Under Armour "Chin Down"

Click to watch.

Director: Jose Ho-Guanipa

Writer: Colin Mulholland

Producer: Ari Robbins

DP: Jesse Lee Cairnie

Why this script/concept? How does it reflect your vision as a commercial director?

This concept connected with me for several reasons. Not only was I a fan of the previousUnder Armour work (most notably the Peter Berg directed spots), but I am also an avid sports fan. This was the type of high impact visual filmmaking I see myself doing in the future so it seemed like a great fit to shoot this type of concept.

What was the casting process like?

We invited a series of people with boxing and non boxing experience and had them shadow box and showcase their physical ability. The ones that had boxing experience obviously went to the front of the line, but their look was equally important as well. We ended up using Mike, who was a semi--pro football player and had the right build and Kevin who was a former college football player and actor. They both did a great job and worked like crazy to pull of their performances. James the trainer was perfect because he had both the look and previous experience training as a boxer when he was a child. He really helped us keep the shoot authentic and kept everything together so I really owe him a huge debt of gratitude for that. Throughout the whole shoot he was coaching both boxers on how to seem convincing so he really was acting as a trainer.

How did you search for/lock a location?

I had a friend who promotes MMA fights and who is good friend with a boxing trainer at the local gym next to him. After meet with them and telling the gym what we were trying to do they were very cool and supportive. We are also talking to them about possibly shooting a documentary about the gym owner's son, who is a young rising amateur boxer in the featherweight division.

How did you select your DP, crew?

Not only has Jesse worked with me on several music videos in the past and another spec, but he was fully invested in the project so I knew he was my man. He also did a lot of research to recreate the look of the previous spots and create something we could call our own. My producer Ari has a lot of crew connections and people that he regularly works with so finding the rest of the crew was easy.

How did shooting go? Any challenges?

Shooting was great. We were up against the clock since the gym owners wanted us out by a certain time and we ended up running a bit late since I split the shoot day and crew with another director friend of mine to save money. Despite this we got everything we needed so I can't complain.

Tell us about editing and finishing.

The post process was challenging but we managed to get through. I encountered an issue with the Alexa firmware being outddated which caused a lot of problems with Final Cut, but we finally got it sorted. We colored with Magic Bullet and I was very happy with the final product.

In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently?

The only thing I would've done differently would be to have them connect harder on the final punch, but I think I was already pushing my luck getting two unexperienced boxers to hit each other like that. Mike is a big guy and if he really threw his weight behind his fists, he probably would've broken Kevin's jaw, so I can't complain.

Ice Breakers Frost "This Magic Moment"

Click here to watch.

Director: Tom Grabon
Copywriter: Alex Harvey
Producer: Becky Train
DP: Richard Darge
Editor: Joe Uhlarik
Sound: Fletcher Alliston
Starring: Brian Lloyd, Kelly Dolan and Sophie the Golden Retriever
VO: David Light

Why this script/concept? How does it reflect your vision as a director?

I chose this script because I loved the twist in it.  The reveal gives the concept a bit of an edge, which I always like to have, and most of the humor leading up to it comes from a place of discomfort.  Alex's script is really funny, misleading and almost surreal until the big punchline and twist.  And it also has a dog, and dogs are consistently awesome.    

What was the casting process like?

The casting process was fun, but it was a bit strange for this concept because we were never playing the lead guy against an actual dog.  We didn't want to overwork Sophie or her owner Lauren, because they were doing us a favor by agreeing to the spot at all.  So for casting, we had human couples run through the scene, with the girl doing the nuzzling and snuggling that a dog might do.  We didn't make any of our actresses lick the actors' faces, though.  But that meant we had to take the actors at their word that they wouldn't have a problem with a dog going to town on their faces.  Brian and Kelly were actually a couple during our initial auditions, then we mixed up most of the couples for callbacks, but we realized they had worked really well together, so we reunited them for the shoot.    

How did you search for/lock a location?

I only asked three people if we could shoot in their living rooms, because my apartment is too boring and doesn't have the right look.  The first two said a polite no, and the third was Becky, my producer.  She came through huge on that and on everything else.  Her house and furniture are really nice and charming, and she didn't even charge insurance or location fees.  Thanks again, Becky and roommates.    

How did you select your DP, crew?

I've worked with a lot of the same key crew for most of my specs.  I met Rick the DP and Joe the editor while we were all at USC, and they have great senses of humor on top of their skills.  I love that they help provide a consistent feel to these spots.  Rick shot with his Red Epic, and he's constantly booked, so I'm surprised he wasn't too busy to help me out again.  More about Joe below.    

How did shooting go? Any challenges?

