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Feburary 2006

Northern Lights Post Contributes To First-Ever Stand-Up DVD From Gilbert Gottfried

"Gilbert Gottfried Dirty Jokes," the first-ever stand-up DVD from the world's most outrageous comedian, was released on both DVD and CD on December 6th by Image Entertainment, Inc. Award-winning Northern Lights Post provided editorial, graphics and postproduction services on the DVD content, working closely with Director Adam Reid of Flycollar Films and Gottfried himself.

"What is so amazing about Northern Lights Post is the sheer talent of the editors," comments Director Adam Reid. "Everyone involved loves Gilbert's humor. The editors really believed in the project and brought so much to the production; they made it feel like a concert performance should. It's a minor miracle."

Northern Lights Post partnered with Reid on the project, pooling resources and talent during the six-week turnaround time. For budgetary reasons, Reid chose to film on DV, which meant that Northern Lights Post artists had their work cut out for them in post.

"Gilbert Gottfried is a big-name comedian with a commercially released DVD so the content had to have a certain look and quality to it," explains Mark Littman, Partner of Northern Lights Post. "Special consideration was paid to the details from the color correction to camera angles. All of these subtleties really contribute to the overall product."

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ZOIC STUDIOS HELPS RESURRECT A BIGGER, BOLDER BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

New episodes feature epic, feature-quality spectacular effects

For the January 13th episode of "Battlestar Galactica" entitled "Resurrection Ship, Part 2," visual effects company Zoic Studios worked on a scale greater than anything previously imagined for the small screen. Choreographing and executing all the effects for the episode, Zoic used a combination of live action greenscreen and CG animation to create a uniquely memorable viewing experience. Audiences thoroughly enjoyed the cinematic proportion of the effects in this thrilling episode.

"The shots we envisioned for the battle were epic," says Zoic CG Supervisor Chris Zapara. "There are very large ships in a close range brawl, with the audience in the middle of the mayhem. We have mile-long spacecraft sharing the screen with thousands of fighters, missiles and salvos, all of which need to interact. As a counterpoint, we see the same battle from far away through the eyes of a dying pilot. We have to show the same events, but without the scale reference, and have it evoke a very different emotion."

Although effects like these may have been seen before on the big screen, Zoic believes that what they have created with "Resurrection Ship, Part 2" is bigger and bolder than ever presented on television. Life is messy; battles especially so. Zoic Studios did their best to ensure that their shots reflected a more accurate cosmic chaos: one with dust floating, chunks flying and light spilling every which way. In fact, Zapara said it was while he was driving home late one night that he noticed how the lights from the buildings illuminated the sky unevenly. "Adding haze to the shots, especially in the larger shots, really sold the scale and locked the bright explosions into the scene," he notes, "Other users of our software commented that they'd never seen the packages used in this fashion before."

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SOVEREIGN COMPOSER PJ HANKE CREATES MUSICAL SCORE FOR NEW ACURA SPOT "WINDOW," RPA & DIR. JOSEPH KAHN

The agency creatives at RPA and HSI Director Joseph Kahn turned to the talents of Sovereign Composer PJ Hanke to create the perfect musical score for their new Acura commercial entitled "Window," featuring the Acura TSX. An ethereal trip down a city street depicting the lifestyle of the Acura TSX driver called for some mystical, techno-driven music, and PJ was able to deliver exactly what the agency and director were looking -- and listening for.

Featuring the outline of the Acura TSX moving through an urban landscape, the 30-second commercial enables viewers to look through the "windows" of the Acura TSX. Encapsulated within is the lifestyle of an Acura TSX driver. Beginning in a boardroom meeting, the images then morph into a night out at a club, followed by a workout at the gym. As the car moves through the cityscape, the morphs continue: from a move theater to a swim on vacation. All of these compelling images are set to a techno-driven track, composed by Sovereign's PJ Hanke with vocals by Dee Clay, whose credits include Peter Gabriel's "So" and Jamiroquai. The commercial and the journey end with this voice-over by Actor James Spader and the Acura logo: "Your life. Your car. Connected. The Acura TSX."

"The original creative direction I was given was to create a lush, energetic, modern-feeling track," explains Sovereign's PJ Hanke. "I was asked to match musically this larger-than-life visual, which had been created by Director Joseph Kahn. The agency creatives at RPA were also concerned about quality. They wanted this track to sound as if it was pulled right off an album. In the end, the agency liked the song so much, they asked me to create a full-length version, a single, just so they have it to listen to. I consider that a great complement to the work."

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INTERspectacular Creates Series of "Feature" Films for VW.com Touting New Features of the 2006 Volkswagen Passat

New York-based, Award-winning Concept & Design Studio Enters Burgeoning Branded Entertainment Arena

Award-winning concept and design studio INTERspectacular was called on recently by ad agency creatives at Arnold Worldwide to create a series of short films for VW.com or rather "feature" films. INTERspectacular, which is represented by Curious Pictures, completed 8 short films in all, each depicting a new and exciting, "not so standard" feature of the 2006 Volkswagen Passat.

"Our goal at Arnold has always been to entertain and engage consumers with our advertising, which is why we chose to create the 120 feature films, with each film functioning as a metaphor for the car's unique features," says Ron Lawner, Chief Creative Officer for Arnold Worldwide. "For this project, we picked the most talented production houses in the world, like INTERspectacular. The end result on VW.com provides visitors with a colorful collection of films that range from stop animation to live action to cell animation."

This "branded-entertainment" assignment from Arnold for VW.com was totally unique, points out INTERspectacular Creative Directors Michael Uman and Luis Blanco. "Arnold provided very open creative parameters," explains Uman. "We could use any technique we wanted, but we couldn't show the car or the feature. So we were able to draw from a very broad palette - not just of ideas, but also techniques."

Perhaps a daunting task to some, but not for the creative team at INTERspectacular. This was a dream job. Because it guaranteed no limits for their imaginations, and no limits for their special brand of "Visual Humor."

"This project enabled us to reinforce the fact that INTERspectacular is not just a 'style shop,'" explains Blanco. "We have a multi-dimensional approach that really focuses on story. We came up with 8 strong stories, and then we had the joy, not the challenge, of telling those stories using a variety of different applications."

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More Info: INTERspectacular