Beast Monkeys Around with CareerBuilder for Super Bowl Spot

Chicago, IL – February 7, 2011 – Beast, one of the nation’s top editorial facilities, recently completed work on “Parking Lot,” a :30 for CareerBuilder that debuted during Super Bowl XLV. The spot features an embattled office worker attempting to simply park his car in the company lot when his chimpanzee colleagues throw a monkeywrench into the mix.

Editor John Dingfield from Beast Chicago reteamed with creatives Matt McIntyre and Jeff Martin, who produced last year’s CareerBuilder campaign for Super Bowl XLIV, to work on “Parking Lot.” Director Bryan Buckley of Hungryman joined the team this year. “Bryan Buckley is one of the best directors around, so it was great working with him and the rest of the team,” commented Dingfield.

The commercial had its share of challenges. “Only one chimp could appear in frame at a time and they never appeared in frame with the actor, so a lot of editing and visual effects were involved” said Dingfield. “Bryan normally does two-camera shoots, but for the effects sequences he used a C camera to ensure that good performances were captured at multiple angles. As a result, layers and layers of footage were shot, resulting in some scenes with nine or ten layers of film that had to be married together.”

Dingfield’s biggest challenge was getting the footage comped together in order to see what was happening. “With so many layers of footage you don’t know what you have until you put it all together, offered Dingfield. “The creatives at CareerBuilder were very patient and collaborative, which made this a really enjoyable campaign to work on.”

In addition to “Parking Lot,” Dingfield edited two other as yet unreleased spots for the campaign, all of which were shot on the RED Camera.

CREDITS

Title: Parking Lot

Client: CareerBuilder
Richard Castellini - Chief Marketing Officer
Cynthia McIntyre - Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Jeff Martin - CD/Copywriter
Matt McIntyre - CD/Art Director
Ben Latimer - Producer

Production: Hungry Man
Bryan Buckley - Director
Kevin Byrne - Managing Partner/Executive Producer
Cindy Becker - Executive Producer
Dan Duffy - Executive Producer
Mino Jarjoura - Executive Producer
Steve Ruggieri - Production Supervisor

Crew:
Scott Henriksen - Director of Photography
Craig Owens - Assistant Director
David Skinner - Production Designer
Kathy Knowles - Casting Director LA
Fay Erin Casting - Casting Director NY
Brian Malott - Asst. Production Supervisor

Animals:
Steve Martin's Working Wildlife
Steve Martin - trainer
Chris Edrington - trainer
Keith Bauer - trainer

Editorial:
BEAST
John Dingfield - Editor
Lauren Scheuer - Producer
Matt Glover - Assistant Editor
Melissa Thornley - EP

Visual Effects:
The Mill
Gavin Wellsman - Lead Flame
Fergus McCall - Color
Danny Morris - Flame
Gigi Ng - Assistant Flame
Albert Cook - Assistant Flame
Suzanne Dyer - Assistant Flame
Rosalind Paradis - Assistant Flame
Brian Houlihan - Jr. Assistant Flame
Randy Krueger - Jr. Assistant Flame
Jeff Robbins - Smoke
Keith Sullivan - Smoke
Tristian Wake - Smoke
Jeff Dates - CG
Sandor Tolado - CG
Dan Roberts - Producer
Zu Al-Kadiri - Producer

Sound Design:
MachineHead
1641 20th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
310 392 8393
Stephen Dewey - Sound Designer / Foley
Patty Chow Dewey - EP

Music:
Emoto
1615 16th St., Santa Monica, CA 90404
Ph 310 399 6900
Business Trip: Odd Couple Arrangement
Arranger: Paul Bessenbacher
Executive Producer: Paul Schultz
Business Trip: Original Music
Composer: John Adair
Executive Producer: Paul Schultz
Parking Lot: Original Music
Composer: Ryan Elder
Executive Producer: Paul Schultz
Fire Safety: Original Music
Composer: Paul Bessenbacher
Executive Producer: Paul Schultz

