film & tv • print • new media • lifestyle december 2013/january 2014
AUGMENTED REALIT Y p. 28
SETS ON THE BEACH p. 23
HAVE YOUR PEOPLE CALL OUR PEOPLE* *please The Georgia Film & Television Sourcebook is filled with highly skilled entertainment industry personnel and scores of local vendors, so for cryin’ out loud, at least give them a call.** **thanks
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film & tv • print • new media • lifestyle december 2013/january 2014
contents features Cover Story: Augmented Reality An altered state...without the long hair, rock 'n' roll and hemp clothing.................................................... 28 Feature: Sets on the Beach Restoring Jekyll Island Beaches after the X-Men shoot..................................................................... 23 Feature: Stacking the Deck Stacking Federal and State Tax Incentives to Reduce Investor Risk in Film and TV Production.................... 36
columns Ozcetera.......................................................................................................... 6
oz magazine staff
Voices.............................................................................................................26
Publishers:
Behind the Camera w/ Drewprops......................................................34 How I Got into the Business....................................................................38 Oz Scene.......................................................................................................40
Tia Powell Group Publisher Gary Powell Publisher Latisha “Tish” Simmons Project Manager Editorial:
Gary Powell Ozcetera Editor Ashanti Townsend Research Contributors:
Distribution Partners................................................................................46
Andrew Duncan, Katie Carpenter, Avery O. Williams, Peter Stathopoulos, Randy Davis, Ruksana Hussain, Dre Bravo, Greg Stelecki
Let Me Give You My Card.........................................................................48
Sales:
Ad Campaigns.............................................................................................50
Diane Lasek, Monique McGlockton IT/Database Administrator John Cleveland Sherman, III Design:
Sarah Medina Dre Bravo Randy Davis Ted Fabella
Production Artist & Designer Production Artist Graphic Designer Oz Logo Design
Visit us on the web at www.ozmagazine.com, www.ozonline.tv, www.facebook.com/ozpublishing Oz Magazine is published bi-monthly by Oz Publishing, Inc • 2566 Shallowford Road • #302, Suite 104 • Atlanta, GA 30345 • (404) 633-1779 Copyright 2014 Oz Publishing Incorporated, all rights reserved. Reproductions in whole or in part without express written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. This magazine is printed on recyclable paper.
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contributor s Peter Stathopoulos is a shareholder at Bennett Thrasher PC. He leads the firm’s state and local tax consulting practice and has 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Stacking the Deck, p. 36
Katie Carpenter is a documentary film producer specializing in endangered species and habitats around the world. Her latest film, “Battle for the Elephants” for National Geographic TV, was broadcast this year on PBS. Sets on the Beach, p. 23
Andrew Duncan, known in the motion picture industry as “Drewprops”, has been writing about the craft of filmmaking from the inside out since the mid-1990’s. His confusing and often embarrassing stories from behind the scenes provide a unique insight into the craft of filmmaking from the perspective of the shooting crew, artists, and designers who bring your favorite films to life on the big screen. Andrew writes the Oz column, Behind the Camera w/ Drewprops, p 34. drewprops.com
Ruksana Hussain is an Atlanta area freelance writer and copy editor working with several local and national print and online media outlets. She covers everything from hospitality and tourism to education and community events. Ruksana was a finalist for the Atlanta Press Club Excellence in Print Journalism Award in 2012. Cover Story, p. 28
Avery O. Williams is a writer-director and MFA grad from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. He has written, produced and directed numerous film, video and stage projects. He is currently a professor in the Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies program at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Voices p. 26
Ashanti Townsend is a spunky social media guru and owner/founder of Flawless Fashion Group, LLC. At Oz she keeps online followers in the know for Georgia’s film and TV production news and upcoming events. Townsend has managed corporate branding and merchandising for over 13 years and has been a freelance photo stylist for nine years. She has an associate’s degree in merchandising with a concentration in fashion.
Randy Davis has been called Creative Director, Design Director, Art Director, Designer and Pop over his long career creating memorable campaigns for cause-based organizations. In addition to his studio duties, Randy is a member of Auburn University’s Department of Industrial and Graphic Design, National Advisory Council. Cover story article Design, p. 28-33 RandyDesigns@att.net
Greg Strelecki is an Art Center College of Design graduate. He works as a commercial photographer and is the Image Department Chairman at The Creative Circus. Front Cover Art gregstrelecki.com
Dre Bravo is a freelance illustrator, graphic designer, visual artist, and is currently the owner-operator of Rainbow Crow Studios. Since his childhood, he has been fascinated by surrealism, nature, vivid colors, and the feminine form. Aside from his interests in art, Dre loves to walk in the park, watch movies, play video games, bowl, & act. His work can be found at : http://rainbowcrowstudios.wix.com/rcrow
Christine McCauley, Cover Model.... She cleans up well!!
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BEH IN D THE CURTA IN
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Do you remember your first time? The excitement; the tension; the hesitant, gasping surprise? You know, the first time an ad or photo or illustration brought Augmented Reality into your life? Never had a first time? Let Oz Magazine be your first.
Follow a simple 3-step process to power up your Augmented Reality experience today. Step 1: Download the free AReader by ARwerks App from the App Store, iTunes or Google Play. Step 2: Open the App. It will look almost as if you are loading to take a picture. Step 3: Hold your phone over AR powered content, just like you were going to take a photo of the image.
These AR powered images are called triggers. Triggers are indicated by the ARwerks logo throughout this issue of Oz Magazine. NOTE: the images are the trigger, not the ARwerks logo. Enjoy as additional content becomes visible on your phone. Simply click the buttons to load content and videos automatically for your viewing pleasure. Be sure the volume is up so that you can experience audio content as well! The content will change as you hover your phone over different triggers throughout Oz Magazine
And you have our permission to tell the entire world that your first time was with Oz!
Camera Giants Merge Video Equipment Rentals and Fletcher Chicago, Inc. have reached an agreement to bring Fletcher’s 16mm, 35mm and digital camera rental division into VER’s cinema division, forming a new entity. This collaboration combines the strengths of VER’s extensive inventory, comprehensive engineering and international reach along with Fletcher’s film experience, knowledgeable staff and their respect for the craft of cinematography. “We couldn’t be more excited to have Fletcher Camera advance VER’s Cinema Division’s commitment to service the cinematographer,” states Vince Dundee. “This now adds VER’s broadly experienced staff, vast inventory, and worldwide logistics with Fletcher Camera’s passion and commitment to cinematography and stellar reputation for client service. We’re creating a synergy that will provide unmatched technical capabilities, cutting-edge equipment, and outstanding customer service to the television, feature film and commercial production markets.” “The nature of modern motion picture production requires an ever changing variety of equipment and the ability to scale up to meet the needs of an often complicated and demanding production environment," states Tom Fletcher. “VER’s extensive inventory, engineering prowess and presence in every incentive-driven production center means that we can now more fully serve the DP’s and AC’s artistic and technical needs alongside the financial and business needs of producers,” Fletcher continues. “My entire staff is excited to be joining forces with VER to bring our thoughtful customer service and extensive film and digital experience to a much wider range of productions.”
Nebo Tagged for TAG Work The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and Atlanta-based digital marketing agency, Nebo, scored the 2013 WebAward for Best Association Website. Nebo, a long-time member of TAG, won the award for its extensive work to revamp TAG’s website for improved functionality, design and navigation. “Georgia’s technology community is rapidly growing, and Nebo is excited to be a part of TAG’s mission to support these talented individuals and companies,” said Kimm Lincoln, VP of Digital Marketing at Nebo. Nebo nabbed a WebAward for work TAG partnered with Nebo in April of 2013 to develop its on The Technology Association of Georgia's website. website to better represent TAG’s position as an established leader within the industry as well as reflect the organization’s strong commitment to promoting the advancement of technology for Georgia. Tino Mantella, TAG President and CEO says, “Winning the 2013 WebAward certainly proves that we made the right choice, and we appreciate the results we have seen from Nebo’s work on our site.”
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Good Works at AI Sarah Smith Education Foundation is a non-profit organization that helps to fund Sarah Smith Elementary School. Their mission is to provide children with an enriched and well-rounded education. To that end, Artistic Image was asked by SSEF to produce a promotional and motivational video for the foundation. Working with a small, dedicated crew, director Ken Soons went on location to the campus and patiently directed the young, talented students from Sarah Smith Elementary. At the end of the day, AI wrapped with beautifully shot, inspiring scenes, all with excellent performances from the young stars. In post, AI designed and created playful chalk drawings to wistfully visualize the children’s hope for the future.
On the team building front, AI welcomes new motion graphics designer Michael Straub.
LionStar Roaming LionStar just had a new studio grand opening party in October. The video production company had outgrown their previous space. They bought a 7,000 sq ft, 3-story building in historic Castleberry Hill. The new digs are fully equipped with two state-of-the-art client edit suites, a green screen stage and an audio booth.
Guests at LionStar’s grand opening party: mixing, mingling and photo bombing.
LionStar’s new digs
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Where do the Stars Live? W Atlanta – Downtown has created a new movie tour package to celebrate Atlanta’s boom in the film industry. With films and TV series like Hunger Games, Fast 5, Zombieland, What to Expect When You’re Expecting and Vampire Diaries, Georgia’s film and television industry provides more than 25,000 jobs. W Atlanta – Downtown is in on the action, having been featured in films from big screen to small including: Getaway, Identity Thief, Necessary Roughness, Second Generation, Single Ladies and more. To share the excitement with visitors, travelers, locals and movie/TV buffs, W Atlanta – Downtown is partnering with Atlanta Movie Tours to give visitors set access to all things cinema in the city with the new Lights, Camera, W Atlanta – Downtown package. The package is available Monday through Sunday and includes: a ticket for the Atlanta Film Sites Tour or Big Zombie Tour; Atlanta Movie Tour gift bag; and access to their W Insider who will create a custom W Atlanta – Downtown experience, among many other offerings. Atlanta Movie Tours, Atlanta Film Sites Tour and Big Zombie Tour attract people from all over the world to tour filming sites featured in Driving Miss Daisy, Gone With the Wind, Good Deeds, Remember the Titans, Trouble with the Curve, The Walking Dead, We Are Marshall, What to Expect When You're Expecting and Witness Protection.
