Oz Magazine May June 2008

MAY/JUNE 2008 www.ozonline.tv

OZ

contributors & contents

Contributors

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Ozcetera

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Loved your portfolio: We want to hire you (sort of)

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By Jon Lee Andersen Jon Lee Andersen is an Atlanta area attorney who focuses his practice providing advice and assistance for advertising copy, sweepstakes, contests, promotions, labeling, endorsements, testimonial, copyright, trademark and licensing issues. His clients include advertising agencies, marketing firms, e-commerce businesses and freelance professionals.

Page 16, www.advertisinglawfirm.com.

The Art OF COMPETING

The Art and heart of documentary film making

OZSCENE - Atlanta Film Festival

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Let Me Give You My Card

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DISTRIBUTION LOCATIONS

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O Z M A G A Z INE ST A F F Tia Powell, Oz Group Publisher

Jennifer Crouse is an Atlanta writer whose work includes a variety of freelance assignments.

Page 20, www.bayoubaloo@yahoo.com

Gary Wayne Powell, Marketing & Sales Cee Cee Grayburn, Assistant to Publisher James Flynn, Ozcetera Editor Lyn Albers, Art Director Phaedra Steele, Production Manager

Oz Magazine is published bimonthly by Oz Publishing Inc, 2566 Shallowford Road, #302, Suite 104, Atlanta GA 30345, (404) 633-1779.

Copyright 2008 by Oz Publishing Incorporated, all rights reserved.

Reproductions in whole or in part without express written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

This magazine is printed on recyclable paper. Visit us on the web at www.ozonline.tv.

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By Jennifer Crouse

Cindy Caldwell is a consultant for Randstad Creative by day and a writer and procrastinator by night.

She is also mom to 11-year-old Caitlin.

Page 18, cindy.caldwell@us.randstad.com

community journalism, financial services marketing and

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By Cindy Caldwell

OZ CET ER A SKYLAB-B OPENS COAST TO COAST

STEEM TO THE MAX

Agency startup Skylab-B has picked up its first client, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, and is now in full operation with satellite offices in both Los Angeles and Atlanta. The agency, officially launched on January 1, 2008, is a collaborative effort of principles Grant Holland and Mike Martin. Holland, former creative director at Team One and Ogilvy, both in Los Angeles, and Martin, former executive creative director at Fletcher Martin in Atlanta, are both native Atlantans who met while attending the Creative Circus.

STEEM Creative received a MAX award for developing the successful marketing campaign for ScoutParents, the national parent initiative for the Boy Scouts of America. Ten finalists, along with 500 attendees from the local business community, gathered at the Georgia Aquarium for the 16th annual Marketing Award for Excellence (MAX) ceremony. Presented by the Department of Marketing at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business and Atlanta Business Chronicle, the MAX recognizes the top innovations and marketing initiatives in Georgia during 2007. Three winners are recognized from ten finalists selected by the GSU Marketing Round Table composed of some of Georgia’s top marketing professionals.

Skylab-b principles Grant Holland (l) and Mike Martin (r).

Martin has received numerous awards for his work, including A Gold Effie and several One Show Golds for The American Legacy Foundation’s anti-tobacco ‘truth’ campaign, which he helped develop at Arnold Worldwide in Boston. Before moving back to Atlanta, Martin worked at Carmichael Lynch in Minneapolis on national brands that included Harley-Davidson, Fetzer Wines and Jack Link’s Beef Jerky. He has also worked at DDB in Dallas on Midway Video Games, Tabasco and Arizona Jeans.

Motorola and ampm. Prior to that, he was at Cliff Freeman & Partners in New York where his clients included Coca-Cola, Nike, Staples and Fox Sports Net. Holland won the local LA Beldings Best of Show for his ESPN “Knowledge” campaign created at Ground Zero in Santa Monica, California, and he received national recognition, including One Show Gold, for a Sims Snowboard print ad while at Hammerquist & Saffel in Seattle, WA.

Most recently, Holland served as creative director in Los Angeles on Lexus, The Ritz-Carlton, Cisco,

Holland is in charge of the Los Angeles office and Martin leads the Atlanta office.

HORROR-FILLED SUCCESS “DANCE OF THE DEAD,” a film shot in Rome, Georgia with local cast and crew, had its world premiere at the 2008 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin, Texas. The film was selected from a record number of entries for a special midnight premiere screening at the world famous Alamo Drafthouse. It opened to 3 back-to-back sell-outs and rave reviews.

“DANCE OF THE DEAD” is director Gregg Bishop’s second feature film and the second movie he has shot on location in Georgia. His first film, ‘THE OTHER SIDE,’ was filmed in and around Atlanta and released theatrically in 2007 after premiering at the Slamdance Film Festival and winning the grand jury award for best picture at the Shriekfest Film Festival.

“Dance” made its Georgia premiere at the 32nd Annual Atlanta International Film Festival in April.

Bishop is ecstatic to be bringing the movie home to Georgia: “The Atlanta Premiere of this movie is huge for me. I was born and raised in Georgia and we shot this entire film here, so I’m really looking forward to sharing this movie with the Atlanta community as well as the cast and crew that worked so hard to make this film a reality. Getting away from Hollywood and making my movies in my hometown allows us to work with very enthusiastic crews and shoot in locations that have never before been captured on film.

Atlanta audiences are in for a treat.”

JOE LINTON JOINS SHADOWLIGHT Atlanta’s own Shadowlight pictures expanded their slate of directors recently, adding Joe Linton to the mix. A resident of Santa Monica, California, Linton has directed and edited many commercials and branded media spots for companies such as MTV2, Red Bull, LG, & Tiger Electronics. Linton has a strong graphics background and is also an accomplished still photographer. When he’s not working, you can find Linton surfing, wakeboarding or skateboarding.

New Shadowlight director Joe Linton.

R T HA N E T T E B IS N IO T C U D O R P OU R M ED IA OU R M A R K ET ING. So maybe you could call us sometime. If you feel like it. 770.939.2004 Oh... and we have a website. waveguidestudios.com FILM & HD PRODUCTION | TV & RADIO SPOTS | HD & SD POST | MAYA 3D UNLIMITED ANIMATION / GRAPHICS | SOUND DESIGN | PRO TOOLS HD ACCEL AUDIO

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OZ CET ER A NORTH AVENUE POST

HIGH PRAISE FOR GOING INTERACTIVE

North Avenue Post recently added creative editor Tom Rice to the team.

Spending the past 6 years at Georgia-Pacific, Rice not only brings corporate experience to the company, but also over 18 years of industry experience in broadcast, commercial, educational and corporate post production.

Going Interactive (GI) recently swept the highest honors in 2 AMY Award categories. GI won the AMY for “Web & Interactive Marketing - Web-based Campaign” and the AMY for “Social Media Marketing” for their work on the new electronic cube website RubiksRevolution.com. GI also picked up Adobe Site of the Day in November and an IABC Bronze Flame Award for the site.

While at Georgia-Pacific, Rice cut a variety of internal projects including meeting videos to fit a wide variety of displays, training videos, focus groups and facility tours. He also authored and produced DVD’s, and compressed videos for the web in every imaginable format.

At North Avenue, Rice will immediately begin cutting a quarterly editorial and authoring project for Body Training Systems Group, a company providing branded systems for fitness clubs and instructors, with over 1,500 clubs across the US and Canada.

Rice graduated from Michigan State University and earned his degree in Telecommunications, Video Production.

For the RubiksRevolution, GI produced a fun interactive Flash site, 2 online games, a viral YouTube contest, blogs for press and consumers, videos, podcasts, RSS, email campaigns, all to help push the new electronic cube to be Toy of the Year at this past Toy Fair 2008.

Going Interactive also finished notable projects for Internap, helping them create “The Ultimate Online Experience”. GI worked on a large interactive sales tool, a motion graphics video, and a full microsite to promote their new marketing campaign. GI also worked with UPS and created a fun, interactive, pass along online game which helped promote the new UPS Paperless Online Shipping service. Another project included the completion of a full-scale VoIP ordering site, which lives on PCMall.com and offers up a streamlined and sensible online ordering process for Atlanta based Reignmaker.

