11.5.07

Lumina Films Goes Green

Hartford, CT- This week new Lumina produced spots made their network debuts. The spots, done in collaboration with ad agency Lang/Durham, launched Connecticut's "One Thing" energy conservation campaign. Agency President Jeff Durham and Creative Director Eric Cavoli conceived the spots and again, teamed up with Lumina co-directors Mark Richardson and Glen Mordeci to execute the simple yet elegant concept -- If everybody did one thing, just one thing, we could change our energy future.

Bulb Thing and Winter Thing combine live-action with computer animation to create a verdant stage for inanimate objects to come to life. Cinematographer Glen Mordeci's keen eye created a lush visual palette for Lumina's graphic artist Kary Rho to bring to life. Rho employed a variety of morphing and animating techniques to create a seamless, theatrical play of objects.

Eric Cavoli of Lang Durham had this to say about his experience at Lumina

"We just finished two campaigns with Lumina and we’re really pleased with
their talent, creativity and plain old hard work. They did the expected, the
more-than-expected and sometimes the impossible to stay true to our vision.
And while it may not be sexy to talk about budgets and deadlines, it’s
reality. And Lumina really went above and beyond to deliver in both regards.
They’re pretty great to work with, too. So, all in all, I’m really glad we
found them."

Look for two more spots from the four spot campaign in the spring.

10.11.07

Lumina Films Continues Its Work With The Partnership For a Drug-Free America

New York, NY - Rebecca Shaw, Deputy Director of Creative Development for The Partnership for a Drug-Free America came to Lumina Films again for another extensive set of PSA's. Following last year's successful Like You campaign, Lumina was asked to create compelling PSA's from a wealth of footage of interviews with recovering crystal meth addicts. The resulting 11 spots are intense and emotional.

A trio of Lumina Editors (Ryan Foregger, Kary Rho, and Mark Richardson), dove into the very raw and stark footage of meth addicts to create compelling public service announcements with a point blank message - Meth Destroys.

It was the frankness of the message which proved to be the most biggest obstacle. According to Mark Richardson. "One of the big challenges with this meth campaign was to get the Partnership comfortable with some of the tag lines we came up with because they were daring and the Partnership was rightly concerned about not being able to substantiate all the claims.  But when we presented them to the Partnership's Creative Review Committee the consensus was - it's the truth so go for it.  The Partnership showed a lot of courage and, once again were a pleasure to work with." The PSA's are currently airing in a variety of markets nationwide.

9.17.07

Lumina Film and Lang/Durham Raise Awareness

Lumina Film and Lang/Durham Raise Awareness

Hartford, CT - Connecticut ad agency Lang/Durham came to Lumina Films with an emotional subject and an important message that needed to be heard. Sickle Cell Disease, a life threatening disease, is the most common genetic form of blood disease. Yet awareness about the disease is considerably low. When the Connecticut Department of Health started an initiative to raise awareness, Lang/Durham President Jeff Durham and Creative Director Eric Cavoli created a visually mesmerizing print and broadcast campaign that highlights the vital message that sickle cell disease can affect anyone, regardless of ethnicity, gender or age.

The agency called on Mark Richardson of Lumina Films to direct the spots that included real sickle cell sufferers. The concept was to shoot beautiful portraits, cut them into pieces, and gracefully composite them into living, moving mosaics representing the universal vulnerability sickle cell disease presents. The portraits, including the print work, were shot by Lumina Films' cinematographer Glen Mordeci. Kary Rho of Lumina handled the post duties, and using a technique of revealing rather than building, created the hauntingly beautiful mosaics.

The three spots: Face the Facts, Face the Future, and Face it Together are currently airing in Connecticut.

6.14.07

The Pickup Club Begins Filming at Lumina Films Studio

Three writers, 200 pages, 15 cases of alcohol and an schematic map five feet wide, Lumina Films begins shooting the first episode of thepickupclub.com.

“We began casting back in March and the response was amazing.  The actors were all dying to be involved,” says Mark Richardson, the game’s creator.  “Then we started writing the scripts and we went – whoa, this is going to be complicated!”

