Mr. Michael Meyers
MJM Development, LLC
416 South Main Street
Andover, MA 01810
Dear Michael Myers,
I think it would be a mistake to lose sight of secondary markets for lighting and grip rental in the coming year by too narrowly focusing on the feature film market. For that reason, I have tried to identify here other markets we would
have for lighting and grip equipment rental other than feature films. In my twenty years of working in this industry in this market, I have developed an extensive clientele of Producers, Directors of Photography, Line Producers, and Production
Managers, for whom I have successfully completed large scale Feature Film, Television, and Marketing Campaigns. Here are a few notable examples of the types of work that would be available to us other than feature films.
Major Marketing Campaigns:
Click on the image above for more details
New England is home to many major manufacturers that undertake large scale marketing campaigns. For example, Bose is one for whom I have provided equipment rental and production services on everything from sales training, commercials,
to multi-platform marketing campaigns.
A good example of the latter,
is the "True to Life" Campaign for which I provided lighting for in-store display artwork, product video demos, and a High Definition Large Screen "Music Theatre" product demonstration available only in their premier stores. I was involved in every part of this multi-million dollar world-wide marketing campaign (click on the image above for more details about this major marketing campaign.)
The Bose "True to Life" Campaign required a tremendous investment of time, energy, and equipment; but it was well worth it in the end. The result was a twenty-seven day production on the scale of a small feature film. (click on the image
above to see just one of the Bose Music Theatre High Definition Videos that were part of the campaign.)
A Bose "True to Life" Music Theatre Production
Virtual Reality Production:
Another large market is "virtual reality" production. In addition to its use in CGI effects shots
for feature films, virtual reality production is widely used in real estate development. There are two local companies, Neoscape and Machine Hero, that generate virtual realities of large scale development projects
for marketing purposes. By combining the disciplines of 3D illustration, filmmaking, branding, and interactive design, they create strategic visual experiences of development projects. Whether it is to populate the atrium of the
new Art of the Americas wing at the MFA, the new Dubei International Airport, or to drive a car up to the entrance of a new luxury condominium complex, Neoscape and Machine Hero quite often require large studio lighting packages for productions they are staging at Sonalysts Studio in Waterford Ct. (see below for more details.)
Click on the image above for more details
This is a segment of the market in which I am particularly well contected. My work with both Neoscape and Machine Hero goes back to their joint production of the award-winning "Loft 5" marketing video for a luxury condominium complex in Las
Vegas in 2007 that established their international reputation
(click on the images below to hear the founders of Neoscape describe their work and the significance of the "Loft 5" project.)
Click on the image above for more details
For "Loft 5" the Neoscape designers created a virtual rendering of one of the condominium lofts based upon the architectural drawings. They then came into our studio to composite a live person into the virtual set. The project was unusually
demanding from a lighting standpoint because the piece begins with a young women coming home to her dark loft at night and going to bed. It was a challenge to establish an adequate key level on the walls and floor of the studio, and
keep the green spill from polluting (making compositing difficult) the shadows motivated by the low key interior lights of the loft at night (click on the image above to see how successful I was.)
Click on the image above to see video
Since "Loft 5", I have worked on a number of other projects for both Neoscape and Machine Hero - including virtual realities of local development projects such as the Northpoint complex in East Cambridge, the Art of the Americas Wing for
the MFA (to view click on image above), and the Boston Fan Pier. I have also worked on such international projects as the new Dubei International Airport and the Marsa Al Seef Development in Bahrain.
Click on the image above to see how vitural reality is composited with live action
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Television Production:
Area production entities producting for PBS
The produciton of television programming is a large component of this market that should not be overlooked. WGBH Boston is one of the largest producers of programming for PBS in the country. And, because of WGBH there are also many
independent production companies in the area that produce national television programming, not only for PBS, but also for cable networks like Discovery, National Geographic, TLC, and The History Channel (to name just a few). Boston
is recognized across the country as a hub of educational television production, and I am recognized within this hub as a skilled provider of motion picture lighting services for educational television programming.
Click on the image above for more details
In addition to the American Experience programs pictured here (click on the pictures for more details about my involvement in these projects), I have also provided studio and location production services to a number of PBS programs -
including the PBS series
"The Elegant Universe", for which, we composited the host of the show into an elaborate Escher drawing as well as other abstract virtual sets. The virtual recreation
of locations
that are inaccessible or that no longer exist, but can be computer generated from old photographs or historical accounts, is another application of virtual realty in the production of educational television. For instance, in the production of a
series on American Inventors, "They Made America", we made extensive use of virtual sets to recreate the great San Francisco earthquake and fire.
