Two Dum Micks, an offbeat comedic short film, written, directed, and produced by D.B. Sweeney and edited by Keith Kristinat at The Colonie in Chicago, has won more than two-dozen first-place film festival awards to date. It tells the story of Mikey and Mick, played by Sean Astin and Sweeney, as two down-and-out guys who come up with an implausible jailhouse scheme to get the money they need to solve their legal problems.
The Colonie recently teamed with Burrell Communications to provide editorial, VFX and design services for I Do, a commercial introducing the 2017 Toyota Corolla. The commercial opens with a young woman behind the wheel of her Toyota. She arrives at a city park and her friends help her yarn bomb the surroundings – from hand-knitted tree trunk covers to a slipcover for a loveseat and a garbage pail cozy in the likeness of whimsical character.
The Colonie provided editorial, FX and finishing services for a pair of public service advertisements for the American Academy of Dermatology. The :60 spots feature sharply contrasting storylines and approaches to educating two high-risk demographics about the dangers of sun exposure and skin cancer. Looking Good targets men over 50 using a comedic scenario to communicate a strategy for early detection, while Arms tailors its message about prevention to young women between 14 and 18, using a touching story to educate them about the risks of tanning.
Toyota and Burrell Communications are introducing the 2016 RAV4 Hybrid with a series of broadcast commercials, web spots and video vignettes starring Keegan-Michael Key (MADTV, Comedy Central, Key & Peele and Playing House) that take a comedic approach to dispelling the misconceptions about hybrid vehicles. Bob Ackerman, creative editor, and partner at The Colonie, along with the full-service boutique’s visual FX and design team took the package from cutting through finishing.
The Colonie showcased the full range of its editorial, visual effects and post-production services in a McDonald’s spot that creates a fun, carnival ride mood to generate excitement about its new touch-screen Kiosk ordering system, introduced in select locations across the country. Cut by editor and partner, Bob Ackerman, “Taste The Excitement,” a :30 spot via Burrell Communications/Chicago, delivers a highly stylized, slightly surreal McDonald’s environment where customers can skip the counter and order a customized meal from a kiosks with a tablet-like screen offering a wide range of options.
Editor Brian Sepanik of The Colonie recently crafted an open for the London Business School’s 2015 TEDx Conference that challenges the viewer to see the familiar in new and unexpected ways. Beauty, Shape, Examine, the translation of the Greek root words of Kaleidoscope, inspired My Sister Fred’s thought-provoking concept for the video and Sepanik’s approach to bringing home its message. The agency tasked The Colonie with taking the post-production for the project from creative editorial, motion graphic design and color grading through finishing.
When Stern Advertising wanted to create a memorable Mother’s Day spot for Kay Jewelers, they once again partnered up with The Colonie editor, Bob Ackerman. Director, Harry Patramanis, captured the playfulness and tone of the spot. Ackerman then weaved the footage into an endearing storyline that conveys the emotional connections and family moments that make Mother’s Day special.
The Colonie editor, Bob Ackerman, and renowned director, Joe Pytka, recently paired up to create a dramatic spot for McDonald’s, out of Burrell Communications. Driven by realistic, gritty, cinematic style footage, the :60 commercial, entitled, Good Things, tells the story of a group of African-American teenagers hanging out on dark inner city streets. At first glance it seems that they might have some questionable plans for the evening. However, the story arc soon reveals the group to be a force of optimism, hope and the shared spirit at the heart of their community.
