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Did you know General Motors has this top-secret facility for all things awesome? In the current brand film on GM’s revitalized company website, Shilo’s director Noah Conopask gets a hall pass to document the going-ons in the Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Catch the interview with Mr. Conopask below for some anecdotal references to GM’s sci-fi and sexy like facility.
Sheina: Hey Noah. I just wanted to start off and say great job! I really liked this piece.
Noah: Thank you, thank you.
Sheina: Seeing it on the GM website with “the new General Motors,” as the encompassing motto of the company and the film as the centerpiece, how do you think the piece compliments that statement?
Noah: It all starts with the people at GM. The employees are a myriad of multicultural individuals who bring different perspectives to the table. GM use to be seen as a traditional establishment, so they needed to communicate that that’s no longer the case. My job was to bring an artful perspective, to show the fusion of design, art, science and engineering in this revived company.
Sheina: And this particular project is different than a broadcast commercial, it’s a brand film on the web.
Noah: Right, the new media frontier for today is online. It has allowed us (Shilo) to make more cinematic commercial content and it has allowed commercial directors to break away from the confines of the broadcast format. As for the brand film part, the piece needs to captures the spirit, ethos and the guiding principle of the brand. That principal for the new GM is innovation. They have to innovate and be a force to reckon with in bringing in new ideas and turning them into fruition. So, in terms of the structure of the piece it made sense to move in a singular thread: the inception, the idea, construction, testing and realization of product innovation.
Sheina: Sometimes in these brand films the direction of the piece would include interviews with lets say, the VP of the company, a message coming directly from the horse’s mouth which can feel forced. But with this it felt more insightful.
Noah: Working with Eric Dean and Manny Bernandez, the Creative Directors at the agency Digitas, they really wanted to make something special. Eric created this vision and is really passionate about cars. Manny’s drive was to make this as cinematic as possible and the collaboration we had was great. With their enthusiasm for the piece, I wanted to make a more visceral work versus saying something directly. To make something sensitive, confidant and considered in this stylized documentary. To have a subtle dialogue with the viewer so that they can walk away with their own thoughts about it. I think commercial work is so much more powerful when you don’t have to explain to the viewer about what they’re seeing. Doing it this way is much more memorable and everything has to be purposeful enough to do that.
Sheina: Sounds like you gave yourself a tall order.
Noah: Well, this particular film incorporates so many things that Im drawn to and love, so it was a great job to work on. From the artistic aspect thats close to me in my everyday, my love for exciting technologies, and the techy machinery with it’s own integral design features. Also, given the opportunity to create these portraits of real people was incredibly interesting. There’s something special about shooting real talented individuals in their natural stage.
Sheina: So, did you stroll into the GM building and shoot?
Noah: No not at all. The GM campus is a top secret facility where you don’t just walk in and out of. The logistics of getting into their inner belly was really difficult. We had to move as one group with an escort, they tape over our cell phones and no cameras were allowed. So I couldn’t shoot my own photography which is something I usually like to do to block scenes when I scout. I had to have someone else shoot for me and approve the shots. And at one point when we passed by the garage, they had a fully realized clay model of a new vehicle which wasn’t permitted to be seen, so their team ran over and shut the doors immediately.
Sheina: Car manufacturing is no joke! Speaking of clay, one of my favorite parts in the film is seeing that giamongous block of clay-dough.
Noah: That was one of my favorite parts of the shoot as well. Roman the artist, was the coolest. Watching him work the clay was almost sensual in the way he manipulated the material and how in tune he was with it. I mean he was really into it! He was so passionate about the art form and was excited to talk about it. During that long shot of him pulling the tool down the side of the sculpture, the entire crew was mesmerized and everyone on set was silent . All eyes were glued to Roman, it was amazing. I feel like it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever shot.
Sheina: Wow, who knew clay was so sexy?! Well, I guess Demi and Patrick knew that from the get go in Ghost. But besides the seductive factor of dirt and water, there’s also a lot of cool imagery of exciting technology in the facility.
Noah: Yeah, I was psyched to get access and I requested to see things that were out of the ordinary. But it was funny, because when you talked to the people at GM, they definitely took for granted the work and technology they were so use to seeing everyday. There was this fabrication machine that would create these beautiful crystalized structures, which we dubbed the Fortress of Solitude. In front of this machine was a vat of liquid plastic where a lazer would shoot into it to fuze together and formulate a beautiful piece of lattice. As soon as I saw this I wanted to shoot it. I mean come on, how could I not?
Sheina: Oh, and that windtunnel?!
Noah: That was the crown jewel of spaces to be in, the Aerodynamics Lab. It was like walking into the Deathstar. It is so massive and so cool. You just heard this constant hum from the wind and the fan looks like a missile. It felt James Bond like.
Sheina: The last thing I want to touch up on is the time lapse. I thought that was a nice touch.
Noah: I wanted it to feel like a day in the life at GM. We chose that magic hour of the sun rising up over the entrance, representing this bright hope and promise, a day of innovation.