Join Atlanta’s Premiere Production Community
Email info@pga-atl.org to Join Today and be on the Mailing List for our exclusive events.
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Atlanta Eats Grows
Launched in October 2012, Atlanta Eats is celebrating its one year anniversary as the premier source for the inside scoop on the city’s culinary scene. The weekly 30-minute television program, accompanied by weekly on-air radio segments, video-driven web content and engaging social media conversation, cooks up a hearty combination of engaging, entertaining and informative local restaurant and food features. With the recent success of Atlanta Eats Live, the event that showcased over 30 of the best restaurants and chefs from all over the city, Atlanta Eats shows no signs of slowing down. In the third season, Atlanta Eats will continue to raise the bar with a stellar lineup of restaurants showcasing all the culinary indulgences Atlanta has to offer. Programming includes an episode co-hosted by Atlanta Mayor, Kasim Reed, on the BeltLine at Ponce City Market as well as episodes dedicated to the explosive growth of the craft beer scene in Atlanta with segments at Hop City, SweetWater Brewery, and The Porter.
Encyclomedia Shoots the Hooch More good works from Encyclomedia; They’re sponsoring two great
organizations: Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and The WWAAC Alliance Foundation. Chattahoochee Riverkeeper is a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and preserving the Chattahoochee River. The WWAAC Alliance Foundation brings about awareness and understanding of the diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds of Asian Americans. Their big event every year is the Who’s Who in Asian American Communities Awards or WWAAC Awards. For Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Encyclomedia created a video to honor the winner of Riverkeeper’s top honor, the River Guardian Award. This year, the River Guardian Award was presented to Cox Encyclomedia sets up for interviews along the Chattahoochee River. Left to right: creEnterprises, Inc. for their award-winning media coverage and waterative partner Burt Holland, managing partner Lance Holland, studio manager, conservation efforts. Encyclomedia shot a series of interviews along Sean Peiffer. the Chattahoochee, including interviews with Riverkeeper’s executive director, Sally Bethea, and Bill Hoffman, president of Cox Media Group, who is an avid fly fisherman. Encyclomedia then handled all the editing of the River Guardian Award video, which played at Riverkeeper’s Patron Dinner at The Foundry at Puritan Mill in October. The 2013 WWAAC Awards were held at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University. Encyclomedia covered the event with a 4-camera switch, including one camera on a 30-foot jib and another down front on a track and dolly. Output from each camera was fed back to a switcher and edited live on-site. Encyclomedia then refined the edit and added a graphics package, with the polished product running on Comcast’s XFINITY On Demand throughout the country. Leah Ruth, Encyclomedia employee and graduate of the film program at Georgia State University, has moved up within the company to become a junior motion graphic designer. Leah has recently been impressing both clients and coworkers with her After Effects skills on projects for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Spanx, and The Home Depot.
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Leah Ruth shows off her business cards featuring her new motion graphic designer title to director Benjamin Barak and Encyclomedia senior editor Tim Richardson.
Living to 100 Takes Crazy Legs Crazy Legs Productions has their latest television series, How to Live to Be 100, set to premiere on the Cooking Channel in January 2014. Filmed in the Atlanta metro area, the four-part hybrid sitcom-meets-cooking show takes viewers into the creative mind of chef Jason Wrobel, known as the “King of Superfoods.” On the show, Wrobel uses powerful ingredients proven to increase your longevity, and whips them up into culinary masterpieces – from Peruvian quinoa stuffed tomatoes to coconut milk risotto with asparagus. Each 30-minute episode of How to Live to Be 100 is centered on a hero ingredient and its health benefits. The information is delivered in a fun and entertaining way, fusing sitcom scenes, animations and graphical tips with Wrobel’s own brand of humor in the kitchen. In addition, a scene in each show is filmed at a different Atlanta restaurant – Bhojanic, Alma Cocina, Cakes & Ale and Ecco – where Wrobel works with its chef to create a healthy and delicious dish. “How to Live to Be 100 is not your typical stand and stir cooking show,” says supervising producer, Wendy Quinn, of Crazy Legs Productions. “The sitcom-cooking show hybrid makes for one unique series. It’s also the first series of its kind about eating healthy for longevity. Whether or not your goal is to actually make it to 100, this show will give you the tips to help you get there.”
Jason Wrobel is the “King of Superfoods” and working with Crazy Legs Productions.
How to Live to Be 100 is produced by Crazy Legs Productions with Tom Cappello as executive producer and Alana Goldstein as co-executive producer and director, with Wendy Quinn as supervising producer and Scott Ippolito as director of photography. Tommy Housworth is the writer, Vanessa Parker McIntyre is the food stylist and Leigh Ann Reagan-Barnes is the set decoration and prop stylist.
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Red Sky Unplugged From Red Sky Productions, the producers of the Emmy awardwinning documentary, Chattahoochee: From Water War to Water Vision, comes a new adventure on one of the Southeast’s largest rivers. Some 20 years ago, one man dreamed the impossible: “What if we remove the dams?” Chattahoochee Unplugged tells the story of how that dream has finally come true – restoring a key stretch of the Chattahoochee River through Columbus, Georgia, to its natural state and at the same time creating the world’s longest urban whitewater run . . . wild as the Colorado yet warm as Costa Rica! Executive producer, Rhett Turner states, “After two and a half years the film you've all been dying to see and I've been dying to finish is finally ready for prime time!” We feel ya, Rhett. The documentary premiered on Georgia Public Broadcasting in October.
Red Sky Productions has premiered its newest documentary, Chattahoochee Unplugged.
High Caliber Clients
CALIBER Enterprises publicist/PR branch went to CNN for HLN TV again with client Cynthia Bailey. This time Bailey visited Raising America, discussing beauty and its true definition. Bailey also received the honorable Lux List 2013 Style Award and a launched a new book, "Carry-On Baggage, Our Non-Stop Flight" with husband Peter Thomas. CALIBER was also with client Dr. Jameelah Gater on the set of Married To Medicine. They also worked up a sweat with client Chrishena Stanley, of The Stanley Team, on the set of a very special photo campaign.
The Boys are Back in Town Biscardi Creative Media (BCM) hosted over 20 middle school boys from Gwinnett County Public Schools recently. Their time with BCM included: trying their hand at scriptwriting; learning the importance of color grading; assisting an audio engineer with sound development for a project; and discovering that post production and editorial really is where the magic happens. It was all part of the Gwinnett Great Days of Service is a 2-day initiative that helps hundreds of non-profits and charities. BCM didn't hesitate to come on board and create a promotional video for the event spearheaded by the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services.
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In the Line at Da Via, Baby Breensmith is helping introduce Da Via to the world. The fast-casual dining experience is a new take on the Italian dining experience. The prototype store opened recently in Atlanta. Breensmith helped bring the brand to life from scratch, working on all facets of the dining experience including in-store elements, menus and web site.
Breensmith brings a new restaurant concept to life.
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Grand Honors at PRSA The Georgia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America honored its top local public relations professionals and programs, presenting 148 awards for outstanding public relations work in 80 program and project categories from 214 entries. The awards celebration drew more than 350 persons at the Cobb Energy Center in suburban Atlanta. Mark Dvorak, APR, Fellow PRSA, executive director of GolinHarris in Atlanta, was inducted into The Order of the Phoenix, the chapter’s highest honor, and thus also enters the PRSA Georgia Hall of Fame at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at The University of Georgia. He was presented his award by Mickey Nall, APR, Fellow PRSA, managing director of Ogilvy PR Worldwide’s Atlanta office and national chair and chief executive officer of the Public Relations Society of America.
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Two members in attendance were honored for being members of PRSA for more than 50 years: Richard E. Hodges, APR, Fellow PRSA, active in corporate public relations in Atlanta since 1951, and George Goodwin, senior counselor at MSLGroup in Atlanta and long considered “the dean of public relations in Atlanta.” Some notable individual awards: J. Michael Neumeier, APR, co-owner and principal of Arketi Group, was awarded the Luminary Star Award, presented to a member who is a seasoned professional in the practice of public relations. Kent Landers, APR, was awarded the Shining Star Award, given to a member in PR at his or her mid-career point. Landers is group director, corporate media relations for The CocaCola Company. Laura Dudebout, communications specialist at Novelis Inc., received the Rising Star Award, presented to a member who is a young professional.
The Best of Phoenix award, judged from the four highest-scoring program entries, went to Spelman College for its “Saving Our Sisters; Spelman College Launches a Wellness Revolution” program. Spelman’s Wellness Revolution has gained international attention and is considered a model to follow. The project garnered more than 769 million media impressions with coverage in 865 media, along with tremendous social media buzz; a 75% increase in wellness program participants from Spring 2012 to Fall 2012 and a 50% increase from Fall 2012 to Spring 2013; and as of June 2013, raised more than $6 million toward the $18 million needed for the new wellness facility.
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Grasshopper in the Stage The concept of Grasshopper Marketing’s video for ADP’s healthcare reform assistance was simple enough: Start Here. They turned to Tube for a video to illustrate how companies can use ADP’s resources to simplify their transition into Affordable Care Act health care reform. Tube transformed their insert stage into a mid-level executive’s corporate office and accommodated other customary pre-production needs – casting, V/O recording, music placement and licensing.
