City Target - Seattle

One of the longtime mantras of Target; "Fast, Fun, and Friendly" might now need to add "Urban" to the lineup as the newest iteration of Target stores has been gearing up with multiple city locations that have a smaller footprint and cater to the needs of a denser population.

We spent time in the downtown Seattle City Target in collaboration with Little and Company capturing the visual essence of the new store format for a profile story in Target's RED Magazine.  Nestled in the lower 3 floors of the Newmark residential tower just blocks away from the world renowned Pike Place Market - the location couldn't be better.  

This City Target is one of three original stores of this type to debut; ready to serve a unique mix of office workers, tourists, and residents in nearby condos and apartments.  With additional City Targets in Chicago, San Francisco, and LA, the mega retailer is offering city dwellers an economical option in a boutique size.  It will be interesting to see how these new stores will be received as well as watching for possible integration into other urban markets.

We've been busy working on a number of fronts including a recent project in NYC for Ogilvy, a 23 hour trip to Alabama for Target, and prep for an upcoming production next week in Southern California.  Behind the scenes here at the studio it's been exciting to have Nathaniel Schmidt on board.  His new editing suite is nearly complete including a 50" monitor to showcase his editing magic.  In addition to all of this, we've been prepping still and film based visuals for the JCP brand refresh that's well in the works; once again tapping the talents of Eight Hour Day.  We're also psyched to be infusing the copy-writing talents of Charles Youel, the force behind ARTCRANK, on a new section of the website titled "Behind the Lens."  We'll also be teaming up with Charles on a forthcoming short film, produced by JCP, featuring NYC's Central Park.
 

City Target - Seattle

UHG - Work & Play

Projects vary with every client we work with and require different approaches for each scenario, which leave us with memorable experiences; one of them being a project we worked on last summer for United Health Group.

  

Hunt Adkins contacted us to create visuals for a recruitment lifestyle piece centered around a select group of superstar employees of United Health Group.  The creative concept centered around two scenarios for each employee; one illustrating their work life and the other representing an active experience they excelled at during their personal time.  Both images had to feel iconic in nature, demonstrating that the top employees at UHG work hard and play hard with equal amounts of balance and poise in their lives.  We wanted them to look heroic, knowledgeable and strong, yet approachable as members of the greater team.  For our blog post we've selected highlights from the outside of work, "play" series of the campaign.  Like nearly all of our projects, we not only shoot the hero campaign image, but as time permits work to shoot additional detail / story-telling visuals.  In the case of the UHG project these supporting images nicely augment the master shot we were hired to produce.

The project took us to many locations in and around the Minneapolis area including various UHG campus environments to create custom imagery for nearly 20 employees.  Location scouting took place over two days and became a matrix of logistics in and of itself.  Many of the subjects were flown in to participate, and coordinating their time with that of the locations and our crew was no small feat.  Our producer Tanya Silver once again did a great job lining things up to run smoothly, and as always our shining crew prevailed to help produce amazing imagery for our creative partners at Hunt Atkins and UHG.

Here it is, the heart of winter, and even though we are far from those long summer days, we continue to build on our past experiences and take on new scenarios in collaboration with agencies and clients alike.  Our latest adventure had us on a frozen lake, creating a little winter magic for a TV spot that you will have to keep an eye out for this spring.  Currently we are in NYC for a few days partnering with a new client as well as building relationships with new production partners.

We have a nice library of visuals queued up for a branding refresh that is well underway under the creative talents of Eight Hour Day.  It's always amazing partnering with both Nate and Katie as they truely bring the final shine to everything we exhibit.  The branding refresh will include updates to the portfolio, film reel, and the next iteration of the Newsprint promo.  There are a few other ideas in terms of promotion, that the new branding elements should nicely compliment.  We're always looking for creatively innovative ways to broaden both our experiences as well as how we present the visual elements of JCP.  Thanks for visiting the blog and stay tuned for some engaging updates and refinements...

UHG - Work & Play

North 47º - A Lake Superior Storm

 

“If you’re lucky, you’ll eventually find a few minutes to free your mind, let your wheels spin, and drift away to a place where something brilliant might wash up upon the shore…”  Rick Bannister, The Smith Journal 

Last November my 5-year-old daughter Frances “Frankie” and I set off for our once-a-year weekend together, bound for Northern Minnesota and a cabin on the shore of Lake Superior.  Travel “up North” is something most of us in Minnesota look forward to and welcome as often as we can accommodate.  It’s a destination that signifies something that is hard to put in words.  It seems it’s what it lacks that pulls you in, more so than what it offers.  Regardless of ones motive, the possibilities are endless amid the wilderness and waters of our some 10,000 plus lakes.  