Audio:
Another Country
515 N State st 25th Floor, Chicago IL 60654
312-706-5800
John Binder – Mixer
Louise Rider - Assistant
Tim Konn - EP
Cathi Fremer: Associate Producer

Cast:
All Spots
Griffin Creech / Paradigm Agency - Lead
Geoff Bolt / JE Talent - AVO
William Grisco - Body Double

Business Trip
Dale E. Turner / Innovative Artists - TSA Agent

Beast Moves Fashion Forward With Oxfam America

Editorial facility provides post production services for Oxfam’s gift-giving campaign

Chicago, IL – December 16, 2010 – Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, recently completed work on a holiday gift-giving campaign from Oxfam America via agency Proximity Chicago. A satirical look at fashion, the campaign features a fictitious designer called “the Hidalgo,” played by comedian Chris Wylde, who introduces gift-givers to the Oxfam Collection, a special set of gifts offered on OxfamGifts.com.”

“This is a light-hearted take on gifts that make a difference that will actually turn heads and get people laughing,” said Stephanie Kurzina, Vice President for Development and Communications at Oxfam America.

Oxfam and Proximity Chicago worked with Beast Chicago to produce a series of videos for an integrated marketing campaign that also includes online and TV ads as well as a presence on Facebook and Twitter. “It was truly a collaborative effort,” said Beast editor, John Dingfield. ”We were given a ton of footage and our editors worked closely with Oxfam and Proximity to create the Hidalgo’s story.” In addition to Dingfield, editors Matt Glover, Sean Berringer, Angelo Valencia and Mark Sheridan all lended their talents to the project.


Oxfam ambassadors Scarlett Johansson and Minnie Driver played the part of gushing Hidalgo fans for the campaign videos. “Scarlett and Minnie added the perfect amount of celebrity and comedy to the videos,” commented Glover. “The tongue-in-cheek nature of their performances and their interaction with the Hidalgo were hilarious. It was a fun project to work on that’s for a great cause.” One of the videos was recently featured on the Huffington Post.

Beast Austin Hires Executive Producer Mary Ellen Farrar

Former agency producer brings 20+ years experience to editorial boutique

Austin, TX – November 15, 2010 – Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, has hired former advertising agency producer Mary Ellen Farrar to oversee commercial editing and post work at its vibrant, busy Austin, TX location. Farrar has spent the past two decades as a producer. Most recently she was on staff at the Seattle offices of Publicis, where she worked on spots for Washington’s Lottery, Dish Network, Citi and the popular T-Mobile "myFaves" and "myTouch" campaigns.
“We are delighted to have Mary Ellen on our team,” says Beast's COO and managing director Valerie Petrusson. “Her understanding of production, the industry at large and her years of experience on the agency side make her a wonderful asset to our Austin operation.”

Though Farrar has been involved in many facets of production and a wide variety of formats, it is the editing phase, she notes, that has always most fascinated her. “It’s really the part of the process where a job comes to life,” she says. "During the shooting, it's more like a play. It doesn't become something the whole world can enjoy until it goes through post.”

A long-time Austin resident, Farrar is excited about returning to the state and to be working in the advertising world in this rapidly growing market. “The industry is constantly evolving these days,” Farrar notes, ‘and we're in a perfect place to evolve and grow with it. Austin is a hotbed of high-tech industries and it's a great time to be able to offer editing services on par with the best there is anywhere in the country.”

Beast Makes a Full Court Press for Converse

Editorial facility provides bi-coastal post production services for iconic ad

New York, NY – November 1, 2010 –
Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, recently completed work on “The Procession” for Converse via ad agency Anomaly NYC for the company’s fall 2010 brand campaign. The commercial, which broke nationally September 26, pays homage to the legends of Converse’s past, present and future, showcasing the iconic Star Chevron mark and giving a nod to the company’s connection to the worlds of sport, music and culture which has helped define the brand for decades.

