Hasta La Motion!

Click the image for the in-depth interview and behind the scenes footage.

To help spread the word about this amazing organization called Doc To Dock, the agency Modernista and production company Shilo, teamed up with Cassidy Gearhart to direct this inspiring short film. Set in a Brooklyn shipping dock, an ensemble cast of very important boxes makes the call of action via a strong message for medical help for countries in need. To get the full download on how this piece was made and thoughts from the director himself, check the interview below.

Photo by Julian King.

Sheina: Hey Cass, this is a really fantastic piece for a really good cause. How did you get involved in this amazing project?

Cass: Thanks Sheina! Tracy, the Executive Producer at Shilo, contacted me for a potential job at Modernista for this non-profit, Doc To Dock. Doc To Dock does this great job of taking unused medical supplies and sends them to places like Haiti and Africa who are in need. Not only are they providing equipment to these countries but they’re also reducing waste. I read the initial script and after learning the details about the organization I was inspired and signed up to work on it.

Sheina: What do you think your directing sensibility is like and why you were picked to work on this?

Cass: Theres probably a few things. Early last year I did work for another great nonprofit, Doctors without Borders. I’ve been doing more work like that recently and I’ve always been open to doing work for really good causes. Also, a few years back, Andre and I did this piece for Comserv, which was a short narrative that used design to present the script as typography existing practically in a real world environment. Both of those previous experiences combined made it a great fit.

Sheina: So, down to brass tacks, how did you prep all of those boxes in the shot?

Cass: Pre-production was the most difficult part of this project. We had to get over a hundred boxes made to deliver the message of the script –– before we could get the design even going we had to make decisions about box sizes, and how the boxes would be arranged together inside the container. So what we did was set up the boxes in stack arrangements with the messages written on paper and taped in place, just to see how the message would work laid out on three different levels over multiple rows of boxes. A two dimensional design problem soon became a three dimensional design problem. We had to answer these questions before moving to far into the design phase.

On our shoot day our task (for the non time lapse shots) was about how to block them within the background. Co-Director Julian King, Director of Photography Tristan Sheridan, Production Designer Jeff Everett and I, took advantage of the location and used what was readily available. Our focus was to frame the hero boxes within the background to create an overall interesting composition, but also to use camera movement and blocking to enhance the meaning of each script point. For our time lapse shots we had previsualized them repeatedly leading up to our shoot day so there wouldn’t be any questions on the day of the shoot.

Sheina: There was some serious Tetris-ing going on in the container. How long did it take to block that out?

Cass: ‘Tetris’ was actually the word we used during the process. The big challenge in filling a 40ft container with boxes is that you quickly lose an accurate sense of dimensionality as you fill it up with boxes –– so when you cut from statement to statement we were worried that you wouldn’t feel like you are traveling back out to the end of the container. Our solution to not loosing the sense of space, was giving each box stack a unique ‘Tetris’ like shape that start and end at each shot to give you a feeling that you have jumped a few rows back as the camera moves towards the back of the container.

Photo by Julian King.

Sheina: Typography plays a huge role in this piece. It’s the voice and it leads the viewer throughout the piece. How do you think this visual voice make for a stronger or interesting message than if you had voice over or actors?

Cass: I come from a graphic design background, but also studied filmmaking at the same time. Over the years I found my passion focus in on narrative form and sequence building. I’m familiar with the history of graphic design and typography but, what interests me more is when graphic design becomes a physical element in a narrative piece. Using things like signage and posters as an element to focus on within 3 dimensional space. I love the idea of it being a strong detail in a story and that’s where I become more drawn to it.

Sheina: What was your inspiration for the typography on the boxes?

Cass: Original reference that we pulled, were simple examples like “This End Up,” “Caution,” and other things you normally see on shipping boxes. But as a character, maybe you could say the design is supposed to function like the old “Mr. Yuk” sticker – a visual warning or instruction.

I felt like the the box typography should feel organic and real, referencing real life usages, that we needed to embrace the ways type is used in the shipping process. Focusing in on the details so that the boxes feel authentic and not like props. For reference, we used the language and style that a lot of companies like FedEx or Sony, would present the information on their product boxes. This is very much in the school of a swiss based grid of design, which is very blocky, bold using mostly san serif type. This made sense to the agency as well and we all agreed that the feel we were going for was real life shipping boxes and not precious design art pieces.

