Tallgrass welcomes Campbell-Ewald and General Motors to San Diego for a “Traveling With Kids” social media shoot for the On Star product line.
Next, more coffee. Woot! Then on to R2C: Great to connect with Sara, Kristen, and Alison in a chill setting. They are on fire. Tons of productions, multiple buildings...taking over the world.
Saving the best for last: CMD agency! Cindy Marks, you are our hero! Thanks for taking the meeting, even on crutches. Double order of TGP hot sauce for you.
Heads up Christiaan!
Great trip to LA to visit Midnight Oil, TBWA\Chiat\Day and Ignited.
Midnight Oil: 40 ft tall superhero wraps, sick theater displays, posters, 3d builds. Amazing. Creative and manufacturing all in one bldg. A frickin huge building.
Ignited: A creative community built by the power of curiosity. Hanging with Sam and showing our skills on the ping-pong table.
I like the way you roll TBWA\Chiat\Day: be more human (and if in doubt) be more dog ~ Plus a full size Bball court. Respect to Womack, Michael and Max for hookin it up. Enjoyed spreading the MARDI GRAS love: Hurricane style.
One of JB’s images will appear onstage in 'The Gospel of Loving Kindness” opening Dec 9th in Washington, D.C.
The play is a edgy, hymn-and-hip-hop-musical. It’s about a 17 year old boy who sings for President Obama at the White House, and is shot to death 3 weeks later.
Produced by the Mosaic Theater Company (http://www.mosaictheater.org/), written by Marcus Gardley and directed by Jennifer L. Nelson. Shout out to NJ Mitchell (Mosaic Board Member) for inviting us to participate.
In late September this year, Tallgrass went dog-gone mad! We had the pleasure of working with Vitro in creating a :15 sec TV spot for their client Unleashed! by Petco. The production was a blast and at the center of it all? Three very talented, adorable canines.
The hilarious spot followed a chubby dog as he runs in for dinner...and sadly squeeze in through the doggie door. After weeks of searching for the perfect talent, we were very lucky to have Lola, Penny Lane and Spike join us on set.
Tallgrass was joined by some talented folks in production, props, g&e, animal training and location management who really helped the day run smoothly and efficiently. We even had custom doors built thanks to our accomplished set constructors.
At the end of the day, we had the chance to run through the spot with all 3 dogs to make sure our client’s creative got the best treatment.
Want to find out who made it into the final spot? Check it out below:
[[VIDEO]]
And here's another version with JB's favorite pup - Spike:
[[VIDEO]]
We’re so glad we got to collaborate with the great minds at Vitro and Unleashed! by Petco. Looking forward to our next one...fingers crossed for more new, furry friends!
Tallgrass Pictures is lucky to have team members who are passionate about storytelling…and do it exceptionally well. Over the summer, our very own Gavin Filipiak (TGP Sr. Editor) was tapped to create a music video for San Diego rockers P.O.D. The project was commissioned by Universal Music Group, who reached out to Gavin after seeing his work on Vice - the music video “Young Gods” for Prayers and Blink 182’s Travis Barker.
Gavin took on the challenge of creating the music video, just a few weeks before album release. With the support of TGP, he directed and shot the video for P.O.D.’s latest single “This Goes Out to You”.
To kick-off production, Gavin and Nico first traveled east to Michigan for the Common Grounds Music Festival. Enthusiastic fans gathered around as P.O.D. performed, while Gavin and Nico maneuvered on stage to capture the energy from both the band and fans. Before and after the show, we were lucky enough to hang out with the band in a different setting: with their family.
Then we were back to San Diego to finish up the rest of production. It was a blast getting to work with our local community. First stop: Undisputed Gym in downtown, where we were lucky enough to film San Diego boxing champs and learn how to throw a strong right hook from their trainers.
Next, we headed towards the Mexican-Californian border to capture the beautiful visuals of towering fence and explore the story of separated families. The weather fit the mood perfectly and our talented actors nailed the scene.