Producer, David Goldstein, and Tube’s creative director/owner, Chris Downs, turned to Shopcraft, Inc.’s Richard Morganelli for art direction and director of photography Dave Rocazy. With an eleven person crew, the right talent, and a mid-level executive office in their insert stage, the Tube team was ready to roll. A half day of shooting got them all the footage they needed. From there the project went into editorial with Tube senior editor, Greg
Upgrading Urological Content Pregis engaged the three squared team to design the new website for their recent acquisition in the UK, Jiffy. The new site serves to unify the Pregis/ Jiffy brands into a more cohesive and integrated online experience. The overall effort included UX/ IA activities as well as the visual design and integration of a new, more client friendly content management system. Georgia Urology selected the three squared team to re-envision the GU website and also integrate a new content management system. The initial task involved an assessment of the current website to specifically identify the areas of need and improvement. This addressed areas beyond the visual design and focused on the overall user experience and related recommendations. The new site is currently scheduled to launch in early 2014. Elekta secured the team to develop a direct mail piece for their Precision Precisely Direct Mail campaign. The piece targets hospital administrators and physicians and showcases the advantages of using the Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion in order to fight cancer with pinpoint accuracy.
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Partridge, and Goldstein. After the cut was made the project was handed to Downs, who took it into After Effects and added the necessary motion graphic flare, in addition to requisite improvements such as color correction. Partridge added the finishing sound-design touches and the video was ready to go.
Send all your glorious, ghastly and galactic business news with cool graphics to Ozcetera Editor Gary Powell at ozcetera@ozonline.tv. NO FAXES OR HARDCOPIES PRETTY PLEASE. All news should be submitted via email.
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New Identity for Identity Sleuths Atlanta-based Cardlytics, a leader in card-linked marketing, recently launched the company’s new visual identity and logo. The new brand was created to reflect the company’s growth from a small financial technology firm to a rapidly growing advertising platform—serving each of the constituents in the card-linked marketing ecosystem: financial institutions, retailers and consumers. “Our new logo evokes the power of Cardlytics, our bank partners and our advertiser clients coming together to create a new connection with consumers,” said Kasey Byrne, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Cardlytics.
The new logo for Cardlytics.
Cardlytics showcased its new brand at a series of events and conferences. The company sponsored the ANA Masters of Marketing conference in Phoenix in October. The company’s two co-founders, Lynne Laube and Scott Grimes, were featured speakers at Money2020 in Las Vegas in October. The company was also a 4-star sponsor. Cardlytics also participated in the DMA 2013 annual conference in Chicago in October, and at ad:tech in New York in November.
RON SHERMAN MAKES ATLANTA BEAUTIFUL Atlanta photographer, Ron Sherman, worked with the publisher of the “America the Beautiful” series of books on an Atlanta project. The new photo book is entitled “Atlanta - America the Beautiful.” It contains 96 photos on 96 pages. It is Sherman’s fourth published book on Atlanta. A Barnes & Noble manager stated, "I recommend this book because it is the best pictorial book we have of Atlanta on hand." The new book, capturing Atlanta's remarkable beauty with its images and historical sweep, is even more remarkable as a publishing phenomenon. While the usual lead time for a picture book is six to nine months, “Atlanta - America the Beautiful,” moved from concept to delivery of images in sixty days, a publishing record. An advantage Sherman had for this project was the large number of updated Atlanta photographs in his image archives. With a February deadline, getting the assignment in December did not allow for much exterior coverage. A majority of the images came from his image collection, allowing him to concentrate on the Atlanta attractions that opened this past year.
Atlanta photographer, Ron Sherman, at a book signing for “Atlanta – America the Beautiful.”
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Ron Sherman’s cover shot on the cover of “Atlanta – America the Beautiful.”
Formerly Known as North North Avenue Post/North Ave Productions has changed its name to North Creative. It is a natural progression for the company, which provides production and post-production services, but has evolved over the past few years to offer clients a more all inclusive creative agency service. Along with the new name comes an entirely remade office space, which will continue to provide the energetic, innovative, and comfortable environment that is conducive to achieving the type of work and services offered.
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Nonprofit Techno Savvy Arketi Group has partnered with Atlanta-based TechBridge to execute messaging and rebranding. Having selected TechBridge as its 2013 pro bono client, Arketi donated its time and resources for the marketing engagement, which included a new logo and tagline, "Business smart. Community focused." Additionally, Arketi redesigned the organization’s communications materials and its website to better engage and inform nonprofits, funders, and the community at large. TechBridge is a nonprofit that drives community impact by bringing affordable business and technology expertise to other nonprofits. The organization has provided IT consulting and outsourcing services to hundreds of nonprofits, by connecting the needs of nonprofits with the skills and financial resources of the technology community. Arketi was selected by the Metro Atlanta Chamber as the marketing partner for Mobility LIVE! 2013. The inaugural Atlanta event, held in the Fall at the Woodruff Arts Center, brought together nearly 500 leading-edge mobile technology developers, startups and decision makers for a full day of keynote presentations, industry track sessions and live demonstrations. For the engagement, Arketi created the event’s logo and overall brand identity, which included marketing materials, social marketing, media relations support and website development. Most notably, Arketi designed and launched a responsive website for Mobility LIVE! that adapts to the user’s screen, enabling on-the-go event attendees to access the content as best viewed from their mobile phone or tablet. Designed to guide attendees through a mobile experience, Mobility LIVE! offered 22 industry sessions with more than 80 speakers who covered mobility’s hottest sectors. Keynote presentations represented the biggest names in mobile, including Ralph De La Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility; Alan Dabbiere, chairman of Airwatch; Paul Mankiewich, chief technology officer at Cisco; and Glenn Lurie, president of emerging devices and partnerships at AT&T Mobility.
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2014
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On Saturday, January 11, 2014 the state of Georgia will once again be united for the Second Annual Georgia Entertainment Gala - - a night of immaculate elegance showcasing the immense talent that Georgia has to offer in the entertainment industry. This Roaring 20’s Themed Black Tie Evening includes an awards ceremony created to honor the excellence of Georgia’s lm, television, business, technology and music industry professionals, Live Entertainment, tantalizing passed Hors D'oeuvres, and more....
ozmagazine.com | 21 For event tickets and information please visit www.GAEntertainmentGala.com
Sets on the Beach
Restoring Jekyll Island Beaches after the X-Men shoot
by Katie Carpenter
A few years back, the location scouts for Twentieth Century Fox selected a quiet beach on Jekyll Island, Georgia as a location for the production of: X-Men: First Class. Its unique topographical characteristics made it ideal perfect size and slope, with a gorgeous dune area, natural beach grasses, and a prairie with cabbage palms and live oak trees behind. The distance from the road to the ocean was short, making it very attractive to the location manager and transportation team. They got permission to film there and soon, trailers and crew began pouring onto the island. Then all hell broke loose with the local community. “Considering that an individual could be issued a citation and fined for driving a small car on the beach or pulling a handful of sea oats from the dunes, it’s astounding that… (local authorities) would allow this activity to proceed,” said David Kyler, the Executive Director of the Center for a Sustainable Coast in an OpEd piece for the Atlanta Constitution in the fall of 2010. The script called for crashed aircraft on the beach amid hundreds of giant, non-native palm trees, a vast submarine beached up on the shore and fires burning all around. That’s just what the camera saw — behind the scenes, there would be a fleet of trucks, trailers, cranes, and earth movers, driving on the beach and parking on the prairie behind the set. That’s standard gear for a big movie, but not for a little beach. Since it was home to rare shorebirds and a nesting area for threatened loggerhead sea turtles, Jekyll Island residents didn’t want to see it all torn up. “If you decide you’re going to nuke a place, you have to have a plan for what you’re going to do afterward,” said Stuart Bryan of Environmental Services in Savannah. It was up to Bryan and his colleagues to put it back together again. Location manager Maida Morgan was the first responder on the debate. “The hardest part was getting the local NGOs and the Jekyll Island Authority to trust us,” she said, “and we wanted to convince them that we were worthy of their support — with everything from traffic engineering to dune sculpting.” The locals were familiar with the X-Men franchise, and knew too well that an action movie could be a fairly high- impact visitor to a delicate ecosystem. Morgan had also worked on several big-budget action features up and down the coast of Georgia and Florida — Armageddon and Glory among them — and she had some experience working with local naturalists to protect threatened habitat and wildlife. “We made dozens of presentations to local residents, improving the plan each time. It tooktime, but I think they were pleased in the end." “I give a lot of credit to Fox,” continued Morgan. “Their head of sustainability, Lisa Day, was involved in the details of this restoration plan from a very early stage. She and the head of production, Mike Hendrickson, said they really wanted to ‘get this right.' Jekyll’s a very special place, one of my favorite islands along the Georgia Coast. It’s a wild island, and when I go back there and hike along the beach, I don’t want to hide my face! I want to know we left it better than it was when we came.”
Mike Demell and his team from Environmental Services were on the case from the beginning — right down to testing the quality of the sand which the production brought in to re-sculpt the beach. “Webrought in 10,000 cubic yards of sand — tested for grain, size, color, suitable for what that natural beach would be,” said Demell. They also diapered all the hazardous connections — hydraulic and fuel lines — so there were no oil spills anywhere, not even a drop.