In the beginning of the script, the call to action is about getting the attention of the viewers and making them understand that there is a problem in the world, and to do this we used the cautionary language and visuals that people are alert to. As we move into the “Solution” section of the piece, the graphic language is taking it’s cues more from shipping and medical iconography.

Sheina: Who did you use as the artist for the message?

Cass: Mike Cina who ended up doing the design work, has work that I’ve admired over the years. He’s a typographer who’s designed tons of typefaces. His work is very experimental yet also very rooted in grid based design, so he was the first person who came to my mind for this project. He knows type at such a high level and the personal work that he does often explores these conventions that I knew he would be the perfect person to play with graphic language you see in the shipping process. So we reached out to him and started talking about the different vehicles we would use to see the type: packaging design, shipping labels, hand drawn addresses, warning stickers, etc…

Photo by Julian King.

Sheina: What was your vision for this film?

Cass: To take the great script we had and give each moment it’s appropriate weight and level of detail. And hopefully to enhance the message as much as possible by grounding it ever so slightly in a easy to follow narrative so that while you are reading this message you also feel a progression that keeps you engaged with what you’re seeing.

Sheina: Well, it certainly feels authentic and you even have a moment with an actor carrying the boxes to the container.

Cass: That human element wasn’t originally in the agency script. I really pushed for it because I thought it was important to have an explanation of who Doc To Dock is, by bringing in that human hand. I think it helps motivate, and it made a difference in making a connection. Doc to Dock is a group of people and volunteers who are doing good work.

Sheina: Yeah, it’s really telling because without these people doing the work or spreading the word, it calls to action the need for human involvement and getting things in motion.

Cass: That’s a great point. The moment that you see the person in one of the frames, the question for help is proposed. I think it’s happening in that moment, that you can do something and it takes some man power to do so. In the end it addresses a problem that needs to be fix and great individuals are doing some pretty amazing stuff to fix the problem.

Shilo’s Evan Dennis directed this introspective look into the passion and skills of Paul Rodriguez, skater, actor, and artist. This story was born out of the filming of a broadcast spot for Mountain Dew’s Green Label Art Series that Evan directed a few months back. To check out that spot and an interview with Evan click here.

Evan Dennis explains… “I’ve been skateboarding my entire life, and it has been a huge factor in who I am as an artist and individual. I’ve always been greatly inspired by the art, style and culture of skateboarding. When we were out filming with Paul there were so many opportunities to get great shots.  It’s really tough to go out to shoot a fun piece about skateboarding and call it work.  I was vibing a lot with the cinematographer Max Goldman on the day, and we were out doing what we love to do. We got as many shots as we could until we were basically kicked out of the location. The whole day was like this.  Just run and gun, picking up as much authentic footage of Paul as possible. When we were recording Paul’s voiceover for the Green Label Art spot, we asked him a lot of questions about skateboarding, and we got some really interesting audio of him speaking from the heart.  Back in the Shilo office in NYC, editor Nathan Caswell got a hold of the footage and we approached it with no set length in mind. We layed some of the best parts of Paul’s interview audio over our footage, then added a reference track and it just really started coming together. When we shared it with the agency, they said they got chills watching it.  It’s nice to create something so pure like this, with talented people you enjoy working with. The results can be really amazing.”

Coming at you via the classic boob tube, the :30 second Mountain Dew spot with Paul Rodriquez featuring Don Pendleton and his Green Label Art can, is the latest commercial project from Evan Dennis and the crew at Shilo. I sat down with Evan and talked shop about thrashing, P-Rod and “Doing the Dew.” Catch the Q&A after the jump.

Sheina: Hello, Evan.

Evan: Hello, Sheina.

Sheina: Can you please state your full name?

Evan: Uh… Evan Owen Dennis. In that specific order.

Sheina: Perfect. Im also going to need your social security number, but will do that later. So, let’s get into it, what’s this skateboarding thing all about?

Evan: I think it was invented back in the day with a piece of wood and wheels. It probably came from roller skates, but now Paul Rodriguez does it.

