POC Lead Artist Darren Fanton worked closely with director Sonzero to conceptualize and create multiple aesthetic CGI environments – within 48 hours. “Darren is an awesome artist and has great taste,” remarked Sonzero. “He created an elegant solution in a really compressed schedule with limited resources. When I saw his first pass I knew I was working with a genius.”

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Once the concepts were approved, the team at POC had a mere two weeks to turn around eight VFX-heavy spot versions in Hindi and English for a total of 160 seconds of CGI.  Each image had to be optimized due to the beauty-related nature of the product.  “With this project, shot management was key as each revision down the pipeline would need to be applied to over thirty shots across the eight spots and would need to be re-rendered in a timely fashion for further review,” Fanton explained.

“POC not only met the challenge but raised the bar for the whole category,” said Shyam Madiraju of Gobsmack!, which represents some of world’s top directors in India. “We were very impressed by the creativity of their artists, who took Jim’s vision and turned it into a spectacular reality.  I was really excited to have Jim join Gobsmack!, and having him do this work with POC right out of the gate is a fantastic start to our relationship.”  Madiraju added that the vision of Sonzero – arguably one of the top 5 beauty directors in the world – involved a very sophisticated and technically complex world of CGI.  Gobsmack! frequently produces VFX-driven commercials and works with CG houses around the globe. “POC has not only planted itself firmly atop our list, but we are now in talks with Stu and Raffi about expanding our relation with them for the India market in fields besides commercials.”

“Stuart and Raffi were enthusiastic and solution-oriented,” concluded Sonzero. “I am really impressed with them and I’m looking forward to working with POC again.”

About Proof of Concept
“Technology has no limits,” and Los Angeles-based Proof of Concept examines the validity of that hypothesis every day. This philosophy makes POC integral to the realization of the novel idea. You can’t break the rules until you master them, and the team at Proof of Concept has done both. A technological and artistic think tank, POC brings together seasoned veterans and ambitious young innovators. The team is armed with the knowledge and relationships to forgo fear in the name of producing relevant creative content for the digital era.

Official Credits

Title: Tree
Brand: Fall Repair
Cast: Sonam Kapoor
Client:  L’Oréal

Agency: McCann-Erickson
Creative team: Akshay Kapnadak, Rahul Mathew,
Trishay, Ram & Komal Ranjan
Agency Producers: Sandesh Shirke

Production Company: Gobsmack!
Director: Jim Sonzero
D.O.P: Michael Lloyd
Executive Producer: Hozefa Alibhai
Producer: Ramel George

Editor: Harshal Thakur

Online/Grade and VFX: ­ Proof of Concept/Los Angeles
Visual Effects Lead, Final Compositing: Darren Fanton
Visual Effects Compositing and Beauty Work: John Merrifield
3D Modeling and Texture Mapping: Sam Kryszek
Producer: Stuart Wilson

Stu Wilson

Breaking from the traditional production company mold, POC is not content to maintain a roster of directorial talent; rather, it nurtures its artists through the prism of technology. POC’s communal, collaborative environment is home to gifted writers, directors, visual effects artists, coders and designers, operating under the aegis of resourceful producers. “Proof of Concept’s model speaks not only to the changing landscape of advertising and promotion but to an enduring notion that rules are made to be broken,” said Wilson, “The best ideas require pushing the envelope if they’re to be realized. That’s where POC comes in.”

The congregation of talent at Proof of Concept is comprised of Creative Directors Bob Rickert + Lonnie Weiss; Directors Josh Soskin, Justin Giritlian, Neel Upadhye, and POC Interactive; Editors Dave Gallegos and Rick Lobo; Colorist John Zaik; Design/VFX duo The Brothers Fanton; VFX + Animation Artist Pasha Ivanoff and the stellar POC Interactive Team.