“We went out and bought plants in local Georgia and Florida nurseries,” recalled Bryan, “mostly sea oats, salt meadow cord grass, bitter panicum and muhly grass and dozens more species of native grasses. We replanted more than 30,000 plants! To ensure their growth during a drought, we even installed a sprinkler irrigation system. We tilled the beach so the sand would not be too compacted for sea turtles to nest.” Some challenges were more difficult. “Part of the set was Styrofoam. When they
X-Men: First Class co-stars, Rose Burns and James McAvoy amid the wreckage of the epic battle scene that scarred Jekyll Island Beach.
hauled it off, there were these little balls of Styrofoam all over the beach. Also, plastic zip ties and bits of metal. It was like archeology work — the workers were putting the sand through a screen to extract all foreign debris — but we got it all.” The end result: a completely clean site. “It was a challenging project, but Fox really met that challenge,” observed Demell. “They found the funds and they made it work.” He mentioned he’s working on another big studio production coming to the Georgia
The producers of X-Men: First Class re-sculpted and replanted a beach on Georgia’sJekyll Island — adding two crashed aircraft and beached submarine, all ablaze.
B e fo re Before-and-after photos show a dune habitat painstakingly restored with many varieties of local native grasses and palms. Local residents, once hostile to the intrusion of the production, now say the beach looks "better than before."
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A f te r
coast this fall, and expressed concern that their budget allocates only a small fraction of what Fox allotted to their restoration. Says Morgan: “This was unusual for a studio to make that commitment on the front end, knowing what it would cost on the back end. It was very classy!” This fall, there were hundreds of loggerhead sea turtle nests on Jekyll Island, and five of them were right there, in the footprint of the X-Men: First Class set where the planes crashed and the fires burned. The sandwich terns and black-bellied plovers were also back in force, and went about their business like no X-Men ever did battle there.
Environmental engineer, Mike Demell (left), describes the ambitious dune restoration project to local naturalist, Eric Draper.
Local naturalists are happy it turned out so well, and so is the production team. “The Georgia coast is beautiful, it’s God’s country,” effused Morgan, “and if the natural beauty of this stretch of it is now restored, then… well, yay!”
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voices
By:Avery 0. Williams
Vince Gilligan, the creator of “Breaking Bad,” offers advice for aspiring filmmakers: If you attend film school, work in the equipment room as he did while a student at NYU. That way, the Walter White meth king creator continued, you can get your hands on a lot of cool film equipment. He’s right. And that advice stood firm as one of the talking points for anyone advocating film school as a way to learn the craft. But technology, as it is wont to do, has flipped the script, and now the particularly exceptional advantage of attending a film school to get the cool equipment is not so exceptional these days. As any avid reader of this magazine, or simply anybody who has dawdled on YouTube or Vimeo no doubt knows, there are a lot of people shooting and editing stuff—and some of it, a lot of it, looks pretty darn good. With big chips in affordable DSLRs, the ability to create pretty moving pictures is in the hands of more people than ever before. And with drag and drop simplicity, at the click of a mouse, these pretty images are being cut, sliced, diced and subjected to plug-ins that work, well, like magic. Welcome to the world of today’s filmmakers. Though in all fairness and in deference to the sustaining beauty of celluloid, the digital revolution has indeed put the power to make gorgeous-looking movies into the hands of anyone who owns a digital camera and a computer. But what it has not delivered, and makes no promise to provide, is the ability to tell good stories. The craft of storytelling by a filmmaker is still a vital skill, that no push-button, click-on or plug in can provide. And it is a skill that can be learned. When music is taught to the uninitiated, their innate talent will decide whether they be a mediocre musician or a Mozart. So is it with filmmakers. Talent will always rise, but every aspiring filmmaker has the ability to become competent and effective storytellers—if they take the time and effort to seriously learn the craft. So where does one start on the road to becoming good tellers of cinematic tales? It begins with the study of character. 26 | ozmagazine.com
Aristotle puts plot as primary, and though I would agree that the idea is king, no amount of plotting or story devices will rise from the page if it does not contain solid, engaging, and memorable characters. Though still in its adolescent years (as compared to other artistic expressions), the canon of cinematic works that presently exists provides us with some amazing examples of character creation. Thus, for the student who seeks to sharpen storytelling skills, these works give us salient pointers that we can utilize to craft more engaging and moving characters.
Pointer #1:
"Great characters are not like the rest of us." Let’s face it. As fantastic as we are, or our friends and families may be, no one wants to see a movie about us. We are, as my nephew says of people or events that are uninspiring, “regular.” But movie characters are not regular people. They may wear the guise of normalcy, but they are braver, smarter, stronger, more stubborn, more talented, more outspoken—always more of something—
than the average bear. That’s why we can sit safely in our seats, gawking at the screen, mouths slightly ajar, because we are watching people say and do things that regular folks just don’t normally do. Take Bruce Willis’ character John McClane from the Die Hard movies. Writers Roderick Thorp, Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza paints McClane as just an everyday NYPD cop, losing his hair, suffering marital problems as he visits his wife in LA on Christmas. He’s just like us, that is, until twelve terrorists take over a building. McClane then becomes super-cop, running through corridors, elevator shafts and through windows with no shoes on, thwarting the bad guys while snapping wise cracks that are cooler than anything we could ever think to say. The lesson: when creating characters, take “normalcy” and amp it up, way up, and have them do or say things that the rest of us probably would never do.
Pointer #3:
Pointer #2: "Give your characters a super power.”
"Great characters make difficult choices." When I watch Battlestar Galactica (the more recent one) I often mutter that I like watching President Laura Roslin, played by Mary McDonnell, think. It can be awfully engaging to watch characters make major decisions. These questions, mind you, are not simply whether to have turf or surf for dinner, but are quite often life changing decisions a character must make. Stay home, or go after Darth Vader (Star Wars)? Simply do my job as a secretary or go after a multi-million dollar company (Erin Brockovich)? Sell my farm or try to be farmer? (Places in the Heart)? Continue to earn a high school teacher’s salary, or make meth (Breaking Bad)? A classic example of a character making a difficult choice is Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, in The Godfather. In the scene where he has dinner with the corrupt Captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden) and the aggressive gangster Sollozzo, Michael must make the decision whether to walk away and remain a “civilian” or to irrevocably cross the line and enter the family business. Of course the decision he makes propels the rest of this saga forward, but watch this scene closely, his eyes mainly, as they tick back and forth while Michael’s mind teeters on the edge of the options before him. The lesson: put your characters in life changing situations and have them make choices—strong, bold and determined choices.
I’m not referring to the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound—necessarily. I’m speaking of that thing, that uniqueness, talent, skill or ability you must imbue in your main character to set them apart from the regular folks. Rocky Balboa is a ham ‘n eggs, club fighter, BUT “he goes to the body like no other.” Harry Potter is a fairly competent wizard, BUT his bravery sets him apart from others. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is not just a composer, BUT, as the character Salieri states, “he is the very voice of God.” Can you get any more super than that!? This power does not have to be magical, it can be as regular as say, the ability to run, but it must be at a level where it surpasses all other characters and will pull your plot forward. Take Forrest Gump. He says, “ I could run like the wind blows.” It’s his running ability which takes him to college, through Vietnam and on a sojourn across the country. In essence it becomes a catalyst propelling this marvelous story forward. The lesson: The more specific and identifiable your character’s “power” is, the more they will stand in relief to the environment of our ordinary world and give us something fun and engaging to hang on. There are certainly many more pointers we can glean from watching great movies—and not only watching finished films, but reading screenplays too. This is an ongoing task for the filmmaker who aspires to be a great storyteller. It is, essentially, the work that must be, should be, done. It is an occupation of time and study that no new technological marvel can substitute for, yet, the results of these endeavors are no less marvelous in their revelations and their ability to teach us how to be better tellers of cinematic tales.
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Layout design: Randy Davis 28 | ozmagazine.com
An altered state…without the long hair, rock ’n’ roll and hemp clothing By Ruksana Hussain
Technical start-ups aplenty call Atlanta home, and there has been a recent concerted effort by many local groups to stake Atlanta’s claim on a piece of the flourishing tech industry. Atlanta techies are headed on the right path with “augmented reality,” and they have the chops to back it. Companies big and small across industries far and wide are head over heels in love with the technology, which has moved from the lab and into the mainstream.
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Augmented reality (AR) refers to a digitally enhanced view of the real world. AR is a cutting-edge technology that adds layers of digital content in the form of audio, video and images on top of what is seen by the naked eye. Computer generated content in real-time enhances the way you explore and perceive what you are seeing. With a camera or sensors on a smart phone or tablet…or even smart glasses, the technology is more accessible to the everyday consumer. Large companies and institutions that have the funds to invest in research and development are adopting the technology more and more. It can be used on magazine pages, any advertising material, business cards, instruction manuals, t-shirts and more. Want to access additional editorial content from a publication? Use an AR app and browser to view additional information. QR codes may become passé. With a QR code, a user scans a matrix barcode to access two-dimensional information; typically a web page, video or document. And that is pretty much the end of that experience. AR data can be used with any image: simply run the tablet or smart phone over your object of curiosity and enhanced 3D features show up. The experience gives the ability to digitally manipulate and interact with the object. Currently, a few well-known AR platforms and apps such as Layar and Vuforia are perhaps the best known. Many more 30 | ozmagazine.com
are joining the fray, trying to better the AR experience by focussing on tracking mechanisms, location and marker based applications. Apps that work hands-free viewing devices like head mounted displays are on the way. As is the case with any innovation in technology and the constant human desire for a better life experience, the AR players are many and the uses infinite. Some of the leading experts and companies working with AR are right here in Atlanta and thriving at it.
