MACHINATIONS

HECHO A MANO TRAILER HITS THE WEB

brett — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:39:51 +0000

We’re awfully close to completion of our new film Hecho a Mano. We just have to lock down some archives, do the color correct and sound mix and the film will be off to festivals before airing on PBS in November. PBS/WLRN liked the rough cut so much we’re even talking about a sequel featuring all women for next fall. We’ll post here when we have festival announcements and an air date. Meanwhile, dig the trailer.

SOUTHWEST SAYS “NO MAS” TO STAMPEDE

brett — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:24:44 +0000

Unlike the famed Leonard-Duran fight - which went eight rounds before Duran uttered his infamous submission - looks like our Stampede video for AirTran has put a quick finish to the fledgling ad war with Southwest Airlines. Here’s a link to the UPI story in which Southwest says it’s throwing in the towel. We’re bummed. We’re fans of the energy and effort SW puts into its ads and we were hoping this one would go the distance.

“SKIP THE STAMPEDE”: AIRTRAN VIDEO GOES VIRAL, 90K VIEWS AND CLIMBING

brett — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 22:13:25 +0000

We recently got a call from AirTran’s Director of PR Christopher White asking if we’d seen the ad Southwest Airlines was airing during the NCAAs, showing a bunch of their crazy ramp workers running up and flashing an AirTran plane. We had indeed. Apparently, AirTran crew members were hoping the company wouldn’t take Southwest’s crack lying down and there was much discussion from the ramp to the halls of HQ.

AirTran decided that while it wasn’t interested in buying expensive national airtime, it was interested in having some good-natured fun with its competitor and satisfying the crew members call for retaliation. White and Common Machine’s executive producer Brett O’Bourke discussed some ideas and agreed the target was pretty obvious: Southwest’s much maligned cattle call boarding procedure.

On Thursday morning, on a flight out to Las Vegas (for a little tourney gambling), O’Bourke wrote the script and storyboards for the spot. On Friday, White secured the actors – the cows would be played by volunteer crew members and the talent came from local Atlanta improv group Dad’s Garage – while CM intern Christine Sylvain tracked down the cow costumes. On Sunday O’Bourke and his crew – camera/stedicam operator Richard Patterson and editor Jorge Rubiera – flew into Atlanta. The shoot went down on Monday, editing on Tuesday with some tweaks on Wednesday, approval from AirTran brass on Thursday and the video hit the internet Friday morning.

Within the first three days online the video racked up more than 45,000 views, was featured on television news casts in more than 50 markets across the U.S. and received coverage in print and online publications including USA Today, ABC, CBS, Bloomberg, the AJC, Dallas Morning News, Denver Post and a ton of others.

Current views are over 90K and the estimated advertising value is clocking in around $400K and rising. Not too shabby for a video shot on the cheap and put together in about 24 working hours.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES STILLS: HECHO A MANO SHOOT

christine — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:53:02 +0000

We’ve been busy filming our PBS documentary Hecho A Mano, featuring four expat Cuban artists who work with their hands (a pianist, a sculptor and twin brother mosaic-makers). The film will hit the festival circuit and a TV near you this fall. In the meantime, check out how good we look doing it.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

THE MAKING OF COLTS 1

brett — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:19:55 +0000

Indy is headed to Miami for the Super Bowl. We’re guessing AirTran will have Colts 1 in South Florida quite a bit over the coming weeks.

Check out the making-of video we made for the airline a while back, its one of series of NFL and NBA-themed paint jobs AirTran is tricking-out its planes with.

La Poursuite (The Chase)

brett — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:33:39 +0000

Santa brought us a steadicam for Christmas (there must have been some clerical error on the naughty/nice list). So, we ran downstairs from our office and played with the new toy for a minute. Lots more to come.
Crew:
Le Lapin (The Rabbit): Brett O’Bourke
Man with Mannequin: Jorge Rubiera
Man on sidewalk: Castor Fernandez
Camera operator: Richard Patterson
Music:
Riot in Thunder Alley, Eddie Beram
Kit:
Sony EX-3
Glidecam X-22
Adidas ‘ADI’

THE MAKING OF MAGIC 1

brett — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:50:24 +0000

We’ve been so slammed with work the past few months that we’ve neglected the blog. That’ll all change in 2010 when the office gets reorganized a bit and we have a couple crack interns on board to help out. Meanwhile, we’ve been busy cranking out video for AirTran Airways and we’re glad to see the company’s partnership with the Orlando Magic getting good press, as is the video we made for the making of the new AirTran plane Magic 1. Stay tuned for lots to come in 2010 (including details on our film now in production for PBS).

AIRTRAN AND DSM DISNEY TRIP

brett — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:42:28 +0000

AirTran Airways took 40 disadvantaged kids from Atlanta to Magic Kingdom for the day. Most of them had never been out of the ATL city limits. AirTran commissioned Common Machine to document the day.

AirTran and DSM Disney Trip from Common Machine Prod. on Vimeo.

NICHE ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WEB

brett — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:13:53 +0000

This fall, expect to see channels full of Amercanized versions of Japanese game shows and even more reality TV. Cheap and easy to produce, the networks are producing heavy slates of that drivel as a busted economy has made advertising dollars disappear - dollars that were already headed for the web, now even faster. On the advertiser’s side, where marketing budgets have been slashed, an increasing number of forward thinking companies are embracing the opportunities the web provides to attract eyeballs on the cheap: thinking (quite literally) outside the box, and commissioning their own branded entertainment. From Dior’s Lady Dior Films - staring our favorite French actress Marion Cotillard - to Honda’s Dreams documentary series, and Oliver Peoples’ precious romp with Zooey Deschanel, it’s exciting to see corporates beginning to understand that subtlety and craft can be much more effective than heavy-handed 30 second spots. We especially like Hutchinson Tires It’s Your Ride: simple, elegant and to the point.

It’s Your Ride from Cinecycle on Vimeo.

HOT ON/OFF THE PRESS

brett — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:59:52 +0000

* We’re producing a short documentary for Pacha Nightclub (NYC), featuring all the sex and sweat and behind-the-scenes action of their events during winter music conference week. The three-part series is in post-production now. Look for it within the next two weeks.

* The long-awaited next episode of our video series for Lost at E Minor is set to film in early June. We can’t divulge the subject but let’s just say there will be ukuleles involved.

* Gaspar is finishing up the Nixon film for WLRN and Tripp and RJ are deep, deep, deep into the WMNF web project.

* Meanwhile, our own Richard Patterson (rumored to be summering in Miami for ‘09) knocked out this little ditty on Brooklyn Band Flying Machines, winner of Converse and Journeys first ever “Get Out of the Garage Music Contest.”

Flying Machines - “Get Out of the Garage Music Contest” video - CONVERSE by Richard Patterson from Richard Patterson on Vimeo.