The game concept is quit simple; a player chooses a character from a lineup of guys and girls waiting to get into the club.   Once inside, after being carded by the doorman whose job is to keep underage players out, the player then chooses which girl or guy they want to try to pick up. The player then chooses which pick up lines to use on their chosen target.  Each choice results in a short 1 minute film in which the character and the target flirt back and forth until it’s time to make the next 4 choices.

“You start with 3 choices, a, b or c.” Richardson says, “ which leads to a1, a2 or a3, b1, b2 or b3 or c1, c2 or c3.  Choice 4 is always a bailout option.  Exponentially the first 3 choices turn to 9, to 27 to 81 to 243 and so on – hence the 5 foot map.  It’s exciting… but daunting!”   

Ryan Foregger, Lumina’s creative genius, stepped in and created the map.  “The game is like the old Choose Your Own Adventure books we read when we were kids. Except instead of a lonely space traveler meeting aliens, we've got good-looking guys picking up stunning women," adds Ryan.

3.28.07

Good Morning America Chooses Ben Kweller Video As It's "Youtube Pick of the Week."

New York, NY - This morning ABC's Good Morning America named Ben Kweller's "Penny on the Train Track" its Youtube Pick of the Week. The video, cut at Lumina Films by editor Ryan Foregger was also chosen by Youtube for feature on the home page this week. That's the second time this month a Foregger music video has landed the highest of internet honors and recognition. Further more the video made its debut on MTV's daily video show TRL and is currently eligible for voting.

The video concept was a simple one as Ben Kweller explains.

"I was talking with the label about what the next single would be and told them that I talked to my grandmother and she said, 'Benjamin I just love that song Penny on the Train Track and I just dance around whenever it comes on.' And the label said to me, 'that's the video!" So they flew me down to Florida and I shot about four takes, that's about all she could handle."

Ben returned to New York with four hilarious takes and no plan to cut the video. That's when Tim Fite turned Ben onto Ryan, and the two hit it off immediately.

"I met Ryan and I said, 'That's the guy.' And he really brought it home for us."

While Penny is currently in heavy rotation on the radio, and television. Kweller and Foregger are already making plans to team up for a Foregger directed video for Ben's next single.

3.7.07

Ryan Foregger's Latest Work Gets You Tube Feature

New York, NY - Lumina Films director/editor Ryan Foregger's latest music video for ANTI- recording artist Tim Fite was chosen by You Tube editors to be featured on the You Tube home page this week. The controversial anti-war video for Fite's song "Camouflage" has over 400,000 views and is the most discussed video this week.

The video is in support of Fite's latest album "Over the Counter Culture" The album has received a lot of press for it's indictment of the prevalent consumerism that has corrupted hip-hop music. Staying true to his message, Fite, with the support of ANTI- records, is releasing the album for free.

Along with directing, Foregger shot and edited the (adjective) video. This is the second collaboration between Tim and Ryan. Their first video together, for the song "Away From the Snakes," can be seen here.

2.17.07

Lumina Films Begins Interactive Website

Responding to client’s desire for more presence on the web, Lumina Films has begun developing an interactive website game designed to attract a large, ever-growing, highly targeted audience, keeps that audience engaged for extended periods of time, brings that audience back on a regular basis and strategically and seamlessly integrates sponsor’s product into the site’s game thereby maximizing the sponsor’s branding and exposure with their intended audience.

Says Mark Richardson, the site’s creator, “Branded entertainment, branded entertainment, branded entertainment – it’s like a mantra.  It’s all I hear these days from agencies and clients. I asked my team to sit down in front of their computers and find branded entertainment sites that successfully accomplish merging a sponsor’s brand into an entertaining website in a way that keeps the visitor engaged for reasonable periods of time and unobtrusively incorporates the sponsor’s brand.  Sure, there’s a ton of expensive, impressive looking sites out there.  Great eye candy and lots of fun…once.  Then what?  Been there, done that, why would I return?  When you look at their stats, their ranking, their reach - we couldn’t find anything I would consider truly successful.   So I started from scratch.  I knew I wanted the site’s main sponsor to be the alcoholic beverage industry.  I came up a simple premise that has exploded into this amazing concept called; The Pick Up Club.”

