Georgia film, video & music...you get the picture [Vol. 20, no. 2 (Mar./Apr. 2004)]

Volume 20, Number 2
Bobby Jones - Stroke of Genius Tees Up April 30
Photo: (L-R) Thomas Lewis, Devon Gearhart and Jim Caviezel.
The Georgia-lensed feature film Bobby Jones - Stroke of Genius opens nationwide on April 30. The film tells the story of a man who had great love and passion for his family and for a game that often tested both. It is a visual portrait of a Georgia legend who became a true American hero, not because he played for money or fame, but rather for the love of the game.
Bobby Jones - Stroke of Genius stars Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ), Claire Forlani (Meet Joe Black) and Jeremy Northam (The Singing Detective, Gosford Park) who are joined by an ensemble cast which includes Connie Ray (About Schmidt), Brett Rice (Monster) and Malcolm McDowell (The Company, Between Strangers, A Clockwork Orange) as O. B. Keeler. Making their film debut are Devon Gearhart as Bobby Jones, age 6-8 and Thomas Lewis as Bobby, age 14. The movie is directed by Rowdy Herrington. The screenplay is written by Rowdy Herrington and Tony Depaul and Bill Bryor from a story by Rowdy Herrington and Kim Dawson. The producers are Kim Dawson, Tim Moore and John Shepherd, with Dave Ross and Rick Eldridge as executive producers.

March/April 2004
Georgia Lensed The Clearing Opens May 21
Photo: (L-R) Willem Dafoe, Robert Redford in The Clearing.

Say Yes Quickly on Festival Circuit
Photo: (L-R) Suli Holum and Brandon Bales
Say Yes Quickly is the latest offering from Haxan Films, the makers of The Blair Witch Project. The film, shot in Athens, Carnesville and Atlanta, Georgia during the summer of 2003, tells the story of a love triangle centered around a confused young writer.
With Say Yes Quickly, director Gregg Hale has created a contemporary, Southern Gothic love story steeped in the tradition of the hard-drinking, hard-living writer, only in this case our hero is an aspiring woman novelist with a secret. This coming-of-age journey, portrait-of-an-artist and uniquely
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Georgia Film, Video & Music... You Get The Picture is a bi-monthly publication. Deadline for article submission in the May/June issue is April 10, 2004. Articles can be mailed to Brenda Brayton, Georgia Film, Video & Music Office, Post Office Box 1776, Atlanta, GA 30301, faxed to 404.656.3565 or sent electronically to bbrayton@georgia.org. Visit our website at www.filmgeorgia.org or call 877.746.6842.

FEATURED LOCATION: Floyd County Stockade
Photo: Floyd County Stockade
The Floyd County Stockade, located in Rome Georgia, was built in 1926. The facility originally housed 220 prisoners. When it closed in 2002 the Floyd County Stockade was believed to be the second oldest active work camp in operation. The prison has a dining hall and also a laundry facility both of which are separate from the main complex.

First Offense to Begin in April
Green Valley Entertainment is pleased to announce that its third feature, the provocative, voyeuristic thriller, First Offense, is currently in development and will begin production in Atlanta in mid-April.
When Sam Taylor meets Lisa Wayne, he experiences every 18-year old guy's ultimate fantasy: nostrings-attached sex with a beautiful, uninhibited older woman. However, as the summer between Sam's senior year of high school and his first year of college wears on, Sam learns that when it comes to sex there are always strings attached. Sam unwittingly becomes a pawn in Lisa's twisted emotional game with her uptight police officer husband. She uses her affair with Sam to taunt her husband, manipulating him into a final confrontation.
Michael Valverde will direct the original script written by Steve Antczak. Steve Barnes will executive produce through his company Barnesology Pictures.

Photo: Floyd County Stockade interior
Sundance Win for GSU Graduate
Vasco Lucas Nunes' film DIG! won the Grand Jury Prize in the Documentary Competition at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. DIG! is a feature-length documentary shot over seven years that tracks the tumultuous rise of two talented musicians: Anton Newcombe, leader of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Courtney Taylor, leader of the Dandy Warhols. The film was produced and directed by Ondi Timoner of Interloper Films.
Nunes, who was a co-producer and cinematographer on the film, graduated magna cum laude from GSU in 1998, majoring in film production. While in school, Nunes honed his television and broadcasting skills as a producer and editor for CNN.

