The short film, ’Happy Hour’ recently took 2nd place at The Midwest Independent Film Festival’s Advertising Community Competition and continues to receive accolades on the festival circuit as it showcases two award-winning commerical companies that are creating bold, innovative content that traverses multiple platforms and mediums.
Director/co-producer Martin Rohdal of the production company 71 Degrees North once again called upon editor Brian Sepanik and his team at The Colonie. The film, which was shot in Chicago over eight-days, tapped the creative editorial, motion design, visual FX and finishing boutique’s seamless, full-service approach and the talents of its collaborative staff or cutters, designer and artists.
Adapted from a short story written by Jim Thompson, ‘Happy Hour' opens with an advertising executive tasked with firing several people from his company. As the protagonist recounts the day’s events with a buddy over drinks it triggers a painful memory from his childhood that profoundly impacts how he relates to the employees and their loss. The 15-minute short spans 30-years, weaving together present day scenes with flashbacks to the seminal childhood incident.
“The biggest challenge was keeping the length to 15-mintues, which required honing the film’s story down to the essential elements and cutting some great footage,” says Sepanik, who edited the short on Media Composer 8.0. “It’s always a surprise to everyone how paring down a story – and cutting out some of the bits we love - ultimately heightens the impact of a film and makes it more compelling.”
The seeds were sown for Rodahl, Thompson and Sepanik’s collaboration on ‘Happy Hour’ in 2012, while they were working on the feature-length documentary and TV Mini-Series, “Our Longest Drive.” During that time, Martin read some of Jim’s short stories and thought it would make a great film - and Sepanik jumped at the chance to edit the project.
“Over the years I’ve worked with Martin on a mix of feature films, documentaries, shorts, commercials, branded content and emerging media,” says Sepanik. “Jim and Martin’s original concepts and scripts are compelling and beautifully crafted, and their experience developing and producing film projects brings a unique perspective to their commercial work.”
"The film also gave The Colonie an opportunity to once again work with the entire team from ‘Our Longest Drive,’ which included DP Jason Chiu, Company 3 colorist Tyler Roth, Cory Coken, the supervising sound editor for NoiseFloor and Audiocastle’s composers Adam Robl and Shawn Sutta. It was wonderful to have that shorthand we developed between us,” adds Sepanik.
‘Happy Hour’s’ score echoes the pensive inner tension of the story. Rodahl, a pianist and composer in his own right, sent Robl and Sutta a piano piece that he had composed, and they took their cues from it. Written for orchestral instruments, it mirrors the aesthetic tone of the beautiful cinematography with a minimalistic approach, immersing the viewer in the film’s contemplative and emotional journey.
“This project demanded an editor who’s able to sculpt the best possible sequence from a large, non-linear narrative,” say Rodahl. “The truth is, Jim Thompson’s writing is so rich that there were probably three or four different directions that could’ve worked, but Brian expertly cut to the chase and made us focus on what ultimately became the most compelling part of the story.”
Following its premiere at Little Rock Film Festival, to date additional screenings for ‘Happy Hour’ include the Breckenridge Film Festival, the LA Shorts Fest, the Montreal World Film Festival, the Bali International Film Festival, the Raindance Film Festival in the UK, the Midwest Independent Film Festival, and the Austin Film Festival.
CREDITS:
Client: 71 Degrees North / Chicago
Title: ‘Happy Hour’
Length: 15-min
Type: Short Film
Production Co.: 71 Degrees North /Chicago
Director/Writer/Producer: Martin Rodahl
Written & based on short story by Jim Thompson
Executive Producers: Martin Rodahl, Jim Thompson
DP/Producer: Jason Chiu
Editorial Co.: The Colonie / Chicago
Creative Editor: Brian Sepanik
Assistant Editor: Lauren Malis
Finishing: Tom Dernulc
Titles: Lyndsay McCully
Executive Producer: Mary Caddy
Visual FX/Design Co.: Legion VFX / LA
Designer: Nathan Matsuda
Color Correction Co.: Company 3 / Chicago
Colorist: Tyler Roth
Audio +Sound Design Co.: NoiseFloor / Chicago
Supervising Sound Editor: Cory Coken
Re-Recording Mixer: Jamie Vanadia
Sound Designer: Stosh Tuszynski
Audio Post Supervisors: Katie Hovan, Gretchen Pitluck
Sound Editor: Kelsey Lynch
Music Co.: Audio Castle/Miami
Composers: Adam Robl, Shawn Sutta
Director/co-producer Martin Rohdal of the production company 71 Degrees North once again called upon editor Brian Sepanik and his team at The Colonie. The film, which was shot in Chicago over eight-days, tapped the creative editorial, motion design, visual FX and finishing boutique’s seamless, full-service approach and the talents of its collaborative staff or cutters, designer and artists.
