The Rosey Report Local

May 11th,2009

If Lovin' Mom Is Wrong. . . We Ain't Right.

Just shy of 17 months ago (centuries in Interweb Time), three viral virtuosos from LA who call themselves the Lonely Island joined one of the biggest names in the pop music pantheon and made TV/ Internet history with a little ditty about a Special Christmas Box, and the junk one puts in it. And we, the humble working joes of Rosey Media were there to help. In the tidal wave of press that followed, several of a nation of pundits referred to the moment as "catching lightning in a bottle."

As of last Saturday, May 9th, 2009-- Saturday Night Live is gonna need a bigger bottle:

Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg reprise their roles as some guys we probably would have wanted to be around 1991-- and with Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson appearing as the objects of their affection, we find their waist-length, double-breasted pastel suits enviable once again.

The Short was directed by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, with Rosey Media's John Rosenblatt acting as Director of Photography. Steadicam work was provided by Ian Woolston-Smith and AC Rob Lau, with audio guru Dan Walter and Brian Townes rounding out the RM crew.

The 20 hour shoot ran like a well-oiled machine thanks to the only slightly intimidating determination of Kim Smelter and Rachel Lynn, under the wise guidance of the ever-so-subtly droll Nick Mallardi. Kudos as well to the extremely agile intern Chris (sorry, dude. . . last name next time, we promise). . . and Joe Lynn, who was. . . pretty OK too.

Rosey Media would like to thank SNL and the Dudes for having us along on the "second best idea that [they've] ever had"-- though we think this one may even go beyond the "Box."

May 7th,2009

Don't Hate On The Man-Crush

Since Rosey Media is known far and wide as a truly mean and manly gang of barely post-cro-magnon hombres, some of you may be surprised to learn we are huge Justin Timberlake fans. Not because he's dreamy mind you, but because on top of his charm and unexpected tallness, genuine musical ability and palpable charisma, he is really, really. . . nice.

The great thing about JT being so super nice is the chemistry it sparks between he and our favorite Dudes. Thus, though we would normally wait until after we'd wrapped this week's shoot to talk about it, we couldn't help but point you, dear reader, in the direction of the SNL promos we shot on Tuesday, starring his Niceness and SNL cast member Andy Samberg, directed by Akiva Schaffer. Dig:

If it looks like they're having fun. . . it's 'cause they are. And the last few times these guys have put their heads together, if memory serves, some fairly funny stuff has happened. Just saying. . . you might not want to miss this show. . .

JANDY TIMSAMLAKE!!!

April 9th,2009

SNL Talks To Corporate

April 2nd-3rd 2009- The Lonely Island's Incredibad continues to throw out hits like a paranoid mafia don, and Rosey Media is once again called into the fray. "Like A Boss" premiered on the Saturday, April 4th broadcast of Saturday Night Live. The piece, written by the Lonely Island, was co-directed by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, and starred Andy Samberg and host Seth Rogen.

Have HR evaluate this:

Also appearing in this one are SNL featured players Abby Elliott, Casey Wilson and Bobby Moynihan, the unnervingly versatile Jorma Taccone, a subtly shady Akiva Schaffer, and cast members Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, and Bill Hader.

John Rosenblatt served as Director of Photography on the two day shoot, with Steadicam work by Ian Woolston-Smith. Steadicam department also included the mad skills of AC's Jason Vandermer and Jared Royball. The entire unit was backed by Don Downie and Brian Townes, who were both pissed they couldn't be AC's because their names don't start with "J."

While we must thank lighting director Michael Gottlieb and Prop Goddess Jeannine Jones for bringing the world of our distressed executive to life... we would be remiss if we didn't give big ups to the entire staff of Late Night With Conan O'Brien.

Conan and his gang were kind enough to move to LA and abandon their old 30 Rock offices as if Godzilla was seen heading for town, leaving us an almost eerie, fully appointed floor of businessy goodness-- complete with personal effects and half-finished sodas-- in which to live for the cumulative 30 or so hours of this shoot.

Henceforth, we shall always demand a crew lounge in the corner office.

'Meet a giant fish.

F*ck its brains out.'

March 30th 2009

Tracy Is Back In The Building. . . Bitch

This needs little intro. . . but then, old school ass-kickin' rarely does. March 14th's SNL Cold Open. Behold!

For those of you who have never purchased a pay-per-view event involving sequined American flags or monster trucks, the familiar-looking security guard in front of the 8H studio door is WWE wrestling demigod John Cena. And for the record, the first floor security guard offering to do the other's taxes is actually a good friend of host Tracy Morgan.

Though the open is generally shot on set in the studio, RM DP John Rosenblatt was asked to re-envision the sequence to give it a more cinematic feel. Rosey Media wants to thank Stevin Nilsen and Jesse Newton for breaking out the full-on movie tools to give this SNL staple an action makeover. Sound was by Dan Walter, Scott Herriott was on duty as AC.

