International visual effects, design and content company Gravity announced that the three key creative and production executives from Superfad NY have re-assembled as SCOUT, a new divison of Gravity. Gravity CEO/CCO Zviah Eldar made the announcement.

The newly launched SCOUT is led by Creative Directors Chace Hartman and Brian Drucker, along with Head of Production Whitney Green. 

"Integrating the talents of Chace, Brian and Whitney as SCOUT, in conjunction with the Gravity brand, now gives us a wider and more complimentary array of design, VFX and live action solutions to service for all types of media," said Gravity CMO/Executive Producer Bob Samuel. "We were huge fans of Fad & Superfad over the years, and having SCOUT with us now truly deepens our creative arsenal for all types of projects."

"Gravity has provided a wonderful set-up for us," said Hartman. "They are allowing us to use our new moniker of SCOUT to continue the great work we've for which we've been been known, yet we are also now able to collaborate with Gravity's talent in innovative ways. Zviah has created a great energy and has built Gravity NY into a real creative force. We share a common goal: to find the best talent for each project, and approach each project from a unique creative perspective. 

About CHACE HARTMAN: 

Chace Hartman has been illustrating, designing and animating for over 15 years. He began his career in technical illustration, with opportunities to use illustration and design in motion within a diverse range of projects. 

Hartman has worked with numerous design companies on both the East and West Coasts, including Digital Kitchen, Brand New School, Buck, Hush, Superfad, and many others. During his tenure with these creative shops, he contributed to commercials, brand identities, ad and promo campaigns, and show packages for such major clients as MTV, Chevrolet, ESPN, Ritz, New York Lottery, American Express, AT&T, Pepsi, Charles Schwab, NBC, and others. 

About BRIAN DRUCKER

Brian Drucker is a multi-disciplinary designer/director with extensive experience in Architecture, Set Design, 3D Computer Graphics, Visual Effects, Production Design, Projection Design, Exhibit Design, Illustration, and Broadcast Design. 

Drucker studied Architecture and Civil Engineering, and his educational background has clearly influenced his work. He began his architectural career at the Los Angeles office of Frank Gehry and Coop Himmelblau, and then transitioned to set design, working on various film and music video projects. From there, Drucker segued to work at companies such as Sony Imageworks, Cinesite, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon and Digital Domain, working on a variety of 3D films and visual effects. 

Merging his talents to design spaces and exhibits, as well as media pre-sentations seen within them, Drucker worked on behalf of various museums and stage theaters. He worked on projects at the CDC and the Smithsonian Museum, while also contributing to the stage productions "Frank Sinatra: His Voice, His World, His Way" and "Legally Blonde." 

Drucker served as in-house Creative Director with many production companies based in New York, both designing and technical directing commercials. In addition to his role with Superfad, he has also worked at Trollback, Loyal Kaspar, Brand New School, Psyop, Mass Market, The Ebeling Group, Curious Pictures, Freestyle Collective and others. During those years, Drucker directed a number of short films and commercials, and promoted such major brands as Lean Cuisine, Hyundai, Target, Hertz, Nickelodeon and HBO, to name just a few. 

About WHITNEY GREEN

SCOUT's Head of Production Whitney Green has produced design, motion graphics and visual effects projects for the last nine years. As part of the production teams at Charlex, Headlight, Trollbäck + Company, and Superfad, Green has diverse experience collaborating with ad agencies, broadcast networks, and museums, as well as direct to client projects. Green has produced brand promotional projects for NBC, Covergirl, Gillete, Verizon, TNT, and Lean Cuisine, ranging from commercials and 3D stereoscopic projects to network re-designs, show packages, experiential design and conference packages. 

About GRAVITY

Gravity is an international visual effects, design and content company with proven expertise in Features & Television, Commercials, and Digital Content. With 250 talented professionals across offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Tel Aviv, the company is a widely renowned generator of high-end visual effects, creative content, motion graphics design, animation, branding, and digital strategy. 

