Every Heart Matters

A piece we created for F.A.I.R. in support of abolishing Prop 8 called “Every Heart Matters” has been selected as one of three finalists by the E-Hero Awards selection committee for the 2010 Human Rights Campaign Gala in Los Angeles!!

The Gala is being held on March 13th at the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel and will feature U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. Portia DeRossi will be presented with the HRC Visibility Award and Kathy Griffin will be receiving the Ally for Equality Award.

F.A.I.R. is a group that was formed to fight for marriage equality in California.  One of the founders of the F.A.I.R. organization, Dayna Frank, contacted Foundation’s LA  producer Stacy Paris for help creating a PSA using the Shepard Fairey “Love Unites” ) poster image  for which they secured the rights to use (he also designed the Obama HOPE poster).  Creative Director Samantha Hart called upon writer, Julie Hall, for help in word-smithing a powerful piece for which everyone’s favorite directing duo, Focus Creeps, traveled to San Francisco and Los Angeles to work with real families and couples to shoot candid moments of them in their homes or playing with their children.  The footage was edited by Tom Pastorelle and cut together with graphic images and additional photography  shot on our  stage.

Marriage Equality is not just a California issue, but an issue the whole country is facing.

Foundation’s Stacy Paris says, “We are proud to have been given the opportunity to contribute to the cause and thrilled that our piece has been selected for this prestigious event.”

Tom will be traveling to Los Angeles to attend the gala! Stay tuned for pictures! And be sure to cast your vote for Best PSA here: http://hrcladinner.com/ehero/index.php

Why We Love the Web!

Just read an interesting article, from the NY Times online, which names the top ten “Internet Moments” of the decade! As could be expected, Wikipedia and the iPhone made the list alongside Facebook and Craigslist. But the three I found most interesting were the mention of President Obama’s 2008 campaign, the use of Twitter during the Iranian election protests this past year and what they call the “online video revolution” of 2006. These three really stood out to me as being the most important “moments” because they were events which happened because of the groundwork laid down by social networking websites and informational websites like Facebook and Wikipedia. It cannot be questioned that YouTube has greatly influenced much of our popular culture in the last five years, it’s colorful internet stars often parodied in other online videos and major television programs. Obama’s campaign utilized just about every site the internet had to offer during his presidential campaign. By using Twitter as a political forum, people were able to organize political protests and share experiences and information with people across the world, giving us in the U.S. an incredible insight into their 2009 election rather than getting our information through more conventional and perhaps less authentic news sources.

Our children will undoubtedly be taught a course on history of the internet or perhaps the evolution of information technology.  And the top ten moments of the next decade may include LBS friendly gadgets, online voting or perhaps even a total reinvention of the internet itself!

Spike Jonze Loves Karen Black So

So, director, Spike Jonze recently posted a little shout to his blog (We Love You So) out regarding the music video we produced for folk artist Cass McCombs, which featured Karen Black. Check it out! http://weloveyouso.com/2009/06/dreams-cometrue-girl/

It’s a great review of the video and it’s great publicity for McCombs.

Girls Gone Wild!

Remember these guys?

Well…the band, Girls, is back in the spotlight again with their song “Hellhole Ratrace”. You may recall, the video was shot in San Francisco last December on RED Camera by Foundation’s Ben Chappell.  Our crew followed the band for 24hrs all at 120fps!   The video has finally premiered after 6 long months in order to release it at the same time as the album.

Our good friends at Pitchfork.tv are facilitating the premiere : ) http://pitchfork.com/tv/#/musicvideo/3675-girls-hellhole-ratrace-true-panther-sounds

The band has become SO popular, they are even invading Britain!Check them out on The Guardian! http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/video/2009/jun/10/girls-hellhole-ratrace

“Interweb” the Rainbow

“Taste the rainbow.”

It’s probably one of the most recognizable slogans in recent brand history – right?

So- how does a huge brand like Skittles stay relevant in a “web 2.5″ driven world? Easy…it adapts!

Have you been to skittles.com recently? Basically, they’ve incorporated some of the world’s leading social and shared-media networks to support their web persona, proving the social significance of the chewy fruit candies!

You’ll first notice when visiting skittles.com that you are prompted to enter your age. After this, a widget appears in the upper left hand corner of the homepage which is their youtube page! Obviously, youtube is a great way to showcase the brand’s popularity amongst everyday “consumers” while keeping up with their tried and true “viral” videos that have driven the brand for so long!