Finally, GI helped Turner Broadcasting launch their new Atlanta station, PeachtreeTV.com. GI worked with the Peachtree TV team in creating a unique online look and feel for the new channel. A number of online social elements will be appearing on the site over the upcoming months.

FORECAST EARTH AT GUILLOTINE Tom Rice, Creative Editor at North Avenue Post

Senior executive producer Shari Bell at The Weather Channel chose Guillotine Post to edit a Forecast Earth in-depth spotlight on award winning Canadian environmental activist David Suzuki. Guillotine senior editor Michael Koepenick cut the 8minute profile and thoroughly enjoyed the work.

Koepenick is no stranger to environmental causes and spent 8 years in the socially conscious folk rock band Chief Seattle.

Koepenick included an instrumental version of a song he wrote called “Never Had a Moment,” which adds the right mood under the last two minutes of the piece as Suzuki speculates about our future.

The profile aired in February as part of a show focused on global warming.

David Suzuki asks, “How much is enough”?

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MUZAK TO YOUR EARS

HUNTER LENSES VISUAL FUTURIST

Grant Design Collaborative recently received honors for its exhibit design for Muzak at GlobalShop 2008. The exhibit was selected “Outstanding Booth Design” by VMSD magazine and “Best in Show Pavilion” by DDI publication. Grant was retained by Muzak to create a new 20’ x 40’ exhibit for GlobalShop 2008, held at McCormick Place West in March.

Atlanta director of photography Jim Hunter recently teamed with director Joaquin Montalvan to capture Visual Futurist Syd Mead (“Blade Runner,” “Aliens, “ ”Tron”) on Panasonic’s latest offering in broadcast HiDef acquisition, the AJ-HPX3000.

SPITFIRE ON THE WESTSIDE Spitfire Studios, 2 To Design and TRICK 3D recently launched their new creative group, The Westside Collective. The specialized talents of these three companies have merged, with the goal of delivering projects on time and on budget. Together the Collective has produced creative works for Saatchi & Saatchi NY, SPIKE DDB, The Turner Networks, Nickelodeon, Coca Cola, Disney, HGTV, Discovery Channel, and PBS.

Hunter’s decidedly cinematic approach toward photographing Mead at work in his studio proved an invaluable opportunity to put the new camera through its paces in resolving color space and handling contrast

at full 1920x1080 progressive resolution. The promo will provide a glimpse into Mead’s impact on modern cinema and his thoughts on the future of conceptual design.

Hunter has completed several recent projects with Panasonic broadcast cameras, most notably a 24p installation program for Creativision highlighting Cox Television, Radio, and Newspaper’s commitment to the First Amendment for the upcoming “Newseum” in Washington, D.C.

The Westside Collective complex, located at the corner of Tenth Street and Howell Mill, includes two 2500 square foot production stages and houses Spitfire Imaging, a commercial photo lab specializing in high-end digital imaging and output.

WEAVER AND SMITH MOVING BISON Ted’s Montana Grill has named Gena Weaver vice president of marketing and Jessica Smith director of marketing.

As vice president of marketing and key member of the executive committee, Gena Weaver manages all marketing programs for the 55-unit restaurant company, overseeing all branding initiatives. As a hospitality and consumer brand marketing specialist, she has built and led marketing teams throughout her 24-year career, including the role as director of marketing for Serenbe Development Corp., a Georgia-based community combining select principles of new urbanism and conservation that has gained international attention. Weaver also has worked in senior account management positions at national and independent advertising agencies such as MATCH Inc., 360 Inc., The Morrison Agency, W.B. Doner & Company and Hutcheson Schutze. She is a 1985 graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in advertising. Weaver resides in Hiram, Georgia.

Jessica Smith, director of marketing, previously worked in account management at two independent Atlanta advertising agencies, where she managed marketing for restaurant clients and consumer product accounts. Her responsibilities at Ted’s Montana Grill include managing brand advertising, menu merchandising, local restaurant marketing, weekly sales and data analysis, point of sale and existing and new restaurant development support.

Smith graduated with a BA in journalism with a major in advertising from the University of Georgia and currently lives in Tucker, Georgia.

(l-r) Focus puller Shaun Dallas, Syd Mead, and Jim Hunter. Photo credit: Joaquin Montalvan.

SALTER GARNERS CHAMPION HONOR Elizabeth Salter, account supervisor at William Mills Agency, has been awarded the Georgia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America’s Chapter Champion award in recognition of her longstanding volunteer work. She was presented with her certificate and an inscribed pen at the Chapter’s monthly meeting. The Chapter Champion award was created to recognize a member who has significantly contributed to the Chapter’s success. It is given monthly or when appropriate.

Capping three years of participation on the College Relations committee for the chapter, Salter was the 2007 co-chair of PRSA|GA’s annual Real World PR, the largest collegiate conference for communications students in the country. In 2006, she served as captain of the student relations team, which reaches out to possible attendees about the conference, and as a member of the team in 2005.

After last year’s Real World, she worked on the chapter’s membership committee, e-mailing attendees of the monthly meetings. Salter is currently co-chair of the monthly luncheon committee.

At William Mills Agency, Salter worked her way up from account coordinator to account agent and senior account agent before earning her present position.

PRSA-GA Chapter Champion Elizabeth Salter.

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OZ CET ER A NEW HARDWARE FOR SOAPBOX Soapbox Studios recently took home four Telly awards. The studio was honored with a Silver award for News or News Feature category, “CNN Heroes”(Kevin Thomas - edit and J.C. Richardson - audio). They took home another silver in the Children’s category for “Cartoon Network Movie Madness”(Scott Wiley – edit and Nikos Mavrommatis - audio). Soapbox took home two bronze awards. The first was in the News or News Feature category for “CNN Situation Room” (Scott Wiley - edit and J.C. Richardson - audio). The second was in the Children’s category for “Animatrix” (Jay Wilson -design, Kevin Thomas - edit, Nikos Mavrommatis - audio and Paxton Greene - writer/producer).

In project news, Soapbox Music is working with British band Stoney.

Stoney will be spending the first half of March at our studio with Darin Prindle, recording their new album, before they head off to perform at South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, TX. Soapbox Studios’ Grammy-winning producer Phil Tan recently completed work on Janet Jackson’s latest album, Discipline. Tan was recently nominated for a Best Dance Recording Grammy for his work on Rihanna’s song “Don’t Stop the Music.”

Film and video editor Baco Bryles and audio engineer J.C. Richardson are working with director Jerry Allen Davis on his latest feature film, “Shanghai Hotel.”

Audio engineer and sound designer Juan Baez will be working with Cole Gerst, creator of “Yung Yeti”. “Yung Yeti” was the 2007 Green Animation winner at Sundance. Together they will be producing shows to air on the Sundance Channel.

Senior Audio Engineer J.C. Richardson has partnered with Guus Hoevenaars of Substation Sound from the UK. Together they will be producing the audio for long format shows for BBC UK. Hoevenaars is a dubbing mixer, with work experience with BBC UK, Ch4 UK, Discovery Channel and MTV Europe. In 2003, Hoevenaars was nominated for the “BBC Young Talent Award.”

Finally, Soapbox Studios recently partnered with THEORY. THEORY is a full service conceptual design, animation and visual effects studio for television, film and new media.

ABOVO MAKES AMY MARK “The Challenge” by Avivia Health from Kaiser Permanente, a campaign entry submitted on behalf of Abovo, was named a 2008 Atlanta Marketer of the Year (AMY) Awards finalist in the Direct Response Marketing-3D category. The direct mailer was sent out to 344 tradeshow attendees and generated a 17% response rate, 15% above the industry average of 2%.

133 recipients (38.6%) visited the campaign landing page, and 112 (32.5%) recipients downloaded the available white paper.

Overall, the campaign had incredible success, bringing in 59 unique responses/leads.