The company's clients include Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., DreamWorks, Sony Pictures Entertainment, HBO, Paramount Pictures, Virgin Produced, The Weinstein Company, Dimension Films, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Mercedes Benz, Verizon, Pantene, MGA Entertainment, BMW, Kmart, and Microsoft. Gravity's feature film credits include "Tower Heist," "Crazy, Stupid, Love," "The Adjustment Bureau," "Arthur," "The Other Guys," "Salt," "The Reader," and "Ghost Town." The company's television credits include HBO's "Bored to Death," "The Sopranos," and "Sex and The City." 

Gravity's New York office is located at 315 Madison Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY, 10017. The phone is 212/986-1584. The company's West Coast office is located in the Lantana Building, 3000 West Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA, 90404. The phone is 310/264-3909. For more information, please visit www.gravityworld.com.

--SHOOT Publicity Wire

Original article: Three from Superfad NY Join Gravity to Debut SCOUT

©2013 NYC Production & Post News. All Rights Reserved.

Original article: AICP Week Line Up Announced

©2013 NYC Production & Post News. All Rights Reserved.

Award-winning director Tony Petrossian has joined th2ng (pronounced "thing two"), the live action production division of th1ng Group ("thing 1"), for commercial representation in the United States and the United Kingdom. This first signing in America for th2ng signals the continued U.S. expansion for th1ng Group, the international commercial and visual media production company with offices in New York, London, Dubai, and Stockholm.
 

Tony Petrossian is a visionary commercial and music video director who has worked with top talent and brands around the world. His mastery of visual illusions combined with a keen storytelling sense has garnered him clients ranging from Nike, McDonald's and Sony Ericsson to a array of music artists from Rise Against to Ludacris. Petrossian's groundbreaking work in the United States and across the globe has earned numerous nominations, awards, and accolades from entities including The New York Times, Forbes, ADWEEK , SHOOT, and the Grammy Awards^®.

"Tony Petrossian's innovative approach to storytelling and mastery of visual media really engages audiences and consumers in a unique way which makes him a fantastic addition to the th1ng Group roster in general and th2ng in particular," said Dominic Buttimore, Executive Producer and CEO of th1ng Group.

"th2ng has been serving clients in America through our recently opened studio and production office in New York with the support of our great lineup of International directors," stated Bill Hewes, th1ng Group's U.S. Executive Producer and Managing Director. "Adding a U.S. based director to our roster with Tony's talent and creative depth, puts th2ng into an even better position to deliver amazing creative to current and future clients here in America and across the globe."

Visit www.th2ng.com to sample Tony Petrossian's prior work.

About th1ng Group

th1ng Group is an international production company creating animation, live action and design for commercials and other visual content for a host of worldwide clients. th1ng Group is comprised of th1ng (animation), th2ng (live action), Film Club (art-based animation) and Flux (broadcast) operating independently or collectively to provide seamless integrated solutions to all moving visual needs. th1ng group has offices in London, New York, Stockholm and Dubai.www.th1ng.com

About th2ng

th2ng is an international live action production company creating commercials, content, music videos and other visual media. th2ng represents a deep roster of talented directors who shape outstanding pieces of work that exceed clients' expectations while engaging and entertaining audiences. Part of th1ng Group, th2ng is also complimented and supported as needed by its sister units to create bespoke directing teams for clients, keeping all the creativity and communication under one roof. www.th2ng.com

–SHOOT Publicity Wire

Original article: Director Tony Petrossian
Joins th2ng

©2013 NYC Production & Post News. All Rights Reserved.