Wilson’s creativity and passion for the art of visual storytelling have led to the production of numerous award-winning campaigns. He has led multidisciplinary teams in campaigns for agencies such as DDB Chicago, Saatchi, JWT, TBWA Chiat/Day and Digitas, delivering content for clients as diverse as Ford, Toyota, Nissan, GM, Coors, PlayStation, Pioneer, Seadoo, Mattel, Macy’s, Petco, Elmers, and Dupont. He founded production company Right Brain Media, Inc. (RBM) in 1995, and in 2007 immersed himself in Digital Production, Social Media and Interactive Experiential marketing via Image Lab, Inc. Wilson believes the combination of seasoned veterans and determined young innovators “is a key component in bringing even the most challenging multi-media and interactive productions to fruition.”

Raffi Kryszek

Kryszek is quickly becoming one of the entertainment industry’s most watched young producers. Paramount Pictures recently acquired screen rights to the Colleen Houck novel, “Tiger’s Curse,” which Kryszek will produce under his recently created Ineffable Pictures banner along with Mary Parent through Disruption Entertainment. Ineffable Pictures was established to oversee long-form theatrical content from inception through distribution. In addition to producing, “Fox Legacy”, which airs on the Fox Movie Channel,  Kryszek received his first Emmy nomination this year, as producer of the network’s original program “Writer’s Draft.”

“It’s our goal at Proof of Concept to establish a firm foundation of trust in the union between our people and the ideas of agencies, labels, and brands,” noted Kryszek, who maintains Clifton Production Services, the production and post solutions company he founded in 2007, as a sister entity to POC. “Innovation and experimentation are integral to our culture. We respect our audience and we pour a ton of passion and knowledge into the creation of transformative content that’s worthy of their attention.”

Thinking beyond traditional marketing platforms, POC will create content for broadcast as well as online rich media, mobile applications and other interactive platforms, devising solutions to help brands reach consumers in more compelling and unique ways.

About the Talent:

The POC talent roster is comprised of:

Creative Directors Bob Rickert + Lonnie Weiss, whose credits include the launch of the Dell XT Notepad, and the rebranding and relaunch of Century Link and Mercy Health Care. Bob Rickert comes to POC after having been at TBWA/Chiat Day, David and Goliath, Hal Riney and Partners and Weiden Kennedy;

Director Josh Soskin, who has helmed spot projects for Windows, Vitamin Water, Starbucks, and Pepsi; he began his directing career in the documentary world where he produced and directed hundreds of short docs for Current TV;

Justin Giritlian, Director of Xbox 360’s Dance Central Video, who also helmed a short Documentary for Fertility Miracles and is developing a 3D short film that will come pre-shipped with 3D Televisions; he founded a trans-media production studio to service his client Overstock.com and sold that company prior to joining POC;

Director Neel Upadhye, whose spot credits include projects for Electronic Arts, Coca Cola, Nike, Fox Searchlight, GameStop and Dragon Age 2; additionally, his Sci-Fi live action trailer for the video game “Mass Effect 3″ premiered at the Orpheum theater in Los Angeles at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo. His credits also include the world premiere video for 30 Seconds to Mars “This Is War,” as well as the short film “Jay & Seth vs. The Apocalypse” (starring Seth Rogen) which later sold to Mandate Pictures. He comes to POC from EA Games;

Colorist John Ziak, who most recently worked with JJ Abrams on 2011’s “Super 8”; his credits also include the first five years of iPhone’s broadcast campaign and Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign; he comes over from CO3;

Editor Dave Gallegos, who has edited “FOX Legacy with Tom Rothman” for the FOX Movie Channel, and cut the sci-fi short  “Incident on Highway 73″ (www.incidentonhighway73.com), on which he also served as post production supervisor; Dave moves to POC from Clifton Post;

Rick Lobo, who for more than a decade has been a Senior Editor at various post houses in Los Angeles. A two-time AICE award-winner for his comedy work, Rick edited the acclaimed documentary “Confessions of a Superhero” and has cut spot projects for Carl’s Jr., At&T, Honda, Acura, McDonalds and many more;