DEVIL STARS IN TOYBOX PREMIERE Toybox Productions premiered the company’s first short film, “The Devil Went Down,” at the 2008 Atlanta Film Festival. “The Devil Went Down” premiered in the Short Film Category at the AFF. Based on the classic Charlie Daniels Band tune, “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” was shot on location in Atlanta. The film picks up 50 years after the events of the first duel between good and evil. Written by Nicolas Julius and directed

by Petrini, the film’s executive producer is Tracy Markowski, also from Toybox Productions.

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OZ CET ER A CHICAGO HAS ATLANTA BASE CAMP Base Camp Studios recently teamed up with recording artist Andy Davis to create a pair of visual effects heavy music videos. The first was for Davis’s “Chicago, City of Shoulders.”

“Chicago” was shot on a sound stage in Atlanta. Director Steve Khun traveled to Chicago and for several days shot hundreds of background plates. Back at Base Camp Studios, all of those images were chopped up and manipulated to make their own version of the city. “Chicago” was shot in high definition and in post-production had several hundred layers to composite. “We created everything. We have our own little render farm but still, the renders were gigantic,” says Kuhn.

The second video is titled “Earth and Venus,” and was again helmed by Kuhn. Base Camp Studios’ role in both videos was to handle all production, animation, compositing and editing.

In addition to Andy Davis videos, Base Camp Studios has been busy creating the “Power Rangers Jungle Fury” launch and campaign for Toon Disney. Base Camp Studios also created a ninety-second trailer for the new show, “Aaron Stone”, also on Toon Disney.

Other projects have included several DVD launch spots for Cartoon Network, including Ben 10 and Sweet Sweet Fear, a collection of Halloween Cartoons.

Base Camp worked with Andy Davis on Chicago, City of Shoulders and Earth and Venus.

Send all your business news to Ozcetera editor, JAMES FLYNN at ozcetera@ozonline.tv.

NO FAXES OR HARDCOPIES, PLEASE. All news should be submitted via email.

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BETTER HEALTH FOR EDELMAN Edelman recently brought on Jan Landau Lewin to join the company’s Atlanta office as a senior vice president to lead its southeastern health practice. In her new role, Lewin also will work with Edelman’s New York office to bring her expertise to that office’s health-related clients, while building business for Edelman’s eastern region as a whole.

Lewin has more than 25 years experience in health communications, most recently serving as a senior marketing manager for Emory HealthCare, where she was responsible for projects marketing the physicians and hospitals at Emory Healthcare. Prior to that, Lewin ran her own agency for five years, focusing on raising awareness and funding for Jan Landau Lewin, non-profit agencies, including senior vice president, Edelman Atlanta. international projects to increase awareness for lymphatic filariasis in conjunction with the World Health Organization.

Lewin was the managing director for Manning Selvage & Lee/Atlanta from 1995 to 2002, where she is credited with turning around the agency and building it into one of the strongest local agencies with accounts such as UPS, Philips Electronics, Schering-Plough, CR Bard, Coca-Cola Enterprises and Charter Behavioral Health. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Maryland and conducted post graduate studies at New York University Stern School of Business.

MEDIUM BLUE NAILS KUDOS Medium Blue and Inviro Medical Devices won an Atlanta Marketer of the Year (AMY) Award in the category of Search Engine Marketing: Search Marketing Campaign Business to Business for their 2007 search engine optimization (SEO) campaign.

Medium Blue Search Engine Marketing was also named the number one SEO firm in the world this month in industry resource PromotionWorld’s renowned independent study. This marks the tenth time this long-trusted online resource has chosen Medium Blue for this ranking.

CLIENTS TELL IT BEST EyeWonder, Inc.’s “Client Testimonial” ad campaign won the 2008 Atlanta Marketer of the Year (AMY) Award in the Online Advertising category.

EyeWonder’s campaign features leading interactive agencies and clients describing the success they have enjoyed working with EyeWonder – eleven or more testimonial videos are available in each expandable ad. This marks the fifth national or regional award the campaign has taken home since the campaign launched last summer.

In other news, EyeWonder launched its LiveWonder™ feature, designed to deliver live streaming video via any of its online advertising formats.

Stinson Partners was the first agency to leverage this video feature to promote and deliver GE’s retail investor presentation last week. GE worked with Stinson Partners to develop its campaign, which ran live on several top sites including MSN, Yahoo! Finance and CNN Money.

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CAREN WEST PROMOTES SKIRT Caren West PR, an Atlanta-based public relations and graphic design firm, was recently named the winner of the “Best Special Event” category at the FOLIO Magazine FAME Awards in New York, NY. The FAME Awards gave Caren West PR the gold for producing “Destination skirt!” One Year Anniversary Celebration for skirt! Magazine in Atlanta.

The inaugural anniversary event stood out among the competition at the FAME Awards for successfully reinforcing the positive and credible reputation the publication earned in just a year. The 1960’s travel-inspired event also served as a direct reflection of the unique brand and a platform to showcase its mission, philosophies, and opportunities.

Caren West PR has once again been named the public relations firm of record by skirt! Magazine for its second installment of “Destination skirt!” slated for June 2008.

DIRECTOR’S PROGRAM HAS WOMAN’S ANGLE The Woman’s Angle greatly values female involvement in film and is continuing to provide their support in 2008 with the recent launching of their annual Director’s Program for women. The following directors were chosen to participate in the 2008 director’s program. Angela Gomes, Kimberly Jurgen, Melanie Mascioli, Peggy Tunick, Tracy Martin, Marla Weatherspoon Johnson, Nekeesha Seneb, Dellis Caden Noble and Jenna Milly.

The Directors Program provides an educational environment designed for the new or established woman director that desires an opportunity to gain a larger understanding and appreciation of her talent for directing. Through intensive workshops the directors are introduced to mentors who guide them through workshops that focus on key concepts vital to the production of a professional film. These workshops effectively support and enhance the creative process for these women as they plan the execution of their own films, which they will go on to produce over the summer and fall. The program culminates in a public screening of their film shorts. In 2007 an audience of 450 people attended the screening of the directors’ completed film shorts.

toddmiechiels SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING CONSULTANT

ESKIMO EXPANDS COVERAGE Eskimo Advertising recently opened a branch in Charleston. “With the diverse tourist, hospitality, cultural and retail mix, I felt Charleston was the perfect thriving city to expand my growing company,” said Eskimo Advertising owner Lorrie Dixson. Founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 2001, Eskimo Advertising provides advertising and public relations solutions for small and medium sized businesses within any budget.

PYSOLA JOINS KILGANNON Kilgannon hired Jaime L. Pysola as account executive. In her new position, Pysola will help develop strategy and manage advertising campaigns for several agency accounts including Old Mutual US, a financial services company.

Previously, Pysola worked at Grey Atlanta, handling day-to-day activities for a variety of accounts, including BellSouth/AT&T, Cousins Properties Incorporated and US Franchise Systems, Inc. Prior to that, Pysola was a project coordinator at ignition, Inc., where she managed experiential marketing projects for top brands, including Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola and Publix.

Pysola is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and holds a BA in communications and media studies.

Serving Freelancers, Agencies, Firms and Companies Working in the Visual Communication Industry.

• Search Engine Optimization • Pay-per-Click • Visitor Conversion • Analytics • Online PR

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Todd Miechiels 770-939-6578 www.miechiels.com/OZ www.ozonline.tv OZ MAGAZINE

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OZ CET ER A AGENCY GROWTH SPURT Images USA recently announced a number of new hires and a host of staff promotions.

Chandra Smalls, brand group account supervisor, comes to the agency with more than 12 years marketing and advertising management experience with such organizations as Matlock Advertising and Public Relations, Georgia Institute of Technology, The John Harland Company and Braindance Marketing Communications.

The position of media director went to Nakesha Holley, who has a vast background in media planning and management with such companies as National Vision Inc., Draft Worldwide, Grey Direct, and Matlock Advertising and Public Relations. Her accounts have included BMW North America, Publix Super Markets, BellSouth, Nationwide Insurance and Dell, Inc.

Images USA New Hires Chandra Smalls and Nakesha Holley along with recently promoted Justin Jordan and Danielle Styles.

Justin Jordan, who has been with the agency for more than four years, was promoted to senior art director.

In his new role, Justin is looking forward to both increased visibility with clients and creative license.

