THE FOUNDATION OPENS. When his 10-year Red Car contract ended, editor James Lipinsky decided the time had come to go into business for himself. On March 1, he opened the doors to the Foundation, located in spacious quarters at 200 E. Ohio St., and in West Hollywood, with three employees and a steady stream of major agency clients.
The current staff consists of editor Steve Morrison, who joined after four years at Superior Street, Producer Laurie Abels, an Element 79 associate producer, and assistant Rob Chambers, a Columbia College grad.
The Foundation’s three edit suites are equipped with two Avid Adrenalines and a Final Cut Pro system, a producer’s office, kitchen and lounge area. The company name came from Lipinsky’s love of architecture. “Our foundation is creativity; we base everything on that,” says Morrison. Phone is 312/951- 8734.
CHICAGO AMONG AICE FINALISTS. Four Chicago post houses are among the 37 finalists in the upcoming AICE show. They are Whitehouse, which had three nominations, I-Cubed with two and Swell and Red Car with one each. Santa Monica’s Lost Planet has seven nominations, New York’s Big Sky has five, and Santa Monica’s Cosmo Street has three. The third annual national show will be will be held for the first time in Chicago May 13 at Soldier Field. Some 500-600 guests are expected. Second City provides the entertainment, along with four DJs. For tickets, $100, call Tom Duff, 312/321-0880.
NEW AT CHARTER Equipment rental company Charter has another new identity. It’s now known as Bexel; new owner is UK-based Vitec Group; HD is new equipment addition. Corporate office, which also sells gear, is in Burbank. Nine-year company veteran Tom Beltz heads the local office and staff of four. Company started out as Victor Duncan camera rentals, then became ABS, Charter ABS and Charter Broadcast. Besides the new HD cameras, decks and lenses, Bexel rents digibeta camera packages, flypacks, industrial D30 cameras and IMX machines. Location, 870 W. Division; phone, 312/944-2770.
CUBS TICKET GIVEAWAY.In keeping with the spirit of the new baseball season and baseball- themed films, CCC will give away free Cubs tickets at the May 4 screening at Excalibur. And some lucky person will win the drawing for a free Avid Xpress DV software package being showcased.
CONTINENTAL ASSIGNMENT Dave Smalley was location manager, or “fixer” as they’re called in the UK, for Britain’s September Films working on a documentary on the loss of birth mothers who gave their children up for adoption. He was also the fixer on Granada Media’s “The Story of the English Language.” “It went from the Middle Ages to the documents we put on space ships and also how English has not influenced the native American tongue,” he said.
HOT SPOTS Choice Hotels of New York, parent of Comfort Suites hotels, hired director Rama Mosely, with the help of locations scout Al Nolan-Cohn, to shoot such representational worldwide locations as the Leaning Tower in Niles, Chinatown’s Nine Dragon Wall, and a miniature golf course in Skokie’s park district. From there, they went to Paris, Texas and the Parthenon replica in Tennessee ? Machete’s Marty Bernstein edited a McDonald’s Fiesta Salad spot for Burrell’s Shirley Portee, Ed Zimkus and Brenda Blonski, directed by Backyard’s Don Rase ? Also at Machete, Mark Jepson edited a Taco Bell/FCB spot, directed by J. B. Rogers from Raw/Progressive Films of L.A. ECD was Tom O’Keefe, produced by freelancer Anthony LoFranco.