Also shot for that show was the SNL Digital Short "Party Guys," directed by Akiva Schaffer, and starring cast members Andy Samberg and Bill Hader. In addition to cameos by. . . well, just about everyone in the cast and a couple of SNL writers, note the first joint onscreen appearance of dynamic wardrobe duo Brian and Matthew Hemesath. The tall and even taller Hemesath rock lederhosen and do a fine job showcasing the schnitzel. While not as chock-full of kung fu action, it's still fast and funny. Blink and you'll miss a joke. Watch it twice:

As always, a good time was had by all, and the SNL crew proved once again, that funny takes a lot of work, a lot of love, and very, very little sleep.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Getting The Most Out Of Your MacGyver

Since we already did the whole slobbering over shooting with actor Richard Dean Anderson (THE MacGyver) thing, we’ll spare you the adolescent self-gratification. We will say, though, that we were very happy to see last Saturday’s MacGruber/ MacGyver sketch. Under the direction of Jorma Taccone, we actually shot the sketches on January 12th, the same day we shot the much viewed and discussed SNL/Pepsi Super Bowl Commercial/Sketch "Pepsuber." Here's what dropped Saturday:

Thing with SNL is, there’s so much funny that gets tossed around, it can’t all make air. Further, there are genius takes that occasionally disappear, and humanity is left slightly sadder for it. Thus, we’re always glad when something we liked, and thought we’d lost, once again comes to light. John Rosenblatt served as Director of Photography on the shoot, Dan Walter, sound recordist, and Brian Townes was all like "Go, John and Dan!!" The sketch starred Richard Dean Anderson (MacGyver…did we mention that?) as well as cast members Kristen Wiig, Abby Elliott, Michaela Watkins, and of course Will Forte…and his ass.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Idle Hands Are, In Fact, The Devil's Playground

At Rosey Media, we pride ourselves on producing high quality entertainment that edifies and enlightens any and all that should happen across it. Most of the time. Last couple of days, though, we had a little extra time on our hands. Combine this with a sophomoric eye securely fixed on too much cable and web news and access to editing software, and you get this:

Obama Explains His Package - watch more funny videosThanks to Matt Ballen for the music and Evan Kay for edit help from Chicago. Without their efforts, we couldn't have brought that certain level of delicate sophistication to this classy, classy joint.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Wyeth Pharmaceutical Spot

Rosey Media, partnered with post house Northern Lights Post, completed "Trailer," an industrial piece in the sweeping style of a feature film trailer for Wyth Pharmaceuticals. Rosey and Northern Lights Post were contracted by international ad firm Cline, Davis & Mann to produce the corporate commercial for Wyeth . "Trailer," as well as a second studio piece, was co-directed by Rosey Media's John Rosenblatt and NLP's Mark Littman. Rosenblatt also served as Director Of Photography on the project. "Trailer" was shot on location in NYC. You can see the piece at:

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Jonas Brothers... Actually Very cool.

For those of you who didn't see The SNL Digital Short "Property Of The Queen" featuring The Jonas Brothers on the Feb 14th Valentine's Day show, Check it out…

The Short itself features four of six songlets the very game Jonas Brothers recorded with Digital Short creators Akiva Shaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone. The other two may well be lost to perpetuity, but we have to confess. . . they all rocked. Really. Now, don't misunderstand. We get it. That was a significant part of the joke. Big hair. Headbands. Ridiculously tight pants. Downtown L.A. cowboy hats. But while Rosey DP John Rosenblatt, Cameraman Luke Riffle, Soundman Dan Walter, and monkey juggler Brian Townes spent a few hours in a green screen studio shooting the mock videos, we realized something. We were really enjoying it. Silly as it may have been, these songs made us remember why we had what we had in our tape decks in high school in the first place. We were, in a word. . . rockin'. And we weren't alone. Between deft costume changes, wardrobe czar Brian Hemesath could also be seen leaning towards a vintage Trans Am headbang. And while we didn't notice whether or not Dina Moles was rocking out the entire time-- she is from LI-- so it's pretty likely.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Was the "Saturday Night Live" skit "MacGruber" a comedy bit or a Pepsi commercial?

A lot of articles have been written about how the Pepsi/Macgruber spot Rosey Media shot that aired during last weekend's Super Bowl is blurring the line between comedy and commercial. Check out this article from MSNBC that discusses this emerging trend.- JR

Was the "Saturday Night Live" skit "MacGruber" a comedy bit or a Pepsi commercial? It aired as a comedy sketch on SNL, then during the big game as an ad.

NBC

NEW YORK - Was "MacGruber" a "Saturday Night Live" sketch or Pepsi commercial? Depending on when you were watching television over the weekend, it was hard to tell. On Saturday night's "SNL," the recurring bit starring cast member Will Forte aired three times during the show, each time with comical over-the-top promotion for Pepsi. Then on Sunday night, one of the same "MacGruber" sketches — in which Forte plays a parody of the '80s action series "MacGyver" — aired during NBC's broadcast of the Super Bowl as a commercial.

As it turns out, all were paid commercials by Pepsi, made in collaboration with producer Lorne Michaels' "Saturday Night Live." The segments weren't product placement, but commercials paid for by Pepsi and produced by "SNL." Though they appeared to be sketches on "SNL," they ran during allotted commercial breaks.