The main challenge was finding a rhythm while filming with a happy but hungry Golden Retriever.  Sophie was great, but she was distracted at first by seeing her owner/mom, Linda.  So Linda actually offered to go off-set and read a book near our crafty and make-up areas.  And as long as we kept plenty of cream cheese on the side of Brian's face, Sophie was happy to participate.  The hardest part was getting her re-set to her starting marks, because we filmed most of her takes in series; we didn't want to lose her attention or energy with a lot of downtime.  Brian did a great unsung job of nailing his lines, putting up with messy cream cheese and dog tongue, and wrangling Sophie during takes.  We gave him a wrap gift of mouth wash, a lint roller and whiskey.   

Tell us about editing and finishing. 

Joe did a great job with the edit.  He put a good rough cut together right away, and he was really patient and willing to go through the footage with me to find some unexpected solutions.  He basically built the dog's "whoa" moment from a take that I had thought was our third or fourth best option originally.  Now, that's the moment I keep laughing at the most.  Things really started clicking when Joe laid the music out and edited the lyrics to match our gags.  Suddenly, our pace got a lot better, the spot had a lot more energy, and we were able to fit every moment from the script into an actual :30, which I really wanted to nail this time. 

In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently?

Brian and Sophie finally did have a quasi-rehearsal the day before we shot.  But I still should have done a better job of preparing Brian for how we were going to shoot in lots of series, and I should have warned him better about how unpleasant that repeated sensation would get.   

Any other thoughts?

I just want to thank Alex again for his great script.  He and I talked a lot and collaborated closely the whole way through.  He was really open to trading ideas back and forth.  We even changed the product in his script from Ice Breakers Pacs to Frost, because Frost is a brand new product.  Alex was also open to using a different song, which I thought I might actually end up doing.  But it's a credit to his script that "This Magic Moment" worked perfectly as the music, and that's what he had built into the concept all along.Why 

Australian Open "Roddick's Coming"

Click to watch.

Credits:

Directed by Whiskey Tongue

DP: Kunitaro Ohi

Producer: Spang TV, Jordan Rodericks

Tennis PLayer: David Meadows

Edited by Matt West

Colorist Matt West

Sound Design Andrew Uvarov

Custom music by Jody Boyd, Red Amp Audio

Why this script/concept? How does it reflect your vision as a commercial director?

We love tennis, and we loved the idea of combining comedy elements into a sport/action concept. It was a great way to show how we like energy and motion, but at the same time be focused on performance elements and telling a story. I love spots that tell stories as well as deliver a message. As far as the vision, its all about the story. I am more interested in that than just making people laugh or cry or cheer. If you can do both, then that's the best combination.

What was the casting process like?

We looked for someone who was a regular joe, but you would believe could walk onto a tennis court. He had to be fit, able to actually hit a ball with a racket, and perform while doing the actions. So we went for an actor first with tennis skills being a second requisite. If we just used a tennis player, the struggle of the character wouldn't have worked. We pulled talent from outside of our region, so we had little chance to audition them. I would call them and just strike up a conversation with them after they had seen the script, and really had to choose based on the instinct that the actor could not only pull it off, but also take direction very well.

How did you search for/lock a location?

We had quite a few batting cages in the area, but most were very old or tacky looking.  We found one that had the cages up on a hill away from a driving range.  It allowed for a nice wide void of space with great stadium lighting as the back drop. This way when you first established the scene it really could be a tennis club or court area.

How did you select your DP, crew?

Kuni is a DP I work with regularly, and he was also looking to do some great night action sports work so he volunteered to help us with the project. The crew was a collection of favors from the normal crew base we work with on a regular basis on other commercial work.

How did shooting go? Any challenges?

The biggest challenge was actually safely hitting a baseball with a tennis racket. We went through 20+ rackets. I tested the different speed cages first when we location scouted to see which speed was the safest and easiest to read on camera. The actual fast ball launcher almost broke my thumb and ripped the racket clean out of my hand. So we ended up using a 50 mph cage.  It still broke the strings and in some cased cracked the racket.

Tell us about editing and finishing.

We shot a ton of coverage. So editing was more about finding those best quick moments. We started with a 60 second cut that told more story had more of a build up, but in talking with the writer, the 30 second cut was more pure, told a more concise story and after getting his fresh eyes on it, his notes made a big difference in helping finish a 30 second version.

In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently?

I would have loved to had the budget to do a few high speed shots of the ball actually shattering a stunt racket, but that required more money and fabrication than we had the chance to do. But other than that, it was exactly what we wanted to accomplish on our budget.

PGA "GPS"

Click to view spot on YouTube.