Click on the image above for more details
Given my extensive work in this segment of the market, we can expect to capture a segment of this market. For instance, I am presently speaking to producers at WGBH who are planning a documentary about the 19th century mental health crusader
Dorthea Dix. They are interested in using virtual set production technology to recreate Dorthea DixÕs legislative battles at the Massachusetts State House. In case you are not familiar with Dorthea Dix, she was an advocate for the mentally
ill prior to the civil war. She played a direct roll in founding 32 mental hospitals across the country. Her crusade for the mentally ill began in the Massachusetts legislature, when she presented a report of her first hand observations of
the mistreatment of the mentally ill in Massachusetts state prisons. She in effect used her report to shame Massachusetts lawmakers in the State House to appropriate more money for the care of the insane.
Click on the image above for more details
The documentary producer's problem is that they cannot get access to shoot in the State House. Virtual set production is an ideal solution for them. From high-resolution digital stills they will be able to create a three dimensional mosaic of the
interior of the Massachusetts State House. From this mosaic they will be able to generate a virtual set of the Massachusetts State House as it appeared in the late 19th century. We will then recreate scenes of Dorthea Dix's legislative battle on a
chroma key stage just as we did for Neoscape's real estate development marketing videos.
Click on the image above for more details
Hasbro is another large producer of television programming in this market that I am particularly well connected with. In fact, I lit Hasbro's first foray into children's television in 2007. It was a pilot for a
television show developed around one of their toys - T.J. Bearytales - a story telling and singing robotic bear. For the production, we built and lit a small chroma key stage in the Hasbro manufacturing plant in Pawtucket, RI.
The production consisted of an oversized singing bear (operated by three puppeteers in digi-green body suits) composited into virtual sets created by shooting high-resolution stills of a amazingly detailed doll house (see picture below.)
For Hasbro's first venture into Children's TV we built and lit a Chroma Key Cyc
Based on the success of T.J. Bearytales, Hasbro entered into a 50/50 venture with Discovery Communications to relaunch the Discovery Kids Network late last year. The programming of the new channel will be a mix of animation, game shows and
live-action series and specials aimed at boys and girls ages 14 and under.
Samples of Hasbro/Discovery Kid's shows presently being produced in Texas for lack of a local stage
The company's brands that are being developed as TV series for the new channel include Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Romper Room, Cranium, My Little Pony, G.I. Joe, Game of Life, Tonka and Transformers. I have equipped and lit several of the
one-off specials shot in Hasbro's small studio in Pawtucket.
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Commercial Production:
Production of Commercials is another segment of the market in which I am well connected. My clients for commercial production include, among others: Picture Park, Viewpoint Studios, and Boston Productions. Commercial Productions of note that
I have equipped include a 2003 Super Bowl spot for the office supply company WB Mason.
Click on the image above for more details
Titled the "Trial" the spot combined footage from "Perry Mason," a vintage courtroom TV show, mixed with new material shot on an elaborate courtroom set. In the ad, Perry Mason is described as W.B. Mason's brother, and his client is found guilty
of overpaying for office products. Including fees paid to CBS and Burr's estate, the cost of producing this Super Bowl ad was $300'000. I equipped the production with a 12-Ton Lighting and Grip package, Fisher Model 10 Dolly, and production services
(click on the image above for more details.) You can view the finished spot at http://www.adforum.com/creative-work/ad/playlist/6633/27363.
Commercial production is a segment of the market with tremendous potential for growth as a result of the states tax incentive progrom. It is a little known fact that producers of commercials can combine the budgets of multiple spots in order to meet
the $50'000 qualifying threshold for tax credits as long as the spots are for the same client. To date, not many commercial producers have taken advantage of the state's tax credit progrom. The reason for this is perhaps ignorance of this feature
of the state's incentive program or simply because they have no mechanism by which to resell the credits they stand to earn but can not use themselves (our "Ample Free Parking" program has the potential to address their needs - see below for
details.) IATSE Local 481 has just been awarded a 50'000.00 development grant to study why this segment of
the market is not taking more advantage of the tax credits available to them. An increase in commercial production will surely result from the better understanding of this segment of the market.
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Print Advertizing Production:
Simulating a wintery night game for the "Muscle and Fitness" Magazine photo spread on the New England Patriots Cheerleaders
Another market not to be overlooked is commercial still photography for the web, magazines, or print advertising. The production of magazine spreads, like the one we did for "Muscle and Fitness" on the New England Patriots Cheerleading Squad
(pictured above), can get quite large.