Gritty and raw, the :60 spot was directed by award-winning filmmaker Antoine Fuqua of Anonymous Content. The ad stars basketball legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving; Carlos Arroyo of the Miami Heat; musicians Jim Jones and Doug E Fresh; legendary ball-handler God Shammgod and Harlem streetball player Adrian “A-Butta” Walton; Converse skaters Kenny Anderson, Sammy Baca, Rune Glifberg and Eli Reed; all set to the thunderous “Hello Operator” by alternative rock band The White Stripes.

Lucas Eskin at Beast Los Angeles edited the spot, working with the director in Los Angeles before flying out to New York to meet with the agency team and complete the spot at Beast’s New York location. Tom McCullough of sister company Company 3 provided VFX and compositing for the project, and color grading was performed by CO3 colorist Tim Masick.

“Creatively, this was an incredibly rewarding project to work on,” Eskin said. “The agency handed off a lot of great material for me to work with, and it turned out to be a really fun, energetic spot. And I really enjoyed working with the Anomaly team at Beast NY.”

“Working with Beast was a great experience,” commented Andrew Loevenguth, Anomaly’s head of production. “Mike Byrne and I were able to work with Lucas again, and the job couldn’t have gone any smoother. And it didn't matter that he was LA-based--everything was where it needed to be and everything got done the way we wanted it. Lucas is a master editor.”

About Beast

Beast is one of the country’s top editorial houses for commercials, music videos and web virals. With facilities in Santa Monica, New York, Austin, Detroit, Chicago and San Francisco, Beast serves a global clientele with an unparalleled roster of established, award-winning editors as well as up-and-coming talent. Since opening its doors in 2006, Beast has built an impressive and varied body of work for such clients as Harpo Films, Nike, Electronic Arts, Converse, AT&T, Reebok, Southwest Airlines, GM, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes, USAF, Linkin Park and Black Eyed Peas. www.beast.tv

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CREDITS

Client: Converse

Title: “The Procession” :60

Agency: Anomaly NYC

Ex. Creative Director/Partner: Mike Byrne

Creative Director: Ian Toombs

Head of Production: Andrew Loevenguth

Acct. Person: Stanley Lumax

Production Company: Anonymous Content

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Director of Photography: Harris Savides

Executive Producer Dave Morrison

Producer: John Bennet

Editorial: Beast

Editor: Lucas Eskin

Executive Producer: Elizabeth Krajewski

Producer: Elizabeth Krajewski

Editorial Assistant: Jai Shukla

Telecine/VFX: Company3

Colorist: Tim Masick

Flame Artist: Tom McCullough

Executive Producer: Angela Lupo

Sound Mixing: AudioEngine

Mixer: Tommy Goldblatt

Music: The White Stripes “Hello Operator”

Music Clearance: Sara Matarazzo/Search Party Music

Beast NY Brings Fantasy to Reality for Zoosk

Editorial facility contributes to online dating site campaign from Ogilvy Atlanta

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, recently completed work on two spots, “Fantasy” and the still-to-air “Allergy,” for online dating site Zoosk. The campaign, from ad agency Ogilvy Atlanta, broke nationally on air and on the web June 1.

The :30 “Fantasy” features Zoosk user Tiffany daydreaming about a perfect romantic date while perusing the Zoosk site with her girlfriends. The fantasy begins reliably enough in a candlelit boudoir but quickly turns into parody with several hilarious blunders, including bumped heads, broken lamps and a strained back. Tiffany realizes that she finds reality much more appealing, and the ad closes with the Zoosk tag and logo.

Beast New York editor Jim Ulbrich cut the Zoosk spots on an Avid system, working closely with the creative team to realize the client’s vision. “The client and agency were great to work with, and it’s always fun to be involved in a company’s initial foray into traditional marketing,” Ulbrich commented. “As far as comedy goes, the two spots couldn’t be more different. The first spot, ‘Fantasy,” is physical comedy, while ‘Allergy’ is more about story and punch line.”