2.7.07

Lumina Tapped to Help Launch Website; Ikea Contest

New York, NY - Lumina Films recently completed work on a web video that simultaneously launched new social networking/sponsored contest website shycast.com and announced Ikea's "Making the Bed" contest. The video, shot on location at Ikea, feature host Yue Xu grabbing unsuspecting shoppers and having them demonstrate their unique bed-making techniques.

With just a week to shoot and cut the piece, Lumina Films quickly swung into full gear. Casting on Monday and shooting on Wednesday, Lumina was compressing the final piece for the web Friday Afternoon. Directed by Mark Richardson, shot by Glen Mordeci, and edited by Ryan Foregger, the piece is an example of Lumina Films' ability pull a project together regardless of any restraints.

1.29.07

Lumina Wraps 9 Spots Motrin Code Orange Campaign

New York, NY - Advertising Agency Alchemy, a partner with Lowe Worldwide, and Lumina Films have just wrapped production on a 9 spot broadcast campaign for Motrin IB and Children's Motrin. Lumina's Glen Mordeci, at the helm as both Director and Cinematographer, used his innovative eye and skillful comic timing to give the campaign dubbed "Code Orange," its edge and humor Motrin was looking for.

Glen explained his approach.

"I knew I wanted the spots to be grounded in reality with a touch of slapstick…or was it an abundance of slapstick and a touch of reality…Luke, I am your father (let the editor decide).
There were 7 spots in the package with each spot a representation of daily life, or to be more accurate, “daily strain”. I wanted each spot to be its own portraiture that looked into the familiar. I took a “things as they are” approach as they relate to my life than added that extra little something. My vision was to have each spot consist of singular images that were connected by a transition of place, leading to climax."

Shooting in a variety of beautiful locations (JFK Airport, Cunningham Indoor Tennis Center, and a couple Soho lofts), the spots maintained the high-end look synonyomous with the Motrin brand. After successfully shooting the test commercials on the HVX-200, Lumina chose to stick with the popular indie-film HD camera. DP Glen talked about look.

"The schedule was very, very, very tight. My approach was simple - stream line everything except performance. Natural light played an important role in the design of the campaign. My pre-production strategy relied heavily on utilizing my locations for their natural beauty so I could commit our time allocation to execution. Even the camera we used complimented this philosophy.
We moved quickly and kept camera movement to a minimum relying on well-composed frames that would enhance the viewer’s experience while staying true to our client’s intent."

When agency Producer Martha Pfeiffer approached Executive Producer Mark Richardson to produce the spots, Mark took one look at the boards and knew Glen Mordeci would be the perfect choice. Collaborating with agency creatives Amy Sacks, Joanne Scannello, and Mark Jensen, Lumina Films delivered spots that everyone was thrilled with and continued to build their relationship with Alchemy.

Glen talked about that relationship.

"The Agency was great. They gave me just enough rope to hang myself with. And at times I thought I had. The agency was very accommodating in letting me run with an idea. All in all I was happy with the collaboration. I was truly surprised how much silliness actually made the cuts. Perhaps taking it too far was the correct recipe for these particular spots. I want to thank the Agency for letting me explore."

The spots will begin airing immediately in a wide variety of markets.

9.8.06

8.23.06

Mending Steff is Freddie Award Finalist

MediMedia's International Health & Medical Media Awards, known as the Freddie Awards, has chosen "Mending Steff" as a finalist in this years competition. The competition's goal has always been to encourage and celebrate excellence and every year it attracts documentaries, series, shorts, videos, Web sites, DVDs and CD-ROMs from around the world.

7.15.06

Lumina Films Wins Two Telly Awards

New York, NY- In partnership with distributor Select Media, Lumina Films adds two new Telly Awards with the educational AIDS drama, "The Hard Way" in addition to social issue adoption film, "Tanisha's Choice".

5.16.06

Advertising Age Features Lumina Films' Campaign for Partnership for a Drug-Free America

NewYork, NY- Creative/production/post house Lumina Films was recognized for their work as the agency of record in a recent issue of Advertising Age that highlighted the latest effort by the Partnership For a Drug-Free America to raise awareness of teen prescription drug abuse.