FREEWORLD EXPANDS Freeworld Media, the interactive marketing firm based in Atlanta, recently expanded their Poncey-Highlands studios. The renovations double the creative space required to focus on corporate responsibility and helping clients build a deeper connection to their customers.

POGO HOPPIN’ Luckie & Company of Birmingham, AL recruited Director Angel Traverso of Pogo Pictures to direct two spots for BCBS of Alabama to promote their Individual Blue health plan. Filmed on location in Atlanta, makeup effects and inventive lighting accented the tone of the spots.

Director Zach Freyer partnered with Atlantabased agency Chair 74 to shoot a 3-spot campaign for Comcast. The 2-day shoot consisted of a shopping cart speed demon, an old-school polygraph test, and a ruthless dodgeball assault.

Director/DP Steve Colby collaborated with ad agency Littlefield of Tulsa, OK to shoot two spots for the Oklahoma Poultry Council.

Shot on location in the heartland, the spots

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showcase the rolling prairies and glistening waterways of the Oklahoma terrain. The :30 spot “Holiday” is a recent Addy® Award winner.

Director Angel Traverso once again teamed with Atlanta agency Van Winkle & Associates to shoot the spring collection for Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse. Outback Editorial helmed the post work, including designing a Spring-inspired backdrop.

Fletcher Martin Atlanta teamed up with Director/DP Steve Colby to shoot 2 spots for telecommunication provider Knology.

Shot in HiDef using 35mm lenses, the duo of spots feature a grandfather doling out jokes to his card buddies and a couple enjoying dinner together via webcam.

Max McClain, whose primary responsibility is the Hillshire Farm account, was promoted from account executive to senior account executive. McClain started with the agency two and a half years ago as an account coordinator.

Portia Hammond of Business Development was promoted to account executive. Portia will continue to manage new business outreach opportunities for the agency.

Candace Rivers and Nia Millington were promoted to account executives on the Brand Group Team.

They work on the Wachovia and Amtrak accounts respectively.

Jelanii Reid, also on the Brand Group team, was promoted to assistant account executive with the Jack Daniel’s, Tous and Hillshire Farm accounts.

Finally, starting as an intern in June 2007, working on the award winning public relations for the National Black Arts Festival, Danielle Styles was promoted to public relations account coordinator.

WILLIAM MILLS SPONSORS REAL WORLD William Mills Agency was a Summa Cum Laude Sponsor of the Georgia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA|GA) Real World PR. PRSA|GA’s annual collegiate conference at the Loudermilk Center in downtown Atlanta attracted 212 students from 35 colleges and universities throughout the Southeast and well beyond. It is the largest collegiate conference sponsored by any U.S. PRSA chapter.

The conference included various career seminars focusing on topics such as how to make the most of an internship and how to find a job in public relations. Volunteer Chapter members critiqued résumés, and students also learned more about specific public relations functions to help them better determine which area of the profession is right for them.

Among colleges and universities represented by students this year were California State University-Dominguez Hills, Northwood University, Samford University, Central Connecticut State University, Clemson University, Elon University, Florida A&M University, Lee University, University of Florida, University of Denver, University of South Carolina, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, plus most major colleges in Georgia and the Southeast.

BLU-RAY AT VTA The ability to master for Blu-Ray and deliver high quality Blu-Ray Discs is now part of VTA’s menu.

Blu-Ray allows high definition video, multi-channel audio and high resolution images to be stored on a high capacity disk. “The format is still developing and will only get better. It’s more than just equipment,” VTA’s Joey Tucker says. “Because of our expertise in equipment testing and evaluation, we not only deliver a high quality product but we are able to recommend playback as well.”

chained to a Final Cut Pro HD suite. Mandato developed and refined his talent at The Art Institute of Atlanta.

VTA expanded their talent roster recently with some new additions.

LeAnn Leagans has been in the post production industry for almost 4 years holding a myriad of positions working herself up the ladder. Starting off as a mere intern straight out of college, she has

Michael Mandato, a 26-year-old editor and motion graphics artist from Atlanta, joined VTA and is now

Jean-Phillipe Lesperance (or JP for convenience to everyone else) is an editor who recently joined the VTA team. Lesperance has 13 years of post production experience in all formats of broadcast tape. For the past 2 years Lesperance has used After Effects, Motion, Shake and the grace of God to accentuate his projects.

also been in client services and scheduling. She joined VTA in September as an account executive.

Nathan Lewis has been promoted to post production coordinator. Lewis began his time at VTA as a “super duper.” In his time there, he has performed a number of duties with the official title of assistant operations manager.

In other news, Joey Tucker, VTA’s rich media specialist, recently announced that VTA now has the ability to master for Blu-ray and deliver high quality Blu-ray. Tucker has many years of experience in DVD technology, and will carry this knowledge over to Blu-ray Disc creation.

The new VTA crew gets to work. From L to R: Nathan Lewis, J.P. Lesperance, LeAnn Leagans, and Michael Mandato.

CARABINER GARNERS AMY HONORS Carabiner’s agency principal and founder, Peter Baron, was recognized as one of three finalists for the Agency Marketer of the Year at the AMY awards. Carabiner’s Wren Solutions account team was recognized as one of three finalists in the Integrated PR Campaign category for its work on Wren’s PR launch into the education market.

In other news, SEMDA, a non-profit trade association designed to promote medical device companies in the Southeast, held its annual investor conference in Atlanta in March. Carabiner helped to sponsor the event and increase awareness for attendees’ opportunities to present and network with leading venture capitalists, as well as the event’s dynamic presentations by nationally known keynote speakers and helpful workshops for companies and entrepreneurs.

THE JONES GROUP BURNISHES BRANDING Atlanta-based Cox Communications, Inc. selected The Jones Group to develop a comprehensive brand programming initiative. The assignment, completed fourth quarter 2007, included revitalizing the corporate logo and creating a brand architecture that addresses the diverse needs of three business units: Cox Residential, Cox Business and Cox Media. The visual branding program was a finalist for the 2008 AMY Awards.

Key elements of the program included: Refreshing the Cox corporate logo, while retaining its heritage and equity; developing a comprehensive brand identity to unify the three Cox

business units, and creating a Brand Guidelines Manual comprehensive and flexible enough to encompass the needs of marketing programs deployed at headquarters, three business units and 18 regional offices.

In other news, Natural Body Spa and Shop selected The Jones Group to energize the company’s brand identity. The Jones Group will transform the original Natural Body logo into a more simplistic, clean design that still maintains the authenticity of the brand. It will also help redesign all of its collateral materials, including spa services menu, newsletter, advertising, signage, apparel and more.

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OZ COLUMN

Loved Your Portfolio: WE WANT TO HIRE YOU (SORT OF)

By Jon Lee Andersen

Since this issue of Oz Magazine addresses the relationships between advertising agencies and freelance talent, I thought I would review the critical features of the agreement between these two parties: the “work-for-hire agreement.”

Though it is the lifeblood of many freelance authors, composers and graphic designers, it is surprising how often the work-for-hire agreement is misunderstood, both by the talent and the person who commissioned the work. This agreement, which is a product of the copyright laws, is the only arrangement that will grant copyright ownership, at the time of creation, to someone other than the creator of a work. If a work is one which qualifies as a work-for-hire, then ownership and the copyright in the work belongs to the creator’s employer, if the creator is a true employee, or the copyright belongs to the person who commissioned the work if the creator is an independent contractor. As there is usually little question in the case of true employment, this discussion will focus on works created by independent contractors.

There are three “must requirements” for a valid work-for-hire arrangement with independent contractors. First, the agreement must be in writing. Second, the independent contractor must sign it. Third, it must pertain to a work which falls within one of the following 9 categories:

• • • • • • • • •

A CONTRIBUTION TO A COLLECTIVE WORK A PART OF A MOTION PICTURE OR OTHER AUDIO-VISUAL WORK A TRANSLATION A SUPPLEMENTARY WORK A COMPILATION AN INSTRUCTIONAL TEXT A TEST ANSWER MATERIALS FOR A TEST AN ATLAS.