Director: Jason Smart

Producer: Natalie Pohorski

Director of Photography: Peter Borrud
Editor: Jason Smart
Copywriter: Andrew Lincoln www.visuallygifted.com

Why this script/concept? How does it reflect your vision as a commercial director?

I tend to gravitate toward comedy when it comes to commercials and I thought this spot would fit in well with the kind of reel that I wanted to build.

What was the casting process like?

Kiel Kennedy played the lead role. He was in a short film that a friend of mine did and he had also done some stand-up in the past. I saw one of his routines online and thought his demeanor and way of delivering lines would fit in really well for this spot. Also, he was hilarious in between takes which made it a lot of fun.The girl was played by my friend Natalie who was also the producer on the project. We've worked together a lot in the past so it just worked out very nicely.

How did you search for/lock a location?

Originally the script called for shooting in an intersection at a 4-way stop. We didn't have the resources to pull that off so Andrew (the writer) and I decided to move it to a driveway. Some friend's of mine lived in that house at the time and were kind enough to let us shoot there for a few hours. It really took the pressure off and allowed us to get a lot of takes and try different things with the performances.

How did you select your DP, crew?

My really good friend Peter Borrud who is amazing to work with was kind enough to come out and shoot this for me. We were roommates several years ago in college and had wanted to work on something for awhile. Everyone else on the crew were friends from film school. We found our make-up artist through CraigsList and she did a great job and was fun to work with.

How did shooting go? Any challenges?

The shooting went great! We all had a great time and shot the entire spot in less than 6 hours. We had to move pretty quickly because we didn't have the budget for any lights whatsoever so everything was lit by the sun and some bounce boards here and there. Toward the end we had to make adjustments to compensate for the sun starting to go down but Peter did a fantastic job of getting the lighting consistent throughout. We shot on the 7D with Canon lenses so it allowed us to move really quick as well.

Tell us about editing and finishing.

I edited this spot and did the coloring myself. Normally I like to work with an editor to see what they can bring to the project but we were also submitting this for an online contest which had an immediate deadline so we didn't have that option. My good friend Molly Jenson provided the voice for the GPS.

In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently?

I'm always the guy who will look at a piece after it's been shot and think, "Why didn't I have so-and-so do that!" or "I should've had such-and-such move his hand this way instead of that!" I think it's just the way I am. For this spot specifically I think I would've probably changed up the girl's blocking slightly and widened up a bit on some of the coverage. Also, this was my first crack at directing a commercial and in retrospect I think I would've played around with different lines while shooting. I think it would've given me more options in the editing room. Other than that I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Las Vegas "Campground"

Click to watch.

Director: Karni Baghdikian

DP: David Mahlmann

Producer: Camillia Monet 

Why this script/concept? How does it reflect your vision as a commercial director?

I have a lot of faith in initial instincts, and my feelings for this one were were very strong, right away--I literally fell in love at first read.  There were a few other scripts I had tossed around, and I was actually prepping to shoot another spot when this one landed in my inbox.  I requested it within 30 seconds of reading it, and the stars lined up quickly...we shot it a couple weeks later.  

As for my vision as a commercial director, well, I enjoy shooting slightly sinister comedy, and I like strong choreography.  So it was really important that the spot be funny, a bit dark, and something that was relatively easy to execute without a lot of firepower.  I also wanted it to feel like something I hadn't really seen much of in the spec world, which this most certainly was.  Finally, there was the timing component.  With a :30, you have to be very specific, and this spot had to be executed like clockwork to reach its potential.  I had a stopwatch around my neck, and timed each take, so we knew right away if we had it or not.  That was a new approach for me, and I was pleasantly surprised by the consistency of the actors' timing.  I think the delta was 2.2 seconds for 40+ takes.

What was the casting process like?

In this case, there were two actors – Chris Pauley and Stephanie Little – who I had known for a while and had long hoped to work with, that I really felt were a good match for the material.  It's not always the case, but when you read something and feel it right away, for me, it comes back to trusting that first instinct.  Thankfully they were available and extremely supportive in the realization of this spot.

How did you search for/lock a location?

We wanted a campground that felt a little shabby, to juxtapose against the luxury of the Vegas experience that appeals to our core audience.  Finding wooded landscape in LA is no easy task, so my wonderful Producer Camillia Monet reached out to as many of our friends as possible for leads.  At one point, we considered trekking up to Big Bear, but didn't want to do that to a crew; we wanted to be able to shoot in one day and not have to spend half our money on gas.  We looked at public parks like Malibu Creek, but the permits and fire trucks were a bit too pricey.  Pretty late in the game, we wound up getting a little lucky, in that I had AD'd a short film a few years back that was shot on a private property up in Topanga Canyon.  We got in touch with the property owner and he hooked us up.