DAEL Promo Film Opens at Smithsonian Air & Space
The GSU Digital Arts and Entertainment Lab (DAEL) recently developed the promotional film for Pulseworks' "Spacewalk 2004," a motion simulator ride located at the newly-opened Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum facility in Chantilly, VA. The promo film, developed by DAEL's Matt Rowles and Elizabeth Strickler, invites visitors to enhance their museum experience with an exciting virtual voyage on the ride. The film runs constantly on large plasma screens throughout the new National Air and Space Museum, which was visited by over 250,000 people in its first three weeks of operation.

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Dancz Scores Mecca
Photo: Steve Dancz
Atlanta composer Steve Dancz has completed his 15th film score for National Geographic. Inside Mecca was broadcast as a special for PBS. With unique access to Islam's holiest city, National Geographic follows three Muslims from very different backgrounds as they embark on an epic five-day reaffirmation of faith and quest for salvation. Dancz also recently completed the original score for the Discovery Channel's film Who Betrayed Anne Frank?. The film reveals the latest research into who betrayed the Frank family to the Nazis just weeks before the occupation ended. Atlanta Symphony Chorus member Arietha Lockhart is featured in an emotional setting of the Kaddish, the Jewish Prayer of Mourning, composed for the film. Dancz worked with Oasis Recording's Bob Gillespie to layback the score on both projects. For more information please visit www.stevedancz.com.
Petty Appears on Spymaster
Photo: Tim Petty
Have you ever dreamed of becoming a spy? Tim Petty, a graduate student at the State University of West Georgia, got to fulfill this fantasy by participating on The Learning Channel's (TLC) upcoming series Spymaster.
Petty learned about the show through an advertisement on the TLC website. Out of the 10,000 who entered, Petty was one of 12 finalists selected to be contestants on Spymaster. Petty, who went into the Air Force Academy straight out of high school, was the only final participant with military training. Although limited to what he could say about Spymaster due to secrecy contracts, Petty reveled that the show involves such things as combat fighting, fast cars and firearms, and is comparable to any training that one could get from an actual spy school. The first episode of TLC's Spymaster airs March 30 at 10:00 p.m. For more information, contact Petty at 770.235.1724.

Atlanta-Lensed Behind the Nine Honored
Photo: Dawn Smith and Ted Huckabee
The latest project from Behind the Nine Productions, LLC, Behind the Nine, was named Runner-up for Best Feature at the Midwest Entertainment Industry Conference's 4th Annual Film Festival in Lexington, KY. Actress Dawn Smith was named Best Actress at the Saints & Sinners IV Film Festival in St. Petersburg, FL. Behind the Nine is the first feature directed by Martin Kelley. The movie is a story of a high stakes underground pool tournament where characters collide during the final weekend. As desperate players start losing, the proprietor places greater and greater faith in those he can trust, only to discover that trust is overrated and someone else is running the show. Behind the Nine's cast features several southeastern actors including: Derek Seiling, Alex Collins, Muretta Moss, Dawn Smith, Joseph Cipriani, Stephen Caudill, Michael Larson, Kevin Wayne and Ted Huckabee. The film features original songs from The Yard, Film, 13 Ghosts, Supermatic and You are the Conquest. Written and produced by Jamie Wingler, Robert J. Lee and Martin Kelley, Behind the Nine was shot in Atlanta by cinematographer Bob Clark in 10 days utilizing 24p High Definition Digital Video. Lab 601, Inc. co-produced the film with Behind the Nine Productions and provided all postproduction at their facility. For news on the film, visit www.behindthenine.com. For information about Lab 601, visit: www.lab601.com.
Waveguide's Atlanta
WPBA commissioned WaveGuide Studios to produce a series of promos and intro sequences for its 2004 programming line-up. This is Atlanta! features HD acquisition, original scoring and 2D/3D effects from WaveGuide Studios. Original interstitial programming will air before and after all of WPBA's highest rated shows, including The Antiques Road Show and The American Experience. Introduction sequences feature Mayor Shirley Franklin and a highspeed "fly-through" of Atlanta's downtown connector.
WaveGuide Studios has also begun shooting a 6-part series of Meet the Composer videos to be projected in Symphony Hall at the beginning of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performances. Each interview-style video introduces the audience to the composer and gives insights into certain facets of these comtemporary pieces. For more information visit www.waveguidestudios.com.

