Videobred

one of Natalie's collages in the LEO ad campaign

Today Brian guestblogs for videobred!

When red7e won a well-deserved Best of Show award at last night’s Louies, videobred couldn’t have been prouder.

That’s because one of our own was a key contributor to the outstanding LEO Newspaper Self-Promotion campaign. Was it one of our editors? Or a producer, or one of our directors of photography? Nope…this distinguished accolade went to Natalie Weis, our very own resident concierge, artist, blog-writer and all-around creative guru.

Natalie was contacted by red7e to illustrate the campaign for the LEO. Her task was to create full-page artwork that could effectively support the campaign’s funny, quirky and clever message.

“It took the form of a slightly more sophisticated version of what you do in kindergarten,” said Natalie. “I spent many hours with a huge stack of LEOs, an X-Acto knife and a can of spray mount.”

The result was a series of collages that instantly conveyed the themes of the campaign but were full of jokes, comments, quirky images and all-around great stuff.

Natalie worked with art director Jeremy Reiss, writer Mike Brown and creative director Dan Barbercheck to bring the campaign to life.

“I was told the themes and headlines and then was given free rein by the great folks at red7e.”

The creative freedom seems to have paid off. The campaign won five gold awards in the “newspaper self-promotion ad” category, one gold award in the “newspaper self-promotion campaign” category, and “best of show.”

And Natalie has no interest in letting her unique talents go to waste at videobred. “I’m always tearing things out of magazines to later cut up and reassemble into some kind of fanciful creation. I have plans to collage the entire cyc wall,” she says. Sounds great! As long as all the pictures are some shade of chroma-key green.

Charlie *almost* fits under our door frames!

What’s 6-foot-nine and ready to taken down Michael Bay? Our new intern, Charlie Gonzalez! Read Natalie’s interview with Charlie to learn more about his plot to take over the world and what he really thinks of Raph’s hair.

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got interested in video production.
I’m a communications/advertising major at IUS – a senior, thank God – and I’ve always been interested in film as a medium. I took different classes in high school and college, things like Video Production, Film Studies, and the best was a class called Fairy Tales in Film and Fiction. It was the easiest ‘A’ I ever got – my final paper compared “Taxi Driver” to Sleeping Beauty. It was pretty awesome.

What are your first impressions of videobred?
Very fun and simultaneously professional, with an experienced and knowledgeable set of employees.
[Editor's note: We did not pay him to say this. Seriously.] [The brainwashing worked!]

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned so far at videobred?
How to paint a production studio! [Hey, can't we have an intern and exploit him for manual labor at least once?!] No seriously, it’s been really amazing learning about all the details involved in the editing process. I mean, I’m used to watching movies or TV and wondering, How did they do that? I always assumed there was a simple button or tool, but it’s actually a lot more complicated than that and so much more in-depth. I love looking at commercials now, even something stupid I now realize you can’t just throw together in twenty minutes.
I’ve also loved going out shooting for the Census and being able to see places I haven’t seen in town, like the Mexican grocery store we went to on my second day. Working on “Big World of Food” was awesome, too, not realizing what’s right under your nose – different areas of town or businesses and restaurants you didn’t know. That’s part of the reason why it’s such a cool idea for a TV show.

Charlie strikes his best serious pose

What would you like to do when you finish school and leave videobred?
I’d like to go to film school so I could be more well versed in cinematic stylings and conceptualization of film and the processes involved. And after that I’d like a job as Steven Spielberg. I’ve actually joked about taking over Platinum Dunes to save all the horror remakes they have and slowly weed Michael Bay out of Hollywood.

So by now you know that videobred is powered by caffeine. How do you take your coffee?
Lots of cream and lots of sugar.

And by now you probably also know what fuels our late-night editing sessions. So what’s your favorite beer and whiskey?
Jack Daniel’s and Killian’s.

Who has better hair, Raph or Brian?
I’d have to say Raph, because he has that awesome picture of “The Wrestler” behind his desk and he looks just like Mickey Rourke. I think we should start calling him Randy the Ram or something.

Um, Charlie … Raph really looks nothing like Mickey Rourke. And Mickey Rourke looks really bad in that movie.
OK, an earlier, younger Mickey Rourke. Combined with Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler.”

What’s your favorite iPhone app?
Definitely the imdb app. I use that at least five times a day. It’s the best source for all those questions like, Who was that one guy in that one movie that one time?

Tell us about your website and podcasts.
The website is MovieFanHouse.com and I started it with a friend of mine last May. We do a weekly podcast highlighting the biggest film releases or films that appeal to genre fans. We’ve got over 200 subscribers to the podcast, and throughout the year we also write about important topics in film with a focus on the fans’ perspective. And we’re pretty awesome.

What movie have you re-watched the most times?
As a kid, I probably watched “Tommy Boy” at least 4,000 times. And also “Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Hot Fuzz,” and “Braveheart.”

So do you have any bets on who will take home an Oscar Sunday night? Can you predict any surprising upsets?
I think “Hurt Locker” will win for Best Picture, although “Moon” deserved a nomination for Best Picture, or Sam Rockwell for Best Actor. As far as upsets go, I just hope Sandra Bullock loses.

What is your next facebook status update going to be?
OMG I can’t believe “Blindside” won best picture.

Now that everyone’s recovered from their Superbowl hangovers, it’s time to start drinking again. Announcing Happiest Hour at videobred this Friday, February 12, from 5-6pm. Bring a co-worker, bring a friend, bring a teetotaling grandmother and we’ll all enjoy a drink and try not to spill on the equipment.

Happiest Hour …ends at 6pm, but no doubt some of us will continue to festivities at some find drinking establishment down the street. The rest of you can go home and resume your respectable lives.

Leave a comment on our facebook page if you’ll be joining us. Cheers!