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Monday, May 10th, 2010

Rosey Media Doubles Up On Betty White For Historic SNL

On Saturday, May 8th, 2010, Betty White hosted what the New York Times called the "Mother of All SNL Episodes." Ms. White's presence was due to a highly publicized Facebook campaign lobbying her hosting the show, and the return of six previous female SNL cast members made her first time hosting one of the strongest shows of the season.

Rosey Media was proud to be a part of this historic episode, contributing two pieces to the evening.

The first was the ever-popular MacGruber, directed by Jorma Taccone and John Solomon, with John Rosenblatt serving as Director of Photography.

Check it out:

Rosey Media also contributed to the week's SNL Digital Short, in which Betty White raucously sings a thrash metal rendition of the "Golden Girls" theme song. The Short was directed by Akiva Shaffer and Johnathan Krisel, with Aaron Philips serving as Director of Photography.

At press time, the video is currently unavailable, but we have no doubt it will be up sooner than later. Keep an eye out for it!

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Thursday, May 6th, 2010

AMC's Hairy Oteri

AMC has just posted the latest in a series of its Liza Life Coach episodes directed by Brennan Shroff, with John Rosenblatt serving as Director of Photography.

See what happens when Liza takes a client to confront her hairstylist:

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Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Rosey Media Gets Life Coaching On AMC

Liza Life Coach, starring SNL Alum Cheri Oteri, is a series of comedy shorts airing on the AMC network and online. Check out what happens when Liza finds herself on-air live with Nancy Grace!

The shorts were directed by Brennan Shroff, with John Rosenblatt serving as Director of Photography.

Thanks to Executive Producer Johnathan Brandeis, Carolyn Jacobs and everyone at AMC. We look forward to seeing more of Liza!

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Monday, March 1st, 2010

"Flags Of The World" and "Undercover Celebrity Boss"

This past week, Rosey Media was pleased to participate in the creation of not one, but two sketches for the Saturday Feb 27th episode of Saturday Night Live! Check out "Undercover Celebrity Boss," directed by John Solomon, with John Rosenblatt serving as Director of Photography:

And "Flags Of The World," directed by Johnathan Krisel, with Rosey Media DP John Belinski.

As always, thanks to SNL for having us along!

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Monday, February 8th, 2010

RM Breaks Benjamin- Live!

Back on September 29th, 2009, Rosey Media took a road trip to the quaint little hamlet of Wilkes-Barre, PA, to produce a live concert film and recording session for Hollywood Records multi-platinum recording artist Breaking Benjamin. The band played an acoustic show to an invited crowd of approximately 200 at the River Street Jazz Cafe. Rosey Media audio recording engineer Greg Tobler recorded and mixed the entire set, while DP John Rosenblatt and shooters Justin Newman, Evan Kay, and Scott Herriott nimbly negotiated the packed house and filmed the band's performance. The camera department's efforts were enhanced by Rafael Vallejo's lighting, which visually captured the intimate and surprisingly warm mood of the hard rocking band's homecoming show.

The fruits of Rosey Media's labors have just been released by Hollywood Records, and can currently be seen on Havoc.tv. There is also talk of an official album release of the session.

Grit your teeth, raise your lighter, and enjoy:

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Tuesday, January 20th, 2010

Ripley- Believe It Or Not

Upon precious few occasions in a lifetime, a man gets an unintended brush with greatness. On a day like any other, a dream is suddenly realized, a destiny fulfilled, an existence validated. On Friday, January 15th, 2010, Rosey Media shooter/camera tech/ interweb geek and all around great guy Don Downie had just such an experience.

The Rosey Media crew was into the second day of shooting "Laser Cats 5" . . .which goes a little somethin' like this:

As gigs go, Don had actually gotten the short end of the stick on this one. Thursday, during the first night of shooting, John Rosenblatt, Sound Guru Dan Walter, and Brian Townes had filmed sequences with the one and only director James Cameron and Saturday Night Live EP Lorne Michaels for the week's Short. Come Friday morning, however, the producing and directing deities had left the building, the crew had flipped, and Don had been called in for a 7:30am start with "Soundman Rich" Ahlert and the rest of the SNL gang.