NBC Entertainment Co-Chairman Ben Silverman said Pepsi paid full freight for the spots — which sold for about $3 million per 30-second spot during the Super Bowl.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC.)

"They really made it very funny and obvious, so I don't think there was any confusion," said Silverman. "Everything is ongoing experimentation, but the reality is we need to evolve and do more and more things."

Added Silverman: "It's not just an ad for Pepsi, it's an ad for `Saturday Night Live.'"

Branding expert Peter Arnell was in charge of PepsiCo's Super Bowl campaign, which also included a 3-D commercial for its SoBe Life Water.

"The creative space is `SNL's' and they were commercials we would have bought, so the economics were as normal as it ever was," said Arnell. "It's the un-advertising advertising."

The first "MacGruber" sketch/commercial that ran during "SNL" came amid other commercials — after a movie trailer for "The Pink Panther 2," which is what host Steve Martin was (what else?) promoting.

Fans may be uncomfortable with sale PepsiCo American Beverages chief Massimo d'Amore, who watched the game from a luxury box with NBC and Michaels, declined to say how much the company paid the network for the spots. An estimated 95.4 million people watched the Pittsburgh-Arizona Super Bowl, making it second only to last year's game as the most popular ever, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The ads include all the same usual characteristics that the sketch series normally does: its cheesy opening theme song, a frightened sidekick (played by fellow cast member Kristen Wiig) and MacGruber's inevitable distraction (in this case, a Pepsi). The real MacGyver — Richard Dean Anderson — also made a cameo.

That a marquee "SNL" sketch would be sold to a marketer might rub some loyal viewers the wrong way. Fans, after all, tune in for comedy, not for well-dressed commercials.

Silverman says the viewer only wins, since the Pepsi sketches replaced regular commercials. (He also noted that "SNL" talent was paid for the work outside of their normal salaries.)

"It wasn't inside the show," said Silverman. "Lorne really protected the show. I think the fans of `Saturday Night Live' got to see a `MacGruber' that they wouldn't have otherwise seen."

Michaels wasn't available to comment Monday.

"What we're doing is selling entertainment vehicles and marketing platforms," said Silverman, who has looked for other revenue streams for NBC as network TV ratings have slid. "This is where programming is going."

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Laser Cats 4. . . Makin' Laser Cats 3 Look Like Laser Cats 2!

Friday, January 30th, 2009- Rosey Media films yet another installment in the increasingly epic sci-fierce SNL Digital Short series "Laser Cats." In this, the fourth episode, director Akiva Shaffer once again pits Nitro (Bill Hader) and Admiral Spaceship (Andy Samberg) against evil forces that threaten the galaxy- in this case, out of control man/ machine Cyberface (Kenan Thompson.) Rabid fans of the series will note this is Mr. Thompson's second appearance as a villain in "Laser Cats." Coincidence? Significant? Interesting? Perhaps. . . perhaps not. . . Oh, and did we mention the guest appearances by comedy legend and 15 time SNL host Steve Martin and SNL Executive Producer Lorne Michaels? The intergalactic drama unfolds below:

Watch closely and you'll catch SNL (and "The Line") writer Simon Rich, staffers Rachel Lynn and her brother Joe caught on camera, as well as a bona fide speaking role-- that of the captain of the Space Police-- masterfully portrayed with rare sensitivity by editor extraordinaire Matt Yonks. The Short was shot by John Rosenblatt, with audio by Dan Walter, and special technical consultation (that's read "cat-on-Roomba") by Brian Townes. Probably the best part of making a "Laser Cats" episode is the complete disregard for the conventions and techniques one uses to make a motion picture look. . . well. . . good. In fact, the guiding aesthetic is one of "the crappier, the better." While it is a bit difficult to throw aside habits of checking continuity and lighting a scene properly, and to embrace the auto focus, it can, in the end, be quite a liberating experience. Like running without pants. Not something you'd want to do all of the time, but every once in a while. . . a must.

Holy Cow--We Made A Frickin' Super Bowl Commercial!!

On Monday, January 12th, Rosey Media had the opportunity to fulfill a dream held dear by all of us whose voices changed before Bill Clinton took office. We met MacGyver. THE MacGyver. If you weren't a pre-pubescent boy in the 1980's, his name is Richard Dean Anderson, and under the direction of Jorma Taccone, with co-writer John Solomon and DP John Rosenblatt, he made history when MacGruber met MacGyver in a Pepsi ad for Super Bowl 43. The ad also stars SNL cast members Will Forte (of course) and Kristen Wiig. Dig it:

Also priveleged to have been locked in a control room, so to speak, with His Supreme Flannel Gadgetiness were Rosey Media camera jock Luke Riffle, audio wizard Dan Walter, and reigning snack champion Brian Townes. As many folks watch the Super Bowl for the ads as much as the game itself, we are damn proud to have contributed our very first offering to the estimated 167 million viewers of the big game. It's not quite as cool as defusing a bomb, rescuing a damsel in distress, and getting out of a poison gas-filled room with nothing but a shoe lace, a paperclip, and some tic tacs. . . but it's a close second.