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Kestrel, Nightglass, Reality TV & NASCAR
Atlanta-based television production companies Kestrel Communications and the NightGlass Media Group, formerly Post Modern Editorial, have teamed up to provide the Speed Channel with 43 weeks of reality television for the NASCAR Busch Series (NBS).
NBS 24/7 airs every Monday night at 8:30 p.m. The cameras follow three race teams, Akins Motorsports, Braun Racing and FitzBradshaw Racing, through a hectic week and focus on all of the ups and downs that each team experiences.
"The show gives the NASCAR fan an honest, behind the scenes look at what it takes to get an entire race team and car ready for race day," said Kestrel's executive producer Ned Simon. "In fact, one of the teams had to fire their crew chief on the first show. We were right there with reactions from the owner and the former crew chief."
Kestrel handles all of the production tasks while NightGlass provides the post production. NBS 24/7 is driven by a team of four producers, including Simon, three camera crews that follow the teams and the post staff at NightGlass.
Kestrel and NightGlass have teamed up several times in the past. The combination has produced shows for ESPN, ESPN Classic and Fox Sports Net. For more information, please contact Rob Mottola at 678.405.0066 or rob@nightglass.com.
Association Announcements:
Atlanta Urban MediaMakers Association, Inc. (AUMAi) reflects the new generation of mediamaking. AUMAi's mission is to empower people through cultural diversity in animation, film and video. For more information on AUMAi's monthly meetings, visit www.urbanmediamakers.com or call 770.345.8048.
GPP The Georgia Production Partnership is a statewide organization of filmmakers and film industry executives committed to keeping Georgia a filmfriendly and competitive force in the film and video community. Meetings are generally held the first Tuesday of each month at noon. For membership information call Matt Timmons at 404.609.9001 or email at info@georgiaproduction.org.
IMAGE IMAGE Film & Video Center offers filmmaking workshops and screenings. For more information, contact IMAGE at 404.352.4225 or check the website at www.imagefv.org.
MCAi (formerly ITVA) promotes the growth, quality and success of film, video and multimedia communications primarily in corporate and special interest production. For information, please visit their website at www.atlantamcai.org.
National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (The Recording Academy): Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. is dedicated to providing educational opportunities and improving the cultural environment and quality of life for music and its makers. For more information, please visit www.grammy.com.
NATAS/Atlanta NATAS/Atlanta, the local chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. For information please call 770.414.8777.
WIF/A Women in Film/Atlanta, a non-profit organization founded in 1974, is dedicated to the education, promotion, support and unification of women working in or studying film, video and related creative and business fields. For information check the website at www.wifa.org.

No Witness To Screen
Photo: Marisa Petroro
Green Valley Entertainment and No Witness, LLC are pleased to announce the feature No Witness has been picked up for worldwide distribution by Curb Entertainment. They will market No Witness to foreign territories as well as in North America.
Starring former Atlanta radio and television personality Steve Barnes along with Jeff Fahey, Corey Feldman, Marisa Petroro and Michael Damian, No Witness is a relentless thriller packed with truly unique characters and hard-hitting action.
No Witness will screen at the Madstone Theatre complex from April 1 through April 8.
Creatively Raising Awareness
Creative work for a quality cause dominates Creative Politics' calendar this spring, as the firm debuts a commercial for the Keenan's Kids Foundation.
The commercial is part of a campaign spearheaded by Don C. Keenan to raise awareness that Georgia does not have a Child Endangerment Law. Calling for action to enact legislation, the spot features images from the cases of two of Keenan's clients, Kathy Jo Taylor and Terrell Peterson, foster children who were lost to the system.
Andrew Ballard serves as president of Creative Politics, Inc. For additional information please visit www.creativepolitics.us or call 404.432.5672.