Now, this is where it gets really cool for a social media nerd like me…say you want “just the facts”, click on “Products” and you don’t end up at some obviously skewed page powered by marketing geniuses…instead, you are swiftly whisked away to Wikipedia! The same thing goes for “Friends” and “Chatter”, which redirects you to their facebook page and their twitter feed.

Who knew a product created in the seventies could be so… innovative!?!

I think it’s a brilliant move by Skittles and I wonder how long before we start to see a copycat campaign by that “other” multicolored candy coated confectionery….

Foundation Serves Up Wings for 250,000!

Have you seen this viral piece on YouTube?

The recent YouTube success of “Chicken Wing Shortage” for Kraft’s Ranch Dressing aimed at a super bowl weekend tie-in was the result of a true team effort…that’s right…it was US!

When EuroRSCG’s Monica Wilkins called us on a Wednesday at 5 pm and said we had TWO days to shoot, design and edit a viral video, our nimble team sprang into action with everyone wearing multiple hats to get the job done.  In less than twenty four hours, Senior Producer Tracy Heropkie and Director/Editor James Lipetzky organized and sent out three teams to begin shooting while casting was held at Foundation.

Our graphics team had key frames by noon and the first rough cut was done by six the first day. The second day we shot the newscasters on our stage while the edit was being revised. The whole cut was up for the client by 4 that day. When the client requested a talent change at 5, it was no problem – we re-cast and re-shot the scene and had the revision up an hour later!!

Our indie filmmaking spirit combined with a great idea led to the desired impact. Over 250,000 hits in 2 days! Wanna see production stills?

CLICK HERE!

It’s Awards Season…

And why shouldn’t that include the UA Awards?

What are the UA Awards. you might ask…

Well, if you’ve been keeping up with your Foundation Content news, you know all about our newest oiriginal animated series for the web created by Ian Pfaff. UNDERWATER ADVENTURE!!! Now we all know that Ian is  no stranger to outlandish parodies, bizarre humor and cartooning…but put all of that into ONE show…underwater…with crude animation and you get “Underwater Adventure”.

Anyway, with award fever claiming the souls of millions across the country, we thought we’d cash in as well. And the nominees are….

Of the new series, Ian says “The goal is to make quick, oceanic experiences that try to “outstupid” each other…my goal is to make a thousand. Lately, I feel that’s my calling”.

Check out the first few episodes of what is sure to be hailed one of the great cult-classics of our time on our youtube channel!

Pop! Culture

Remember when you all thought I had lost my senses after I posted how much I adored that Beyonce video fir “Single Ladies”? Well…Ben Chappell, our resident dp, just completed this video for a song called “What’s Poppin’ Off Tonight”. He shot it on our stage with three very spunky young ladies “doin’ their own thang”. Notice the lighting…look familiar?

Ben Pirani – What’s Poppin Off Tonight from ben chappell on Vimeo.

Hmm…I guess white girls can dance.

But Ben isn’t the first to emulate the latest Beyonce video for “Single Ladies”…check out my favorites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb47QmTT1ck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CU2JhYM8tY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMClmPJF2Iw

Meet at the McCafe!

Phil Lee just directed this piece for Burrell’s new campaign for McDonalds’ new line of McCafe coffees. (Click the picture to be a fly on the wall as a brand is born!)

When Grammy nominated artist Dwele and beloved neo-soul singer Conya Doss came to town to wrap up their collaborative track to support the new McDonalds McCafe brand, Phil took on the task of being a fly on the wall…with a camera.  Of the process, Phil said “this was an opportunity for people to see the magic  of great music making up close and personal. We just wanted them to do what they normally do in the studio.  Great music isn’t scripted, it flows.  This is where they spend most of their time and where they’re most comfortable.”

The shoot took place at Jira Studios over the course of one day.  The other Foundation flies on the wall included DP Steven Piet, A.D. Brad Holland, line producer Erik Crary and producer Tracy Heropkie.  On the faders were engineers Rick Fritz and vocal master Jeff Morrow.  Burrell creatives included group creative director Brenda Blonski, producer Debbie Amsden and Business manager MariEllen Golfis.

For more McCafe campaign buzz, check out the following link!

Zoran SAW It First!

Literally…kind of…

Two years ago, our dear assistant Zoran Gvojic created this lil’ spoof on the SAW movies and created SAW 4…which had not come out yet. View it below like the 6 million people before you! (btw, my favorite part is at the very very end so make sure you watch the whole way through!)

Now let me ask you this… which do you prefer? Zoran’s or the Lion’s Gate Films “version”…see…what I did there? I didn’t say “original” b/c it’s not!

SNAP.

For more fun parodies and commentary from Zoran anf friends check out his website:

http://lowcarbcomedy.com/