ALCHEMY
“I think Atlanta is positioned to be a leader in augmented reality,” says Margaret Martin, Founder and CEO of Merlin Mobility, a rising star in the Atlanta AR space and the 2012 southeastern regional winner of Harvard Business School’s New Venture Contest. “At the core of it is the lab at Georgia Tech, one of the premiere facilities in the world. Having so many major corporations that, if not headquartered here, certainly have a significant presence, and the ability to be able to travel easily through the Atlanta airport, give Atlanta the opportunity to be at the center of the AR market.” Martin has more than 20 years of experience in taking software companies to commercial success. A third generation native Atlantan, her experience includes time spent in the Los Angeles, Silicon Valley and Portland technology markets. A member of Atlanta Technology Development Center, the country’s oldest tech incubator, Merlin won customers through connections there as well as avenues like Venture Atlanta, where she presented in 2011. It was also there that she announced the wide release of their AR platform, Alchemy, in 2014. The company currently has 12 employees in Atlanta and is gearing up for expan-
sion, courtesy of a recent capital infusion. “We are probably going to hire about 15 people between now and Q1, and we will be rolling out not only Alchemy but some exciting components of Alchemy that have not been publicly disclosed yet. We are really excited about that,” Martin shares. Alchemy operates with mobile phones and tablets. These 3D applications allow employees and customers to virtually interact with products. The software takes data from the front- and rear-facing cameras on the mobile device and combines it with the 3D modeling software and other data in the cloud to create a 3D blend between the physical space and the product. The Alchemy platform can be used for a wide variety of applications including sales, repair, education, purchasing and inventory management. It allows companies to create, host, deliver, manage and track mobile AR-based content and customer data. It also allows companies to easily create, deploy and update AR content to iOS and Android mobile devices. The platform aligns with the full lifecycle of customer’s products, systems and services including marketing, training, manufacturing and supply chain, creating dedicated apps for specific business needs. By bringing products to life using Merlin’s Alchemy enables real–time collaboration, sharing experiences and interactions between user and brand. Counting Coca-Cola, GE and AT&T among their long list of local and international customers, Merlin’s focus is on marketing and instructional augmented reality, be it products for the average consumer or large industrial customers. “We focus on purposeful applications,” adds Martin. “Research around AR demonstrates that the killer application for AR
“Atlanta is positioned to be a leader in augmented reality”
is helping people understand concepts in significantly shorter periods of time. That has really informed our approach. We are interested in applications with a long shelf life as opposed to having oneoff advertising campaigns for a particular product that is short lived.” Alchemy is used to develop applications for all client projects. It has a browser component that is used to deploy the application and Merlin has put a lot of resources into the analytics that provide clients with a dashboard to track access and interaction. No surprise then that Merlin has been at the receiving end of recent accolades such as Technology Association of Georgia 2013 Top Ten Innovative Technology Company and winner of the People’s Choice Award for the Coolest Technology at the 2013 Georgia Technology Summit. Giga Om named Merlin Mobility one of six cool start-ups to watch out for in Atlanta. On a larger scale, closing the gap between the expectation of the technology and what it really can do is the key. “Probably the biggest challenge is not properly setting expectations for the capability of the technology with clients. It is two-fold: if you put a lot of lightweight apps out there, they tend to deter from the real strength of the technology. But not understanding what you can do really well and what you can’t results in selling into companies concepts that aren’t viable with the technology. They have a poor experience with it and are not receptive to using the technology again. A lot of companies are focused on tracking technology but at Merlin, we have taken a different approach and are more focused on that middle layer that enables us to provide an elegant user experience for both content creation and for the end user.”
—Margaret Martin, Merlin Mobility
ARGON
Nestled in Georgia Tech’s campus is the Augmented Environments Lab (AEL), spearheaded by Dr. Blair MacIntyre. MacIntyre is Martin’s counterpart in organizing Atlanta augmented reality meetups and an industry recognized veteran when it comes to all things AR. An Associate Professor at the School of Interactive Computing, MacIntyre directs AEL and research focusing on the design and implementation of computer-enhanced interactive environments. His current focus is on augmented Blair MacIntyre reality environments; especially those that use personal displays (i.e. displays worn or carried by the user) to directly augment a user’s perception of their environment. He has been conducting AR research since 1991 with the goal of understanding the potential of AR as a new medium for games, entertainment, education and work. MacIntyre has collaborated on a variety of AR gaming and entertainment projects over the years and leads the Argon AR Web Browser project at Georgia Tech. His research has been supported by many technology and content companies, including Atlanta’s own Qualcomm, and he has written a wide range of academic papers and quoted many as an expert source on AR. “We submitted a new version of the browser to the app store recently so hopefully that will get released. The project has expanded to focus on trying to create a framework for doing AR using web technologies. What we are interested in is not so much having our own browser, but enabling people who would
want to work with AR and web technologies, whether it is on the desktop or using Argon, be it the browser itself on the iPhone,” he explains. MacIntyre has been with Georgia Tech since 1999, and in 15 years there he has been integral to many projects. He has worked primarily on Argon—the world’s first standards-based augmented reality web browser. The goal of Argon is to bring AR to the masses through a web-centric platform, like your favourite web browser, so anyone can experience, experiment and deliver AR for work or play. “We basically turned Argon into both the browser and a framework which runs on both the desktop and on our browser on iOS. Soon we hope to be able to get it on Android and Windows mobile, but it also is going to a point where we might be able to run AR apps in a browser like Firefox or Chrome on Android, since they’re getting to where they actual-
Experiencing an AR Virtual Pit at Georgia Tech’s Augmented Environments Lab
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“AR gives life to 2D content, it allows for an editorial to come
—Andres Jaramillo, ARWerks
ARWERKS
Checking arrival time of the next Tech Trolley
ly support the necessary technologies. We wouldn’t be able to do the imagebased target tracking that we can do in Argon, but you can live the full 3D AR experience without having to install any software, and that’s exciting.” Some Georgia Tech students have been using Argon in computing innovation competitions. One group is considering using Argon to create a campus tour that it is available on the web for remote students. MacIntyre and his team at AEL are also working on AR games and hoping to get an update for their game, “Nerdherder,” into the app stores soon. “Nerdherder” is a free AR game for both iOS and Android. The premise of the game is to pick up little objects from the world and use them to lure or scare little nerds in an office environment and get them to their cubicles. The game is a joint project between Georgia Tech and some faculty and students at SCAD. Other faculty involved at AEL include Jay Bolter in the Literature, Media and Communications department for the 32 | ozmagazine.com
Digital Media program, whose interest is in cultural heritage and AR. Marybeth Gandy is MacIntyre’s colleague at the consulting firm they manage together, Aura. Gandy says, “We have done a bunch of consulting over the years for different clients, big and small. The most visible implementation oriented project we did was the Rock’em Sock’em robots game for Qualcomm and Mattel.” Other than some internal game development explorations, MacIntyre’s work through Aura has mostly been in the expert witness space. An increasing number of patent disputes utilize AR as it becomes more popular.
Nerdherder
When it comes to smaller companies, the majority of augmented reality implementation appears to be happening in gaming, web-based marketing and mapping/exploration. Along those lines is the work being done by Athens, Georgiabased company, ARWerks. Co-founded by Andres Jaramillo, David Squires and Mark Evans, ARWerks boasts a development team in Columbus, Ohio and a Latin American headquarters in Panama. They also have a presence in Chile, Argentina and Brazil, attributed to augmented reality coming on quickly in South America. A team of 15 employees, the company is currently aggressively hiring in both the U.S. and South American markets. ARWerks has worked with industries including sports organizations, retail, real estate, construction and development companies, events in the television and film industry, recruiting companies, education and aviation to name a few. “One industry that has been receptive currently has been the entertainment industry, in television and film,” says Jaramillo, one of the co-founders. “There are a couple of major films coming out in 2014 where we will be doing a large part of the campaign. We are going to work with various TV shows with AR apps which allow you to experience the shows and gain access to exclusive content.” Two of ARWerks’ recent projects include a new application for the Heisman Trust and the Heisman Trophy, and the Georgia Virtual History Project that aims to tell the history of the state in a new and innovative way. The goal of the Heisman application is to enhance the way that the fans interact with the history of the award, learn about the previous winners and interact with the candidates, all utilizing the advantages of AR to view
to life.”