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Student Produces TV Pilot at DAEL
Scotty Mullen is definitely not in Kansas anymore. The Georgia State University (GSU) student recently returned from the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) convention in Las Vegas, where he pitched his television pilot, Collegeland, to numerous television executives.
Collegeland began in December 2002 at the suggestion of Dr. Kay Beck that Mullen produce a television series at the GSU Digital Arts and Entertainment Lab (DAEL). Mullen soon had a script about a diverse group of multiethnic college kids at a student television station. A casting call brought in over 140 auditions. "The response was overwhelming. We had people coming in from North Carolina, Los Angeles, Arizona. I had people e-mailing me from Europe saying that they would fly themselves over! I knew, just from the response to the casting call, that we had an audience."
The gimmick in Collegeland is the celebrity interviews. Spliced into the show are tidbits of advice Mullen got during his celebrity interviews--over 70 in the last three years. "I always ask them for advice in the last minute-and-ahalf of the interview. So, I've got Naomi Watts giving me advice about my love life, John Travolta telling me he's my real father, Brittany Murphy telling me what to do about my hair. All kinds of advice. In Collegeland, it looks like the celebrities are giving advice to the kids."
In addition to writing, producing, directing and editing, Mullen also acts in Collegeland as one of the eight-member ensemble cast.
Elevation's Resolution
Photo: Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Elevation recently completed the concept, design and finish of CNN's New You Resolution. The segment follows five people as they try to become more fit with the help of Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Designers Stephen Cocks and Dianne Frisbee teamed up to create both the graphics package and 30-second tune-in spot, while composer John Lambert scored the original music for both. TNT Latin America also recently tapped elevation to design the title segments for a movie trailer promoting TNT's newest movies airing during 2004. The Spanish and Portuguese trailers are currently airing in theaters across Latin America. Elevation's creative director Stephen Cocks created the elegant titles using a combination of Discreet's Flint and 3D Studio.

Atlanta Dogworks Soulful Side
Photo: Atlanta Dogworks Talent, Angel, at the phone booth.
Atlanta Dogworks Talent and Handling, which provides animal talent for commercial productions throughout the Southeast, has broken into supplying animal talent for music video production.
A Cee-lo and Timberland video titled I'll Be Around directed by Lenny Bass utilized an Afghan and a Bloodhound from the Atlanta Dogworks talent roster. "This is a great video. Lenny, Cee-lo and Timberland used the dogs in a very creative and complimentary fashion," said Greg Tresan, owner and head trainer of Atlanta Dogworks. The I'll Be Around video and single was released in January in advance of the album "Cee-lo Green...Is the Soul Machine" distributed by Arista Records and scheduled for release in March of 2004. In addition, two pit bulls made the cut in a NAS/Braveheart collaboration produced by MARS Media titled Too Quick to Back Down. Both productions were filmed in Georgia and can be seen on both the Internet and video cable channels.
Colt Accepts Chapter Presidency
Johnny Colt was recently named president of the Atlanta Chapter of the Recording Academy. Formerly serving as vice president, Colt replaces Jermaine Dupri who resigned earlier this year. Colt will serve as Chapter president until May 2004, when the Chapter will hold its next elections.
A beloved rock icon in the Atlanta music scene, Johnny Colt is one of the original members of the Black Crowes, appearing as bassist on six albums and co-producing three albums including Amorica, Three Snakes And One Charm and Sho' Nuff. Currently Colt is a member of the Grammy winning group Train and owner of Atlanta's RTM (Rehearse Too Much) studios and the backline equipment provider Avatar Events Group.
Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, also known as The Recording Academy, is dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural conditions for music and its makers. For more information please visit www.grammy.com.

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Siaggas Reels in Comical Spot
Photo: Fish Meeting
Fish are funny. And a group of grown men dressed up like fish is quite funny. That is just what McRae Communications wanted and what Pogo Pictures' director Peter Siaggas delivered. Fish Meeting is a humorous 30-second spot that serves as the product launch and initial campaign for Humminbird Matrix, a GPS devise used to locate fish in water. The spot pokes fun at the fear fish have when encountering the handy fishing aid. Fishing pros Denny Brauer and Jimmy Houston provide a scene-stealing cameo at the end of the spot. Just when the fish thought it was safe to hold a local meeting, the two pros show up (Humminbird in tow) with intent to capitalize on the congregation of concerned denizen of the deep. Siaggas devised a way to take advantage of the fish as well. "It was important to make the room appear filled with fish, so we decided to shoot two plates to double the amount of fish in the room," said Siaggas. The spots began airing nationally on cable in March.
Unshackled Released on DVD
Director Bart Patton's feature film, Unshackled, starring Stacy Keach, Morgan Fairchild, James Black and Burgess Jenkins is available on DVD and VHS. The film featured all Atlanta supporting players and crew. Unshackled was filmed in and around Atlanta.
Based on actual events, Unshackled depicts the life story of Harold Morris who received two life sentences for armed robbery and first degree murder.
The film crew included DP Paul Verrieur, production designer Tony Kupersmith, production mixer Mary Ellis, key grip Robert Kempf, gaffer Brian Gunter, production supervisor Teresa Yarbrough, casting director Annette Stillwell, make-up department head Judy Ponder Patton, propmaster Dwight Bejamin Creel, script supervisor Gail Hunter, costume designer Keith Lewis, wardrobe supervisor Amanda Zenil, stunt coordinator Lonnie Smith and transportation coordinator Mike McMahan.
Unshackled was released by MTI Home Video. To order a DVD copy please call Jay Grossman at 305.255.8684 or e-mail jgrossman@mtivideo.com.