Sheina: This Paul Rodriguez guy, can you describe him in three and a half words? No more or no less.

Evan: Thats a tough one. He’s young… spiritual… and very very humble.

Sheina: Is “very” the half word?

Evan: Yes, “very” is the half word. But yea, Paul is a very humble guy. Those words don’t really express his natural ability for skateboarding. He’s an extremely talented athlete.

Sheina: Do you have any experience with skateboarding?

Evan: I started skateboarding when I was really young. Around nine or ten years old, I got my first skateboard and just became obsessed with the entire culture behind it. Everything from the graphics, to stickers, to the style of skateboarding, that was basically what my entire youth was about. Even the music associated with skateboarding. There’s so much in that subculture and it’s really where a lot of my early artistic and musical inspiration came from.

Sheina: What was going through your head when you were approached to do this project?

Evan: As soon as I heard what it was for, knowing of who Paul is, I was really excited.  I’ve watched him in the X-Games and in competition, and he is one of the best of the best. He has such a great style. I’ve seen the pieces that he’s been featured in, and I knew this would be a great experience to make something really cool. I’ve also seen Don Pendleton’s artwork as well. The idea of collaborating with these two guys and taking all of our work and putting it into this melting pot, then seeing what comes out on the end of it, could be really interesting with all of these talented people.

Sheina: Well, how did it all turn out on the shoot?

Evan: One of the main requirements from the ad agency, was that they wanted Paul skating street spots. And one of the hardest things was to find locations on the street to set up and shoot at, without being kicked out immediately. We had to get permits for the sidewalks but sometimes we weren’t allowed to set up on certain ones. But then Paul would climb up on the ledge, like in the front-side tail-slide shot, and he would just go for it. We always ran a great risk of not being able to shoot in these locations, because it was pretty run-n-gun. A lot of that was fast-paced and a lot of high-energy.

Paul Rodriguez and Evan Owen Dennis.

Sheina: And with Paul, I mean P-Rod…?

Evan: Paul has an awesome ability to overcome the pressure, and that’s why I think he is so great in competition. You see it before he goes and does his tricks, he has a ritual. When he needs to land a trick, he is really amazing at pulling it off, and we were able to be in some of those moments. Everyone was really excited to watch Paul skate. He has a certain aura where you know he’s just going to do it perfectly. He makes the stuff look really easy when it’s so technically difficult. At the park, the trick where he did the switch hard flip down the nine stairs, now that’s an impressive trick to have in your arsenal.

Sheina: So, no stunt doubles were used in this shoot?

Evan: Definitely, not. I don’t think they can find a stunt double that can skate as well as Paul. Unless we were to shoot his next action movie debut.

Sheina: What about injuries? Did anyone get hurt in the process?

Evan: No one was hurt, but maybe some feelings. Just kidding. No, everyone was in really great spirits. From the crew to the agency everyone had a fun time. Shoots like this can be stressful at times, but at the end of the day shooting skateboarding is fun. So, no one got hurt, but just good times.

Sheina: Being all skateboardy and stuff, did you guys venture out and find some random location gems?

Evan: When we were shooting under the freeway in the minivan, Paul’s friend Nigel, who was shooting the behind the scenes footage, was skating around and found a spot at the end of the underpass. It turned into this amazing location to shoot at. It’s actually where the big 360 flip is at the end. The other stuff we found included some great moments of him standing up against the fence, and it was just beautiful. It felt natural, people were skating, having fun, and letting us know of some great locations to shoot at.

Sheina: That’s great that everyone was psyched and contributed to the effort. What was the highlight of this shoot?

DP, Max Goldman.

Evan: There was this one moment with Max Goldman, the DP, and I, where we were shooting at the underpass, and Max wanted to get this moving shot from the van of Paul riding to do this 360 flip in one take. As Paul was skating up, he asked us if he could do a line of tricks for the shot. So, we started rolling and we got this cool line of Paul doing one trick after the next. When we caught the footage, it was so great, but also amazing that he got it in that one take and Max did such an amazing job capturing it.

Sheina: Nice, a one shot, one kill, kind of situation. This entire experience must have been a life changer? Well, for the vibe and ease of the project.