Lumina Films creatives Mark Richardson and Arlene Jaffe conceived and wrote the spots. The company completed the creative trifecta by also handling both production and post-production duties, Director Mark Richardson and DP Glen Mordeci accomplished a PDFA first by delivering an unprecedented eight spots which included 30's, 20's, 15's, and 10's for both English and Hispanic markets.

"Putting the Pieces Together" Gets Wider Theatrical Distribution

New York, NY- Having successfully completed its intial 20 theatre run, Putting the Pieces Together (also known as Mending Steff) is gearing up for a nationwide 144 theatre run. The 30-minute narrative dramatizes one psychiatrist's struggle to diagnose and treat a Mixed Bipolar Episode patient.

The film, sponsored by Eli Lilly & Co., is a uniquely compelling way to reach the medical community and build relaitonships with doctors. In it's next run the film will screen for psychiatrists across the nation followed by a discussion about this hard-to-diagnose disorder. By not referencing any drug or company, this type of product-messaging is proving to be far more arresting than traditional advertising.

Lumina Films partnered up with ad agency M2 Communications to produce the High-Definition narrative film. Directed by Mark Richardson and exquisitely shot by DP Glen Mordeci, Putting the Pieces Together was produced and posted at Lumina Films.

"This film represents a whole new appoach to advertising and marketing for our client and the results are amazing. Lumina Films did a phenomenal job."--George Griffith, M2 Communications

"Tanisha's Choice" Wins First Place Gold Camera Award

West Hollywood, CA- Tanisha's Choice, a trigger film about adoption options for pregnant teenagers won the First Place Gold Camera Award in the 2006 US International Film and Video Festival under the "Social Issues" category.

The dramatic narrative was produced by Lumina Films for Select Media. Directed by Lumina's Mark Richardson and edited by Ryan Foregger at Lumina Films, the film is the second in the "Making Proud Choices Curriculum" produced and posted at Lumina. The previous film, Nicole's Choice, has won 26 awards including a CINE Golden Eagle, MediMedia's FREDDIE award, and was only the second film in HeSCA’s 30-year history to win it's top 3 festival awards.

"Shadowhood" to Screen at Educational Symposium in Scotland

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND– SHADOWHOOD (A Hero’s Journey) will have it’s international premiere next month during the CIVICUS World Assembly. CIVICUS is a forum for international civil society representatives to exchange ideas, experiences and build strategies for a just world.

SHADOWHOOD (A Hero’s Journey), a joint venture between Lumina Films, The Children’s Media Project and the New York State Labor Department is a dramatic one- hour narrative film that follows several inner city youths who are determined to improve their lives against all odds. Using mythologist Joseph Campbells’ A Hero’s Journey as the film’s foundation and the basis for the accompanying curriculum, SHADOWHOOD (A Hero’s Journey) “is quite unlike any educational film you’ve ever seen” says Maria Marewsky, founder of The Children’s Media Project, an arts and education organization. “It is the most revolutionary educational film I’ve ever seen – and I’ve seen a lot!” said Owen Brown, Positive Reflections, an inner city youth organization. “You can’t watch this film and not be moved,” he added.

Lumina’s founder and the film’s writer/director, Mark Richardson, says of SHADOWHOOD, “it was quite an extraordinary experience, in all aspects. During pre-production the Labor Department supplied us with 15 inner city teenage interns who became indispensable both as I was writing the script and shooting the film. Because they were our audience I wanted the film to resonate with them and their peers so I had them read the script out loud and engage in honest critics as I was writing it. During production we taught them filmmaking 101 and had them shoot the behind the scenes ‘making of the movie’ documentary. Many we used as extras in the film. Everyone was caught up in the journey we had all embarked on. Even the seasoned actors we brought in from NYC. There was very little money and the accommodations were basic at best. One of our lead actors had finished all his scenes and was about to be taken to the train station when he asked if he could stay on the set. The energy of the project and the people, cast, crew, everyone – was so positively charged that no one wanted it to end.” And it shows on the screen.
Peter Feldman, a producer at BBDO says “I’ve been following Mark’s long form narrative work for a number of years now – I’m a big fan of what he has accomplished on so little and the strong visceral style he brings to his films. But when I saw SHADOWHOOD I immediately asked ‘What can I do to help this film?’" Mark explained the next goal is to turn A Hero’s Journey into an on-going webisode so Peter quickly arranged a meeting with Coke to come in as a potential sponsor.