How did you select your DP, crew?

A director is only as good as the people around him, and I'm extremely fortunate to have had such a great crew.  My DP David Mahlmann and I have been working together for a few years.  He lensed a short we shot with the RED ONE in 2008, and we've had a terrific working relationship ever since.  He's usually the first person I call when I have a new project, and when I don't, he's the first person I call for those pep talks that every filmmaker occasionally needs to keep things in perspective.  Dave usually crews up camera, grip and electric with his own contacts; most are people we've worked with in the past, but he never amazes me with his ability to find great new people when we're in a pinch.  He's a magnet for the right kind of crew member.  As for art, makeup, wardrobe, that was all Camillia.  She knows lots of great people, so she knew what we needed right away.  

  

How did shooting go? Any challenges?

Shooting went well; it was a relatively easy day all-in-all.  The only real challenge we faced was – brace yourself – losing light.  When you shoot in a canyon, you lose light really quickly in the afternoon, so Dave had his work cut out for him in keeping things consistent.  We didn't have a very big lighting package at all, I think we primarily used bounce boards and 12x12 silk to cut the sunlight, with some HMIs on reserve, just in case.  We started at 8AM and were wrapped by 4PM, a pretty nice day, and the lights stayed on the truck.

Tell us about editing and finishing.

Editing is when you cut the shots together in a timeline, and then you mix sound and color grade picture to finish.  Sorry, I couldn't resist.  I generally like to cut my own material, it's just something I've grown accustomed to, as I've been editing for years and really enjoy the process.  I think it was born of an indie filmmaker's need to keep things as cheap as possible and learn by doing.  Now it's the quickest way for me to figure out what works, and what doesn't.  I've worked with editors as well, and that's good and fine, but I'm a very hands-on guy and have a computer arts background, so for something like a spot or a very short film, I'm happy to go it alone.  Sound design was a big one on this, because we had to sell the idea of a swarm of bugs that you can't actually see, and aside from choreography, that was the biggest creative challenge.  I have a great sound mixer in Pat Lydon, who always brings a little extra creativity to the table.  He's another person I've been working with for a few years now, and I enjoy finally getting down to the mix so he can take that track I've heard over a thousand times in the edit, and take it to new and exciting places.

In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently?

As I mentioned there was a specific choreography to this spot, and we were all really focused on that, and I think the actors were tightly wound at first as a result.  With a :30, you're always going to get a ton of takes and different ways of saying "this" and "that," but I think the real gold came when we let the actors go off a little bit and just have some fun with ad-libs.  Chris and Stephanie are tremendously funny and quick with improv, and had us in stitches for a few laughers – you can only imagine the kinds of outtakes you can get with Vegas as your subject matter.  So they loosened up a bit, and I think that helped, because when we returned to the script, everything gelled and it came together quickly from there.  It was a great reminder to sometimes let things come naturally instead of trying to force it.

Any other thoughts.

This one was a a lot of fun.  We had tons of coverage to work with, plenty of great audio.  A relaxed set.  Lunch was good.  I think this was about as smooth as a shoot can go, and when that happens, you just have to thank your lucky stars, because that always comes down to two things: great collaborators, and a little bit of magic.  

Agent Provocateur "Eyeball"

Click to watch. 


Director: Patrick Ortman
Writer: Britt Benston
Producer: Kathi Funston
Production Designer: Pam Chien
Visual Effects Supervisor: Greg Anderson


Patrick Ortman:

I'm attracted to story, and this concept – created by Britt Benston, and then honed by myself and my producing partner Kathi Funston – really hooked me. It's perfect for the brand, which is high-quality, but edgy. Of course, Britt's music choice was perfect, too. 

Casting was huge on this one. Britt had a visual effects supervisor look at the script, and he warned me when we first met that it'd be a tough commercial to make. He was right. I ended up firing two visual effects artists over this spot – one of whom told me the 'money shot' in the piece was just not possible to do. Well, they were wrong. I ended up doing the VFX myself, and it turned out just fine. I think it's because I'm better able to think outside the box, sometimes. That's a good thing, since the whole point of this commercial was about making your own way – 'do your thing, whatever it is,' right? 

We shot on RED MX, and I DP'd, Kathi Funston produced, and Pam Chien was our production designer. We shot the whole thing right here in my studio, we just moved out the edit bay and desks, and brought in stuff we bought on Craigslist. 

I'm really happy with how it turned out.