Kossover Lenses FOX 5 Promos
Photo: Herb Kossover
Emmy Award winning director/ DP Herb Kossover recently completed lensing FOX 5's new image campaign. To create the fast paced, layered look Kossover created background plates of the city of Atlanta for both the daytime and nighttime news broadcasts. The plates were then used with talent and other various shots to produce the desired layered look. "We had to pay special attention to lighting the talent. They needed to appear as though they were in the same setting as the plates," Kossover stated. Ramping speed and altering the shutter created a fast moving FOX 5 team as they covered the events of reporting the news. Other Georgia crew members included gaffer Joe Clayton, key grip Troy Toebben, best boy Matt Giovingo, sound Jim Hawkins and first camera assistant Norman Andrews. Ron Anderson of CineTransfer was the colorist with cameras from PC&E and lighting and grip from Day One Production Services. Kossover continues his work as DP on Atlanta's Fathom Studios animated feature Delgo. He recently taped a number of behind the scenes featurettes with Delgo voice talents, Val Kilmer, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kelly Ripa, Malcom McDowell, Lou Gossert, Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, Eric Idle, Chris Kattan and the legendary Anne Bancroft. Kossover won his second National Emmy Award for his work on NBC's The West Wing and his aerial footage of Atlanta will be seen in the soon-to-be-released film Unchain My Heart directed by Taylor Hackford.
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American road movie was written by Hale and Rachel Davis, based on Davis' novella "Hannah and the Alien Apes."
Say Yes Quickly was produced by Bob Eick and Mellissa Berry and stars Suli Holum (Hannah) with Brandon Bales as Henry. The film is currently on the festival circuit. For more information please visit www.sayyesquicklymovie. com.

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Turner Studios Power Play

Latest & Greatest Flame For R!OT Atlanta

Photo: Power Play
Under an aggressive four-week deadline, Cartoon Network Trade Creative Services called upon Turner Studios to create 15-second and 30-second promos for the launch of the Power Play Web site, a subsidiary of cartoonnetwork.com that sells computer games. The Power Play Web site allows customers to sample its computer games online before deciding whether to pay $10 to download the game. Once the game is purchased, it can be played without an Internet connection. To promote the new site, Turner Studios seamlessly integrated 3D graphics with live action footage to market the Web site's message, "Try it. Buy it. Play it for keeps." In the promo, arrows from the Power Play logo spin out and form chevrons that represent game modules. A young boy reaches out towards the modules, puts them in his hand, and then sticks them in his pocket. The boy was shot in front of a green screen that was later enhanced with graphics. Compositor Chris Wood constructed the interface in Flame using 3D elements created by CGI lead artist Brian Kirchdoerfer. The live shoot intensified the short deadline, but Turner Studios saved time by shooting with its HiDef camera package instead of film. Unlike film, HD does not have to go through a time-consuming film transfer or color correction, but the footage still retains film-like quality. "HiDef video allowed us the option of capturing the image in a 30 frame progressive video format," said DP Larry Robertson. "This format yields a `non-video' look while also being very compatible with 3D post production."
Banuel's Land of the Free

