Ok avid blog followers, I know its been a while since we’ve checked in, but in the world of GK, that’s a good sign. We have been out and about for the last month making pretty pictures near and far with the help of our clients, crew, and talent. Being that we have been busy, keeping you informed has fallen begrudgingly to the wayside. Fear not, loyal readers, for your weekly dose of GK happenings is here again! With our ship’s anchor, Kat, away on maternity leave, and the camera/post-crew constantly turning over from job to job, it has been a whirlwind of a summer.
The month of July saw our camera crew out in Ohio working with producer and GK friend, Tracy Schott. Tracy and our crew were shooting a spot for Penske Trucking, as well as covering a live event at Penske headquarters with Get-Kinetic’s multi-camera set-up. The crew covered a lot of ground in Ohio for the 2day shoot, from Cleveland to Clyde, but somehow managed to find time to land at Cedar Point Park for a couple hours worth of some awesome rollercoaster riding. After a long day’s work, going to a coaster park is quite a jolt for the exhausted psyche. From sunrise shots to sunset coaster rides, we got the best they have to offer in Ohio, regardless that it seemed like Delaware’s dull cousin.
After wrapping the Buckeye state, our crew headed back to the Philly area to get to work on a Maaco commercial with the folks from Fusion. Shot on RED, this 3day shoot was a perfect mix of a great crew, ambitious producers, and professional laid-back/creative minded duo of Director, Don Vitello, and our own DP, Kevin Hack. This national spot is a promotion for Maaco auto-body repairs, as well as for their flagship painting services. This is the second installment of the ad campaign, which Fusion Creative had launched last year.
Most recently, our GK camera/post crew landed in our Jersey City homebase at Parlay Studio for a green screen runway shoot for Armani Exchange. After a pre-light day we spent the next 2 days shooting 6 models, including Alessandra Ambrosia of Victoria Secret, in several outfits from A/X’s new fall line. The post load is rather heavy for this one, but Post-Master Flash (his unofficial hip-hop moniker), Dan Gauthier, has been working closely with production to cut through the sizeable job and create a visually stylish project that will function as part of A/X’s new smart phone and tablet app.
As the summer seems to be racing by, leaving nothing but scorched earth in its wake, it has been a great time to be busy. Keeping the RED rolling and the lights hot is always our goal at GK. Staying… kinetic *wink* is our priority (I know, weak). As we continue to work our way through the dog days we hope to keep as busy as we have been thus far.
Can you feel that? The buzz is in the air, the names have been pulled: it’s Oscar season once again. Not just an industry tradition, the Academy Awards is one of the most widely broadcast and viewed television programs year after year. Millions of people across the globe tune in to catch a glimpse at the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, as well as find out who will walk away with the most desired of awards named after a trashcan dwelling grouch (not the actual derivative, folks). The ceremony is the grandiose standard of the American film industry epitomized, and winning the prestigious trophy/title not only immortalizes those honored, but also will place one in the upper tier of production work for the remainder of said one’s career. Talk about making the most of one job!
As a company working within the same industry that defines this Hollywood allure, it’s not the glamour that keeps Get-Kinetic hard at work. Though it’s an admirable dream to strive for, it doesn’t seem that it can be the single motivating factor to keep anyone’s nose to the grindstone, which, even as a proverbial grindstone, seems very dangerous. Working in this business is about the passion to deliver a product, soup-to-nuts, that you can view in retrospect and be completely proud of. We are here to create. Whether it’s full-length content, branding, or advertising, at Get-Kinetic we work towards the gratification of a high quality final product.
One of the means toward creating quality products is by surrounding ourselves with individuals who share our values. Get-Kinetic had the pleasure of working with several such colleagues, this February, including producer, Tracy Schott. Tracy brought Get-Kinetic on board for a spot for Penske Truck Rental, promoting their roadside assistance service. Shot by Kevin Hack on RED, with the support of jib owner/op Paul Thomson and GK AC Tom Fanelle, the spot was shot at an exterior location in Bridgeport, PA.
Sometimes the path to Oscar is more direct than we think! The Academy’s 2004 Best Male in a Leading Role, actor/singer/comedian Jamie Foxx, joined efforts with Get-Kinetic director Brandon Kraines earlier this year to fight a good cause. Foxx and Kraines put together a PSA to promote the Weingart Center in Los Angeles. The Weingart Center provides services to the homeless and those in need, such as meals, beds, and the opportunity for a permanent job. The PSA is currently featured on Weingart’s homepage.
It’s a crazy, creative, complex, and potentially glamorous world that we operate in as a production company. It’s about having the right people for the right job with the right equipment. It clearly makes a difference if you are shooting on IMAX 3D or Cannon 5D, but the most important tool in creating any film or video is a crew who cares about the job at hand and has the ability get it done. Who knows, perhaps if all of the elements come together and the machine is well greased and the talent is A-list, Oscar could throw a nod our way someday. Regardless, it’s best to keep at it and continue to hone the craft.
Summer 2010 has been an active stretch for the GK team, with the company finding itself at the helm of a varied array of projects over the past few months. The outset of the summer witnessed principal photography for the short film “Location Location”, a narrative based promotional short produced and funded by the Greater Reading Film Commission. Shot on Get-Kinetic’s RED One camera package, and directed by GK’s very own Kevin Hack, “Location Location” proved to be great way to fill a large portion of June’s production calendar. The project’s producer Tracy Schott was instrumental in securing the cooperation and support of the City of Reading throughout the 9 days of principal photography. Her collaboration and expertise allowed for such aggressive logistics as street and railroad closures, rooftop filming some 20 stories in the air, as well as helicopter footage and set-ups at the infamous Reading Pagoda (most recently known for its appearance on the one-sheet for M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender”). Penned by Reading Film Commission Chair Santo D. Marabella, and currently posting in-house at GK, the film will receive its world premiere on October 3…the screening is set to take place at 2pm, at the R/C Reading Movies 11 & IMAX Theater.
In July, GK jumped head first into the sleek and stylish campaign for European baby products manufacturer Nuna. The project witnessed the production of four videos, one for each of Nuna’s flagship infant products consisting of the Leaf, Zazz, Pepp, and Ivvi. The undertaking was the third successful collaboration between GK & Conshohocken based advertising agency 20nine, with creative direction by 20nine’s CEO Greg Ricciardi, art direction by the agency’s Kevin Hammond, and cinematography by Kevin Hack with a Canon 5D camera package. Local production designer Gino Fortebuono provided his artistic input during his first teaming with Get-Kinetic, and the filming took place locally at Hill Theater Studios in Paulsboro, NJ. The spots were all cut in-house by GK editor Daniel Gauthier.
GK’s most recent joint initiative took place in August, in the form of a corporate campaign for VisionCare. The project was filmed over the course of 3 days in early August, at Wills Eye Hospital and a number of suburban locations. This most recent pairing represented another of many enjoyable partnerships for GK with the Maryland-based firm Eyemaginations, Inc. The videos were directed by Eyemaginations member David Messing, and lensed by Kevin Hack on GK’s RED One camera package. The pair will be back in studio for a day later this month, at GK’s Fishtown headquarters, for a product and testimonial shoot to finish out this effort for VisionCare.
So there ya have it folks, the weekly shout-out courtesy of GK. Stay tuned for updates on more of GK’s collaborations, screenings, and efforts…& most importantly, keep busy!
Cheers, -GK
