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General Electric's black-and-white commercial, "Lassie" out of BBDO New York, and directed by Joe Pytka of Venice, Calif.-based PYTKA, has an air of reassuring familiarity. A young boy and his […]

As founder/CEO/executive creative director of Charlex, New York, Alex Weil has been in the postproduction business a long time, and he was witnessed a lot of changes. He remembers two-inch […]

For SHOOT's Fall top 10 chart, the three highest ranking spots have one thing in common: they all take an absurd, fantasy-like situation and make it feel real. A poignant […]

For SHOOT's summer music and sound design Special Report, the top three picks effortlessly blend sound and image. Tomandandy and Machine Head create an eerie track for a flightless bird, […]

For SHOOT's spring music and sound design edition, the top three picks signify how important the soundtrack is to a spot's success. The number one track, Nike's "Move," has no […]

One of the major highlights of the annual SIGGRAPH convention, being held this month in Los Angeles, is the Electronic Theater, which features computer-generated work from spots, features and other […]

An octogenarian Colonel Sanders leaps into the air and does a back flip into the seat of a car and then drives off. A dog talks. And an automobile flies […]

Agency producers bone up on the new post technology. They want to stay ahead of the curve. Launch," the first spot in a campaign for First Union, a financial services […]

Erik Iversen, senior VP/senior producer at Ammirati Purls Lintas, New York, remembers it well. He was in the middle of bidding a job and he had just finished talking to […]

The arrival was trumpeted with much fanfare. The Leap Partnership, a Chicago-based advertising agency, was opening a branch office in Santa Monica and had signed up Steve Rabosky, a managing […]

Commercial production is thriving in this Central Florida locale. For those who know Orlando, it comes as no surprise that the Central Florida locale is hot - and not just […]

No. 1: "Big Production" "Big Production" is a celebration of kitsch, a glorious tribute to an era hopefully long gone. Another in Miller Lite Beer's absurdist "Dick" spots, the ad […]

A look at keeping up - its talent and the costs. The camera moves fast, zooming in and out of the ever-changing action and the colorful animated background. The breathlessly […]

Cost and compatibility issues clutter the road to full-res, real-time videolinks. There's a revolution going on. It began three years ago when a number of postproduction companies started offering videolinks […]

Agencies discuss how they select the right editors. A heavenly voice is heard singing on the soundtrack. But the image in "Frozen Moment" is hardly spiritual: It's a basketball game, […]

The old saying still rings true: To get a good job, you need a good education. And with the world of commercial video getting more technically complex and the industry […]

Florida post facilities give agencies that go south for production reasons to stick around. Earlier this year, Eugene Arduino, director of broadcast production at Carrafiello Diehl & Associates, Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y., […]

Do agencies hire the director for the production company, or the production company for the director? They could be called commercials for people who hate the idea of commercials. "Turbo," […]

New technology makes the world an even smaller place. Agencies and artists can cut travel costs and save time using ISDN lines. Can they also enhance creativity and save money? […]

DDB Needham Worldwide, New York's "Let Yourself Go" spot for the Bermuda Department of Tourism, directed by Pete Kagen of Los Angeles-based Stiefel and Co., is funny, provocative and full […]

Business bosses have long endured a history of unflattering images on the silver screen. But that doesn't mean Hollywood has stopped producing 'good fellas.' The Chase Manhattan Bank, eliminating 16 [...]

Is it ever too early for an agency producer to get involved in the creative process? Apparently not. It's every producer's nightmare. The creative has an idea and sells it […]

Animation houses are seeing the artistry in computerized ink-and-paint systems. The camera pans across an elegant room where a group of people are playing poker. "How many cards, ma'am?" the […]

Men often wish that they could rekindle old relationships. Although renewed relationships could become better, men should not expect that their former partner is still the same person and should not rekindle the flame just because they are needy and lonely.

