NEW EDITOR is newly elevated Sean Halvorsen, who has been an assistant (mostly to editor Graham Metzger)since he joined the editorial house shortly after its founding in 2008. Halvorsen joins the ranks of Liz Tate, Jerem Sloan and Metzger and executive producer Don Avila.
Halvorsen’s comedy chops translate to his producing, acting and editing “Hootenanny Friday Shorts,” a series of humorous takes on the advertising/production business posted on Hootenanny’s Facebook page.
He is currently in his third course of comedy writing at Second City, as an effort to step up his comedy… “for commercial purposes,” he says.
A 2006 graduate of Columbia College, Halvorsen intended to pursue a directorial career but changed direction after being introduced to the postproduction world when one of his instructors, editor Cory Coken, gave him a tour of Avenue Edit where he worked.
“I was blown away by the editing process,” Halvorsen recalls, “and it got me thinking about my career path. I love storytelling and communicating in a humorous way and editorial would allow me to do both.”
After a year’s internship, Avenue put him on staff as an assistant editor. Avenue shuttered in 2008 and when Hootenanny opened, Halvorsen says, “I was lucky when they brought me aboard.”
Some of his current work includes spots for KFC/Draftfcb, Bayer/Energy BBDO and Phillip Morris/Leo Burnett.
THE BIG BUDGET “Mortal Kombat” movie that New Line Cinema was supposed to be developing for production here this summer was kicked back to the drawing boards for a major rewrite.
Backstory: About two years ago a 7-minute video, showing what a new “Mortal Kombat” movie could be like, was an instant internet hit Then Warner Bros. backed the team of writer Owen Uziel and director Kevin Tancharoen on production of the “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” webseries. It proved so popular that the untitled new “Kombat” film was greenlit, and now we wait for further developments.
DAUFENBACH CAMERA holds its 2nd annual Epic Evening of technology and networking Thursday, July 19, where you’ll be able to see their new 3D beam splitter camera rig CC3D in action and a video of hot topic high frame rate 3D. Music, drinks and snacks at 320 N. Damen, 6-10 p.m. Admission limited to RSVPs to daufenbachcamera.com/epic.
WHO’S NEW? Leo Burnett named Graham Woodall to executive vice president, global creative director, from executive creative director at Strategy Farm …
AN ANTIDOTE TO THE HEAT is Foundation Content’s Very cool, sexy, surf’s up music video of the Beach Boys’ “That’s why God Made the Radio” Directed by Focus Creeps, the directorial duo of L.A.-based Aaron Brown and Ben Chappell, produced by Evan Cohen and edited by and Foundation partner James Lipetzky.
Released by the band’s longtime Capitol Records label, it was the lead single off of the reunion record of the same name. The album debuted higher than any previous Beach Boys’ release at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart last week.
NOTABLE NEW EQUIPMENT ADDITIONS. DP Joseph Farris’ Visions of Light has brought out the Sony PMW-F3 camcorder with a PL mount; Zeiss’ lightweight, compact CP2 series of prime lenses and Sound Devices’ small, lightweight, on-board Pix240 monitor and recorder.
Zacuto Rentals has added Canon’s latest full-frame sensor camera, the 5DMkIII, and Canon’s C100 to its inventory, rounding out its collection of DSLR, digital cinema, broadcast HD and prosumer HD cameras. It also lowered prices on its lenses, P2 cards and DSLR camera bodies.
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