If the work does not fit one of these categories, even a written, signed agreement titled Work Made for Hire will nevertheless fail to qualify. A novel, for example, would not fit the list.

Another “almost must” requirement is that the agreement should be signed either before or no later than the beginning of the assignment.

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In preparing work-for-hire agreements numerous other matters should be addressed. Here are some of the most important: Description of Services. This section should describe, with as much particularity as possible, the talent is to do. It should cover matters such as drafts, whether scripts are involved, the number of alternatives where logos are the subject, techniques for art work, revisions, and deadlines for delivery of drafts or finished work. In short, the fewer questions left open about what is to be done, the better.

There should be no attempt to stifle the creative efforts of the talent, as it is this creativity that is being purchased. But if there are limits and boundaries, they should be spelled out in this section. At the same time, it is important that the relationship remain clearly that of commissioner-independent contractor and not that of employer-employee. The greater the control over the talent exercised by the agency, the more likely it is that an employer-employee relationship will be created with all of the insurance, tax withholdings, contributions and other benefits required for employees being imposed upon the agency.

Compensation. In this section the terms and conditions of the compensation are set out. Will there be progress payments? Is there an up-front retainer requirement? Is acceptance required before any payment is due? Have quotes or estimates been used and will they be incorporated into the agreement? How expenses will be handled should also be described. As noted above, in order to make the relationship clear, I usually also recommend that this section have language which confirms the independent contractor status of the talent and notes that he or she is responsible for all taxes and similar expenses and levies.

Ownership. This is the heart of the agreement, at least from the copyright standpoint. It is here that the ownership of the work, the proceeds to be derived from it by the commissioning party, is acknowledged by the talent. Occasionally, in addition to the agreement itself, there will be a Certificate of Ownership, which is usually presented by the talent when the work is delivered to the commissioning party. Note that if ownership is

not to be transferred, then this section usually takes the form of a license grant. If there is any question as to whether the commissioned work qualifies as work-for-hire, then the agreement should also have an assignment of the talent’s copyright interest to the agency.

Representations and Warranties. In today’s world this section is very important, for it is here that the talent confirms that the work is original and does not infringe upon the work or personal or proprietary rights of any other person.

Indemnification. This section puts the teeth into the representations and warranties. While it is true that the indemnification may be of somewhat limited value if the talent making it is without substantial assets, it nevertheless gives cause for concern.

Termination, Default and Incapacity. This section (which may be three separate sections in some agreements) deals with the rights of the parties in the event something goes wrong. It usually describes under what circumstances each party has the right to terminate the agreement before the work has been completed, what happens if the agreement is so terminated, what happens in the event of the contractor’s illness, and other similar issues.

Other Miscellaneous Provisions. This is where you will find sections dealing with arbitration, governing law, rights of assignment (for the commissioner, usually; for the independent contractor, never), force majeure, certain remedies which may be applicable to the arrangement, any special features of the agreement (such as credits, listings, rights to use in a portfolio), the fact that the commissioner has no obligation to use the work, and the obligation to deliver other documents, proofs, working drawings and so forth.

THINK OF IT THIS WAY:

A YOUNG FREELANCE WRITER NAMED GAY WROTE A JINGLE FOR “CHOPS & FILET” BUT THE AGENCY BLEW IT WHEN THEY HIRED HER TO DO IT SO SHE’S STILL MAKING MONEY TODAY

© April, 2008 Jon Lee Andersen. All Rights Reserved.

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www.ozonline.tv OZ MAGAZINE

17

Maintain your competitive edge to convince others of your creative edge.

By: Cindy Caldwell

Once again, we are in a competitive job market. Freelancers and applicants need as much leverage as they can muster to land their next gig. Your resume needs to stand out above all the rest, without being unprofessional. Your samples need to be easily accessible . . . having an employer wait around for a slow webpage or using a MySpace page as a portfolio site is not going to make the cut.

To convince potential employers that you have a creative edge, you have to maintain your competitive edge. First impressions are crucial. How you interview and present will either confirm or dispel those first impres-

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sions. How you follow up could seal the deal or become a deal breaker. The techniques that allow job seekers to stand above competitors are subtle, but absolutely necessary.

Job seekers must constantly improve their resume, portfolio and presentation skills. Oz asked people who hire freelance or permanent talent; production managers, art directors and owners of creative-based businesses; about what they look for when interviewing and hiring freelancers and candidates. Here is what you can do to get the competitive edge in any job market.

The Resume Your resume is usually the first thing a potential employer sees, the first glimpse of you. Make it a flawless impression. Check and re-check the spelling and formatting. That means more than just using “spell-check” on your computer. Get other people to proof your resume. And, do not be shy about getting others to give you feedback on the substance and layout. Familiarity with your own work can lead you to gloss over mistakes and discrepancies that may be glaring to others. Have confidence in the fact that you have a choice as to whether to accept or reject their, hopefully, constructive criticism.

You can be creative with your resume; do not simply use a standard word processing format. Use graphics as a header or create your own logo for your resume, but stay away from being too “artsy” or weird. It is not advisable to have your photo on your resume.

A common problem in resume writing is the inability to define a specific skill, and do it succinctly and inspirationally. Again, understand that first impressions matter, and first impressions are formed in a matter of seconds. Employers typically do not have time, nor do they take the time, to read the fine print in your resume before they make a positive or negative decision about you. After your contact information, make the most of the first five lines of your resume.

For example, you probably have multiple skill sets with a focus in one major career direction. Your main focus may be graphic design with additional experience with copywriting and web design. After your main contact information, give yourself “titles” and then write a very brief two or three sentence summary of your background and the opportunity you are seeking. This summary replaces the traditional resume “Objective” paragraph. Everyone already knows your objective is to find a job. This is your opportunity to demand the reader’s attention.

Explain your outstanding accomplishments, how long you have had experience in your current field, and highlight the titles you have chosen for your resume.

then follow their directions. For a motion graphic designer or Flash designer, a demo reel on a disc or a professional website would be a good way to show your portfolio. If you have a promotional website, make sure all the links are working and it is easy to navigate. This should go without saying, but make sure the reel, portfolio or website has your absolute best work on it. Remember: First impressions count!

You have about 30 seconds of the employer’s attention. Forget saving the best for last. Grab the viewer’s attention. Make sure the first image in your portfolio or sequence in your reel is unforgettable.

For print designers, email a multi-page PDF “efolio” with your resume. This can work for web designers too, with screen captures and a list of active URLs. Make sure the efolio is no larger than 2 MB so it does not bog down the recipient’s email.

Bring your hard-copy portfolio to the interview so you can show the original pieces during the interview. Mike Wittenstein, Chief Experience Officer of Storyminers, does not just want to flip through the pages of a portfolio. He wants to know the context and stories around the samples. “Just seeing the ‘piece’ doesn’t carry as much weight as seeing it in a framework of a problem being solved,” Wittenstein says.

You are marketing your creative prowess to get a job in a creative industry, so you can be creative with how you present your resume and portfolio. You can also be creative in the way you present yourself in person. But, take note of what Carl Mattison, Art Director at Carroll/White, says, “Creativity is a must, yet not in a nutty way that is irrelevant.” Creative whackos are a dime a dozen. Business-minded and client-oriented people who have top-notch creative skills, job experience and the ability to communicate are a hiring partner’s dream.

The Interview

After this engaging summary, make sure to include specific details in your resume that reflect each of your past job descriptions. If you get an employer’s early attention, they want to confirm their first impression by reading through the details of your resume. Also, search engines often will be scanning your resume before human eyes do. Give their spiders what they want.

Once Russ Ensley, Video Production Manager at UPS, decides what kind of talent he needs for his next project, he sets up an initial meeting to make sure that the candidate is a good match and to make sure that he or she is the “real deal.” He also needs to know that the candidate is reliable and can work independently. “While we always try to provide freelancers with all the information they need to perform at a high level, the last thing we need is to be peppered with endless questions on a project. I also want to get a feel for how responsible the person is, and their overall demeanor,” Ensley adds.

Gone are the days of writing one resume on a single page and sending it out to multiple employers. Your resume should be slightly different for every job you are seeking. Feel free to make your resume more than one page, especially if you have been working for more than five years. Limiting your resume to one page is an outdated concept.