Don spent the day providing AC and technical support to Digital Short Director Johnathan Krisel. Any day spent working with Sigourney Weaver is kind of red letter- but the shoot became truly memorable when, in a pivotal moment, Don took up the camera himself to effectively and yet tenderly shoot. . . Sigourney blowing chunks on Bill Hader.

Remember the first time you saw Alien? Aliens? That Prison Planet One??!? The one where Winona Ryder played a really lame android??!!?

Sigourney. Blowing chunks. Like in Alien. And Don got to shoot it.

If you don't get it- well, you probably had some kind of social life in high school. We thought it was pretty cool,though.

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Sunday, January 10th, 2010

Rosey Media Shoots The Increasingly Complex Mr. MacGruber

From Thursday night into the wee hours of Friday morning, January 7th-8th, Rosey Media helped SNL kick off the Spring 2010 half of their 35th season by shooting the latest installment of the ever-popular MacGruber series.

The three skits were directed by Jorma Taccone, with the creative help of John Solomon. John Rosenblatt acted as Director of Photography. Spearheading the crew were camera aces John Belinski and Don Downie, as well as audio savant Dan Walter. DP Aaron Phillips was also on hand to lend his support and usher in this latest incarnation of the increasingly complex social enigma that is. . .MacGruber.

Check it out:

We at Rosey Media are never adverse to an all-nighter, and we look forward to seeing the newly racially-sensitive MacGruber on a slightly larger screen later this year.

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Sunday, December 27th, 2009

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Mad Sexy Santa

In order to wish you a very blessed and special holiday season, we decided to make a touching and inspirational Christmas video.

Then we thought. . .who are we kidding?

And we made this instead. . .

Rosey Media's Holiday Video for 2009 from John Rosenblatt on Vimeo.

Finally, while you dwell on the meaning of this holy season, we'd like to remind you that, while both Christmas and Channukah start with "Ch," you only pronounce the "C" in one, and the "H" in the other.

Think about it.

All the best to you and yours in 2010!

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Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

Hangin' Like My Nuts

On Thursday and Friday, November 19th and 20th, Rosey Media supported SNL and the Lonely Island in shooting the SNL Digital Short "Two Worlds Collide ft. Reba McIntyre."

Though Ms. McIntyre was not on set in person, her spirit was certainly captured by SNL cast member Kenan Thompson. He and Andy Samberg co-starred in the video for a slammin' track "The Dudes" laid down about the lovestruck Samberg and a wily, wigged Thompson. . . slammin'.

Sound tricky? It is:

The Short was directed by Akiva Schaffer, once again teaming with Director of Photography Aaron Phillips. To achieve true hip-hop grandeur, Schaffer and Phillips opted to shoot on the Red One camera. Rosey Media reunited Red Cam aces Jason Vandermer and Nate Slevin, backing this busy duo with additional AC services from Gordon Arkenberg. Ge

The Short was directed by Akiva Schaffer, once again teaming with Director of Photography Aaron Phillips. To achieve true hip-hop grandeur, Schaffer and Phillips opted to shoot on the Red One camera. Rosey Media reunited Red Cam aces Jason Vandermer and Nate Slevin, backing this busy duo with additional AC services from Gordon Arkenberg. George "Steadi G" Bianchini provided steadicam work, as well as a layered and nuanced thesis (delivered sometime around hour 9 on the second day of the shoot) on how "Two Worlds Collide" shrewdly captures the contemporary American adult's potential to perpetuate illusions and denial in order to preserve relationships. Over-thinking it? Maybe, but he's a deep guy. . . and he's got a point. You can't judge a book by its dirty red wig. Or something like that.

At any rate, Rosey Media is, as always, glad to have been of service. We're also glad that as of the end of the Saturday November 21st episode of SNL, we're no longer the only ones walking around singing "Hanging like my nuts!" under our breaths. Made for a couple of awkward moments, that did.

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Monday, November 16th, 2009

"Firelight" and "Get Out"- A Study In Versatility

Anyone who is familiar with the Lonely Island's homemade video origins has to acknowledge they've come a long way. While the genius was always there, the production value and look of their work continually improves, thanks to a hand from Saturday Night Live and, a dash of Rosey Media and friends. With epic hits like 'Dick in a Box',"Iran so Far,""On A Boat," and "MotherLover" under their belts, one might even wonder if "The Dudes" have lost touch with their backyard video roots. The last two Digital Shorts, however, have proven that Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone can still play- and deliver the funny- in any format.