A studio based Bose Print Ad Campaign shot by Bob Packert
As does store advertising like that we did for Bose as part of the "True to Life" campaign mentioned above (click on the image below to see samples.) My past work with the regions best commercial still photographers - including Ian Spanier
(Patriots Cheerleaders above), Bob Packert (Bose above), and Nubar Alexanian (Bose below) - is sure to generate more work for us in the future.
Click on the image above for more details
Even before the completion of New England Capital Studios, we will have opportunities to support large stage productions. I have extensive experience managing studio based productions in independent stages throughout the region.
For example, I lit a Flamenco Dance troupe in the former High Output Studios in Allston for Bose. The dancers were shot in High Definition video. The audio was recorded
in fourteen-channel surround sound.
Production of the Bose "
True to Life" Flamenco Music Theature
I have also supported numerous productions at Sonalysts Studios - a three stage complex consisting of a 15'000 sq. ft., 7'000 sq. ft., and a 5'000 sq. ft. sound stages in Waterford, Ct - with lighting equipment rental and production services. I was
also part of Sonalysts offering virtual set production. One project was a product demonstration video for the next generation of lightly armored military combat vehicles
(click on the picture below for more details). I provided the studio lighting equipment and production support for the 100'x150' Ultimate Blue studio set.
Virtual Set Production at Sonalysts Studios
In addition to Sonalysts Studios, I assisted Dean Warehousing in operating a studio in Cumberland, RI. In 2006, their Cumberland warehouse was renovated to serve as cover sets for the television show "Waterfront" - but the show was canceled
mid-season. So they could benefit from the Rhode Island motion picture tax credits, I assisted Brad Dean in operating the renovated space as Dean Studios.
Left: Production of commercial for the Mohegan Suns at Sonalysts Studios.
Right a commercial for WB Mason at Dean Studios
We also represent one of the premier production facilities in the region for feature production on cover sets. Conveniently located between Boston and Providence in Foxboro, Ma, the 130,000 sq. ft. facility offers an approximately
50,000 Sq. Ft. Stage Floor w/ 35' Clearance, 40' Clear Span, & pre-installed AC ducting and acoustical treatment. Adjacent to the main stage are approximately 5,000 Sq.
Ft. of production offices, wardrobe & makeup rooms, restrooms, dining facilities, and flex space featuring phone and high speed internet hookups. The dining facilities include a food service counter with bar tap,
restaurant style kitchen, and large dining area. Also adjacent to the main stage is approximately 68,000 Sq. Ft. of raw warehouse space, with a thirteen-bay loading dock,
that can be used for equipment and prop staging, set shop, etc. The facility is just minutes off Interstate 95 and conveniently located to the first class hotel
accommodations and restaurants at the new Patriot Place at Gilette Stadium.
Approx. 50,000 Sq. Ft. Stage Floor w/ 35' Clearance, 40' Clear Span, & Pre-installed Ducting (Prod. Offices in Background)
Pre-installed Air Handling & Acoustic Treatment (left), Dock Doors & Staging Area (center), Sound Proof Windows to Production Offices (right)
Flex Space (left), Reception w/ 3 Offices behind (center), Large Make Up/Wardrobe Room (right)
Dinning Area w/ Food Service Counter (left), Food Service Counter w/ restaurant kitchen behind (center), Entrance w/ Ample Parking (right)
In addition to the stages mentioned above, there will be opportunities to provide studio lighting packages at Granite Media Center in Tilton, New Hampshire, and a new stage in Warwick RI that was formerly a big box warehouse store.
The former Somerville Lumber on Bald Hill Rd in Warwick RI served as the studio for the TV Series "Body of Proof." Even though the show is not coming back for the second season of shooting, the owners of the building plan to continue to operate
the building as a production studio. So, as you can see there will be opportunities to provide stage lighting packages in other venues until the completion of New England Capital Studios.
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Click on the image above for more details
Finally, a program that I developed with the law firm of Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, that we call "Ample Free Parking", can serve as the catalyst for the production of independent feature, television programming, and commercial advertizements.
Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrel is
a law firm that specializes in the structuring of tax advantaged investment funds as a means of
generating tax credits for local banks.
Click on the image above for more details
The program offers smaller productions, such as commercials, a mechanism to monetize the tax credits they stand to earn by selling them directly to area banks. It also offers independent films the opportunity to use the tax credits they stand to earn as collateral
on production loans from area banks (click on the images above for more details.) Providing a means for smaller productions to monetize the tax credits they earn will surely result in an increase in the number of these productions that we support with lighting and grip equipment rentals.
Guy Holt
ScreenLight & Grip
rentals@screenlightandgrip.com
Office: 781-326-5088, Ext 5#
Cell: 617-224-8534