Carroll/White’s Mattison wants to make sure the candidates he meets have a “true understanding of time frames and reality.” He is also looking for confidence and originality. Be sure not to get too “creative“ with your appearance during an interview.

Dress professionally, erring on the side of caution.

Hide tattoos and distracting piercings.

The Portfolio Employers differ in the ways they prefer to see samples and portfolios. The best thing you can do is ask how they would like to receive samples and

Brad Gilbert of Gilbert Creative likes to keep his interviews very conversational. “If a freelancer can carry on a good conversation with me, then they will do well if they get into a conversation with a client.

The last thing you want on a project is to have a

freelancer that is part of your team having a dysfunctional conversation with a client,” Gilbert says. He also likes candidates who are eager to work, flexible and can solve problems.

Boone Smith manages media production for Chickfil-A’s Training & Development Department. He looks for “competency, chemistry and character” in the candidates he interviews. As he talks to the candidates, he asks himself questions like: “Does their work show them to be competent in their craft?

Are they a person of character? Will their personality or their chemistry help or hinder a project? Will they get along and work well with other crew members?

Finally, will this person represent our company well?”

Storyminers’ Wittenstein constantly utilizes contractors. When he interviews freelancers to help him with projects, he is looking for a resonance between what they say they are good at and what he thinks they are good at. He also wants to know “what they are interested in doing, what they are passionate about learning next, and how they get clarity at the start of a project.”

The Follow-Up Some employers still like to have something tangible once you leave the interview. Works such as minibooks and postcards are good to have as leave-behind pieces to remind the employer of you after the interview. On the other hand, unsolicited leave-behinds mailed after the interview are likely to get filed away or thrown in the trash.

After the initial meeting, send a thank you card, which includes your business card (if you have one).

Send it . . . as in mail it . . . as in address an envelope and put a stamp on it and use the U.S. Postal Service.

It may sound old-fashioned, but it is the polite thing to do. Your thoughtfulness will make you stand out from the emailed thank you notes that others are sending.

Find out if the employer is open to you calling back and checking on your status. If he or she is, follow up with a phone call three days after sending your thank you card and inquire if you are still under consideration for the position. Be polite when following up.

Stay away from getting pushy, sounding desperate, or giving the impression that you feel “entitled” to a job.

If you did not get the position, ask for feedback from your interview and portfolio.

In the meantime, continue to network. Join as many professional associations as possible. When it comes to job leads and getting your foot in the door, whom you know is always as important as what you know.

Many groups, such as AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts), offer free networking events.

Most important? Do not get discouraged; keep competing! While the creative job market is a bit temperamental right now, people are still hiring.

Keep your spirits up, present the best resume and samples you can, take constructive criticism well, network with as many people as you can, and show them your best. If you keep pursuing the job and career you really want, you will nail it!

www.ozonline.tv OZ MAGAZINE

19

Is it the call of the wild, or simply, a calling, that lures one documentary filmmaker into military fire in Haiti and another into the realm of sex trafficking?

For some it’s a need to preserve the past, for others a passion to effect change today. But whether for progress or posterity, the stories themselves are mental and emotional energy. They compel their producers to create – to discern and capture the story, and present it to the world. It’s in their blood, their bones, their hearts, branding them as documentary filmmakers.

And while these four – Bill VanDerKloot, Amy Linton, Gayla Jamison and Rod Paul – are only a handful of the thriving Atlanta documentary film community, their experiences illustrate the nature of the beast as surely as their films excite and stir our emotions.

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The crew of Commando – (L-R) Radio Operator, Russ Holmes, Co-pilot Jack Ruggles, Captain William Vanderkloot, Flight Engineer Ron Williams, Flight Engineer John Affleck.

It’s 1940. Europe is at war. Nazi air strikes are crippling Britain, and the Royal Air Force is losing hundreds of planes in battles over Europe. They need reinforcements, but the U.S. aircrafts sent on ship convoys across the Atlantic are sunk repeatedly by German U-boats. It’s a dark hour, and the only alternative is to try to fly the planes more than 2,000 miles across the North Atlantic, a feat never before attempted. The young brave pilots of the RAF Ferry Command were drawn to a dangerous and secret mission, pioneering aviation history by flying unarmed in primitive aircraft through treacherous winter weather, using only the stars for navigation.

Captain William VanDerKloot was among these unsung civilian heroes of World War II – and in fact, he was selected as Winston Churchill’s personal pilot, safely delivering the Prime Minister to vital war conferences in Egypt and the Soviet Union. His son, filmmaker Bill VanDerKloot, tells the story of these courageous aviators in Flying the Secret Sky, set to air on WGBH in Boston.

“The project has a personal resonance for me in that my father was one of those pilots,” he said. “It was a labor of love.”

Bill VanDerKloot founded his own production company, VanDerKloot Film & Television, in 1976, and later founded sister companies Magick Lantern and Little Mammoth Media. He is also the founding director of the Atlanta Film and Video Festival.

VanDerKloot bought a Super 8 movie camera in seventh grade and began making movies. In college he studied the sciences, majoring in environmental biology, but was active in film on the side. To his parents’ dismay, VanDerKloot turned down a “real job” at a Fortune 500 company to learn the film business in NYC. He has come a long way from living on friends’ couches as a production assistant.

“Joseph Campbell said ‘Follow your bliss,’” quoted VanDerKloot. “You have to follow your heart over your head, sometimes over a cliff. I enjoy what I do.”

After four years of fund-raising, VanDerKloot made his first film, Iron Horse, about a piece of public sculpture that caused a riot. The 30-minute documentary was shown nationally on PBS and won a number of awards. From that point on, he was hooked.

“Really, the main challenge was funding,” he said. “Back then, you had to shoot on film – very expensive – and to edit, you needed professional editing equipment. Today you can edit in iMovie on your laptop.”

VanDerKloot recalls sending off letters in between corporate work to get grants. “I saved the rejection letters. They’re in a file about an inch thick.”

But eventually, he got one grant, and then another. His work in the ’80s included Portrait of America – Georgia and the award-winning World of Audubon series for Turner Broadcasting, which benefitted from his scientific background. www.ozonline.tv OZ MAGAZINE 21

A digital re

-creation of

rkloot looks He exits Commando as Captain Vande Winston Churchill arriving in Moscow.

Then in the ’90s, inspiration came from his two sons on a fortuitous trip to the airport. “Everything is a wonder to them,” VanDerKloot recalled. “Sometimes their questions are more intelligent than adult questions. I remember my sons seeing the airplanes taking off and asking, ‘How big is it? Where is it going? How many people are on board?’”

Disappointed by the educational videos he found on the market, VanDerKloot created a full-length documentary that looks at the world through the eyes of a 5-year-old. Narrated by kids, The Big Plane Trip showed the cockpit of an airplane and took them on an international flight to Switzerland. It was the first in The Big Adventure Series, a 16-episode series of children’s films now licensed for distribution in over 30 countries around the world. Little Mammoth Media was created to focus on these fun videos that explain how things work behind the scenes. A piece on how food gets to the breakfast table, for example, entailed trips well beyond the supermarket – who knew that food was actually grown? – to orange orchards in Florida and cocoa and pineapple plantations in Hawaii.

“Many great projects don’t get made because there is no funding for them,” VanDerKloot said. “Certainly,

on.

Bennett’s fi

rst flight ov er the Atlant

ic.

the order of the films I make is determined, at least in part, on when or if they are funded.”

His documentary Cumberland: Island in Time, which won a Cine Golden Eagle in 2000, came decades after a college camping trip where he fell in love with the natural splendor and fascinating history of the island.

VanDerKloot said he believes in “making films that make a difference, even if it’s one person at a time.

Whether it’s a documentary that inspires people to protect the environment for future generations, a history program that opens a door to an event long forgotten, or a film that shows a child’s view of the world. All of these can have an impact.”

