot, like the bleeding wallet spot, a wallet is again used and made to function like a printer, as
U.S. currency prints out $20 bills. This spot reinforces the message of how much money consumers are spending on ink.
SAINTS LA CREDITS FOR KODAK SPOTS
Director: Thomas Cobb
Visual Effects Supervisor: Mark Larrañaga
Visual Effects Supervisor: Zach Kinney
Executive Producer: Paul Middlemiss
Producer: Rob Bradley
Visual Effects Producer: Estée Ochoa
Marla Barnet Carter: Flame Artist
Harry Paakkonen: 3D Supervisor
ABOUT THE FOUNDERS OF SAINTS LA
The team behind SAINTS LA has extensive experience across a full spectrum of production and post production services, including directing TV commercials and music videos, working as Visual Effects Supervisors on feature films and television programs, and rebranding television networks through motion graphics and broadcast design. The company specializes in the creation and production of stunning visuals, which embellish each of their clients’ projects.
Regarding the formation of their new company, Larranaga and Kinney said, “The economy has forced us to figure out more viable solutions on how to do better work, while concurrently keeping overhead down. Moving into the Los Angeles Downtown area has given us the ability to do that — not to mention the artistic
vibe on ‘Gallery Row’ which is lots of fun. The amazing hotels and restaurants featured in this area makes our Loft-style boutique even more appealing to all out of state producers and agencies.”
ABOUT MARK LARRANAGA
Mark Larranaga began his postproduction career in 1992 at one of Hollywood’s most technically sophisticated post houses, Encore Video. This lead him to many opportunities in the film industry and commercials, and since then, has worked as a Digital Compositor and Visual Effects Supervisor on numerous, high profile feature films, most recently “2012.”
Larranaga’s past has also led to opportunities for him to direct — the next evolution in his career, and a role that he greatly enjoys. “Taking a project from conception to completion is what I prefer,” he notes.
Says Larranaga, “With my experience in visual effects, I can bring so much more to the table of a production. I often hear that agencies are afraid to hire Visual Effects directors to shoot anything other than FX-oriented spots. However, I feel it’s all about communication and preparation before the shoot that makes a production go well. As a director, I especially like to ensure that my crew, the talent, and myself are all on the same page, before I ever step onto the set.”
ABOUT ZACH KINNEY
Zach Kinney graduated from Rhode Island School of Design, with a BFA in animation and film. He began his career in 1994, working with renowned visual effects and design company R/Greenberg in New York City. Starting out as a production assistant there, he later worked his way up to designer by honing his artistic and technical skills. After four years at R/Greenberg, Kinney left to begin a career as a freelance designer and motion graphics artist, working for such top, NYC-based design/post houses as EyeballNYC, Trollbäck, and Psyop.
Kinney later spent two years as Senior Design Director with Click 3X, before relocating to Los Angeles. There, he continued his evolution as an artist and pursued additional feature film visual effects work.
Today, Kinney has over 13 years of experience with Adobe After Effects. He has worked on behalf of over 150 major clients, including AMC, HBO, TMC, TNT, MTV, MTV2, VH1, BET, Food Network, Fox Reality, Lifetime, Nickelodeon, NASCAR, and New Balance. He has also produced four AICP show titles, stage graphics for Paul McCartney, and other digital motion graphics for Samsung and HSBC Times Square video billboards, Heavy D, Lugz, MAC Cosmetics, and Volvo.
ABOUT SAINTS LA
Founded in 2010 by industry notables Mark Larranaga and Zach Kinney, SAINTS LA is a full-service boutique specializing in the creation and production of visual effects and motion graphics for film, television and web content. The company is located at 620 S. Main Street, Suite # 505, Los Angeles, CA, 90014. The phone is 213/489-4900, and the website is www.saintsvfx.com for further information
Send inquires to contact@saintsvfx.com.
