Beast Editors Tim Fender and Rich Smith Win Big at Ninth Annual AICE Awards

Igor Kovalik, Doug Walker and Lucas Eskin named AICE finalists

 Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, announced today that two of its editors, Tim Fender and Rich Smith, were recognized at last week’s ninth annual Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) competition honoring creative excellence in editorial, design and visual effects. Beast San Francisco editor Tim Fender was awarded Best of San Francisco for his work on the U.S. Cellular spot “Calling all Communities,” and Beast Detroit editor Rich Smith named Best of Detroit for his work on “Can Confessions” for Bud Light Lime.

Beast editors Igor Kovalik, Doug Walker and Lucas Eskin were also finalists in the AICE competition. Kovalik was nominated in the Music Video category for Linkin Park’s “New Divide”; Walker had three spots nominated in the National Campaign category for his work on the Electronic Arts-E Sports Brand campaign; and Eskin was nominated in the Montage category for Discovery Channel’s “I Love the World Reprise.”

“Winning an AICE award is flattering because it comes from the editing community, people who know and respect the craft,” said Beast San Francisco editor Tim Fender. “Delivering a spot that is effective for the client—and wins an award—is as good as it gets.”

“It was a thrill to be recognized this way by my peers,” added Beast Detroit editor Rich Smith. “The AICE awards show is so important to us as editors—it gives us a place to shine.”

WINNER: BEST OF DETROIT

• Rich Smith, Beast Detroit
• Bud Light Lime: “Can Confessions”
• Executive Producer: Marie Schroeder
• Agency: DDB
• Creative Director: Mark Gross
• Agency producer: Scott Kemper
• Production Company: Supply & Demand
• Director: Greg Popp
• DP: Byron Shah

WINNER: BEST OF SAN FRANCISCO

• Tim Fender, Beast San Francisco
• U.S. Cellular: “Calling All Communities”
• Agency: Publicis and Hal Riney
• Creative Director: Roger Camp
• Producer: D.P. Odishoo
• Art Director: Joe Bultman
• Copywriter: Michael Whelan
• Production Company: Ruby Pictures. Doug Walker, director/DP
• Colorist/Online: Dave Burghardt, Beast

FINALIST: MUSIC VIDEO

• Igor Kovalik, Beast Los Angeles
• Linkin Park “New Divide” (Warner Bros)

FINALIST: NATIONAL CAMPAIGN

• Doug Walker, Beast San Francisco
• Electronic Arts-E Sports Brand Campaign “Joy” “Push” “Training Camp”
• Agency: Heat

FINALIST: MONTAGE

• Lucas Eskin, Beast Los Angeles
• Discovery Channel “I Love the World Reprise”
• Agency: 72andSunny

Beast San Francisco Gets Twisted for ‘Bright Falls’

Live-action series from agencytwofifteen for Xbox 360 promotes psychological action thriller ‘Alan Wake’

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, completed work on Xbox 360’s “Bright Falls,” a six-episode series created by agencytwofifteen to promote the psychological action thriller game “Alan Wake.” Directed by Phillip Van for production company Little Minx, “Bright Falls” debuted on Xbox LIVE and on the web on April 27, with two episodes available each week through the game’s launch on May 18.
Shot on the RED camera on location in rural Oregon and Washington, “Bright Falls” is a prequel to the events of “Alan Wake,” telling the story of a reporter named Jake as he arrives in town to interview the creepy Dr. Hartman. In the first two episodes, Jake discovers the woods, hollows and diner that comprise Bright Falls are filled with mysterious characters, setting the stage for the strange events to follow.

Beast used REDCINE X to transcode the raw RED digital files captured from the week-long shoot, converting them to DNX files before loading them onto an Avid system for editing. “As much as we wanted to jump straight into the edit, the first thing we had to think about was data management. Once we had the files in the AVID and synced, we were able to break the footage into separate episodes and start editing,” explained Beast editor Connor T. McDonald.

“This was such a cool project—it’s the kind of thing that got me into editing in the first place,” McDonald continued. “I love cutting commercials, but it was my love of movies and television dramas that got me here. ‘Bright Falls’ gave us a chance to open things up a little and let the characters unfold and develop.”

McDonald shared editing chores for “Bright Falls” with Beast editors Nikki Winig and Brian Lagerhausen. “It was a great experience, much more about storytelling than product,” Winig said. “The biggest challenge, which was the departure from commercial editing, was also the most fun part. From the moment I read the treatment I couldn’t wait to start cutting. The other nice thing was the amount of time we had for each episode, which really allowed us to help build a detailed and nuanced story.”