In the past VanDerKloot shot most of his projects on film and then transferred to digital videotape. But Flying the Secret Sky was shot and finished on HDCAM, and he is currently in production on three projects that are all being shot on the Sony XDCAM EX, which uses solid state media and is imported into Final Cut for an HD release. “I just love that little camera [the XDCAM],” he said. “It doesn’t look like a big professional camera.

You don’t attract a lot of attention.”

William VanDerKloot (right) with sound recordist David Terry shooting in the mud on Cumberland

Leave that to his portfolio of award-winning work.

William VanDerKloot shooting near the dunes on Cumberland beach.

Miss Lucy Fergusson with her menagerie circa 1925, from Vanderkloot’s documentary, Cumberland: Island in Time.

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In the 1920s two Italian immigrant anarchists were tried, convicted and executed for murder in what has been called “one of the most alarming and shameful incidents of social and political injustice in America’s history” (New York Press).

Co-produced in 2006 by director Peter Miller and editor Amy Linton, Sacco and Vanzetti relates to the world today, as civil liberties and the rights of immigrants are again under attack.

“There’s always going to be some ethnic group that’s the bottom rung,” Linton said. “Back in the ’20s, it was the Italians. Today there’s racial profiling going on with the Muslims. Everyone thinks they’re terrorists.”

From top: Bartolomeo Vanzetti (left) and Nicola Sacco in handcuffs. The controversial 1920’s murder trial elicited enormous international attention and mass protests, as critics raised accusations of anti-immigrant sentiment interfering with justice. The bottom two photographs are stills from The Internationale, a documentary that shows the part music can play in social change. One is of protesters in Tiananmen Square; the bottom picture features Pete Seeger and Billy Bragg.

Miller and Linton started the film before 9/11 and realized in the years since then the parallels that could be drawn. The film, which won the John E. O’Connor Film Award, struggled with expenses, including $37,000 worth of archival footage.

“We waded through 40 to 50 hours of interviews, 40 to 50 archival reels, and you go through it all, trying to wrestle it to the ground, figure out how to tell the story,” Linton said.

Financial help along the way often came in the form of discounted or free services from friends or interested parties. The filmmakers were thrilled when actors Tony Shalhoub (star of Monk) and John Turturro (Barton Fink, among other movies, and a guest star on Monk, as Monk’s brother) agreed to do the voices of Sacco and Vanzetti for free.

“We took the mountain to Mohammed,” said Linton, which in this case meant setting up a little recording studio in one of the offices of the Monk television show. “When Tony had a break, he came in and did a reading and he was just perfect,” she said. “We were all in tears by the end.”

Cohesively weaving a story with archival footage, modern-day interviews, reenactments, narrated letters, and other documents, not to mention music and art, is a challenge that Linton enjoys – just like a good puzzle.

“That’s part of what makes it fun,” she said. “Solving problems when they didn’t get the shot they wanted or if there was a weak actor, for example.

Solving problems and arranging what people said

into something understandable and compelling.”

Linton is a longtime freelance Avid Media Composer editor for Turner Broadcasting. She works on the series The Closer and on trailers for TNT’s original movies – work that she says provides a nice balance to her sideline passion for documentaries.

“It’s the opposite of a documentary,” Linton said.

“I’m deconstructing, using shots out of context, and it’s short – that closure is nice when the documentary process is so long.” She considers the time involved, often several years, to be one of the hardest aspects of documentary filmmaking. It can be hard not to give up. It can be easy to lose your enthusiasm or surrender to the endless setbacks along the way.

“There needs to be a documentary film support group,” she said. “It’s such a long process. You need feedback and support, people to cheer you on.”

Linton studied music at the University of Georgia, never dreaming that she would end up in a film editing career. But she has used her music education every day, she said, and her love of music influences her work not only in the development of that aspect of any film, but also in her selection of projects.

Take The Internationale, winner of the best short documentary at the Woodstock Film Festival in 2000. It tells the story of the world’s most famous revolutionary song, “L’Internationale,” considered “the anthem of the Left” and a rallying cry for oppressed people since 1871. Currently, she is working with her husband on a film about Savannah singer-songwriter Johnny Mercer, known for “Moon River” and many other songs from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. 2009 will be the 100-year anniversary of his birth.

Linton’s credits include editing work on VanDerKloot’s Cumberland Island documentary; George King’s Goin’ to Chicago, a history of black migration; and Building Bombs, produced by Mark Mori and Susan Robinson and nominated in 1990 for an Oscar.

“I think preserving history in any form is really important,” Linton said. “My husband and I restore old houses. The house we’re in is 100 years old.” www.ozonline.tv OZ MAGAZINE 23

Meet Lucita, a 19-year-old Mexican woman struggling to help her family. A neighbor tells her that if she’s willing to move to Los Angeles, she can be guaranteed a good-paying factory job, enabling her to send money home. The neighbor arranges transport for her, but the factory job was a myth – Lucita is the victim of sex trafficking. A black-curtained California brothel becomes her prison and her life a nightmare.

This is one of the stories told in Lives for Sale, a co-production of Maryknoll Productions and Lightfoot Films, which aired on public broadcasting in January 2007. Producer Gayla Jamison has 25 years’ experience making documentaries that focus on human rights and social issues. Her first film, Enough to Share (1983), featured Koinonia, a cooperative farm in southeast Georgia where the idea for Habitat for Humanity was generated.

“I was very interested in social issues and people overcoming obstacles to realize justice or peace,” Jamison said. “That first film set me on that course – so be careful what your first film is! It may determine your whole career.”

Jamison said it was paramount to her that Lives for Sale go beyond the superficial grasp of her subjects’ stories. The film had to get into the root causes, explore what makes a population vulnerable to human trafficking, and make people think.

“Who is going to be FOR sexually exploiting women and children? Nobody!” said Jamison. “It’s a simple issue to rally around. But once you look at where they’re coming from and why they chose to come here, it becomes more complex. I think people wish we hadn’t gone into those issues because it digs deeper and you have to think harder and examine your own politics.”

From top (beneath Jamison): A priest presides over a funeral mass for victims of a massacre during the Guatemalan civil war. Elena Pardo handles camera operations for Jamison on “Lives for Sale.” A young man is interviewed shortly before he crosses the border between Mexico and the United States.

Jamison talks with a man from a coffee-growing cooperative in Salvador Urbina.

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Cognizant of anti-immigration sentiment, Jamison structured Lives for Sale to go beyond the victims’ stories and profile programs that promote improved economic conditions in the home country, obviating the need to migrate. In Salvador Urbina, a cooperative called Just Coffee enables growers to sell coffee directly so that more profits can be kept for the community. In Guatemala, activists are tackling an 80 percent female illiteracy rate as one step to helping women learn skills to earn a decent living.

These are tough issues, and par for the course for Jamison’s work. In Scraps of Life (1991), she interviewed women in Chile whose family members had been murdered for political reasons. In Approach

of Dawn (1998), she profiled three Mayan women active in the human rights movement after their lives had been shattered by Guatemala’s 36-year civil war.

One might wonder if these often dark and disturbing topics weigh on her after a while — but no, she said.

“There’s something uplifting about it that people are so creative and courageous in their fight for justice,” Jamison said. “It’s really inspiring because these are people who put everything on the line – so that inspires me – and injustice makes me very angry. This is my small contribution.”

What can be hard, however, is letting go. The nature of her work makes her quite involved in a subject for a period of time, and then the film is finished and it’s time to move on. Sometimes she maintains ties, sometimes not, but she always maintains the perspective and hope that she is helping people reach a larger audience than they would have.

Lucita, from Lives for Sale, has been going through counseling since the brothel was shut down and is on a path to recovery. “She said every time she tells her story, she gets a little more of herself back from her trafficker,” Jamison said.

Jamison’s forte is writing and producing; she hires cameramen and others to assist in her projects. “I really admire young producers that film their own

documentaries,” Jamison said. “That really cuts down costs and facilitates production. And sometimes they create a really intimate relationship with the subject that I think is really special, now that they have smaller equipment than in the past.”