Adapted from a short story written by Jim Thompson, ‘Happy Hour' opens with an advertising executive tasked with firing several people from his company. As the protagonist recounts the day’s events with a buddy over drinks it triggers a painful memory from his childhood that profoundly impacts how he relates to the employees and their loss. The 15-minute short spans 30-years, weaving together present day scenes with flashbacks to the seminal childhood incident.
“The biggest challenge was keeping the length to 15-mintues, which required honing the film’s story down to the essential elements and cutting some great footage,” says Sepanik, who edited the short on Media Composer 8.0. “It’s always a surprise to everyone how paring down a story – and cutting out some of the bits we love - ultimately heightens the impact of a film and makes it more compelling.”
The seeds were sown for Rodahl, Thompson and Sepanik’s collaboration on ‘Happy Hour’ in 2012, while they were working on the feature-length documentary and TV Mini-Series, “Our Longest Drive.” During that time, Martin read some of Jim’s short stories and thought it would make a great film - and Sepanik jumped at the chance to edit the project.
“Over the years I’ve worked with Martin on a mix of feature films, documentaries, shorts, commercials, branded content and emerging media,” says Sepanik. “Jim and Martin’s original concepts and scripts are compelling and beautifully crafted, and their experience developing and producing film projects brings a unique perspective to their commercial work.”
"The film also gave The Colonie an opportunity to once again work with the entire team from ‘Our Longest Drive,’ which included DP Jason Chiu, Company 3 colorist Tyler Roth, Cory Coken, the supervising sound editor for NoiseFloor and Audiocastle’s composers Adam Robl and Shawn Sutta. It was wonderful to have that shorthand we developed between us,” adds Sepanik.
‘Happy Hour’s’ score echoes the pensive inner tension of the story. Rodahl, a pianist and composer in his own right, sent Robl and Sutta a piano piece that he had composed, and they took their cues from it. Written for orchestral instruments, it mirrors the aesthetic tone of the beautiful cinematography with a minimalistic approach, immersing the viewer in the film’s contemplative and emotional journey.
“This project demanded an editor who’s able to sculpt the best possible sequence from a large, non-linear narrative,” say Rodahl. “The truth is, Jim Thompson’s writing is so rich that there were probably three or four different directions that could’ve worked, but Brian expertly cut to the chase and made us focus on what ultimately became the most compelling part of the story.”
Following its premiere at Little Rock Film Festival, to date additional screenings for ‘Happy Hour’ include the Breckenridge Film Festival, the LA Shorts Fest, the Montreal World Film Festival, the Bali International Film Festival, the Raindance Film Festival in the UK, the Midwest Independent Film Festival, and the Austin Film Festival.
CREDITS:
Client: 71 Degrees North / Chicago
Title: ‘Happy Hour’
Length: 15-min
Type: Short Film
Production Co.: 71 Degrees North /Chicago
Director/Writer/Producer: Martin Rodahl
Written & based on short story by Jim Thompson
Executive Producers: Martin Rodahl, Jim Thompson
DP/Producer: Jason Chiu
Editorial Co.: The Colonie / Chicago
Creative Editor: Brian Sepanik
Assistant Editor: Lauren Malis
Finishing: Tom Dernulc
Titles: Lyndsay McCully
Executive Producer: Mary Caddy
Visual FX/Design Co.: Legion VFX / LA
Designer: Nathan Matsuda
Color Correction Co.: Company 3 / Chicago
Colorist: Tyler Roth
Audio +Sound Design Co.: NoiseFloor / Chicago
Supervising Sound Editor: Cory Coken
Re-Recording Mixer: Jamie Vanadia
Sound Designer: Stosh Tuszynski
Audio Post Supervisors: Katie Hovan, Gretchen Pitluck
Sound Editor: Kelsey Lynch
Music Co.: Audio Castle/Miami
Composers: Adam Robl, Shawn Sutta
Category
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Short film