the game of college football in a whole new way. On the other hand, the Georgia history project, spearheaded by ARWerks in combination with various organizations including the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the University of Georgia and various other historical organizations, is an ongoing activity that will span over a few years. The initial part of the project consists of a number of historical sites that have story caches created around them so a visitor can go to these locations across the state and experience interaction at these points of interest with AR. “We are taking the regular world in front of us and bringing it to life through content and different layers of information to tell more about the Andres Jaramillo surroundings, to give information to tourists, educate our youth and be able to tell the story of the state in a whole new and innovative way,” shares Jaramillo. The Heisman project is completed and the application will be live any day now, available both on iPhone and Android. The Georgia virtual history project was scheduled for an official launch in November. Jaramillo speaks candidly on the restrictions faced by the AR industry. He mentions the need for access to the internet and free wi-fi areas as well as the lack of wearable technologies or smart phones as limitations. And while the technology might be cost-effective for a small business to exploit right now, it is still a few years away from being able to realize its full potential in a cost effective way when it comes to things like retail industry behemoths considering digital fitting rooms. “Restrictions are highlight
Georgia Virtual History Tour
ed more in countries outside the U.S., the fact that in order to experience AR you need to have access to a device and a camera, whether smart phones or tablets. While smart phones are coming preloaded with AR applications, the end user has to download an app for each experience, and given the space on cell phones, that is a limitation. For brands and companies, the stigma that AR has had is that a few years ago a lot of companies really began moving into the AR space and testing the waters but didn’t get the engagement they were hoping for. And part of that was because of some of the limitations on the devices available then—smart phones for the end user to integrate with AR. But brands using AR right now are getting great returns.” One of the most widespread uses of AR has been in print media, and the migration of content to online and digital media. “AR gives life to 2D content, it allows for an editorial to come to life. We are also looking at the fact that with AR you are able to change the interaction in real time, adapt to how the consumer is reacting to a campaign, giving brands that power to react, change and update the campaigns as they exist. The best advantage for AR is that naturally and intuitively humans always want to know
information about the world around us. AR allows us to put digital layers of information on the real world in front of us, with access to information that we typically wouldn’t have had before.” Jaramillo sees AR as a way to seamlessly integrate technology and the great advances we have now in access to information to improve our everyday experiences. He knows there is much to be done in AR, especially in Atlanta, and sees promise in how the city is positioned considering all things AR. “Because of the Georgia virtual history project, the local government, companies and businesses involved with it, and the commitment to telling the story of the state, Georgia is now positioned as one of the early adopters of AR in an effort that goes beyond a one-time campaign or event, to exposing AR to all. Atlanta is well-positioned among the top as far as adoption and use of AR on a continuous basis goes,” comments Jaramillo. “Right now there are many exciting things coming out of Atlanta, the start-up scene with tech companies, the film industry. Atlanta offers a little of everything and in many ways is a hidden gem when it comes to technology, so we are fortunate and content being based out of the area.” To reality, and beyond! ozmagazine.com | 33
behind the camera with drewprops
Let’s be honest with ourselves: one of the most ego-inflating things about working in the movie business is being treated like a rock star by civilians. Regardless of what anyone else may tell you the film industry is driven almost entirely by ego, and actors aren’t alone in using their movie biz status to their advantage. Even the lowliest prop assistant can walk out of a bar with a sexy girl if he’s able to prove to her that he actually works in the movies, and the easiest way to convince people of your affiliation with Hollywood is through the careful exhibition of swag. Movie swag can be anything from clothing branded with a show’s logo to props which were actually used in the film. While props may be collectible, you can’t really wear a telephone booth out in public, which is why crews are more concerned with obtaining clothing that explicitly demonstrates that they worked on a movie (and it never hurts to have the words “Film Crew” emblazoned in giant letters across the back.) Until recently crews could still count on receiving some sort of memento from working a show, even if it was just a t-shirt. These days, crews working on big budget feature films may still expect to receive some sort of official gift from production, but people on smaller shows may go without. The overall quality of a gift will vary based on any number of factors, including the overall expense of the gift, the number of recipients and the charitableness of the producers and/or studio. Back in the 1980s it became common to receive a crew jacket at the end of a movie, and a crew jacket was the tops. These were often a high school letterman style jacket: a cloth body with the show’s logo embroidered on the back or with patches stitched onto the arms. I remember listening to people from Los Angeles bitch about how many crew jackets they had cluttering their closets, unable to comprehend how people could complain about owning such amazing possessions, and wishing like heck that I could have all the gear they no longer wanted. 34 | ozmagazine.com
My first official crew jacket was a gift from the prop department on Robocop 3. They pitched in together to buy me one and it’s still my favorite bit of swag. Over the years I would fill my own coat closet with official crew jackets and finally understood how some of them were just so god awful that you didn’t want to be seen outside wearing them, but it’s hard to throw away a keepsake. I asked some of my friends in the business about the best and worst swag they’d ever received and the answers were fun and sometimes enlightening. For instance, as big a hit as the feature film Zombieland became, its production had a surprisingly unimpressive crew gift: a small backpack. On the other hand, the hit television show The Walking Dead knocked it out of the park a few years back with a survival-themed toolkit which included a flashlight and a knife, and I’m told that they’ve stayed with the survival theme with subsequent gifts (which only makes sense, since the crew find themselves working outside, surviving some the hottest days of the year).
The production for The Vampire Diaries commemorated their cast’s impending transition from high school to college by giving out a yearbook to the cast/crew (a similar product was created for the feature Hall Pass a few years prior). In a previous season the crew of TVD received specially branded sports shoes, an example of how productions can save money on crew gifts by taking advantage of existing relationships with product placement partners. Sadly (and yet understandably), there are always a few productions that view the crew as a group of independent contractors who have been paid fairly for their work and deserve no additional compensation or recognition. Some directors gladly spend a bit of their big paycheck on crew gifts. Other times, it’s an actor who wants to show appreciation. Hugh Jackman handed out lottery tickets to the crew of Prisoners every week, while Reese Witherspoon gave embroidered blankets to the crew during her final week of filming Sweet Home Alabama. Neither were obligated to give anything to the crew, but it demonstrates how some actors recognize the part that crews play in making them famous. Lots of departments from catering to grips have been known to produce their own shirts and hats to commemorate a show, and these items are often used in barter for custom gear from other departments. In some cases these items are better than the official crew gift. Exclusivity is a part of what makes crew-generated swag especially desirable, and the people handing them out have to be secretive about distribution so that the people who don’t get one won’t feel left out, until later. Speaking of feeling left out, I often hear how the construction department is ignored when it comes to swag. It may be a production cost issue due to the number of people in the construction department, but I think there’s a film snob factor in play as well, which is too bad since those people build the sets that look so awesome on-screen. Some of my friends had stories about swag that is so embarrassingly ugly or offensive that they can’t wear it out in public, and since public display is the point of movie swag, you wonder why production even bothered making it in the first place. I asked Atlanta’s indie-queen, Linda Burns, if swag existed on low and no budget shows. As I suspected, leftover money is instead spent taking care of crews who were already making very little money in the first place. If t-shirts were printed they were usually “sold to help raise more money for the project, not to give away to the crew.”
Drewprops: Dear movie people can you please tell me some of the best swag you ever received on a show? What’s some of the worst swag you’ve ever received? Jayn Rogers: I’ve received several nice things over the years.. one stand out was the Big Fish crew book. Worse was nothing.. Not even a credit after a year’s work. Michael P. Clark: TWD gives the best swag! We got jackets, a solar powered backpack with a aquapac in it, bandana, hat, t-shirt, flashlight. Katie Willard Troebs: Best gift...Swiss Army Knife. Most interesting gift....a toilet brush and a bucket. Worst gift....no bad gift...all are thoughtful! Bill Largin: The Adidas swimmers coat we got on Fled and the leather jacket on Savannah as best. Is there any such thing as bad swag? Susan Van Apeldoorn: The coat from Fled was a great one. Laurie G-Force: I still have my coat from FLED. My very first wrap gift! Although it does have a small melted patch on one elbow from standing too close to a heater at video village. J.d. Taylor: Best: Teen Wolf Director’s chair and Hall Pass backpack. Sol King: Swag isn’t about how cool it is. It is cool, because someone thought enough of you, to give a thank you, and a token to remind you of the work you did for the production. Joseph Thomas: I guess the best was the school jacket on Season 2 of I’ll Fly Away. The worst is easy: A solar powered flashlight from Scary Movie 5. A solar powered flashlight. Really. Jalyn Henton: Hat from Remember The Titans that broke when I put it on. Molly Coffee: On the feature Addicted, they gave us poor quality hats that said “Addicted” in the most basic of white fonts. No context. Why in god’s name would I wear that in public.
Pay for swag? I hung up immediately. That’s crazy talk.
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Stacking Federal and State Tax Incentives to Reduce Investor Risk in Film and TV Production By: Peter Stathopoulos
Georgia’s Entertainment Tax Credit Georgia’s entertainment tax credit has been responsible for attracting over $1.1 billion in entertainment expenditures in the state over the past year. The Georgia Code provides a tax credit of up to 30% of a production company’s qualifying production expenditures incurred in the state. Qualifying productions include films, television pilots and series, commercials and digital interactive productions. The credits may be claimed against income or employer withholding taxes or sold to other Georgia taxpayers. The sales price of credits depends on factors such as the time of year sold, the creditworthiness of the seller, the tax year in which the credits were generated and other market factors. Typical sales prices of credits range from 85 to 89 cents per dollar of credits sold. Monetization of credits is relatively easy, with no mandatory state audit or other review of the credits. It can also be sold prior to being claimed on a tax return. Credits are sold via a purchase agreement between the seller and buyer with the seller typically guaranteeing the credits and promising to reimburse the buyer for any clawbacks of credits. Part of the success of the Georgia program in attracting credits to the state has been that there are currently no program caps (on the non-digital part of the program), there are no substantive compensation caps (no cap applies to payments to independent contractors and loan-out companies) and the credits apply to a broad range of expenditures (pre-production, production and post-production). Based on the above, a production company can expect to offset 25% or more of its budget using Georgia film tax credits. When combined with federal incentives such as accelerated cost recapture under IRC Section 181 and the Domestic Production Activities credit (see below), film investors can offset an excess of 60% of each dollar invested using tax incentives.