Registration now open for a one-day celebration of the art of filmmaking 
Held at French Institute June 8

Manhattan Edit Workshop (MEWShop), the cutting-edge authorized digital training destination for post-production and content creators, revealed its all-star list of guest speakers and panelists for Inside The Cutting Room: Sight, Sound and Story, a special one-day symposium for the creative community. “Building on the momentum of many successful events focusing on film editors, it seems a natural move to celebrate all of the talent involved in the process,” says Josh Apter, founder and president of Manhattan Edit Workshop.“From sound design and visual effects to groundbreaking transmedia projects, post-production is about using all of the elements of sight, sound and story to create a truly unique experience. Anyone interested in what happens when the cameras stop rolling in the fast-evolving craft of visual storytelling is going to find something that speaks to them here.”

https://vimeo.com/65154974#

Held at the famed French Institute in Manhattan on Saturday, June 8, 2013, Inside The Cutting Room: Sight, Sound and Story’s prestigious guest lineup features Oscar winners and industry visionaries including:

·         Glenn Allen, VFX artist from Gravity Works – “The DaVinci Code,” “The Adjustment Bureau”

·         Eugene Gearty, MPSE – “The Departed,” “Inside Man,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”

·         Jerry Greenberg, A.C.E. – “The French Connection,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Kramer vs. Kramer”

·         Chris Healer, VFX artist from The Molecule – “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Elementary”

·         Alan Heim, A.C.E. – “Network,” “All That Jazz,” “Lenny”

·         Susan Morse, A.C.E. – “Manhattan,” “Arthur,” “The Warriors,” “Hannah and Her Sisters”

·         Tom Malmros, B-Reel – “Hotel 66,” Arcade Fire's “The Wilderness Downtown”

·         Bill Pankow, A.C.E. – “The Untouchables,” “Carlito's Way,” “Drumline”

·         Michael Berenbaum, A.C.E. – “Before Night Falls,” “Sex and the City,” “The Americans”

·         Evan Schechtman, @radical.media – “The Johnny Cash Project,” Sting "Appumentary"

·         Phil Stockton, MPSE – “Hugo,” “Shutter Island,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Life of Pi”

·         David Zeiff, editor – “McConkey,” “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster,” “TV Nation”

Inside The Cutting Room Panel Topics
Guest speakers will participate in a wide range of panels chaired by industry luminaries and VIPs. These interactive sessions include:

·         New York in the ‘70s: NYC Legends Discuss their Work and their Favorite Moments from this Revolutionary Era in American Cinema – Moderated by author and film historian Bobbie O’Steen

·         Motion Picture Sound Editors Sound Show: The “Life of Pi” Soundscape from Production Audio to Final Mix – Moderated by MPSE board member and sound editor Ahmad Shirazi

·         VFX: Behind the Green Screen and the Integral Role of the Visual Effects Artist – Moderated by Ross Shain, 2012 Oscar winner and CMO of Imagineer

·         Anatomy of a Scene: Documentary and Narrative Editors Deconstruct their Work – Moderated by filmmaker and Manhattan Edit Workshop owner Josh Apter

·         Interactive Media: Blurring the Lines Between Post and Production – Moderated by Art of the Guillotine's Gordon Burkell

"The ‘70s was a time when there were many truly great directors and editors working in New York City,” comments Bill Pankow, a panelist for New York in the ‘70s. “I can't imagine my career without the lessons I learned from these masters in this pre-digital age, and I'm looking forward to sharing these experiences at ‘Inside the Cutting Room.’”

Please click HERE for a description of panel topics, panelists and moderators. Stay tuned for further details.

Where Art and Technology Meet
No edit room story can be fully told without some insight to the technical achievements that help bring it to fruition. Industry innovators from Autodesk, Blackmagic Design, EditShare, HP, Imagineer and others will introduce our panel discussions and showcase their work at our networking reception and onsite technology lab, where the very latest in production and post-production solutions will be on display.

“As a filmmaker of 20 years, I understand first-hand the close connection between art and technology,” says Andy Liebman, founder and CEO of EditShare. “Participating in events like 'Inside the Cutting Room' gives us that perfect forum to discuss the challenges of setting up efficient workflows and helps us design better tools to support the needs of storytellers.”

Register for Inside The Cutting Room: Sight, Sound, and Story
Inside The Cutting Room: Sight, Sound and Story will take place at the French Institute at 55 East 59th Street. Admission is $89.00, with discounts available for students and select partner organizations. A networking party with open bar, hors d’oeuvres and sponsored giveaways is included in the price.

To register, click HERE.