It tells it like it is, shows it as it was and evinces what just may be. But it's an option agencies and directors know to use with caution. THE […]

The locations are unforgettable. Remembering where they are is the problem. What film commissions are doing to help. It's the west, it's still wild and commercial-makers can't get enough of […]

Humor is memorable. And nearly any subject be it batteries or a thirsty corpse is fair game. The scene is stark black and white. An orderly pushes a cart bearing […]

Sure, you can do commercial work anywhere. But does a Big Apple production have a sharper bite? GO EAST, YOUNG MAN. That's the advice many New York-based production companies are […]

A SNEAKER-CLAD PRAYing mantis scurries away from impending danger. A giant pitcher of liquid sings to an adoring concert crowd. A man swims through a kitchen filled to the ceiling […]

Agency, live-action director and CGI house work closely to create some of today's best computer graphics spots. Once upon a time, computers played practically no role in creating commercial images. […]

As editorial choices become more personal, sales and marketing become more crucial. Edit houses make the final shift from selling the facility to selling talent. In the competitive, high pressured […]

Composite artists play with fire: Discreet Logic's Flame software system is voted the hottest thing to hit the post industry since the ADO. It was a Nissan Maxima commercial with […]

Need some music, graphics or compositing to go with that? Editorial boutiques go the way of shopping malls. THE BIG PICTURE EDITORIal, New York, strictly an editorial boutique when it […]

Athletes and celebrities offer tips on maintaining fitness, getting ahead at work, coping with failure, settling differences at home and maintaining a balance between career and personal goals.

Feature film directors Jan De Bont, Joel and Ethan Coen, and Mike Newell stay sharp with spots. SPEED, A KINETIC BUS and-car-chase movie, is the kind of stripped-down, no-footage-wasted action […]

New York agency producers say they'd love to shoot in the Big Apple but... JIM FRAME HAD A PROBlem. As the head of broadcast production at Deutsch, New York, he […]

Digital image manipulation for film pushes opticals closer to extinction. IT'S A STRANGE NEW world out there, a world where old images look brand new and dead actors make encore […]

Thanks to technological advances in software systems and a slight drop in pricing, clients get cozy creating visual effects in post. A CAR ZOOMS UP A PERIlous road. "The new […]

For all of its fluidity, versatility and speed, the Avid opens up an infinite number of choices that leaves many editors feeling abused by agency indecision. NONLINEAR EDITING IS A […]

IT'S DIFFERENT IN THE desert these days. Tucked within the sand-kissed adobes, pastel landscapes and imposing cacti of the Southwestern U.S. is a viable production and post community that is […]

Many television advertising production companies have run into problems when they wanted to send materials from one point to another. Most often, vital materials are delayed in transit. However, advances in telecommunications equipment promise to eliminate such problems. Work is being done on systems which will enable editors, clients and directors to work on a spot simultaneously even if they are located in different cities.

One-director production companies are finding it difficult to compete with other companies which offer a wide range of production services. Nonetheless, one-director production companies noted that their ability to keep production costs low has helped them keep a sizeable market share. However, such companies must strive to provide high-quality services to ensure that clients would hire them again.

Getting the best deals in renting equipment and personnel for location shoots requires experience. The most important aspect to be considered is the maintaining and nurturing relationships with the craftsmen involved, such as gaffers and lighting personnel to ensure good service and loyalty. Equipment costs include cameras, dollies and moving vans. Prices vary from city to city, with Chicago, IL, being the least expensive.

Fitness for males in film roles has many times been linked with heroism. The silent film roles of Douglas Fairbanks, the physically demanding role of Tarzan and the underdog roles of sports figures have done much to encourage this correlation.

To get a good job, you need to get a good education - or so the saying goes. The trick, however, may be getting a good education. Indeed, a recent [...]

The success of Jurassic Park has proved that computer-generated imagery (CGI) is an asset to the box office. The use of CGI has given commercials a new aspect, bringing reality to them faster than if relying solely on computers, and CGI spots are already being seen, such as the stone lion in the Miller Genuine Draft Lite Beer commercial. Studios can now produce more independent and stylized signature work with the use of CGI, although there is a long way to go before animals that are not yet extinct can look realistic.

Over 36% of adults in the US report difficulties sleeping. Most problems result from stress and can be avoided with simple techniques. Insomnia, sleep apnea, delayed sleep phase syndrome, nightmares, myoclonus, and sleepwalking are discussed.

Companies trying to stretch their advertising budgets are turning increasingly to radio, especially comedy radio. Radio spots are less expensive and faster to produce than television commercials, and advertisers can target their audiences more accurately through radio listener demographics. Effective techniques include creating a memorable visual through sound, engaging characters in witty dialogue, embellishing ads with funny sound effects, generating comic jingles, and allowing actors to improvise.