Federal & Other State Incentives Most in the entertainment industry are aware of the availability of Georgia film tax credits to offset their income tax liability. Few, however, are aware that this state tax incentive can be paired with other state tax incentives and a federal tax deduction of 100% known as “Section 181 – Treatment of Certain Qualified Film and Television Productions,” in addition to the federal deduction for domestic production activities. Internal Revenue Code Section 181 has been in the tax law since 2004 and has been extended three times, most recently by the 2012 American Taxpayer Relief Act. This act extended the benefit through December 31st 2013, allowing an investor/owner of a production the opportunity to deduct their investment in the same year. The election must be made by the entity that is producing the film or television show. Therefore, timing is critical- the production entity must make this election before September 16th 2013 if the company has not already filed their 2012 tax return. The company should also ensure the election is made on its 2013 federal income tax return. Most production companies are set up as Limited Liability Companies (LLC) or S-Corporations. The shareholders in these
companies will be provided proof of the Section 181 election on their Form K-1. In general, to qualify for this deduction, a film or television production must have at least 75% of their compensation costs incurred in the United States. Compensation costs include payments made directly, or in certain scenarios indirectly, by the owners of the motion picture film or television production for services performed by actors, directors, producers, writers, choreographers, composers, casting agents, camera operators, set designers, lighting technicians, make-up artists and others. If the company meets the criteria, they can generally elect to expense 100% of qualified production costs in the year incurred. Qualified productions do not include those that require records to be maintained under Section 18 U.S.C. 2257, i.e. productions that have sexually explicit content. Certain steps must be taken to ensure your company can take advantage of this incentive. The production company that owns the motion picture or film must make an election for each project on its originally filed federal tax return. The election must include: (1) The name of the production; (2) the amount of production costs paid or incurred in the taxable year; (3) the amount of qualified compensation; (4) the total amount of compensation; (5) a declaration that the owners reasonably expect based on the facts and circumstances at the time the election is made, both that the film or television show will be set for production and will be a qualified film or television show. Internal Revenue Code Section 199 has been in the law since 2005. In 2008 Congress made some changes to the law as it relates to the entertainment industry. The domestic production activities deduction allows profitable companies to claim a 9% extra deduction. Because of the significant economic impact the entertainment industry has on the US economy, Congress included in this law that qualified production of motion pictures, certain advertising and print, as well as audio production can qualify for this deduction. The deduction can be claimed by a corporation or an individual. It is calculated by determining qualified production income less cost of production, less an allocation of general and administrative costs. The remaining profit is eligible for this 9% extra deduction. As more studios enter Georgia and the industry continues to mature in the state, the infrastructure labor force, such as camera crew, sound crews, pre and post production technicians and even make-up artists, must take educational training to keep their skills up to the most advanced technologies in their respective trades. Georgia allows a retraining credit of up to $1,250 per employee per year. There are certain hoops to jump through, such as having a community college review certain paperwork to determine and certify that the education classes are eligible for the tax credit.
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how i got into the business
BOB BEAUDIN
ANITA J. FINKELSTEIN
CHUCK WHITED
Prop Maker Redbeau Mannequin Service Corp. RedbeauMannequin.com
Wardrobe Stylist Represented by Factor Model Management Brilliant on Demand, LLC
Set Designer C&M Backdrops www.ChurchZone.net
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS? I began working as a manager for a mannequin refinishing company back in the 80's. The company shut down in the early 90's due to the horrible economic climate. Continuing to see the need for mannequins services, Redbeau Mannequin Service Corp was created.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS?
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS?
Fresh out of Journalism School at The University of Maryland, I headed to NYC to find a job writing for a magazine. I landed a job at Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), the bible of the fashion industry. There I was an editorial assistant, which meant I hung up clothes in the fashion closet, picked up clothes from showrooms or delivered lunch and coffee to fashion shoots. Over the next 2 years, I developed an eye for fashion and soon began styling my own trend shoots. WWD really opened my eyes and changed my path. They merged writing and fashion for me and now I do both!
I I got a call from a friend, who was a director of photography for a television pilot involving Ron Howard. They were in a bind and he wanted to know if I could come to Florida right away and paint a large scenic background for a scene that was in trouble because of non-stop rain. My friend knew I had painted large art pieces in art school and New York. This job involved an airbrushed photo-realistic painting that was 40 feet high by 80 - 100 feet across. After my friend convinced the director I was “their guy,” I said, yes. As a precaution, production flew in a film industry backdrop team just in case I couldn't do it. I had to finish before they arrived. The industry folks got there while we were lit and rolling film. They told me "if I wasn't in the business then I was in the wrong one." My first day on set was "make or break" for my career in film but fortunately it worked out well. I started C&M Backdrops soon afterward and lots of commercials, feature films, industrials and music videos later, my company provides sets, scenics, scenic supplies and art direction to the leaders and top productions in the entertainment industry.
IF YOU HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN... As a self-employed businessman I would certainly do it over again. I would just start my career at an earlier age. My advice is to start early and young and stick with it. If you become a slave to a paycheck, you'll never realize your dreams. Learn to live on the cheap and learn financial first aid. "The wolf is always at the door" ..... still true today. Make sure that you can get out of every situation you put yourself into. WOULD YOU GO INTO THE MANNEQUIN BUSINESS AGAIN? I've had a good life from it and there have been many ancillary benefits not found in many fields. But I still feel the sting of the bad years, so I would have to think long and hard about it.
WHAT ARE YOUR 3 MOST RECENT PROJECTS? Since I am not a name dropper, I would not name my most recent projects nor things we have worked on recently. The credit belongs to the people who made the decision to use our services. Not only do we make mannequins look good, we also make the people behind the mannequins look good.
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BEST ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR PROFESSION? There are not many full-time jobs in styling or shoot production, so you have to be willing to freelance, which means no steady paycheck! Maintain a parttime job to help when you are starting out. Also, be willing to start at the bottom, which sometimes means working for free or almost nothing to gain experience, make good contacts and prove yourself. Other advice is to network - but just don’t go handing out your card. You have to get cards and follow through when you meet someone that could potentially hire you. Finally, when you do get that first job, second job, or third – ALWAYS be on time.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB? I get to do something different every day and meet new people all the time – both of which keep me from getting bored. Plus, I get such a sense of accomplishment at the end of every shoot or show. If everyone is happy, I know I made a valuable contribution to making it happen. WHAT ARE YOUR 3 MOST RECENT PROJECTS? Through my agency, Factor Model Management, I’ve been consistently styling shoots for the McGee Group, who holds the license for Vera Bradley Eyewear and XOXO Eyewear.
IF YOU WEREN'T DOING THIS, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM JOB? My dream job would be to combine my passion for art & creative direction with my passion for building custom cars and hot rods by working with the team from Discovery Channel's Velocity series. Besides my experience in film and television, I was a ISCA member for 8 years and really enjoy "ground-up" restorations. DO YOU HAVE A WORD OR QUOTE OR MANTRA YOU LIVE BY? Put your heart into it or get your ass out.
JAKE AULL
EDGARDO SANTIAGO
DAVID BRYANT
Head Honcho & Digital Marketing Consultant Zen Fires www.ZenFires.com
Visual Effects Plump Pixel Plumppixel.com
3D Artist The DVI Group www.The DVIGroup.com
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS?
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS?
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS?
I began my career as a graphic designer. In 2000, a business partner and I started a branding and web design firm serving dot-coms and techs. Programmers at the time could find no work, as the internet business scared everyone, and the work that did exist was exported to India and China. I retained my interest in web technologies and researched advanced degrees that would allow me to study my varied interests. I started my masters of science in a marketing degree program in 2007 at Georgia State University while working full time. I customized my program to take courses not only in marketing, but also in the Computer Information Systems and Communication departments. A year later, GSU asked me to write & teach my own course on social media and search marketing. In the field I practice social media as contributor too, and metric of, SEO; I make businesses and their digital assets come up in Google. These are also in what I teach. Additionally, I wrote the instructor’s manual for Pearson Prentice-Hall’s first Social Media Marketing textbook, and am currently writing a book on WordPress SEO for the same.
I got into the business at a young age through constant creation, practice and work. I learned my first font “Broadway,” while designing my first event poster at the age of 16 (for free, of course). It was clear then, the more I created the more my creative portfolio expanded with new clients and then with more “paying” clients. I was on my way into the biz.
I made pizza for about ten years before I realized that I wanted to do something different with my life. So, I decided to go back to school and study graphic design at Georgia State University. While there, I took the only 3D art class that they offered and loved it. I wanted to focus more on 3D graphics, but GSU didn't offer any additional 3D classes. I began to research and located Savannah College of Art and Design. Seeing they had a campus in Atlanta, I went for it and transferred to the animation program. While I was studying at SCADAtlanta, I approached The DVI Group about an internship. After they reviewed my demo reel, I had a phone interview followed by a face to face with the creative director, Stuart Fleisher, and the managing partner, Matthew Lopes. I guess I did okay because I got the internship and have been working with The DVI Group ever since.
BEST ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR PROFESSION? There’s always new social channel or trend that others don’t know yet hitting the space. Experiment for yourself, and make some mistakes in the digital realm. Years ago I got kicked off an important digital community and social search engine for over-promoting my own blog. So, make your own blog. Pursue some industry niche you like and blog about it. Then make that your brand and promote it all in social media. And if you can build online community for a company, i.e., followers who eventually become sales, that company would have to hire you!
My first digital graphics job was through a school friend. That’s usually how most people today get into the business, through a friend. There are many ways for breaking into the industry, but regardless of the different methods, there is one note that stands true. Perseverance and dedication towards your creative craft always helps to get your foot in the door.
BEST ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR PROFESSION? My first piece of advice is to have patience and be adaptable. Your creative journey will begin to unfold as you dedicate more time to it. Once I studied digital arts, I saw first-hand how technology was changing the creative industry, and I had to adapt to stay competitive. Once out of school, I practiced what I learned…and learning led to sharing with friends. That got me closer to more real projects, and then to more real paid projects. I haven't stopped creating or adapting since. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB? The flexibility to work on different mediums: print, web, animation and video. DO YOU HAVE A WORD OR QUOTE OR MANTRA YOU LIVE BY? Nike’s old slogan, “Just Do it!”
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB? I love taking on different roles. On one project I could be animating kinetic text, followed by 3D modeling on the next project, and then on to prop fabrication for a live action shoot. The variety keeps the job new and interesting. I would be so miserable if I had to do the same thing every day for my whole career. WHAT ARE YOUR 3 MOST RECENT PROJECTS? We just finished a shoot for two Kodak Kiosk videos. I created the animatics and added prop rigging for some practical special effects. I am now working on the post production. So far, I have modeled a 3D photobook that I animated along with some photographs that will be rendered and composited into the live action footage.