About Manhattan Edit Workshop – Certified Training in New York City and Your City
Headquartered in downtown New York, Manhattan Edit Workshop was founded in 2002 with the goal of providing cutting-edge instruction on Apple®, Adobe® and Avid® platforms. Since then, Mewshop has added Digital Cinema Production classes, DaVinci Resolve, Autodesk® Smoke®, Assimilate Scratch training and a two-week documentary film production course to its already impressive curriculum. Mewshop’s signature Six-Week Intensive is a jump-start for anyone looking for a career in post-production, while weekend and one-week courses introduce and solidify core editing concepts.

Corporate and group training offer a customized curriculum, either in-house or on-site, for professionals eager to learn a new skill or to build on existing ones. The facility’s focus on small workshops, highly skilled and certified faculty, and a results-oriented curriculum have quickly won it the reputation as New York’s premier post-production teaching facility.

Follow @mewshop on Twitter and Facebook. For more information on Manhattan Edit Workshop please visit: mewshop.com.

--Manhattan Edit Workshop Press Release

Original article: Legends of Storytelling Gather in Manhattan for Inside The Cutting Room: Sight, Sound
and Story

©2013 NYC Production & Post News. All Rights Reserved.

NEW YORK --- Director Peter Rabôt continues his illuminating "Amazing Things Are Happening Here" campaign for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, highlighting the latest in innovative clinical research and advanced medical treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in recent advertisements for the hospital.

As Rabôt explains, "The hospital category probably has the most difficult audience to engage. Most people do not like hospitals; and, for the most part, aren't dependent on them, so these individuals actively ignore their marketing messages. My challenge was to break through this barrier."

Rabôt continues to propel the "Amazing Things" campaign forward with his latest provocative work. Five new :60 second spots were recently released featuring the story of retired Lieutenant Colonel John O'Brien. During an in-depth interview, O'Brien described his experiences returning home from four tours of duty in the Middle East and facing PTSD.

John O'Brien served as a Special Operations officer in the Middle East and was the recipient of a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his service to his country. John is without a doubt an American hero—but not without an emotional cost. In these advertisements, O'Brien describes his treatment at NewYork-Presbyterian "[It's] brought me to a point in my life where I can really start to move on."

Over 500,000 United States participants in the Middle East conflicts may suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is developing inventive new therapies to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

http://vimeo.com/64089672#

Credits

Client: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Agency: Munn Rabôt
CEO: Orson Munn
Creative Director: Peter Rabôt
Creative Director: John Stingley
Agency Producer: Rachel Manis
Senior Account Executive: Paul Warner
Account Supervisor: Kate Roderick Lopez
Account Coordinator: Rachel Floyd

Production Company: Lost Highway Films
Director: Peter Rabôt
Director of Photography: Maryse Alberti
Executive Producer: Marc Rosenberg
Producer: Tom Nifenecker
Production Supervisor: Natalie Warkenthien

Editorial: MUGSY
Editor: Antoine Mills
Executive Producer: Sean Reilly
Assistant Editor: Jonathan Stromberg

About Lost Highway Films
Lost Highway Films is a television & film production company specializing in Commercials, Digital Content, VFX, Promos, Animation, Documentary, and Long Format.

LHF understands client's goals creatively and can provide amazing production value and support. Director Peter Rabot rounds out the LHF roster comprised of Todd Bellanca, Robin Hays, Amy Demas, Eddy Chu, Michael Patterson, and Mat Fuller. For further information contact LHF call 212.242.7400, e-mail: info@losthighwayfilms.com or visit our website at www.losthighwayfilms.com. 

--SHOOT Publicity Wire

Original article: Lost Highway Films’ Peter Rabôt Captures a Poignant Military Perspective in New Ads

©2013 NYC Production & Post News. All Rights Reserved.

Disconnect, the new drama from LD Entertainment and director Henry Alex Rubin, weaves three loosely related narrative lines, each of which relates to the internet and the way it is affecting human relationships. The protagonists of its three plot lines include a TV news reporter investigating porn chat sites, a lawyer whose 15-year-old son is victimized by his skater buddies, and an interracial couple who turn to on-line grief consoling to cope with the death of their baby.