Britt Benston:

I can't believe how well Patrick turned the concept into a story, and on top of that, how he showed the weirdness of it as truth. 

The money shot was done perfectly. It's funny – a couple of years prior another director had seen that script and approached me about making the spot. After looking into producing it, that director sought out a simpler spot instead; a more known quantity. 

Then a year ago, Patrick came around and approached "Eyeball" fearlessly. He called me and requested a meeting, and after a chat, I knew he had the breadth of skills to take it on. Patrick is an artist and a production/post-production polymath. Then I had few more conversations, first with Vis Effects Director Greg Anderson and then with Patrick, who plunged head-first into production. This was all while he was in various stages of completion in his own short film and two other spots. An amazing feat!

In the end, the gorgeous spot is made for either TV or the digital age. It deserves to be spread around and it really could sell the Agent Provocateur brand and its lingerie in appropriate (and inappropriate) style.

Stride Gum "Global Warming"

Click to view.

Director: Justin Foia

Writer: Hunter Fine

Why this script/concept? How does it reflect your vision as a commercial director? How was working with the writer?

I was attracted to spot based on the opportunity to direct more visual effects based material.  I find myself increasingly going in that direction as doing VFX (and motion graphics) is what I do for a living.  I already think in those terms of how things can be done in post, so I want to focus more on that kind of spot.  VFX driven storytelling and/or comedy is a pretty popular genre, so I hope to find more work there.  The script was elegant and simple and I thought it could lend itself to a more cinematic visual style -- something more hyper-real in terms of the arctic environment as well as the "thermostat" prop to be specific.  I told the writer that if it was okay I was going to push the production value higher because that was the real substance of the story.  Hunter Fine, the writer,  was great.  Super easy to talk to and work with.  I'm on the West Coast, but I got a chance to meet him in NYC this October and we spoke about the spot face to face before I started drawing boards.  This was a new and very cool experience for me, as doing spec work has meant largely collaborating with the writer on the phone or online.  In this case, an in person meeting allowed me to pitch how the production design was going to work.  We bounced various references around and I think we landed on the same page pretty quickly.

What was the casting process like?

I originally cast another actor for my lead, but due to scheduling it wasn't going to work.  I reached out to an actor who played a supporting role in a short film I directed this past year.  I knew he could nail it, so that part was easy.  I also ran it past Hunter so we were both happy with the choice.  My news caster role was recommended by another actor/director friend of mine and she was terrific.  I think that if you can cast people you've worked with it helps, but mostly it's good to have great actors no matter what.  That's more than 50% of the spot in my opinion.

How did you search for/lock a location?

The location was actually my brother's house.  But I chose it because of the character and not just convenience.  I was prepared to go elsewhere if the DP told me it wouldn't work.  On a budget those choices are easy, but I believe that location is very important.  Go the extra mile to get the right place.  In this case, it just had the look I wanted and a great window set up for lighting.  We were pushing warm tones, and the walls and blinds just meshed really well.  Also, set dressing it was key.  As to the "snow scenes" that was good old backyard green screen shooting.  We opted for an outdoor setup for natural light.  I have shot similar things on a sound stage with chimera lighting, and frankly, this worked out better for realism.

How did you select your DP, crew?

This was my first time working with the DP who came recommended by a director friend.  I saw their short film they did and was sold.  We met up a bunch of times to discuss the tone and look and felt we spoke the same language.  He was awesome.  The production designer came on via the DP and she was amazing.  We all did a tech scout to see the location then moved into pre-production.   She built this beautiful prop and set dressed everything.  I wanted a "LOST" type of technology that controlled the Earth's temperature, so she went in a retro direction with the build.   It was great.  The crew was really small but that helped to move fast.

How did shooting go? Any challenges?

Shooting was easy except that our smoke machine broke, so we couldn't get the haze I wanted.  We opted to smoke about five cigars in a closed room until it was hazy enough.  True story.  I felt like we should have been playing cards.  The outdoor stuff was challenging because of light -- whereas we wanted real light, it failed to be overcast, so the DP and his AC had to do a lot to block out the raw sunlight.  Other than that, we were on schedule the whole time.

Tell us about editing and finishing.

I cut the spot and did the post work.  I had some consulting help on editing, and Hunter and I went through several cuts before we settled on the final one.   The story changed slightly in the structure of the spot, but this version felt the most solid.  I had done several matte paintings and plates for the post, but since I had done a spot similar to this before, I was ready for it.  The post on this spot could have it's own breakdown for VFX so I will just leave it at this. 

In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently?

I would have gotten a little more coverage here and there for acting options, but I see that as a lesson for any spot going forward.  Just shoot it so you don't need it later.