Certainly, the rewards in documentary filmmaking are not always financial, and Jamison has had her share of “lean moments.” Today, she is working full time on two documentaries: one is about Julia Peterkin, a South Carolina planter’s wife whose novels about the Gullah people achieved literary acclaim and are considered a precursor to the Harlem Renaissance. “I hope people respond to it,” said Jamison, who has been working on the film for seven years, but only “in earnest” since South Carolina station ETV came in as a sponsor.

The second project is From the Shadow of Death, a story of forgiveness and reconciliation for one couple whose son was killed in the World Trade Center attacks of 9/11. The parents became friends with the mother of Zacarias Moussaoui, one of the terrorists from that terrible day.

shoots a police raid in Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince. Children Four pictures on left, clockwise, feature the making of “Failing Haiti”: Rod Paul a gang. Paul takes a break with United Nations Civilian and police UN between battle earlier an from in Cite Soleil hold up bullet casings Paul at Saut d’Eau. Two pictures on the right are from the David son) (and assistant Police and Haitian National Police. Paul and soundman/ ancestor fossil discovery in Ethiopia. making of “From the Apes,” a working title for a documentary about a human

The location is Haiti, a country suffering from international power struggles, corruption, drug smuggling and covert militias. The year is 2004, and there is controversy broiling over a change in regime following the end of Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s presidency. Did the U.S. manipulate his exile in an orchestrated coup d’etat? Into this powder keg of intrigue and violence, filmmakers Rod Paul and David Adams descended, the only journalists who could (or would?) get into the slums run by the gangs, where they would interview the rebel leader just days before he was murdered.

By the end of this year, look for a documentary on the Discovery Channel about a human ancestor fossil discovery in Ethiopia that may have the scientific world buzzing – once the research is published, that is. The project has been in the works since 2000 when a scientist approached Paul with the story.

Paul managed to secure one grant and then contracted with Discovery in 2006.

“We talked with the insurgents, members of the deposed Aristide government, sources at the U.S. Embassy,” said Rod Paul. “We went out with the UN patrols that were at war with those in Port-au-Prince. I had not been to Haiti before … it was fascinating. We made very good friends.”

Primary Pictures typically does all the finishing, but final mastering and color correction are often done at Crawford Communications. “Jesse Crawford is very supportive of independent filmmakers, and he’s as good as it gets in technical areas,” Paul said.

The Chilean air force flew them around for aerial shots. “We asked ‘Will you take us up?’ and they did,” said Paul. “Never underestimate the value of just asking somebody. You never know what they will say.”

For Paul, the biggest challenge is the artistry involved in story telling, balancing a ton of information with a compelling human interest angle. It’s easy to follow one character, but that can be limiting in showing many sides of a subject. “You want to make sure people can follow the story, but you don’t want to turn the piece into a lecture,” Paul said. “I tend to have a lot of substance.”

Rod Paul shot, directed, produced and edited Failing Haiti. His film and video production company, Primary Pictures, was founded in 1976 and offers a complete range of HD production services. Paul underwrote Failing Haiti himself, but has made money on it. The film was sold to 14 countries internationally before PBS picked it up for U.S. broadcast. “I like doing things that are edgy,” he said. “Things that are exciting, yes – a little adrenaline keeps people awake.”

Paul shot Failing Haiti on 24P HD using the Panasonic Varicam with AVID HD editing. Now he’s working with Adams again on a project in Colombia that probes the failure of the drug war.

“There are plenty of people who get paid for documentary work, although it’s rare to have high-end work,” he said. “But the equipment used is getting cheaper and there are plenty of people working with a $5,000 camera.”

Fortunately, for Paul and for other filmmakers with a penchant for substance, it seems that the public’s interest in documentaries is waxing strong.

More filmmakers are noting an increased appetite for both making and watching documentaries. Perhaps it’s a silver lining of reality TV? Hard to tell.

But count on seeing more documentaries in HD than ever before, for as long as stories remain to be told – and that should be a long time indeed.

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OZ SCENE

ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL 2008

THE ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL GRAND JURY PRIZE WINNERS AND AUDIENCES AWARD PRIZE WINNERS The Atlanta Film Festival announced its audience and jury prizes for the 2008 Atlanta Film Festival which concluded April 19 with a screening of THE VISITOR featuring in-person appearances from Tom McCarthy and Haaz Slieman followed by a delightful party at Guillotine Productions, sponsored by Turner, The Georgia Office of Film, Music and Digital Entertainment, Stella Artois, and Red Bull.

JURY PRIZES:

AUDIENCE AWARDS:

★★★ Narrative feature: MAKE-OUT WITH VIOLENCE

★★★ Feature: YOUNG@HEART

★★★ Documentary Feature: AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR

★★★ Short: MEXICAN IN THE CLOSET

★★★ Shorts: Narrative Short: AQUARIUM (Academy Award qualification)

★★★ Animated Short: BUT SOME ARE BRAVE (Academy Award qualification) ★★★ Documentary Short: AFRICA’S DAUGHTER ★★★ Pink Peach Award (Sponsored by Turner): Best LGBT Film from the Atlanta Film Festival line-up XXY ★★★ Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Direction: MY EFFORTLESS BRILLIANCE ★★★ Special Jury Prize for First Documentary: LAND OF CONFUSION ★★★ Special Jury Prize for Pure Documentary Entertainment: SPINE TINGLER: THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY

Feature Jury: Erik Jambor (Indie Memphis) Craig Zobel (GREAT WORLD OF SOUND) Documentary Jury: Ray Barry (AFI Silver) Karin Hayes (MISSING PEACE) Bill VanDerKloot (VanDerKloot Productions) Shorts Jury: Paul Rachman (Slamdance, AMERICAN HARDCORE) Peter Knegt (IndieWIRE) Linda Dubler (High Museum of Art) Pink Peach Jury: Dave Hayward (Touching Up Our Roots) Melissa Carter (Q-100) Randal Luckow (TurnOut) Rapid i Movement Jury: Janet Smith (Red Bull) Lon Slack (Multimedia Services) Walker Anderson (Comcast) Christopher Holland (B-Side)

★★★ Special Jury Prize for Pink Peach: THE ELEVATOR ★★★ Rapid i Movement Grand Prize: Best film from the Atlanta Film Festival’s bi-annual 50-hour film-making competition DONE IN ONE

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OZ SCENE

Virginia Hepner, Board Chair of the Metro Atlanta Arts & Culture Coalition, is honored at The Image Awards Gala in the Egyptian Ballroom at the Fox Theater in Atlanta.

Steve James, director of the Documentary Film, At the Death House Door, is honored at The Image Awards Gala .

Chris Burns, Tichina Arnold, Michael Rooker, Executive Director Gabriel Wardell, and Beverly Todd (all cast from Georgia production of The Lena Baker Story) at the World Premiere Screening at Opening Night of the Atlanta Film Festival.

Matthew Bernstein, right, Department Chair of Film Studies at Emory University, is honored at The Image Awards Gala.

To the left is host Rick Reitz.

Steve James, left, and Peter Gilbert, center, directors of the Documentary Film, At The Death House Door, are honored at The Image Awards Gala. To the right is host Rick Reitz.

Standing room only crowd at the distribution and marketing panel of the Atlanta Film Festival.

Actor and writer Steve Coulter, left, has a conversation with actor Michael Rooker as part of a panel discussion.

Cast and crew take questions from the audience at the Atlanta Film Festival opening night movie, The Lena Baker Story.

Filmmakers of all ages attended the panel discussions at the Atlanta Film Festival.

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ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL 2008

Dance of the Dead, Cast and Crew.

Tobey Sells, Jonathan Spencer, Randy McDowell.

Dance of the Dead, director Gregg Bishop.

Dance of the Dead, writer Joe Ballarini.

Volunteers enjoying the party at PASTE.

Right to Left - hospitality liason Patrick Ingram, Atlanta Film Festival 365 education director Elizabeth Hamilton, This Beautiful City, Director Ed Gass-Donelly, When Clouds Clear, director Anne Slick, “When Clouds Clear,” director Danielle Bernstein.

Rocking out with Guitar Hero.

The Skyjacker, producer Molly Brown and director and star Jeff Pickett.

photos on this page courtesy of: myspace.com/spiderrainproductions www.ozonline.tv OZ MAGAZINE

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