Post-production was completed at Technicolor – PostWorks in New York, where the work ran the gamut from dailies processing through DI Colorist Tim Stipan (Moonrise Kingdom, Black Swan) applied the final grade, working alongside Rubin and cinematographer Ken Seng. 

According to Stipan, the finished look of the film mirrors its narrative structure. While the overall look is cold, almost icy, subtle differences distinguish its three plot threads. "Henry did not want it to look like a typical film," Stipan explains. "We gave it a soft contrast look, but we also built in some richness and depth. After softening the contrast, we added color saturation and popped the highlights. The color palette ranges from warm yellow and red to saturated green and blue."

The film opens with the TV reporter talking over the web to Kyle, who describes his job as a sex chat worker. The scene then shifts to a mall where a pair of young skateboarders are planning a prank. "The scenes with the sex chat guy are dark, but warm and green or red depending on the time of day," Stipan says. "The scenes with the couple victimized by identity theft are predominantly yellow and red. The scenes with the kid and his skateboarder tormentors are more natural. The look is clean and sharp contrast—but it's all done within the parameters set by the director."

Stipan notes that Seng created interesting optical effects by placing glass in front of the camera lens. Glass sometimes covers only a portion of the lens causing part of the resulting frames to appear softer or slightly out of focus. For audiences, the effect creates the feeling of eavesdropping on the subjects.

"It's a very interesting look," Stipan notes. "There is something constantly going on in front of the lens."

Stipan says that such camera techniques along with the grade that was applied in his suite at Technicolor – PostWorks add to the dramatic tension and atmosphere of alienation that pervades the film. "It's a very emotionally powerful film," he says. "Everyone who sees it is left with tears in their eyes—men and women. It's a very interesting film."

About Technicolor – PostWorks New York

Technicolor - PostWorks New York, a Slate Media Group company, is the East Coast's most comprehensive digital motion picture and post-production facility, employing an exceptional team of artists, engineers and project managers to serve our clients through the film and TV finishing process.

Technicolor - PostWorks New York offers one complete source for every post requirement, including data workflows, film processing, telecine/scanning, non-linear editorial and HD picture finishing, digital intermediate and film recording, high-volume encoding and high-speed data transmission, as well as comprehensive film and TV sound services on nine mix stages.

For more information, visit www.technicolorpwny.com.

About Slate Media Group

Slate Media Group is an entertainment technology services company driven to redefine the intersection of technology and creativity. The company provides film and television studios, production companies, independent producers and other content creators with technologies, services and expertise that are crucial to bringing their creative visions to life. At a time when tools and techniques of media production are undergoing revolutionary change, Slate Media Group collaborates with its clients to develop unique solutions to the challenges they face to help them achieve even higher levels of creative excellence and production efficiency.

--SHOOT Online Press Release

Original article: Technicolor – PostWorks’ Tim Stipan Applies the Finishing Touch to Indie Drama “Disconnect”

©2013 NYC Production & Post News. All Rights Reserved.

DDB, New York launched a new spot for the New York Lottery Winning Numbers App. The spot features a worker in a doll factory who is unaware that he is a millionaire because he hasn't checked his numbers on the app. Instead, he has the unsettling feeling the dolls are staring at him.

Director David Gaddie of The Colony says, "We really enjoyed creating an environment that felt like a big, real factory, full of believable people, and never like a film set. We felt that keeping it real – from casting to set design to the name badges sewn on workers' shirts – would highlight the intrinsic comedy of the situation."

VFX studio Afterparty enriched the factory environment by adding set extensions such as a second conveyor system suspended from the ceiling, extra lighting and machinery. Design Director Jordan Lister says, "Our role was to quietly reinforce that sense of a totally realistic factory, bringing detail to that world."

The result is an intriguingly wry spot with very dry and underplayed comedy.

You can watch the video here.

