Chicago hoops star Tony Bennett in Nike mini doc

Chicago Hoops star Tony Bennett

GRITTY CHICAGO LOCATIONS are an integral part of a 90-second web video made for Team Nike and the World Festival of Basketball in recognition of Chicago’s sports authenticity and the toughness of the city.

The 90-second mini-doc centers around Chicago basketball star Tony Bennett, who says “basketball took me out of the projects.” Hudson Dusters (Michael Kuhn and Niles Roth) directed for action sports/live style Greenpoint Pictures. 

The Brooklyn, New York production house is repped in the Midwest by Tall Circles, the rep firm of production veteran Dave Mueller and Thomas Flynn.

Says Bennett in voiceover narrative style, “Chicago makes us the toughest ballplayers in the world.  You gotta be tough, mentally and physically, just to live in Chicago,” as  he shoot hoops around the city.

The local crew was comprised of Jack Wagner, lst AD; Ben Stockton, sound mixer; Mike Bove, gaffer; Kwame Amoaku, location manager and Falaah Shabazz, location scout.  PAs were Devonte Avery, Alexander Shields and Luke Szabados.

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION STUDIO Mode Project produced its third ad campaign for Gogo, the first and leading provider of inflight internet connectivity.

The humorous campaign, Gogo, I Can’t Wait, consists of spots, web and inflight viewing that demonstrate how internet access can improve the flying experience by showing the possibilities Gogo’s service offers, such as buying shoes on Zappos.com and hunting for tacos in Fargo, N.D.

Mode Project handled the campaign’s creative editorial, design, animation and finishing. 

Now in its 10th year, the company occupies a 2,000-sq. ft. studio at 230 W. Huron and employs a staff of 10.  It recently won a 2012 Promax BDA Silver award for Art Direction and Design for CASA “One Boy’s Story,”.

Mode Project credits: CD, Brooks Ruyle; creative editorial, Colin Carter; designer/animator, Brett Schnacky; postproduction producer, Kate Soczka; colorist, Ken Wald; finishing, Mike Greiner; assistant editor, Holly De Ruyter.

FILMWORKER’S VITAMIN production division teamed with Tallahassee agency Bright Red to create a broadcast, print and web campaign for Pilot writing instruments, to highlight the many ways Pilot’s pens help people make their own distinctive mark. 

A songwriter, for example, uses the FriXion erasable gel ink pen to erase lyrics, and rewrite them after learning his girlfriend has dumped him. The lyrics and whimsical drawings represent the singer’s thoughts and emotions and spring to life like doodles on blank paper.

Vitamin’s in-house creative team, led by creative director Danny DelPurgatorio, handled the entire project.  The animation, incidentally, was hand-drawn by artists using the appropriate Pilot Pen.

A TRAILER FOR A NOVEL was created, directed and edited for author Derek Haas’ spy thriller, The Right Hand by Filmworkers Club’s Matt Egan for indie production company 2DS.  The novel will hit bookstores in November.

“In today’s media landscape, it’s possible to promote a book the same way that you promote a movie, so I think there is a lot of potential for the new model Filmworkers has created,” says Bill Ryan, 2DS co-founder, with Filmworkers president Reid Brody, who introduced author Haas to Filmworkers.