Beast Chicago Signs Editor Sean Berringer, Gets a Beauty of a New Home

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, announced that it has added Editor Sean Berringer to its talent roster. Berringer will work out of Beast’s Chicago office, which recently completed the move from its temporary quarters of the past year to a custom-built facility on the Chicago River.

Beast Chicago’s new 3,000 square-foot facility, located on the 20th floor of the Crain Communications Building on the corner of Michigan and Wacker, will be the new home for Beast Editors Angelo Valencia and John Dingfield, as well as Berringer. The new facility, which boasts four dual-boot system edit bays running both Avid and Final Cut Pro, is located within walking distance to Chicago’s biggest ad agencies.

“We couldn’t be more excited about our new space,” Angelo Valencia, Beast Chicago’s founder and Senior Creative Editor said. “The location is great, but more importantly, we’re very happy to be able to service our clients better. We’ve been very blessed to have great folks consistently return to us at our temporary space, which is what made this move possible. We’re definitely looking forward to what the future holds for Beast Chicago.”

“Beast has a great reputation for high-quality work, and the new facility is gorgeous,” Berringer added. “I’m very much looking forward to working with Angelo and the rest of the Beast Chicago team.”

For over two decades, Berringer has been editing nationally recognized advertising campaigns for dozens of major brands, including Miller Lite, KFC, Sears, Juicy Fruit, Right Guard, Nintendo, McDonalds and Toyota, among others. He joins Beast from Red Car, where as Managing Film Editor he played an influential role in opening Red Car’s Chicago office and establishing the company’s identity in the local market. Berringer began his career in 1989 as an assistant editor for Venice Beach Editorial at Chiat/Day/Mojo before moving to Chicago in 1992 to take a position with Cutters, where he acquired many of his loyal clients. For the past six years, Berringer has been a member of the Chicago AICE Board of Directors.

“Sean’s not only an incredibly talented editor, he’s a fun and inspiring man,” said Beast Chicago executive producer Melissa Thornley. “To be honest, I’ve wanted to work with him for over a decade.”

“I‘m immensely proud of Angelo for everything he’s done to spearhead the Chicago office,” Beast Managing Director Valerie Petrusson said. “Beast has a reputation for providing top editorial talent all around the country, and having Angelo, John and Sean working as a creative collaborative team is a home run in my book.”

Beast Austin Hires Senior Editor Ariel Quintans and Smoke Artist Jim Reed

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, announced the expansion of its Austin location with the addition of a Smoke room for finishing projects and the hire of two major talents: senior editor Ariel Quintans and Smoke artist Jim Reed. In addition, Beast Austin has partnered with sister company Company 3 to provide virtual telecine services.

“We’re thrilled to have added online finishing and virtual telecine capabilities to our existing infrastructure,” said Beast Austin executive producer Brent Holt. “Jim Reed has a wealth of experience as a finishing artist, and Ariel is a very talented editor with a devoted following. Coupled with the remote technology employed by Company 3 for virtual collaboration, we are now well-positioned to tackle a whole range of new projects.”

Ariel Quintans has been an editor in Austin, Texas for over 12 years and has developed a reputation for impeccable taste and a passion for storytelling. Combining a unique understanding of music and rhythm with a keen ability for graphic and motion design, Quintans has stretched his story-telling abilities to cover as many formats as possible. In addition to his body of spot and music video work, Quintans served as lead editor on “Rollergirls,” a 13-episode reality series for A&E, was the supervising editor for four seasons of the Emmy Award-winning documentary series “Downtown,” and has been a contributing editor and motion designer on feature length features and documentaries. His recent work on the Basic Military Training microsite for Airforce.com has been featured in the 2010 Communication Arts Interactive Annual.

“I’ve been friends with Beast Austin co-founder Sam Selis for several years and always thought we would work really great together as a team,” Quintans commented. “The timing was perfect for me to make the switch to Beast and join their extremely talented roster.”

An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience, Reed joins Beast from 501 Post, where as senior editor and post production supervisor he worked on feature film projects such as “Sin City” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.” Reed also has a long list of commercial credits for dozens of brands, including AT&T, BMW, Burger King, Kohler, Land Rover, Snickers and Wal-Mart, among others.
“I’m excited to be joining Beast and starting up their in-house finishing,” Reed said. “The variety of projects and clients Beast brings to the table was very attractive in my decision to join the team. Plus my new room here is top-of-the-line, offers the greatest amount of creative input, and delivers a terrific end product.”