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2013
BRONZELENS FILM FESTIVAL From November 7 - 10, 2013, film lovers, actors, and film makers gathered at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis to share a creative platform of education, entertainment and empowerment discussions related to film, as well as television, and the production of both. The BronzeLens Film Festival featured screenings in multiple venues, as well as informative panels, and enlightening Master Classes led by top names in film, direction, and production.
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1. A collaborative effort brought Walker to the 2013 BronzeLens Film Festival. Pictured are (L-R): Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Spelman College; Alice Walker; Dr. Jacqueline Royster, Georgia Tech; Kathleen Bertrand, BronzeLens Film Festival. 2. (L-R): “The Best Man Holiday” lead actor Morris Chestnut and director Malcolm Lee surrounded by fans at the BronzeLens Film Festival Closing Night film screening. 3. (L-R): Crystal Foxx, star of OWN’s “The Have and the Have Nots” stops to chat on the Bronze Carpet with radio and TV personality Mo Ivory. 4. BronzeLens Board Chair and President of Bobbcat Films Roger Bobb, along with Board Member Erica Qualls, General Manager of the Atlanta Marriot Marquis – host hotel of the BronzeLens Film Festival. 5. Producer and iconic casting director Reuben Cannon leads a discussion at the Producers’ Luncheon, sponsored by BET at the BronzeLens Film Festival to introduce new content creators to experienced producers. 6. Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker greets her many fans at the BronzeLens Film Festival screening of “Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth.” 7. (L-R): Stars Jacob Lattimore and Tyrese with BronzeLens Executive Producer Kathleen at BronzeLens 11. Film Festival Opening Night screening of “Black Nativity. 8. (L-R): Black Nativity star Jacob Lattimore along with director Kasi Lemmons with BronzeLens Artistic Director Deidre McDonald at BronzeLens Film Festival Opening Night screening of “Black Nativity. 9. (L-R): TV Anchors Karyn Greer and Monica Pearson share a laugh at the Women SuperStars Luncheon at BronzeLens Film Festival 10. BronzeLens Executive Producer and Artistic Director, Kathleen Bertrand and Deidre McDonald, with HBO Documentary’s Leigh Turner-Davis and Janet Walley at the Festival’s screening of HBO’s documentary “ Whoopi Goldberg presents Moms Mabley.” 11. BronzeLens 2013 Women SuperStar Awardees: (L-R) Issa Rae, Reshma Kakkar, Kasi Lemmons, Anna Maria Horsford, Kathleen Bertrand ( BLFF), Tonya Lewis Lee, Ingrid Saunders Jones, LaTanya Richardson, Shilla Benning, Valarie Benning Barney, Mabel Benning, Deidre McDonald(BLFF).
All photos by Daniel Morris and Paul Biagui
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Women In Film & Television Atlanta
39th Annual Gala & Awards Ceremony
W
Bernstein, Johnson, Guy, Howell & McBride Honored at 2013 WIFTA Gala
omen In Film & Television Atlanta, (WIFTA), Georgia’s premiere organization dedicated to improving the status and portrayal of women in film, video, and other screen-media, held its 39th Annual Gala & Awards Ceremony on October 20, 2013 at the Georgia World Congress Center. This year’s honorees included Melissa Bernstein and Mark Johnson, Executive Producers of /Breaking Bad, Rectify/ and /Halt & Catch Fire/; director-actress Jasmine Guy (/The Vampire Diaries, Dead Like Me, A Different World/); singer-actress Maria Howell (/Revolution, Devious Maids, The Color Purple/); actress Melissa McBride (/The Walking Dead/), award winning journalist and writer of Access Atlanta’s /The Buzz/ Jennifer Brett and Tony-award winning Alliance Theatre. Actress-Director Jasmine Guy beams as she reflects In addition to the awards ceremony, the fundback on her career during her acceptance of the raising event also included a screening of 2013 WIFTA 2013 Creative Excellence award. the video created via the WIFTA PSA & Mentorship Program, presentation of the WIFTA Tuition scholarship to Ms. Danielle Wilcox, dinner and a silent auction. Plus, WIFTA will also used the evening as a platform to showcase some of the talent from other entertainment industry disciplines. The night’s entertainment included Neo-soul band Vintage Nation, country crooner Julie Gribble, the Georgia State University Faculty Jazz Trio (during the VIP reception), contemporary dance troupe Project 7 and the hilariously funny improv troupe Village Theatre.
The WIFTA Annual Gala & awards ceremony is a critical event for the organization; it’s the nonprofit’s primary fundraising vehicle and the proceeds of the Gala enable WIFTA to continue to provide exceptional educational programming, networking opportunities and professional resources in support of women in film and television throughout the year. Plans are already in the works for WIFTA’s 40th Annual Gala & Awards Ceremony, which will take place Fall 2014. Breaking Bad and Halt & Catch Fire Executive producers, Mark Jonson & Melissa Bernstein say a few words after being presented with the 2013 WIFTA Industry Trailblazer award
Inquiries about sponsorship, partnership and silent auction donations should be directed to WIFTA VP of Communications, Tanisha Coffey at VPCommunications@ WIFTA.org.
Actress Maria Howell gives her acceptance speech after being presented with The Georgian award.
Actress Melissa McBride takes a moment to take in the crowd's applause as she accepts The Georgian award.
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WIFTA coninued
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2013 WIFTA Gala Mistress of Ceremonies actress, Samantha Worthen prepares to introduce the first entertainment act of the evening
Michael Winn accepts the Outstanding Contribution-Organization award on behalf of The Alliance Theatre
Project 7 Contemporary Dance Company Actors BJ Arnett and Cameron Arnett with 2013 WIFTA Gala The Georgian award honoree, Maria Howell (TV's Devious Maids & Revolution)
The Buzz (Access Atlanta) columnist, Jennifer Brett, takes the stage to accept her Outstanding Contribution - Individual award
Emily Holden leads members of Village Theatre's comedy troupe as they give the crowd comic relief during the Gala
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Industry Trailblazer honorees, Mark Johnson & Melissa Bernstein (Executive Producers of Breaking Bad, Rectify and Halt & Catch Fire)
(L-R): 2013 WIFTA Gala Creative Excellence award honoree, Jasmine Guy, with actress and WIFTA Programs Directory, Karen Ceesay Up and coming neo soul band, vintage Nationa, sings their infectious song, "Brokenhearted Hero"
(L-R): WIFTA president, Cheryl Jenkins and 2013 WIFTA Tuition Scholarship winner, Danielle Wilcox
Singer-Actress, Julie Gribble performs during the Gala
Second Annual
GPP MEDIA MIX NETWORKING EVENT AT STILLHOUSE Founded in 1995, The Georgia Production Partnership (GPP) is a not-for-profit coalition of companies and individuals who are active in the state’s film, video, and music industries. The November 12th, 2013 event was a grand evening and it allowed for great networking for media professionals. GPP plans on holding this event multiple times throughout 2014. For more information go to the events calendar at www.georgiaproduction.org
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PC&E's 30th Anniversary Party PC&E celebrated their 30th Anniversary on Saturday October 12, with one of their annual parties. This year’s theme was all about the 30th Anniversary as the staff of Atlanta’s only one stop shop for camera, lighting and grip, soundstages, and sales and expendables hosted hundreds of members of Atlanta’s Film Community with award-winning BBQ from Atlanta Motion Pigtures, catering courtesy of Four Star Provisions and music from Kingsized.
Doug Smith and Deb Castles
The crowd gathers as the festivites begin
(L-R): Sunny Lee and Nick Schwarz
Jerry Pece prepares his famous Black Eyed Pea Cakes
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Dessert Table
Jean Philippe Pasquier prepares ribs as Randy Nappier looks on
Dancing into the night to the music of Kingsized
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1. (L-R): Mark Wofford, Tadesse Bantiweson and Beth Nardin 2. (L-R): Jerry Pece and Susan Feldman 3. Larry Robertson 4. (L-R): Ann, Billy and daughter Natalie Tuttle 5. (L-R): Garret Murck and Rob Bock 6. Gabriel Wardell and child 7. Randy Nappier 8. Big Mike Geier of the band, Kingsized 9. (L-R): Alan Martin and Rick Crank 10. (L-R): Paul O'Daniel and Doug Smith ozmagazine.com | 45
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ad agency campaigns
Client: Grace Snellville Project Name: High School Football Program Ad Campaign Company Name: Allen Creative Team: Steve Allen/concept/design/writer/photographer Description: Located within seven miles of seven Gwinnett County public high schools, Grace Snellville is extending an invitation to students and parents via fullpage ads high school football programs. The Snellville church (part of the Grace Fellowship family of churches) has about 1000 students from a wide variety of schools involved in Grace's high school and middle school youth ministry. The ads, which feature the particular school's mascot in the headline, list rival teams that join together for a non-competitive objective at Grace. The Parkview High School ad leads with a paragraph that states, "On any given Sunday you’ll find Panthers and Broncos, Comets and Rams, Generals and Patriots (to name but a few) meeting on a level playing field. Not to compete, but to join together in worshipping God and learning from His Word". The ad campaign specifically addresses those who are not already apart of another local church fellowship.
Client: Nick Branch Company: Nick Branch Photography Project Name: SKIN Team: Nick Branch, Kris Branch, Dominique Guillaume, Cassis Evans Description: Skin color has been used as a toll of separation and preferential treatment within the African American community. Despite the preoccupation with skin color, skin tone and shade, the definitions of what exactly makes someone light or dark skinned remains somewhat arbitrary and confusing. Skin color has many different levels of symbolism for African Americans, and there exists a preponderance of colloquial terms used to describe their various shades of skin. The purpose of the photo study is to examine the role of skin color (i.e., lightness- darkness), as it pertains to racial identity development theory and self-esteem among 100 African Americans of various skin colors.
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