While we departed with cloudy skies and windshield wipers humming, rain or shine we were once again excited to be leaving town together. Along our route the weather turned increasingly cold, with clouds growing thicker and winds gaining strength.  I knew long before we arrived that my idea of hiking through the woods along the waters edge, was not what Frankie would consider fun amid weather like this.

Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, signifies in many ways the gateway to the north woods.  The vastness and the unpredictable nature of the water is something that keeps it engaging in terms of trying to figure it out, trying to take it all in.  Upon arrival to the cabin approximately 5 hours north of Minneapolis the temperature was just barely above freezing.  The winds were blazing across the water with surf hitting the shore in a way that many at the resort, including myself, had not often experienced but were excited to be witness to.  I awoke several times during our first night, sleeping some 50 feet from the surging waves that pounded the shore and windows of our seemingly snug, yet audibly uninsulated cabin.  Throughout the night the storm continued to grow, ratcheting up its intensity by the hour.

In the morning after stoking the fire and a slow breakfast Frankie and I set out to explore.  Just steps from our door Frankie was quick to advise she’d had enough.  I brought her in and contemplated heading back out, camera in hand for whatever I might be able to capture.  I was now pleased I had packed at least a few essential pieces of equipment.  I figured I’d last about 10 minutes, but was certain I would come away with visuals unlike any I’ve captured of the lake in the past.

The North 47° motion edit, named by the geographic coordinates of the storm, was captured that morning in no more than an hour of shooting.  Time in the elements was punctuated by many breaks to the cabin with Frankie tearing off paper towels to help dry both camera, lenses, and my face.  With feet firmly rooted and backside to the wind I was able to grab no more than 2-3 second video clips, not sure what if anything would ever become of the footage. It was one of the most extreme conditions I’ve ever shot in.  Upon retiring to the cabin I found the view from our upstairs bedroom window almost as interesting as the waters edge.  Racking or shifting focus from blowing trees and surging waves to water droplets running down the window offered a quieter element to what I had just been struggling to capture outside.

Needless to say it was an exciting edit to see come to life.  All video clips that I captured were shot in slow motion at 60 frames per second (60 fps), a look that many in the realm of video are currently drawn to as camera technology continues to evolve.  NathanielSchmidt, one of our most recent partners in the world of video put the footage together against an audio track that quiets and compliments the wind, waves, and turbulent nature of the footage.  Upon completion we taped the talents of Coelement for graphic animation.

I am appreciative of each and every hour I am able to steal away to the North Shore, especially one-on-one adventures such as this with my kids.  Lake Superior never ceases to offer something humbling, regardless of the season...

North 47º - A Lake Superior Storm

Schwinn 2013 Catalog

A new year brings new opportunities and of course new work.  The debut of the 2013 Schwinn Catalog is out in select worldwide bicycle retailers showcasing their new line up of bikes ranging from Urban style to Cruisers, and Sport Hybrid to Mountain bikes and more.  It's a pretty sweet collection of bikes.  Design certainly hasn't been overlooked as the brand continues to evolve.  The matte black "Cruiser" model above even comes with a built in bottle opener.

Over two days of shooting for Schwinn we set up in multiple locations around the Minneapolis area, each lending to the perfect backdrop for each particular style of bike.  The results are evident in the new catalog as the bikes stand out with the complimentary environments adding to the strength of the imagery. 

We are quite pleased with how everything turned out.  It's refreshing to look back amid the cold of winter, at a mid-summer production, recalling sunny skies, green grass, as well as all the bikes and locations we paired up for this project.  

Happy New Year to all those we worked with last year.  We are looking forward to continued adventure and all that 2013 has in store!
 

Schwinn 2013 Catalog

Target C9 - San Francisco Video

 

We're excited to officially launch the director's cut of the Target C9 Active Apparel video.  Shot this past summer on the streets of San Francisco, the video was produced by JCP in collaboration with Minneapolis based Knock Inc.  This version of the edit is a cut-down from the original 9 minute spot currently playing inside the San Francisco's recently opened City Target. Be sure to check out the Video Preview post which offers additional insight into the storyline as well as how the project came together. 