But our day was far from over...we were off to another location. Luckily, the sun peeked out for the rest of the day and we ended with a beautiful shot of 2 friends riding to Sunset Cliffs; celebrating the power of friendship on a motocross bike.
For the next scene, we were honored to be able to ride around town with the guys of Tribal Gear. We captured footage of their gorgeous low-riders cruising through the historic Barrio Logan district. To finish the day, we filmed the proud owners at a BBQ scene while enjoying delicious tacos, courtesy of San Diego Taco company.
Gavin and Nico created a truly authentic, compelling music video reflecting the anthemic song and a unique San Diego vibe. We’re proud of their work and invite you to check out the full video below -
The 9 day production took us all around southern California, shooting everything from medical labs to ballerinas to farms...and we couldn’t be happier with the final result!
JB worked closely with Sean, Rob and RG from Skiver to create a visually beautiful and compelling story about the incredible work coming from UCI - a place where great minds can truly shine brighter.
From the initial creative to pre-production, production, post and final broadcast delivery - we’re thankful for such awesome collaborators! A special shout-out to the fantastic staff and students of UCI who shared their stories with us, inspiring us to make the commercial as authentic as possible.
Missed our spot this Monday? Don’t worry, you can check it out below.
And keep a look-out for our second UCI spot “See Differently” made in collaboration with “We Believe”...breaking soon on a TV near you!
On the script itself, Jen says she was drawn to it because “It’s messy, it’s unwieldy kind of like life…but it’s so full of life.” And this messy story of life will be Tallgrass Pictures’ first feature film; a project headed by Tallgrass Pictures founder & director Jeffrey Lamont Brown and screenwriter Jennifer de Poyen.
The feature tells the tale of Daniel Weinberg who protects his son Herbie the best way he knows how - he builds a nuke, hides it in a garden gnome, and secedes his suburban home from the USA to form the sovereign nation of Weinbergia.
Stay tuned for more updates on the messy adventure of the Weinbergs and production for UMR.
4 days. 12 locations. As we reminisce on the fun we had in 2014, there's no forgetting the shoot that had us running all over sunny San Diego, showing off the greatness that is our beautiful city. We happily jumped into this collaboration with Fresh Form Interactive (the brilliant minds of Ali Palmer & Seth Gravette) and reunited with an old friend & Creative Director, Tracy Meiners.
Our goal: to create a beautiful photo library for use by North Island Credit Union (NICU). With stops at places like Hodad's, OB Dog Beach, Mission Trails - each day brought it's own adventure....
Day 1: Undoubtedly, one of the greatest things about San Diego are our micro-breweries and killer food. Our gracious and wonderful hosts Societe Brewing Co. & Hodad's in OB made our first day a real treat -
Day 2: Carlton Oaks Golf Course showed us some real VIP treatment, as we zipped around in their golf carts from hole to hole. We also ventured to Mission Trails and Morley Park - with a few stops in between.
Day 3: Shop til’ you drop! A cute couple contemplated their first home and Tallgrass was there to capture that significant moment. The rest of the day was spent at the lovely boutiques in La Jolla and the North Park Farmer's Market.
Day 4: When one of our locations fell through, we were saved and treated by our friends from Pappalecco, in Little Italy. Pappalecco not only welcomed us with open arms but fed us like family. The rest of the day was filled with what San Diego is known for best - sunny, sandy, San Diego beaches.
Here’s a sneak peek of what we’re working on for “Under My Roof” - our very first Tallgrass Pictures feature film.
It was a fine Friday night for a test shoot…which is a favorite past time of Tallgrass Pictures. A test shoot is where our director and team experiment with shots before a production to ensure high quality work. On this particular Friday night, the scene was set for Under My Roof’s big battle scene and a VFX test shoot was under way.