Thursday and Friday, November the 5th and 6th, the Lonely Island were in full-on filmmaking form. Over a nearly continuous two-day shoot, the guys turned out "Firelight," a spoof on the popular teen-sexy vampire book/movie series "Twilight." Not satisfied to simply toss out a parody, director Akiva Schaffer and director of photography Aaron Phillips insisted on recreating the upcoming film's trailer shot by shot. "Firelight" stars the wonderfully charming and talented Taylor Swift, as well as SNL cast members Bill Hader,Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson and Andy Samberg. Also appearing are SNL featured players BobbyMoynihan, Abby Elliott, Nasir Pedrad and Jenny Slate. The result:

To match the trailer's dynamic, cinematic look, the piece was shot entirely on the Red One camera. Rosey Media assembled a stalwart Red crew to deliver movie magic at a TV pace, shooting everywhere from 30 Rock to the gloomy, gothic woods of the Van Cortland Park golf course in the Bronx (which is lovely- really!) Thanks to AC Jason Vandermer and Red Tech Nate Slevin for making this state-of-the-art camera sing, Dolly crew Stian Nilsen and Brad for providing the muscle in a graceful way, Sergei Franklin for the Steadicam stylings, sound wizard Dan Walter for the ear candy, and Brian Townes for keeping it all moving. Thanks also to Dina Moles, Rachael Lynn, and Kim Smelter.

Just when you'd think they'd gone all Hollywood, the following week found the Digital Short team back to their run n' gun roots. Director Akiva Schaffer, cast members Andy Samberg and Fred Armisen, director of photography John Rosenblatt, and a rested-up Dan Walter and Brian Townes were joined by our favorite prop goddess Jeannine Jones. This crew, once again under the watchful eyes and helpful hands of Dina, Rachael, and Kim ran a late-night sprint around 30 Rock, and into the apartment of a couple of only slightly suspecting acquaintances off of Madison Ave. Again, funny was made, but this time with a very mobile camera, streamlined sound gear and. . . a can.

Dig:

Once again, the Lonely Island proves that, large or small scale, they can still bring it. And we at Rosey Media are proud to be a part of what's been broughten.

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Friday October 30th, 2009

Rule Of Thumb: One Trick Does Not A Magic Show Make

On the evening of October the 8th, Rosey Media was tapped to assist SNL favorite Drew Barrymore and cast member Fred Armisen film the Digital Short "Brenda & Shaun." Leave it to The Lonely Island Dudes to take a single prop from a midtown magic store and turn it into an epic infomercial relaying the somewhat tragic ballad of a couple of cut-rate magicians. The shoot, which stretched into the subsequent day, was directed by Akiva Shaffer, and also featured SNL cast members Andy Samberg and Kenan Thompson, as well as featured players Abby Elliott, Bobby Moynihan, Nasim Pedrad, and Jenny Slate.

Let it light up your life:

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Sunday September 27th, 2009

Lonely Island + Rosey Media + SNL = 2x The Megan Fox

Sometimes, after an extended vacation, it takes a while to get back up to speed at the office. Unless, of course, you're the Lonely Island, who came back swinging with not one, but TWO Digital Shorts for the September 26th, 2009 35th Season Premiere of Saturday Night Live.

Thursday night found Director of Photography John Rosenblatt and cameraman John Belinski, as well as SoundMeister Dan Walter, Brian Townes, and trusty Rosey Intern Pat Ball on the rooftop Tuscanini Gardens at 30 Rock, filming what we thought was THE Digital Short for the show. It starred host Megan Fox, who, in addition to being a certified bombshell, was also flawlessly poised and on point throughout, as well as SNL cast member and straight-up trooper Will Forte. Co-Directors Akiva Schaffer and John Solomon crafted what would eventually be dubbed "The Date":

Once we were done (at 4:30am...), we said our farewells and headed toward our respective homes and /or late night pancake binges. Friday dawned, and we were busy at work when, lo and behold, we got a second call from Producer Dina Moles. Seemed The Dudes had yet another idea, and midnight found us at the nearby Flatotel on 52nd street, once again in the presence of the stunning Ms. Fox, as well as SNL cast members Andy Samberg and Bobby Moynihan, and a charming and good-humored Brian Austin Green. Akiva directed the second short of the week, "Megan's Roommate":

It was with great pride, and just a touch of "jet"lag, that we watched BOTH shorts air on the season premiere Saturday. Truly, two shorts, and night shoots at that,in less than 48 hours left us a bit disoriented and punchy- and made one thing abundantly clear:

It's good to be back at SNL.