Design/VFX duo The Brothers Fanton, who have lent their talents to TV shows such as the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS (Visual Effects and Opening Title Sequence) and Christmas in Washington on TNT (Opening Title Sequence); The Fantons come to POC from Bentlight Digital;

and Animation Artist Pasha Ivanoff, who is currently working on 3D features “Men in Black III” and “The Amazing Spider-Man”; Pasha is also at work on the full-length animated feature “Hotel Transylvania”. Recent credits include: “Avatar”, “2012″, “Pirates of Caribbean,” “Battle: LA”, “Underworld”, “X-Men”, “Gullivers Travels”, “Knight and Day”,“The Book Of Eli”, and “Skyline”; he began as digital creature animator and character technical director at New York based Blue Sky Studios/20th Century Fox, and at Pacific Data Images/Dreamworks Animation, where he helped develop the forthcoming record shattering box office smash movie “Shrek 2” which become one of the most profitable animated movie of all times. In 2004 “Shrek 2” won the first ever Academy Award For Best Animated Feature, beating Monsters, Inc. and Jimmy Neutron.

(l-r) Albert Kodagolian, Ian Kammer

“I was immediately intrigued by Ian, because he sent his reel in the most unconventional way,” said Albert Kodagolian, Director/DP and partner in Bueno Films. “It was packaged like a cherished, aged book. The real sell, of course, was the fact that his reel is far above average for a recent graduate.” Kodagolian added that Kammer already has established a unique style and sensibility. “He is able to integrate a product into a commercial with sensitivity and intelligence,” he said, “and his work distinguishes itself among that of other directors, which in this marketplace is an indispensable quality.”

A 2010 graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Kammer took every opportunity during school to intern at production houses to gain hands-on industry experience. These internships expanded both his technical knowledge and familiarity with the on-set etiquette demanded of a commercial director.

“The opportunity to work with a director of Albert’s stature is wonderful in and of itself,” said Kammer. “To have him as a champion of my filmmaking is fantastic.” Himself a winner of D&AD, CLIO, Telly, and AICP Awards for his work with Levi’s, Sci-Fi Channel, and other brands, Kodagolian explained that hands-on support and guidance is increasingly rare in the industry.  “We have to get back to the practice of sharing the lessons we’ve learned, and nurturing talent to find their own path,” said Kodagolian, “so taking Ian under my wing is a real privilege.”

Kammer’s additional directing credits include the short film “Subconscious Disconnect” and a docu-short titled “Motion Blindness.”

Ian Kammer rounds out a Bueno Films roster comprised of directors John Hardwick, Nicholas Reynolds and Albert Kodagolian, who presides over the company with Executive Producers Chris Crawford and Annie Hanlon.

• The SourceEcreative – Director Ian Kammer Joins Bueno Films 02.12
• SHOOT – Bueno Films Signs Director Ian Kammer 02.12
• SHOOT – Annie Hanlon Joins Bueno Films as EP 12.11
• Screen – Annie Hanlon Joins Bueno Films as EP 12.11
• Shots – Bueno Films Hires new EP 12.11

Hanlon had been a longtime admirer of Kodagolian’s work before he approached her about joining the company. “Albert is building a great company that reflects a collaborative effort among a diverse group of talented people,” Hanlon said. “I am excited to work with him and with Chris to build a brand that looks for talent with a unique sensibility.”

Hanlon began her career working in commercial production in Boston, MA, and went on to travel the world working on feature films with Oscar-winning actor James Caan before opening her own LA-based commercial production company TRIO FILMS in 2002. In 2006, she opened the TV production company Chromatic Films and developed a slew of reality TV projects with her partner James Tooley for networks such as Showtime and Ovation TV. Chromatic client Subaru hand-picked the company to create, produce and direct a 6-episode branded entertainment series, THE SCENIC ROUTE.

A tenure with award-winning production company GARTNER followed, after which Hanlon led the relaunch of production company The Joneses.