Our very own TGP boys stepped in as the war heroes going against invisible helicopters and enemies:
Meanwhile, our production coordinators helped set the mood by creating a flickering light through some very sophisticated dance moves:
All in all, it was a very successful night with lots of fun. But this was just the first step. The footage is now in the tender hands of our VFX artists who are adding chaos and mayhem to the scene. Spoiler alert - there will be explosions galore.
We can’t wait for the finished footage. For now, we’ve got some great BTS videos to share. Check out how Tallgrass Pictures gets down on Friday nights:
“Under My Roof” is a Tallgrass Pictures feature production scheduled for 2015.
Keep up with all the Under My Roof news and happenings in Weinbergia by following us!
Ever wonder what a year is like in the life of a production company?
As we head into the new year, we can’t help but spend a little time reminiscing on what 2014 held. From traveling the US to muddy productions, we’ve had a blast in 2014. We asked the Tallgrass team to share their favorite TGP moments from the year and here’s what they said….
Laurelena, our glowing graphic design intern ninja said:
“My favorite memory is decorating christmas stockings and seeing the surprises inside.”
Christiaan, our battle dancing new account exec said:
“1. My favorite moment would have to be the time I had to shoot down a pretend helicopter with a super soaker. It was the first time being out with the crew shooting test shots for “Under my Roof”.
2. Surprise Bday up stairs. Was definitely surprised, took shots, and ate cake.
Katsie, our brand new ball of energy PC shared:
Spencer, our walkin' on sunshine 2nd AC said:
"My favorite time at Tallgrass so far in my 1 3/4 months working here would have to be the Under My Roof test shoot. It was a Friday so everyone was in good spirits and we got to get pretty creative with production because it was ours. My favorite part of the night was when we had to tie a rope around Josh and pull him to the ground as if he got shot. Or having Jordan and Katsie dance in front of the Kino lights to simulate fire. Also when Jordan sweetalked security because we didn't have a permit. Or when JB, Keith and I we re blinded because Michael had to point the 1600 watt joker at the camera for a shot."
Keith, our fierce and coffee addicted 1st AC said:
“Definitely flying out to Dallas, then coming back to JB’s street to find my car was parked in the middle of a destroyed street, perfectly on a tiny piece of pavement they had left. Erik and I had to drive through the rubble to get out. Haha."
Angellyne, current blog author & digital marketing coordinator said:
Jordan, our champion production coordinator said:
Beau, our senior VFX rockstar & Rachel, our VFX magician both agreed:
“Grip Olympics”*
*Grip Olympics was a friendly production competition on setting up and breaking down shoot equipment.*
Nico, TGP’s one and only fantastic French editor:
Gavin, our mix masterin' senior editor said:
“For me, it was Coordinated Health because it was close to home.”
Aly, our expert socialite business development director said:
“The Addy Raid - we hosted the Addy Raid at the studio with a live green screen…helped with the Addy Awards promotional pieces, watched them play on the big screen in front of all the Addy Awards participants and cut the video announcing the new SDX.”
And finally…our director, principal photographer & fearless founder JLB shares his top moments:
It’s a bird, it’s plane…no it’s new filmmaking technology in action, right in the heart of Palm Springs Motors!
In fact, it’s our director JLB using FPV (first person view) goggles for a production with Palm Springs Motors. With these goggles, JB was able to see live footage transmitted from a helicopter mounted GoPro that he controlled.
What’s it like, you ask? Imagine taking a ride on a roller coaster and that feeling you get over that 1st big drop - a truly amazing experience! And the shots? Well, take a look for yourself. We were able to capture great aerial footage of the expansive Palm Springs Motors facility!
Headed by Jeffrey Lamont Brown: farm boy. turned photographer. now filmmaker
Tallgrass Pictures LLC
710 13th Street #300
San Diego, California 92101
Jeffrey Lamont Brown
Managing Director
619.227.2701
jb@tallgrasspictures.com
© 2015 | Tallgrass Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
