Linkin Park Shadow of The Day Awarded Video of The Year

MTV awarded ‘Shadow of the Day’ (by Linkin Park) as Rock Video of the Year at the 2008 Video Music Awards.  Directed by band member Joseph Hahn, the award-winning video was cut by Igor Kovalik of the Santa Monica boutique. As much a short film as a music video, the video portrays war and rioting in streets that could be any city.  Absent of any performance footage, the video doesn’t include any members of the band, save the lead singer (Chester).  This perspective coaxes viewers to contemplate the possibility and horror of dealing with such chaos on a more personal level.  Scenes were shot with hand-held cameras in an effort to retain mobility and reality in the action, and genuine pyrotechnics were used, including fire, bullets, smoke grenades and bombs.  Explosions, machine guns and other sound effects contribute to the pandemonium.  The powerful imagery and sound of the video is a stark contrast to the somber ballad, which no doubt lends to its popularity among fans.

The relationship between band member/director Joseph Hahn and Beast Editor Igor Kovalik continues bearing fruit, as this is not the first time the pair have worked together.  Last year Kovalik won an MTV VMA for Best Editing of the Linkin Park video ‘What I’ve Done’ (2007).  More recently, Rebecca Beluk of Beast LA handled post for ‘Leave Out All the Rest’, the final single released from the double-platinum-selling album “Minutes to Midnight”.  Also directed by Joe Hahn, ‘Leave Out All the Rest’ uses a unique treatment that depicts the band members living aboard a spaceship.   The video was shot using green screens to create an artificial habitat in outer space, and includes editing and effects seen more in high-budget films than in music videos.  Again there is no performance footage and the 4-minute narrative plays out like a short film.  Surfacing just before its official premiere date of June 2 (2008), the video is one of the favorites among the fans, who often refer to it as ‘epic’.  Considering its mass popularity over the summer thus far, it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility that another VMA might already be looming on the horizon.

2008 Summer Olympic Games – Beijing and BEAST

Highlights of a whirlwind summer at Beast include two 60-second spots that debuted during the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.  “It’s Time” for Home Depot and “Disappear” for Chevrolet were both cut by our own Igor Kovalik (Santa Monica) and continue running through the end of the month.  The August 8 Opening Ceremony annihilated NBC competitors with 34.9 million viewers (the most-watched night of programming since the finale of Friends in 2004). Ratings were even better during competition the following Sunday evening and the average weekly viewers since are almost 18 million!

Put together by The Richards Group, “It’s Time” was created exclusively for the 2008 Olympic Games.  Home Depot employs Gold Medal-hopefuls through its Olympic Job Opportunities Program (OJOP) and the 60-second spot is a poignant commemoration to those aspiring athletes.  The OJOP compensates competitors for time spent training for the games.  A dozen potential Olympians from various Home Depot departments competing in equally varied sports are highlighted.  The ad is an inspiring reminder that even the local Home and Garden Center supports big dreams.

Since its debut during the Opening Ceremony, the “Disappear” spot for Chevrolet has created a flurry of press throughout the auto industry, as it offers the much-anticipated first visual of the Volt Plug-in Hybrid (estimated for release in 2010).  The spot is a carefully crafted montage showcasing the evolution from gas to electric-powered vehicles. The ad reminds the viewer of Chevrolet’s American roots, its progress and presence in the auto industry today, and its intent to protect our environment without sacrificing mobility.  The spot serves as a beautiful and effective method of communicating that the automotive powerhouse is actively engaged in exploring creative solutions for a better world tomorrow.  The spot will encourage consumer confidence and assure viewers Chevrolet is committed to positive progression.

Spring / Summer 2008 Update

This spring has been a very busy one for Beast. Editor Kevin Garcia moved from the Santa Monica office to join Sam Selis in Austin and has already cut spots for: Champion Sports, Oregon Associations of Realtors, an AT&T. Jason Uson, a senior assistant in the LA office has also made the move to the Lone Star State.

In Santa Monica, editor Rick Lobo joined Beast after spending several years at Cake. He is currently working on Adidas for 180 High Tech Marketing while Barnett Kiel is working on a massive project for the US Naval Academy.

The rest of the Beast editors are busy working on projects with directors Sam Bayer, Ericson Core, Eric Saarinen, and Baker Smith to name a few. A Pam Thomas helmed music video deserves special mention as it is promoting Standup2cancer.org, a newly launched assault on the dreaded disease with a dream team of scientists and researches galvanized by some of the most respected talent in Hollywood along with some of the most influential companies in the nation.