Company 3 will employ its remote technology for post production services on commercials and features, enabling clients at Beast Austin to collaborate in real time with Company 3 artists on color grading projects. A high-resolution monitor calibrated by a certified Company 3 engineer coupled with a video conferencing system ensures that client feedback reaches their Company 3 colorist in Los Angeles or New York without delays or color discrepancies.

Elizabeth Krajewski Joins Beast NY as Executive Producer

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, announced today that it has hired Elizabeth Krajewski as Executive Producer at its New York facility. Krajewski joins Beast from Jump, bringing with her extensive editorial as well as visual effects experience.


“I’m thrilled to be working with a post production professional like Elizabeth who can help take Beast to the next level,” commented Beast COO Valerie Petrusson. “I know she’ll bring a great deal of value to her position as executive producer.”

Prior to joining Beast, Krajewski worked at Jump, where she started as a senior producer in 2005 before being promoted to executive producer in 2007. While at Jump, Krajewski worked on projects for a variety of national brands, including Hershey’s, L’Oreal, Maybelline and Verizon, for such agencies as Arnold, McCann Erickson and Saatchi & Saatchi. Originally from Chicago, Krajewski got her start in production in 2001, with a position with Supply & Demand in New York, and then moved into post production as a VFX producer with Spontaneous before making the transition to the editorial side.

“I’m very excited to be working at Beast,” said Krajewski. “It’s wonderful to work in a collaborative environment with such a talented group of editors. And with Beast facilities located around the country, it’s great to know that I’m part of a larger organization that can share talent and resources when they’re needed.”

Beast Goes to Work for CareerBuilder.com at Super Bowl XLIV

Editorial Facility Contributes to User-Generated Ad Campaign

 

Beast, one of the country’s top editorial facilities, announced today that editor John Dingfield contributed work on three spots for the CareerBuilder.com "Hire My TV Ad” contest, with the winner, “Casual Friday,” airing during Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIV.

The :30 ads, conceived by contest finalists, were directed by Craig Gillespie for CareerBuilder’s in-house advertising team, and subjected to public voting on the CareerBuilder web site to determine which commercial would air during the big game. The ads, entitled “Casual Friday,” “Job Fairy” and the “too hot for TV” “Worst Seat,” incorporate elements of CareerBuilder’s signature use of humor and reinforce the company’s “start building” tagline.

To create the spots, Career Builder turned the finalist concepts over to its advertising team for script development. Shooting took place over the course of three days in October, and the footage was handed off to Dingfield at Beast’s Chicago facility for editing in early November. “It was very nice to have so much time to spend on the project,” Dingfield commented. “I was really able to give the material its due. The production team shot more gags and set-ups than I could ever use, so it was a definite challenge to take all of that fantastic footage and cut it down to 30 seconds.”

“It was great working with the CareerBuilder team,” Dingfield continued. “The ‘Job Fairy’ spot was fairly technically demanding, so in terms of editorial there were a bunch a moving parts. Right from the beginning they got us involved in pre-production meetings, both to ensure that everyone on the post side was on board technically, and to make certain that creatively I had enough material to play with.”

Among Oscars’ Reruns, a Few Standout Acts

Lisa Nigro was featured in an ad for True North nuts that appeared during the Academy Awards.

By STUART ELLIOTT

IMAGINE tuning in on Sunday night to watch the Academy Awards and seeing the Oscar for best picture given again to “No Country for Old Men,” “The Departed” or “Million Dollar Baby.”

That was almost what it was like to watch the commercials that appeared during the broadcast on ABC. In another sign of how drastically the recession is forcing Madison Avenue to pinch pennies, many of the spots shown were reruns.

For the last several years, marketers have used the Academy Awards as a showcase for new work, much as they do each year with the Super Bowl. But on Sunday, advertiser after advertiser rolled out retreads. Some, like McDonald’s, presented no new spots at all.

And one commercial, from MasterCard, was a re-edited version of a trio of spots the company ran during the 2004 Oscar broadcast. Too bad the Dow Jones industrial average from five years ago cannot be revived as easily.

As a result, marketers that took the effort — and spent the money — to deliver something new stood out.