Evan: Every project changes my life in some way. This one allowed me to work with new people, and added to my skill set and knowledge. I left knowing a lot more than what I went in with. Working with a talented DP like Max Goldman was a highlight for me, the guy is a genius behind the camera.

Sheina: Did you guys “Do the Dew?”

Evan: Paul really does drink Mountain Dew when he takes his breaks…

Sheina: This might be his secret to his success then, right?

Evan: I think so…. Actually, definitely.

Sheina: What’s your all-time favorite skateboard trick?

Evan: I think my favorite trick of all time is a perfectly executed 360 flip. Which is one of Paul’s specialities, he has it down to a science.

Sheina: Did you get a chance to show off any of your thrashing skills to the crew?

Evan: I think I skated from one side of the park to the other, without falling. Unfortunately, that didn’t make the final cut.

Don Pendleton.

Sheina: How was it working with art dude Don Pendleton?

Evan: It was great. He supplied us with the artwork and we took it from there. It was up to the team and myself to interpret his work into motion and CG. He’s also featured in the piece painting the canvas. I really wanted to do his artwork justice in motion.

Sheina: What about the music for the spot? How did you select the jam?

Evan: It was sent to us by Dave Hohman the creative director at Tracy Locke. He has a relationship with Stones Throw Records and the track is produced by Oh No. The track is called “The Funk” from the album Ethiopian.

Sheina: And the post-production side of things?

Evan: Post, is the most difficult side of everything, by far. Figuring out how to execute what we wanted to do with the limited amount of time and having a smaller but great team, was pretty rough. Prior to starting any project, I like to do a lot of R&D work with the team and figure out some new techniques that we haven’t done before. I like to take risks and try something new. I also didn’t want Don’s artwork to come out flat in the animation, since it’s already two dimensional. I wanted to extrude it in 3D with depth, lighting, and shading in compositing. As well as to immerse it with Paul’s skating and the environment. So, we figured out a way to extrude it via 3D and it worked out really well. I mean I can’t say enough about my team, they’re so good.

Sheina: I noticed you just said “extrude” a couple of times. What does that mean?

Evan: I actually, don’t even know what that means but it makes me sound smart.

Sheina: Nice! Well, I’ve got one last question for you and it’s probably the most important one of this interview. How dreamy is Paul Rodriguez?

Evan: The camera does no justice to how dreamy he is in person.

The dream boat P-Rod.

Project Title:  Mountain Dew
Length: :30 and :15
Debut Date:  6/25/10
Film Location:  Filmed in LA

Advertising Agency: Tracy Locke
Creative Director: David Hohman
Art Director: Campbell Hooper
Director of Broadcast Production: Monica Victor
Producer: Kiri Carch
Account Director: Jim Ryan
Senior Account Executive: Andrew Spring

Production Company:  Shilo
Director:  Evan Dennis
Director of Photography:  Max Goldman
Compositing:  Gabriel Regentin
2D Animation: Gerald Soto, Helen Kim
CG Lead:  Warren Heimall
3D Rigging and Animation:  Henning Koczy
Additional 3D Animation: Richard Cayton
3D Modeling:  Krzysztof Fus and Jesper Lindborg
3D Tracking:  Steven Hill
3D Artist: Eric Xu
Storyboard Artist:  Fred Fassberger
Roto Artists:  Helen Kim, Adam Grabowski, David Marte
Editor:  Eli Mavros
Assistant Editor: Hedia Maron
Producer:  Mariya Shikher
Line Producer:  Chris Palladino
Head of Production:  Julie Shevach
Executive Producer:  Tracy Chandler

Telecine: Company 3
Colorist: Tom Poole

Music by Oh No, track title “The Funk”
Sound Design/Mix:  Audio Engine
Sound Designer/Mix: Tom Goldblatt
VO Talent: Paul Rodriguez

Not your average broadway show, Fela is the latest musical -thats right, I said “musical”- that’s got us hyped. Telling the story of Fela Kuti, the Nigerian musician, activist, and afrobeat pioneer, the show is like a 5 Hour Energy Shot of booty shakin’ jams. Make the jump for the Shilo directed commercial and some behind the scene footage of the shoot.

Behind the scenes video of the shoot