As Executive Producer at Bueno Films, Hanlon will be drawing additional directorial talent to the company (in addition to Kodagolian, the current Bueno Films roster is comprised of John Hardwick, Nicholas Reynolds, and Ian Kammer), as well as leading the sales force. “My primary interest is in finding talented people rather than seeking directors based on category or genre,” she explained.

Of the ongoing changes in the advertising industry, Hanlon concluded, “There’s a lot of growth and a brightness to the industry that has been lacking in recent years. Working at a boutique company is beneficial because it makes us more agile and able to adapt to the rapidly changing business models.”

Non-commissioned projects afford us the freedom to experiment. All branded content – commissioned or not – should tap into the product’s target demographic, and MinivanCampaign.com does just that, attracting men 35-45 as its key audience.

“A Family Man is Still a Man.” This notion came to mind as we were studying minivans for another project. Of course, where research can arm an agency with data, life often provides the actual inspiration to tell a story honestly and with conviction.

RA’s three partners have eight kids and four minivans among them – two of which are Hondas. So we know the family man territory well, and we’ve each carved out our own place within it. One thing we agreed upon as we studied various minivan commercial campaigns is that we were under-represented. Amidst white-dad rappers and forlorn dudes longing for their glory days as garage band heroes, where were the hunters and gatherers, the modern day cavemen whose passions for their families and their friends shared common headspace?

We chose the Honda Odyssey for numerous reasons:

• We saw an opportunity to appeal to another segment of the minivan buyer demographic
• We spend a lot of time immersed in car culture and family life
• We wanted to develop creative that might otherwise not be realized

As our production partner, we chose Tim Damon (Square Planet), a name synonymous with automotive advertising. Along with years of experience behind the camera for every conceivable car brand, Tim brings to the party a great sense of humor, deep humanity, and incomparable energy. Likewise, composer David Della Santa (Volume Music + Sound) was the perfect person to bring our lyrics to life, turning “Day of the Hunter” into more than just a track…it became our anthem on this journey.

“We knew in taking this on we weren’t overtly utilizing comedy or sex, the two surefire selling points on the Web,” notes RA CCO Hesh Rephun. “We were leading with fun. It was important in terms of conveying the message we set out to send.”

In crafting the video, we shied away from “selling” the car itself. Rather, we wanted to convey the spirit of the minivan driver. We also chose to celebrate the sturdiness and usability of the Odyssey as opposed to the sexiness. The Odyssey isn’t sexy, and in our view, it needn’t be. The tricked out Swagger Wagon from Toyota got tons of attention, but in reality the Sienna is not sexy. And honestly, if Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes minivans aren’t sexy, why should Honda crave that distinction?

Perhaps as one reaches “minivan age” sexy becomes relative. Perhaps men grow to relish their role as hunters – and the fact that they get the job done is what’s sexy. The fact that they can choose the right minivan for their family is sexy. And if, in the course of a day off they can drop off the wife and kids, work in a trip to the driving range, make new friends, engage in a paintball fight with a dude in a tutu, and make a trip to the car wash, why not? Spontaneity never goes out of style, and neither should family-manhood.

Project Credits:

Title: “A Family Man is Still a Man”
Client: Honda Odyssey (spec)
Launch Date (www.MinivanCampaign.com): September 20, 2011

Agency: Raging Artists/LA
Creative Directors: Justo Diaz, Hesh Rephun, Ernie Noh
Associate Creative Director: Justin Young

Production Company: Square Planet/LA
Director/Cameraman: Tim Damon
Producer: Kendra Wester

Song: “Day of the Hunter”
Music Company: Volume Music + Sound/SF
Composer: David Della Santa
Lyrics: Raging Artists
Vocal: Pismo

Audio Post Company: M Squared Productions
Mixer: Mark Pitchford

Editorial Company: Raging Artists
Editor: Brendon DeVore

Digital Color Correction: New Hat/Santa Monica
Digital Colorist: Bob Festa

Project Statistics (click to expand):

As a result of our campaign, the film has appeared on every BMW fan blog, racked up 1,600,000+ views for one video alone on YouTube, has increased traffic on the Bandito site more than 2000%, and is covered from a filmmaking perspective on countless online mags. Anyone at BMW and their agencies who has NOT seen it is living in the dark (in fact, Bandito has since worked with Ford, Toyota, BMW, among other automotive brands). But it was marketed to the PEOPLE first.The views, Web traffic, and the coverage, have helped to deliver the most powerful evidence of the campaign’s success: new business. Since the launch of “Living in the Lights,” Bandito Brothers has been enlisted by BMW and Ford to bring their business model to projects for those automakers.