For the director's cut, we worked closely with Chadwick and the team at Splice to pull some select shots and sequences and shorten the overall edit by about 3 minutes. It's a bit longer than our typical spots, however, the "day in the life" storyline requires a longer edit to tell the full narrative of multiple activities taking place throughout an active day of living on the streets of San Francisco. Our project tapped a broad palette of crew from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Minneapolis.  San Francisco based Panlicker Productions coordinated all aspects of talent, locations, permits, and logistics. The crew shot below highlights our finish line smiles. A big thanks to everyone involved at all levels including the Steadicam expertise of StillMotion as well as camera support by Eric Schleicher. Sam Serbus' internspective blog posts (day 1-3, day 4) offer a nice behind the scenes glimpse of how things unfolded during this quick paced production amid the streets of San Francisco.  Thanks of course to John Fontana as well as Paula, Mark, and Melissa of The Gren Group Inc. for their tireless energy and behind the scenes support of all projects.

It's been quite a year including recent travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina. 2012 is nearly wrapped and we're already looking forward to a what's in-store for 2013.  On the horizon are many updates to the portfolio, website and director's reel, as well as new projects in the works… 

Target C9 - San Francisco Video

On the farm for Winfield...

“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower 

While summer is in the rear-view mirror it's nice to revisit long days and our time amid farm and field; taking in life first hand alongside modern day farmers.  It's always great to partner with Colle+McVoy and this was another fine experience collaborating for Winfield.  

We've been on a number of agricultural shoots over the years and it never ceases to inspire and amaze us with the overall process; it's a true "get your hands dirty," experience.  Blue skies, fresh air, and rolling hills gently woven into a seemingly endless landscape of Wisconsin farmland has a way of regenerating the senses and opening up a new perspective on what is right in front of us.  A number of the images were created from unique angles, whether climbing up on top of a grain elevator or getting down to the level of the roots, we were able to capture several different options to help tell the Winfield story.  This production was unique in that we spent time capturing visuals of a crop duster.  There is a true art and level of aerodynamics that these pilots possess.  We heard him coming from miles away, the sound of the blades gave away any chance of sneaking up on our crew.  Near the end of our time shooting this part of the project the chopper did a fly-over only a few feet from our heads, and no doubt laughed as we all hit the dirt in surprise and fear for our lives.

It's never dull and always new- farm, ocean, rural or urban.  What an opportunity the camera provides looking behind the scenes, revealing everyday life in visually interesting and engaging ways.

The Director's cut of the Target C9 project is coming along nicely.  We'll have a final version to share soon.
  

On the farm for Winfield...

Target C9 - San Francisco Video Preview

The C9 Active Apparel line of clothing from Target is being featured for the first time in a store of its own in San Francisco's recently opened City Target.  The debut of this flagship location is unique in that it is one of a kind and features a 9 minute looping video created by the JCP team. The video concept was created by the Minneapolis based agency Knock who approached us earlier this year to collaborate and produce a montage of active, athletic based visuals. The purpose of the video is to highlight C9 apparel as well as captivate store patrons with an engaging array of athletic activities including yoga, running, walking, gym exercise, soccer and bicycling interweaving amongst one another throughout the city of San Francisco.  With the focus on the athletes and clothing, we were tasked to create a seamless piece that would take the viewer on a journey throughout all of the activities within the city. It was a challenge to shoot in an icon rich setting and not just show all of the well known landmarks.  We worked with a San Francisco based production crew to uncover and shoot amid lesser known landmarks, places that would appeal to the city inhabitants stating "this is my city, my San Francisco."

With the help of two members from the California based Still Motion we had a solid crew with a total of 4 cameras rolling at any given time in each scenario.  Ray and Paul from Still Motion fit the style and speed of our crew well and with the addition of a Stedicam, operated by Ray, we had another way of telling the story from a first person point of view.  The smooth shots provided by the Stedicam whether running, spinning around yogi's in warrior pose, or  keeping up with bicyclists in mid pedal gave an authentic sense of being there with the athletes and raised our overall production value.

The team at Knock were great to partner with from start to finish and San Francisco was a perfect host and backdrop for this production.  We had the privilege to see many aspects of the city and couldn't have asked for a better front row seat for working and taking in the diverse sections of the city that comprise San Francisco.  Enjoy a glimpse into the project through the still images and as a precursor to the debut of the C9 Director's Cut coming soon...
     

Target C9 - San Francisco Video Preview