R!OT Atlanta recently upgraded their Discreet Flame suite to version 8.5, Discreet's latest software release. The upgrade also includes a new dual processor mainframe, the SGI Tezro, putting massive computing power behind the talent/user. Other hardware features to note are the terabyte of video storage, 3 gigabytes of RAM and fiber connectivity to R!OT's two Discreet Smoke finishing suites. What this means is that one of the most powerful yet cost-effective visual tools, Flame v8.5, is now available to R!OT's clientele with additional high-speed networking to multiple finishing suites.
This new version of Flame allows R!OT to offer one of the most comprehensive toolkits on the market for visual effects design and compositing. Advanced motion tracking, detailed color-correction and sophisticated keying/layering capabilities are but a few of the enhanced features contained in the Flame 8.5 release. This also marks Discreet's migration into mixing resolutions within the same project, allowing for standard def, high def and/or film resolution imagery to co-exist within the same environment.
The overall speed of the Tezro is four to five times faster in renders on standard definition EFX and composites than previous versions. This is very helpful for sessions that are supervised and will alleviate much of the time spent waiting to critique one's ideas and creations after conceptualizing them.
The newer, faster Flame offers R!OT's clientele expanded opportunities to explore their visual options and perform critical brainstorming sessions more "on the fly" while maintaining the all too important forward momentum. Additionally, R!OT expanded their visual effects plug-in library by upgrading to the full Sapphire 3 collection.
R!OT Atlanta is the first post-production studio in the Southeast to offer this new technology to its clients. R!OT Atlanta, a division of Ascent Media Group, is located at 3399 Peachtree Road, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA. They can be contacted at 404.237.9977 or at www.riotatlanta.com.

Atlanta-based filmmaker Edford Banuel's Land of the Free recently premiered in Atlanta. The film short was also seen on the SHOWTIME network as part of the 2004 Showtime Black Filmmaker Showcase. Set in the aftermath of 9/11, Land of the Free is the story of an Arab-American man who becomes the victim of a hate crime that ends in murder. His only hope for freedom is an attorney with limited time and evidence to build a case. Shot entirely in Atlanta, with post-production services provided by LAB 601, the film's executive producers include Erroll Bailey and Patrick Jones. The film stars Randy Cohlmia, Malcolm Spears, Jamie Renell, John Stoneburner and Randy Weinstein.
In 2003, after winning the Showtime Black Filmmaker Showcase with his film Unjust Cause, an emotional look at police brutality, Banuel received a $30,000 grant from Showtime Networks Inc. Banuel then went on to write, direct and produce Land of the Free. The film was co-produced by Shandra McDonald.
For information contact EMB Filmworks at 770.514.1406 or embfilmworks@aol.com.

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Sports in the House at TUBE
Photo: Dale Jarrett
TUBE's broadcast design department revved their engines providing a graphics package for the UPS Racing 2004 video. To promote the UPS sponsorship of Dale Jarrett and NASCAR #88, UPS producer Russ Ensley contracted TUBE to create an edgy, energetic motion graphics set of bumpers and inset windows to be used for on screen sound bites. Final composite and online were performed at UPS by their visual effects supervisor Ben Rivers. Continuing with a sports theme, TUBE provided the Atlanta Hawks with the editorial of a segment tape for use as home game in-arena programming at Philips Arena. The edited segments, versioned to 2-minute, 1-minute and 30-second lengths, consisted mostly of music videos and I Love This Game bumpers produced by the NBA and re-cut at TUBE utilizing Hawks highlight game footage. TUBE would like to welcome its newest motion design artist, Michael White. White graduated from Savannah College of Art & Design and has worked in the industry for the past four years.

GPP Awards "Reach for the Stars"
The Georgia Production Partnership (GPP), a non-profit coalition of influential corporations and individuals in the Georgia film, video and music community, has awarded local producer/casting director Shay Bentley-Griffin its 1st Annual "Reach for the Stars" Award.
Under the banner of the Chez Agency, Griffin began as an Atlanta talent agent, launching the careers of many nationally recognized stars. That initial venture evolved into the Chez Group, where she became one of the most sought after casting directors in the nation, winning the Casting Society of America's highest honor in 1996 for the Civil War mini-series Andersonville, along with an Emmy nomination. Her credits also include such Hollywood hits as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Fried Green Tomatoes, Glory, Remember the Titans, Sweet Home Alabama and popular television fixtures In the Heat of the Night and I'll Fly Away.
Griffin serves on the executive committees of both GPP and EDGE. She is currently developing and producing independent film and television projects, with home and businesses still firmly rooted in Georgia, while she maintains an L.A. office as well. For more information on Griffin and the Chez Group call 404.603.8755 or GPP at 770.565.7020.

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