Credits
Client: New York Lottery

Agency: DDB New York
Chief Creative Officer: Matt Eastwood; Group Creative Director: Rich Sharp; Group Creative Director: Mike Sullivan; Art Director: Tony Bartolucci; Copywriter: Colin Lapin; Head of Production: Ed Zazzera; Executive Producer: Walter Brindak; Business Manager: Kelly McCann; Group Account Director: Leo Mamorsky; Management Supervisor: Kelly Gorsky; Account Supervisor: Heather Olson; Account Executive: Kemi Adewumi; Account Executive: Tarina Hesaltine;

Production company: The Colony
Executive Producer: Angela Bowen; Director: David Gaddie; Producer: Zac Zimmerman; Director of Photography: William Rexer II

Editor: John Piccolo @ Fluid

VFX: Afterparty; VFX
Supervisor / CG Lead: Ilias Saliba; VFX Supervisor: Nick Crist; Design Director: Jordan Lister

Color Correction: Les Rudge @ Nice Shoes  

__SHOOT Publicity Wire Press Release

Original article: New York Lottery Winner Trapped in Doll Factory

©2013 NYC Production & Post News. All Rights Reserved.

St. Patrick's Old Cathedral on New York’s Lower East Side was the unusual site chosen for the screening of Marco Brambilla's "Creation". The stereoscopic video installation, screened this past May 3^rd, is the most technically complex of Brambilla's trilogy, named "Creation (Megaplex)".

A high level of interest in Milan-born Mr. Brambilla's work must exist, since attendees formed a long line up and down the block of Mulberry Street where the church -- New York’s ‘original’ St. Patrick’s -- is located. When the gates opened, the crowd picked up 3D glasses as they entered the church. Whether or not the idea of setting it in a church was meant to convey a layer of meaning to the work, I know not. While I might not be religiously inclined, I had to admit that the darkened architecture of the 140-year old structure did lend an element of drama.

Brambilla's work, projected in 3D onto a large screen in front of the altar, was a dense tunnel, which you move through as layers of moving images and other pictures fly past. The video, rich with layers of imagery, was stunning to behold, hypnotic and trance-like. The lush non-stop parade of images included unmistakable clips from cultural markers such as The Sound of Music, Mars Attacks, Austin Powers, The Big Lebowski, Superman, Dr. Strangelove and many others against a hyper-realistic landscape of clouds, meadows and burning cityscapes. After several minutes the video would seamlessly loop. 

As described by the artist, "Creation” takes the viewer on a spiraling trajectory that begins with a Big Bang and continues through embryonic inception, idyllic Eden-like bliss and decadences, and finally culminates in annihilation – only then to re-invent itself.

Creating Creation

Ntropic creative director and founder Nate Robinson used Autodesk Flame visual effects software as well as Autodesk Maya to deliver the project’s stunning effects. To make sense of some 1500 video clips, Ntropic custom-designed a digital rotoscoping pipeline with Flame at the core. The team also created a high volume of 3D elements that appear throughout the film.

“‘Creation’ is a fitting finale to Marco’s trilogy; it’s a masterwork that tells an engaging story through a collage of artfully curated visual moments,” said Robinson. “We pushed the technology to the limit to create an immersive 3D art experience and applied some of the same techniques and tools that we use on commercial and music video projects to help realize Marco’s vision.”

The third installment in Brambilla’s 3D “[Megaplex]” trilogy, “Creation” follows Brambilla’s “Evolution” (2010) and “Civilization” (2008). For more information about “Creation” visit the artist’s website at http://marcobrambilla.com/home.html.

Original article: Ntropic’s Robinson Deploys Flame, Maya to Deliver Marco Brambilla’s 3-D “Creation”

©2013 NYC Production & Post News. All Rights Reserved.

--Nice Shoes Press Release

Original article: Nice Shoes Grows Editorial Division with New Talent
and Studio

©2013 NYC Production & Post News. All Rights Reserved.

Original article: Does make.tv Really Show the Future of Cloud-based Production?

©2013 NYC Production & Post News. All Rights Reserved.