Each of the five :30s explores a different facet of the city’s vibrant film industry, unfolding in a rippling split-screen montage of stunning city scenes, interviews, and action shots. The Kirshoff family talks about the city’s gorgeous scenery while calmly blowing up an SUV. Manny, a self-styled special-ops soldier of the TV and film industries, prowls the streets in a full-body steadicam mount while waxing poetic about New York’s diverse culture. Damon scours New York for shoot locations, reinforcing his claim that the production armies overtaking the streets comprise mostly New Yorkers. John and Lisa explain how local vendors make the elaborate period pieces in the expansive wardrobe they design for HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.

Once Fluid had assembled Rowles’ footage into a rough cut, Nice Shoes Colorist and Partner Chris Ryan worked on color grading, while Flame artists Vin Roma and Russ Bigsby conformed and mastered the spots, preparing various versions for play in cinemas, on TV and in New York City taxis. The studio’s powerful pipeline allowed them to breeze from color to conform and deliver the finished spots very quickly.

“The biggest challenge for us was trying to deliver a cohesive look to the campaign from so many different editors,” said Nice Shoes Senior Producer Pat Portela.

“Integrating the small variations within each edit and finessing the montages requires attention to detail and creative insight, but luckily we have the technology and the talent to handle just about anything,” said Ryan. “The Baselight is the only system that allowed us to simulate this complex editorial piece and color correct them all at the same time. Being able to work like this was really helpful in executing Mike’s vision.”

Nice Shoes had worked with Knowles in the past. “I’ve been working with Mike since Nice Shoes opened its doors,” noted Ryan. “I’ve always loved his photography and his aesthetic; he’s always interested in experimenting with multiple looks within a single spot. We’ve always had a good relationship, even though he’s a Detroit Red Wings fan.”

The spots are running in taxis and in theaters across the city, among other places.

“The song for me is about the memory of somebody, not necessarily the reality of somebody,” detailed Bowman. “The projections became about those memories living in an illuminated space.”

Creating that space was not without its challenges. The screens needed to be large but featherweight so that they could be hung from the ceiling. Bowman also personally ensured that the massive screens were seamless so that the gorgeous backlit projections filled the entire surface during the performance.

The projections themselves were controlled during the shoot using VDMX haptic technology. Originally intended for VJs, the highly customizable platform worked in junction with Open Sound Control (OSC) and the iPhone to transmit touchscreen command signals over Wi-Fi to a computer. This allowed the projected memories to react in real-time to the swipe of a fingertip, resulting in a dynamic visual experience. Bowman’s hands-on approach was later replicated at Tiny Victories’ EP release party.

Bowman’s deep involvement reflected both his love for layered electronic music and a passion for all things practical.

“I wanted the video to reflect that in some way,” he explained. “Different ways of layering up images that were kind of retro without using plugins. The particles are practical. That’s eye shadow glitter flying into the camera. We did a lot with LED flashlights or shooting into the projector to create the lens flares. It’s a DIY aesthetic that’s meant to be experimental.”

The AICP Shortlist site is up, congrats to all this year’s nominees. Check it out here.

Nice Shoes colorist Lez Rudge collaborated with director Barney Miller on a series of spots for Supercuts.

Flame artist Vin Roma contributed to a March Madness themed campaign for UPS.

Our design team has been finding some cool stuff on Tumblr.

At Nice Shoes, beauty is natural.  When the audience sees a celebrity or a model, it’s not simply about hiding a blemish but capturing an essence.  It’s about amplifying the special something that makes each and every personality unique.  In the case of Zoe Saldana, we worked with Calvin Klein to respect her rough-around-the-edges attitude by leaving her tattoos untouched.

We’ve developed long term relationships with brands like Calvin Klein, Estee Lauder and Elizabeth Arden.

Years of collaboration have built up a trust and a common creative vision that ensures the intended natural look is achieved on every project.

Nice Shoes can take your Beauty projects to the next level, come and play.

The Rock the Cut campaign features documentary-esque :60s profiling emerging performers such as Vintage Trouble and DJ Loi, following them from the pulsating stage to the chair of a Supercuts stylist. As the scenes shift from the strobe-infested low-light grind of the nightclub to the bright atmosphere of a Supercuts salon, Nice Shoes adapts the mood with a perfect color scheme.

Miller, who shot the footage mostly on an Alexa camera for its film-like look, challenged Nice Shoes to come up with a funky, contemporary look that would be gutsy and beautiful without wandering into the realm of the predictable. “The band performance scenarios were meant to be driving and energetic, and we enhanced each artist’s scene in kind,” stated Rudge. “The interview scenes, however, were deliberately made softer looking in contrast and color to create a juxtaposition of the separate worlds.”

Rudge and Miller have worked together for years. “Barney and I have always had a great amount of mutual respect for each other,” noted Rudge. “Working with him is every creative’s dream. He is energetic, full of life, and always very open to new ideas.”

“Lez can do pretty much anything, whether you’re trying to get a live, contrasty look, like we did with the concert footage, or when we needed a softer touch, like in the back-lit salon scenes – all while giving the campaign a consistent look,” said Miller. “The spot featuring DJ Loi had both Alexa and 5D footage along with a couple of quick shots I took with my iPhone with a lens attachment. Lez was able to make it all work together seamlessly. My DP couldn’t tell the difference. His range, taste and technical expertise are unparalleled.”

When 3D started its most recent resurgence, Nice Shoes was curious. So curious that in order to be the best possible experts on the format for our clients, we produced a series of original 3D shorts. We’ve then taken that expertise and applied it to work for our clients. Our artists have dealt with all kinds of workflows and solutions, from conversions to work shot with 3D rigs. (Please note, work featured on this page is in Anaglyph 3D, but was completed in Stereoscopic 3D, the same 3D you would find in theaters or on HD televisions).

With Director Ben Dolphin, we provided finishing, color grading and 2D to 3D conversion work on a series of spec spots for Lancome, 7UP, and Budweiser.  For 7Up, we had to perform a conversion, while Lancome and Budweiser were shot with a 3D camera rig.

Whether shot in 3D or converted, it’s important to be conscious of what the intended 3D effect is, as the client may not always be able to see the 3D effects in action again until either finishing or the color correct session. There are programs that allow the editor to view the effects during the offline edit, but if they haven’t worked with 3D before, the results may not be the best. Nice Shoes artists can offer their experience and expertise at any stage in the project.

Nice Shoes provided 3D expertise twice for the Friskies theatrical spot “Adventureland/Tasty Treasures.” Once to convert the original spot, “Adventureland,” then again on a combination of that spot with “Tasty Treasures.”

On this project, Nice Shoes deconstructed the whole spot and then put it back together in a 3D world by projecting images onto 3D geometries and utilizing the stereoscopic cameras in Flame as you can see below.

If you have any questions, or if this sounds like a bunch of gibberish, please shoot us an email at playnice@niceshoes.com. We’ll pop on our 3D glasses and make your spots look their best.