The film has also proved to be a sustainable piece of content in the hot topic of digital production, specifically the Canon 5D. Press continues to stream in, with the latest an in-depth 2-part interview with Matthew Jeppson of FreshDV.

A roll call of other press coverage can be viewed HERE.

BMW M3 Film from BanditoBrothers on Vimeo.

• Ad Pulp- Royals and Rogues Alike Flock to the Golden State 07.11
• Advertising Inflatables- Royals and Rogues Alike Flock To The Golden State 07.11
• Shoot- Director Alex Anderson Joins Beef Films 06.11
• Shoot-Street Talk: Seth Townsend 06.11
• Shots- Newsletter: Danny Trachtenberg 05.11
• Shoot – Joe Schaak 05.11
• Zombie Cat Productions- BlackBoxTV’s “More Than You Can Chew” 03.11
• Screen- Yessian Creates Music for Dark Short Film Featured on BlackBoxTV 03.11
• Maslidukan.com- SF Short: March 2011- More Than You Can Chew 03.11
• Genre Addict- Watch Dan Trachtenberg’s MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW Short Film 03.11
• Blessed Are The Geek- More Than You Can Chew 03.11
• Short of the Week- More Than You Can Chew 03.11
• At The Cinema- Please Watch: Dan Trachtenberg’s ‘More Than You Can Chew’ 03.11
• CineHouse UK- More Than You Can Chew- Dan Trachtenberg’s New Intense Short 03.11
• FirstShowing.net- Watch: Dan Trachtenberg’s Stellar Short ‘More Than You Can Chew’ 03.11
• Geeks Of Doom- Watch Dan Trachtenberg’s Short Film ‘More Than You Can Chew’ 03.11
• Twitch- Dan Trachtenberg Bites Off More Than You Can Chew 03.11
• Slash Film- VOTD: Dan Trachtenberg’s ‘More Than You Can Chew’ 03.11
• GeekTyrant- Dan Trachtenberg’s Short Horror Film- MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW 03.11
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• BuzzPop!- Showcase: Danny Trachtenberg’s More Than You Can Chew 03.11
• BlackBoxTelevision.com- VFX Breakdown- Episode 12: More Than You Can Chew 03.11
• Sonic Scoop- Yessian (NYC) Creates Music & Sound Design for New BlackBox TV Short Film 03.11
• Shots- AICE Gets The Chop 03.11

2010

• Shots-Schiller Meats Santa (Monica) 12.10
• Shots – Beef Films has secured Deirdre Rymer of repping firm BlushLA for West Coast representation 11.10
• Freshdv – Interview with Chop House Edit’s Stephen Hens on RED Production Workflow 11.10
• Shoot – Santa Monica-based Beef Films has connected with Deirdre Rymer of BlushLA for West Coast representation 11.10
• Adweek – Margaritas “Pigeons” 10.10
• Sourceecreative – Adams, Hens Take the Snap from IWFL for Reality TV Play 10.10
• Screen – Adams and Hens Ink Exclusive Agreement with Independent Women’s Football League 10.10
• Screen – Beef Films: Rhode Island Food Bank Campaign via NAIL Wins 2010 Jay Chiat Award for Strategic Excellence 10.10
• Shoot – Beef Films has signed the collective Little Red Robot to its directorial roster for exclusive representation on the East Coast and in the Midwest 10.10
• Creativity – Little Red Robot has joined the roster of Beef Films, for exclusive representation on the East Coast and in the Midwest 10.10
• Screen – Beef Films Signs LITTLE RED ROBOT for Exclusive Spot Representation 10.10
• Shoot – Production company Beef Films has secured Cathi Connor for Midwest representation 09.10
• Shoot – Production company Little Red Robot has secured San Francisco-based Sandra Riley of Riley Represents to cover the West Coast 08.10
• Adage – Why TV, and Why Now, for Vistaprint 07.10
• Cannes Lions Dailies – North American Film Production 06.10

