American Cinematographer - November, 2010 - 84

Left: New York-based Mega Playground has expanded beyond its primary facility into an annex at 96 Morton Street. Above: Mark Androw (left) and Cliff Grant have launched The Whole Story to guide projects from prep through post.

“not only because they have the latest technology, but also because their friendly environment and the support they offer to filmmakers is truly brilliant.” Facility News Mega Playground Expands Mega Playground has acquired a 14,000-square-foot floor at 96 Morton Street in New York City, one block from the company’s primary 30,000-square-foot, multi-floor facility at 609 Greenwich Street. The company also maintains a busy midtown editing satellite and high-end screening room in the famed Brill Building at Broadway and 49th Street. “The opportunity to enhance our footprint in this neighborhood presented itself at an excellent time,” says Playground Principal Eitan Hakami. “We recently carved an audio postproduction suite out of our existing Greenwich Street space, and an additional expansion of our audio services is already on the drawing boards. Our new floor at 96 Morton Street is already at 100percent capacity with a number of production clients.” Playground Operations Manager Cristina Esteras Ortiz adds, “We’ve made every effort to present clients with a onestop shop for all of their production needs. Whether it’s our proprietary DP Dailies service, Avid/FCP rentals, HD finishing or Red services, we’ve tried to anticipate all their needs.” “We’ve also developed a free service we’ve labeled ‘Think Tank Consultation,’” says Hakami. “Our technical and creative
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staff excels in helping clients think through the constantly changing menu of technical options. The service is a perk for our inhouse clients and a great opportunity for us to stretch our own legs. “We’ve progressed so far beyond the traditional landlord/tenant role that many clients consider us valuable assets with a vested and genuine interest in the success of their shows,” Hakami adds. For additional information, visit www.mega-playground.com. The Whole Story Offers Complete Services Mark Androw and Cliff Grant, partners in the commercial-production company Story, have formed The Whole Story. Based in Chicago’s River N orth district, with production offices in Santa Monica and New York, the new company offers complete production, post and digital services for commercials and new media. Androw and Grant serve as executive producers with both Story and The Whole Story; the companies also share the same roster of commercial directors, including Rebecca Blake, Bob Ebel, Jeff France, Blair Hayes, John Komnenich, David Orr, Toby Phillips, Andy Richter, Laurie Rubin, Basil Schlegel, George Tillman Jr. and Ondi Timoner. Additionally, The Whole Story has assembled a group of independent editors, visual-effects artists and Web designers from Chicago and Los Angeles in order to provide turnkey solutions for commercials, new media and all things digital. “Our clients have been increasingly asking us to follow projects all the way
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through the process,” says Androw. “Through The Whole Story, we coordinate all aspects of a project from start to finish and pass along the cost efficiencies to our clients.” For additional information, visit www.thewholestory.tv. Hinge Digital Opens in Oregon Answering the demand for customized, high-quality CG services, Hinge Digital has opened its doors as a fullservice 3-D animation and visual-effects studio. Founded by Roland Gauthier, Michael Kuehn and Alex Tysowsky, Hinge Digital offers over four decades of combined experience in photo-real CG and character animation at such studios as Walt Disney Feature Animation, Sony Imageworks and Laika Entertainment. Based in Portland, Ore., Hinge Digital has operated under strategic development since 2009. During this time, the company has produced commercial campaigns and interactive projects for clients and advertising agencies including Target, Nike, Microsoft Bing, AKQA/SF and Razorfish Inc. Extending its presence throughout the entertainment industry, Hinge Digital also specializes in the development of film and television properties based on original content from graphic novel and creaturefeature genres. For additional information, visit www.hingedigital.com. ●

http://www.thewholestory.tv http://www.mega-playground.com http://www.hingedigital.com

American Cinematographer - November, 2010

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