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October 2006

CUT + RUN'S DAVID CHECEL EDITS MUSIC & DANCE SEQUENCES FOR BRYAN BARBER-DIRECTED FEATURE FILM "IDLEWILD"

Director and Editor Also Collaborate on New OutKast Video "Morris Brown"

For the feature film "Idlewild," which opened in theaters August 25th, director Bryan Barber tapped Cut + Run Editor David Checel to bring his music video editing experience to the dance and music sequences in the film. The movie is the feature-directing debut for Barber, the award-winning director and longtime OutKast music video collaborator for whom Checel has edited numerous music videos including OutKast's "Roses" and Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man."

Starring multi-platinum and multi-Grammy winning OutKast members Andr Benjamin (Andr 3000) and Antwan A. Patton (Big Boi), "Idlewild" tells the story of the loves and ambitions of two struggling performers, told through intricate musical numbers and vibrantly choreographed dance sequences set against the backdrop of a 1930s southern speakeasy. The all-star cast is a roster of some of the most notable performers in film and music today and includes new songs from OutKast's forthcoming album, also titled "Idlewild."

In addition to the film's music sequences, Checel cut the film's title sequence --working hand-in-hand with both Barber and DJ Swiff from Outkast -- as well as various transitions throughout the film. Adding to his contribution to the feature, Checel edited the accompanying Barber-helmed OutKast music video "Morris Brown," an effects-driven piece that places the band in fantastic and fanciful locations. For this project, Checel edited much of the video via his laptop at the effects company Moneyshots.

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JETSET STUDIOS DELIVERS DRAMATIC WEBSITE FOR NBC'S NEW SERIES KIDNAPPED

When NBC approached Jetset Studios to develop the official website for its gripping new series Kidnapped, which premiered Wednesday, Sept. 20, the online branding company seized the opportunity faster than you can say serial thriller. Working hand-in-hand with NBC, Jetset produced a website (www.kidnappedtheseries.com) that is sure to put audiences on the edge of their seats.

"Our goal from the start was to get people emotionally involved. Where most TV sites are information-driven, Kidnapped opens with a cinematic bang," says Russell Scott, Jetset Studios' Creative Director. "When the smoke clears, the focus is on the characters, and their complex relationships. That's what the site is about, and that's what will keep the audience coming back each week."

In "Kidnapped," the unthinkable has become a reality for Ellie and Conrad Cain - their fifteen-year-old son, Leo, has been kidnapped. In keeping with the program's dramatic and compelling narrative, Jetset Studios created a site that introduces viewers to the show and its individual characters including exclusive bonus content that delves deeper into the personalities, histories and idiosyncrasies of the characters. By working closely with NBC and the show's creators, Jetset Studios created a believable background for each character through fabricated magazine articles, blogs, psychiatric evaluations, fictitious myspace pages, and letters of reference.

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CRIS VELASCO & SASCHA DIKICIYAN SCORE FOR SPY HUNTER®: NOWHERE TO RUN™ TITLE FEATURING DWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON

Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan have been tapped by Midway Games, a leading interactive entertainment industry publisher and developer, to compose the theme song and 20 minutes of original music for the highly anticipated game Spy Hunter®: Nowhere to Run™ starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, which is scheduled to hit store shelves on September 5th for the PlayStation®2 and Xbox®.

"Cris and Sascha have written incredible tracks for this title," says Alexander Brandon, Audio Director of Midway Games. "Spy Hunter has always had a very memorable theme, and these two have not only carried on that tradition, but given a new, gritty, hard edge to Nowhere to Run that matches and enhances the gameplay."

The music of Velasco and Dikiciyan has been featured in titles such as Dark Messiah, Battlezone, Hellgate: London, and Splinter Cell 4: Double Agent. In addition, their music was recently released on the Associated Production Music (APM) Endgame Music Library, a collection of original music cues created by many of the most successful video game music composers in the electronic gaming industry.

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www.sonicmayhem.com | www.monarchaudio.com

PLUM PRODUCTIONS DIRECTOR/DP ERIC SAARINEN, ASC CREATES VISUALLY STUNNING & EPIC SPOT FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT

Ad agency Fogarty Klein Monroe recently commissioned Director/DP Eric Saarinen, ASC of Plum Productions to helm its new "Think Green" ad campaign for Waste Management. In "Trees," the first of three 30-second commercials in the campaign, highly visual and cinematic shots of a lush hillside forest and its animal inhabitants are juxtaposed against the familiar green Waste Management truck driving on a road. A bird flies alongside the truck, sharing a meaningful and approving glance with the truck driver. A soothing female voiceover informs the public that trees are not only aesthetically pleasing, but they also help clean the air of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas. As North America's largest recycler, Waste Management helps preserve natural resources.

"We had to visually convey the growing impact of Waste Management's efforts to recycle and renew environmental resources," explains Saarinen. "So we wanted sweeping aerial views of untouched forests, an allusion to the 41 million trees saved; breathtaking bird's-eye views to represent the company's respect for and connection to nature; and warm, heroic shots of a Waste Management truck driver who is an actual employee."

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