SHADOWHOOD (A Hero’s Journey) screened out of competition last fall at the Hampton Film Festival.

Lumina Films Produces MANNY Agency of the Year Video For The Cement Works

New York, NY- The CementWorks, LLC announced today that it was awarded Agency of the Year: Category III at the 17th Annual Med Ad News Manny Awards, held April 20 in New York City.

Lumina Films produced and posted tongue-in-cheek Cememt Works nomination video, solidifying the agency's reputation as a fun, creative environment. Directed and shot by Glen Mordeci and cut by Lumina's Ryan Foregger, All-Star, features the cement workers camping it up karaoke style to Smashmouth's hit "All Star"

Prime Access Taps Lumina Films to Produce Animated Film for Merck

New York, NY- Ad Agency Prime Access teamed up with Lumina Films to create an animated film to launch Merck's new medical website, MerckMedicus. In Building It, Lumina Films and its team of animators created an undefinable cyberworld in which doctors, armed with chalk, design the MerckMedicus website and bring its features to life.

"We came to Lumina — with an insane timeline and a tight budget — to do a pharmaceutical video for our most prominent client. The production entailed a combination of live action, extensive animation and post-production, and voiceover with original music. Mark and his team dug in and produced the complete package, bringing our concept to life while supplying a wealth of original ideas. The final video was a great success and look forward to working with Lumina again."-Cris Crisman, Creative Director

Lumina's production team included Mark Richardson and Glen Mordeci directing, with Mordeci also working behind the camera. In post, Lumina animators Wendy DuBuff and Denise Goins were faced with the task of mixing live-action and animated elements to bring the website's structural elements to life.

Director/DP Glen Mordeci Joins Lumina Films

New York, NY. Lumina Films is excited to announce its recent partnership with Director/DP Glen Mordeci. Glen is no stranger to Lumina Films. As director of photography on a number of Lumina's high profile projects including the exquisitely filmed, ground-breaking Eli Lilly film "Putting the Pieces Together" which is enjoying an nationwide theatrical tour, and the recent campaign for Partnership for a Drug Free America, Glen and director Mark Richardson are enjoying a fun, creative partnership that has resulted in strong cinematic results.

"There's an unmistakable, wonderfully wry sense of humor in Glen's directing." says Richardson. "Yet at the same time his frame is always lush and rich resulting in spots that are memorable, funny AND gorgeous to watch. We're thrilled to have him with us."

An avid surfer, Glen's first directing job under Lumina Films is a beautiful spot for Surfrider Foundation, an organization close to Glen's heart.

Glen believes the success of a project is not only the mastery of technical aspects, but also a broad and well-versed knowledge of the humanities. The use of visual references to develop the look and feel of a project are instinctual, with concrete examples drawn from art history as well as film history and imagery drawn from popular culture. His interest in the arts and travel have broadened his imaginative point of view (his sense of humor he blames on his father). Glen has been part of the commercial film industry for the past 18 years with bases in NYC and LA.

“As a cinematographer I strive to explore the language of cinematography and as a Director the art of story telling.”

Lumina Films Screens at Carnegie Hall

New York, NY- This year’s Laurie Strauss Leukemia Foundation’s Gala Concert at Carnegie Hall honored composer Charles Strouse and Lumina Films was asked for the second year in a row to create the tribute video. A mix of live action and animation, the tribute video took the sold-out audience in the hall on a reminiscent tour of Strouse’s infamous theater and film scores including Annie, Applause, Bye Bye Birdie, Rags, Bonnie & Clyde and many, many more.

Lumina Films’ Mark Richardson & Eduardo Benchoam created the After Effects-heavy animated musical review.