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Thursday August 20th, 2009

"AllaKattan!" Parts 1-3

For the first time ever (since two weeks ago, we mean, when it was on TV) courtesy of our friends at IFC and the New Palm Pre, the Rosey Media original, 3-part, branded entertainment short "AllaKattan!" directed by John Rosenblatt, written by Brian Townes, and starring. . . Chris Kattan.

Dig it:

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Check our July 30th, 2009 Blog entry entitled (you may find this shocking, but. . .) "AllaKattan!" for a complete list of those to whom we owe thanks.

With heartfelt gratitude and glee, we say again. . .

Kattan. Kat-TAYUN!!

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Thursday July 30th, 2009

AllaKattan!

Three weeks ago, we were settling into the City swelter,and considering how potentially combustible a bbq grill propane tank that had been neglected for 6 months could really be.

Then IFC VP of On Air Promos Kevin Vitale called and commissioned Rosey Media to produce three branded entertainment spots for the new Palm Pre, to premiere in conjunction with IFC's original miniseries "Bollywood Hero." Our directive was simple-- they would star Chris Kattan, feature the Palm Pre. . . and be funny. Oh- and they had to be done in three weeks... So we put away the Kingsford, fired up the ol' coffee maker instead, and got to work.

The result was a three-part short titled "AllaKattan!", which will run August 6th- 8th on IFC during "Bollywood Hero." The short stars Chris Kattan. Look closely and you'll catch cameos by RM's own Brian Townes and Dan Walter. The short was directed by John Rosenblatt and written by Brian Townes. ScriptLaunch's Matthew Ballen helped develop the piece and served as script consultant. Rosey Media vet and all around super guy Ari Haberberg was Director of Photography, with special technical consult by Small Media XL's Don Downie.

Thanks are also due to the IFC team, specifically Kevin Vitale, Jessica Degler, and of course Evan Shapiro, without whose enthusiasm, flexibility, and general willingness to goof around with us, "AllaKattan!" would not have happened.

For Rosey Media, the best part of any job is "getting the old gang together." They are too numerous to list, but. . . no. . .no, they're not. Thanks to Ian Woolston-Smith and AC Jared Royball for the Steadicam work, Scott Herriott for serving as first unit AC, Dan Walter for delivering superior audio despite the MePa construction madness, Karim Badwan and his crew for gorgeous lighting in sunny- no, cloudy- no, wait- sunny- conditions, and script super Stacie Capone for making it all make sense. Likewise, our gratitude to prop goddesses Samantha and Becky Jones, wardrobe deity Brian Hemesath, and make up legend Nathan Johnson and hair stylist Johnny Mooi, both taking a break from high fashion to do some lowbrow funny. Finally thanks to Dan Barman and Melodye Brant for being whatever else we needed, whenever we needed it, and of course, the incomparable, ever-poised and efficient Meghan Scibona for being the Krazy Glue to our plastic Nimitz.

We would be negligent not to mention the folks at Northern Lights Post, specifically George Carty, whose proficiency and patience made the edit process a genuine pleasure. The espresso/ ice cream floats didn't hurt either. Two of those, and you can see into the future. Bless you, St. George.

Here's a quick peek at "Bollywood Hero:"

Obviously, we can't show you "AllaKattan!" yet. Think of it like the holidays-- you know those boxes are up in the closet, but do you really want to look and ruin everything? OK, so you want to, but you're not gonna. We'll have "AllaKattan!" here in all its glory after its premiere on IFC.

First watch "Bollywood Hero." Or Babu Santa will pass right over this house, buddy.

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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."

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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!!!

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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.'

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

 

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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.

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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 View related photos

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."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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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.

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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.

 

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