“Because of the demo and end graphics, which were a crucial part of the Zoosk message, we only had about 20 seconds in which to tell the story,” Ulbrich continued. “You keep asking yourself, ‘What footage pushes the story along as quickly as possible?’ With ‘Fantasy,’ it was easier to pull together. I made sure that the physical aspect of the story was as painful as possible and that really drove the spot. With ‘Allergy,’ it was a bit more difficult. While there was a ton of laugh-out-loud material to work with, I was at the mercy of animals hitting their marks and keeping their continuity. The great footage that did not make the cut will have to wait for the gag reel. In the end, everyone was really happy with how the spots turned out.”

“Allergy,” a side-splitting take on blind dates, airs nationally this month, and will also be featured on ZooskTV.com.

Beast Detroit Scores with Basketball Trick Shot Team Dude Perfect

Editorial facility contributes to web and broadcast campaign from Leo Burnett Detroit for GMC

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, recently completed work on a web and broadcast campaign for GMC from Leo Burnett Detroit featuring basketball trick shot team Dude Perfect. The campaign, dubbed the “GMC Heavy Duty Pickup Games,” promotes the GMC Sierra Denali Heavy Duty, and broke on the web on June 1, 2010. One of the nine videos, “Airplane,” was cut down into a :30 spot that aired during the NBA Finals.

Beast Detroit editor Chris Chynoweth traveled to Austin, TX for a three-day shoot for the project, working closely with the agency and production company Action Figure to determine the best approach. “One of the advantages to being on the shoot is that I get a feel for the material before I even sit down to start cutting,” Chynoweth said. “I know the team and I know what they’re looking for. Being there gives me a sense of what will work and what won’t, as well as the direction the agency wants to take.”

The video series features a variety of trick basketball shots, including one from an airplane that was accomplished in just two takes. “The airplane shot was incredibly exciting,” Chynoweth said. “It was the first video in the project that I cut for them, and because I already knew what they wanted, I was able to turn it around very quickly.”

Sybil McCarthy Joins Beast Los Angeles as Executive Producer

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, has hired Sybil McCarthy as executive producer of its Los Angeles facility. McCarthy joins Beast from a two-and-a-half-year stint as a freelance agency producer in Los Angeles as part of the Poolhouse collective, working with global and local advertising agencies such as Publicis Seattle/NY, JWT NYC, GSDM and McCann LA.
“Beast is excited that Sybil chose to join the LA office as EP,” said Beast COO Valerie Petrusson. “She brings a creative sensibility to the art of production as well as a deep understanding of the complex times we all navigate. Sybil joins an award winning editing roster and talented production executives at Beast.”

“I ‘m thrilled to have Sybil on our side now,” added Beast LA senior editor Lucas Eskin. “In her first week, she’s already helped to give the place the warm fuzzy vibe that is so essential to the offline process. With her expertise and experience, my job just got a lot easier.”

Prior to working as a freelancer, from 2005-2007, McCarthy served as executive producer at Jigsaw Editorial in Los Angeles, leading strategic planning for company growth and building a significant customer base. Before Jigsaw, from 1997-2005, McCarthy was a senior agency producer at TBWA Chiat Day in Los Angeles, producing campaigns for Nissan, Infiniti, Sony PlayStation and Pepsi One, among others. In addition to Chiat Day, McCarthy also served as a senior producer for Arnold Advertising, where she worked on campaigns for Volkswagen, McDonalds and Titleist Golf. With over 20 years of experience, McCarthy got her start in the industry as a producer at Ketchum/LA and Hill Holiday Boston and LA, working on campaigns for Honda/Acura and Infiniti.

“The dynamic structure of the Beast family provides an opportunity to grow creatively, provide excellent service to our clients, and be at the forefront of technological innovation in the post production process,” McCarthy commented. “With all the recent changes in our industry, I am deeply committed and enthusiastic about the direction Beast is heading. I’ll bring my understanding of all sides of the process to provide value and superior creative services to our clients. I couldn’t be happier to have found a new home with the amazing team of talented individuals at Beast.”