CULVER CITY, CA, May 20, 2011 — Hot Wheels has just released a breathtaking 1:30 trailer for their expansive brand re-awareness campaign. That campaign culminates in the broadcast of a world-record breaking stunt at the Indy 500 on May 29. Featuring stunt driving with life-size Hot Wheels models and VFX worthy of a blockbuster action flick, the spot was created via Mistress and produced by Bandito Brothers. It builds on the Area-51 mythology the classic toy brand created for their “Hot Wheels For Real” campaign. Hot Wheels has secured airtime on ABC to showcase the high-adrenaline spot, and the brand’s Internet videos boast over 2 million views.

The trailer offers a sneak-peak at a half-hour special directed by Bandito Brothers’ own Mike “Mouse” McCoy with VFX by Cantina Creative. The show will air on ESPN after the Indy 500 broadcast and will include cameos by Mario Andretti and other racing legends.
“It’s been fun working on the biggest branded content project in America,” says Jeff Rohrer, Bandito Brothers EP. “Between the web films, the global brand television campaign, and the thirty minute television show that’s going to air after the Indy 500, it’s been one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on.”

Credits

Client: Hot Wheels
Agency: Mistress Los Angeles
Producer: Kay Lynn Dutcher, Lyra Rider

Production Company: Bandito Brothers
Director: Mike “Mouse” McCoy
Executive Producer: Jeff Rohrer
Producer: Ryan Slavin
Director of Photography: Mitchell Amundsen
Cameramen: Tristan Kolkhorst, Dean Mitchell, Mike Svitak

Editorial/Post Production: Bandito Brothers
Post Producer: Jacob Rosenberg
Editor: Jeff Tober

VFX: Cantina Creative
VFX Producer: Sean Cushing
VFX Director/VFX Supervisor: Stephen Lawes

For this spot, Sugar Film Production went all out. “It was a big undertaking, since we had so much content to cover,” says Director. Chris Smith. “It was a nice, long, three-day shoot.” To get all the footage they needed, Sugar employed 8 different cameras, including 3 smaller, more maneuverable digital cameras that were fixed to the trucks’ undercarriages. The footage was shot in Detroit and at a ranch outside of Los Angeles. Sugar Film Production made the process as painless as possible for the client. “We put a premium on painlessness,” says Executive Producer Tony Miglini. “Next to delivering great work, it’s a core tenant of Sugar’s professional philosophy. We’re not just a busy company,” he points out, “we’re busy because we have great relationships.”

Their work with Richards Group is a testament to that relationship-building. “The client was asking for an ambitious amount of footage, on a very aggressive schedule. Our first choice was Sugar and Chris Smith,” says Mike LaTour, Art Director at Richards. “Having worked with them on numerous projects in the past we knew they’d nail everything the client wanted, and then some. Needless to say, they killed it.” Ally Tarter, Broadcast Producer at Richards adds, “It’s awesome to hear our client say that their footage of the trucks is the best they’ve ever seen.” The groups have worked together on two other Dodge ads, as well as recent spots for Prestone, Motel 6, and grocer HEB. Sugar’s approach to client relationships clearly pays off. 2010 marked a banner year for Sugar Film Production and the fourth quarter was its most profitable yet.

“A lot of factors contributed to 2010 being a great year, including bringing in some amazing new people.” concludes Miglini. “And we pride ourselves on our seamless productions, and in the end maybe it’s as simple as that.”