What follows is an assessment of some of the Oscar commercials — originals or oldies — broadcast nationally by ABC during the show, out of the total of more than 40.
BEST ACTOR Jeff Bridges was never seen on camera during the Oscars. But his voice was heard more often than Hugh Jackman’s as he narrated eight commercials for Hyundai Motor America, the No. 1 advertiser in the show.

The earnest, plain-spoken delivery by Mr. Bridges of lines about the automaker’s new incentive plan, called Hyundai Assurance Plus, sounded like a mash-up of in “The Grapes of Wrath” and James Stewart in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”

“We’re all in this together,” Mr. Bridges intoned. “It’s time to repay your belief in us.” Is there an opening in the Obama cabinet for a secretary of reassurance?
Making the pitch from Mr. Bridges even more effective is a credit on his filmography: He portrayed the maverick, populist automaker Preston Tucker in the 1988 movie, “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, part of the Omnicom Group.

BEST ACTRESS “I’m a PC,” says an adorable girl named Kylie Kim in a commercial for the Microsoft Corporation, “and I’m four and a half.” But she handles the PC’s functions like a pro: “I click,” she says as she edits a photo. “It’s better!”
If a new depression needs a new Shirley Temple, Hollywood ought to consider Ms. Kim: Instead of tap-dancing with Bill Robinson, she could blog with Bill Gates. Agency: Crispin Porter & Bogusky, part of MDC Partners.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN The presentation of new apparel lines for women by the J. C. Penney Company easily won the competition for outstanding outfits. In a change of pace, most of the commercials showed a young woman dressing up to please herself rather than to impress a date.
The sole caveat to the kudos for the cavalcade of clothing is that, truth be told, an untrained eye had a tough time distinguishing among the labels on display. Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, part of the Publicis Groupe.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT It’s a tie! A three-way tie, actually, among the three (blessedly new) commercials for the True North line of nuts sold by the Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo.
One spot featured the winner of a True North contest to discover people with uplifting personal passions; it was directed by the Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt. The winner, a former Chicago police officer named Lisa Nigro, founded the Inspiration Café, which helps the homeless; the scenes of her and her customers were more moving than any hour of “Slumdog Millionaire.” Agency: StrawberryFrog.

BEST ECO-WARRIOR Who was greener than thou during the Oscars? Not an actor or a filmmaker but Apple, which ran a commercial for the MacBook Pro — proclaimed “the world’s greenest family of notebooks.” Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day, part of the TBWA Worldwide division of Omnicom.

BEST FILM EDITING The aforementioned commercial for MasterCard was a deftly compressed version of three spots that were shown originally as a series during the 2004 Oscar broadcast. The story line, about a lost dog that finds its way home, may have benefited from the sped-up presentation because the ending was easy to predict. Agency: McCann Erickson Worldwide, part of the McCann Worldgroup unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies.

BEST HOMAGE TO AN INCUMBENT PRESIDENT A commercial for Orencia, a drug sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb to treat rheumatoid arthritis, carried the theme “Oh, yes I can!”
And in solidarity with the administration’s goal of stimulating the economy, the commercial included an offer for the Orencia Promise Program, which can be used to reimburse patients’ co-pay payments. Agency: MRM Worldwide, part of the McCann Worldgroup.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT It’s never easy being a neat freak, according to a charming commercial for a new collection of Hoover vacuums called the Hoover Platinum Collection, sold by a unit of Techtronic Industries. The story ends with the soothing promise that “eventually, your higher standards are rewarded.”

And in another nod to Barack Obama, the commercial uses the song “At Last,” heard during the inaugural balls. Agency: The Martin Agency, part of Interpublic.

BEST SOUND EDITING AND MIXING The evocative noises of a Coca-Cola bottle being opened and the soda’s effervescent fizz really helped a Coke commercial put across its message of thirst-quenching refreshment. Such aural logos are as valuable to the Coca-Cola Company as its contoured bottle.

In a nice touch for a spot shown during the Academy Awards, the commercial was filmed in a fashion reminiscent of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Agency: Wieden & Kennedy.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Tom Cruise’s career makeover from serious thespian (“Valkyrie”) to droll comedian (“Tropic Thunder”) received a boost from his performance in a promotional spot for the ABC late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” The punch line may have been predictable, but Mr. Cruise delivered it with panache. The spot was created internally at ABC, part of the Walt Disney Company.