And Then There Were Two

Jack Sitch | Video Production Associate

As the fourth quarter came to a close at the BBM Studios Video Department, intimacy became a key component. That is to say it is now a smaller and more intimate department.

With Tracy Mailloux off to Chicago chasing further education and other dreams, the department also saw the departure of producer/editor Ken Jones. Ken and his family are now in the process of moving to Minneapolis with a bright future and many endeavors to come.

That leaves just two, Sean Coyne and I. And if you believe that means less product being created, you might want to look again. With a visit to the new RSA web site, you'll see many of the outstanding and creative TV commercials and long form videos that are being produced, hear radio spots designed to stand out from the crowd and so much more.

There are three spots that deserve a spotlight in this newsletter, and I'm sure once you see them, you'll agree. In each of these efforts, the anticipation of the end product kept us quite excited, even as the midnight oil was burning.

The first, and maybe most fun, is the South Dakota Lottery "Fun to Give, Fun to Get" Christmas scratch games TV commercial. Local actors Brad Klein (from Fierce Modeling) and Holly Perkovitch acted in front of our green screen (shot on a Panasonic HVX200 HD video camera) and were combined in a 3-D storybook created in Adobe After Effects by Sean Coyne. The scripting was set to the pacing and style of the Christmas standard "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." This project was definitely "Fun to Produce, Fun to Show."

TV commercials were not the only fun pieces to produce though. As December came it was again time for more Rapid City Rush Hockey fun and the new Mid-Season Game Intro Music Video. With a team effort including John Hess and Darcy Zandstra of the Rapid City Rush, Sean and I had fun producing the newest video for our very successful hockey franchise. Sean worked late producing some intriguing pieces in After Effects and I rocked out to the edit on Final Cut Pro.

Last, but certainly not least, is the new short film from Western Dakota Tech called "The Choice." This collaborative effort included the creative genius of Ken Jones, Sean Coyne and WDT's Stephen Buchholz. The fine acting chops of veteran actors Luke Edward Grone and Jenna Green, and newcomer Nicole Knopp. It was a tremendous effort for all involved at RSA and WDT, an effort that will pay WDT dividends for the foreseeable future. I won't say anymore, just view the video and you'll see for yourself.

Thanks for being a part of the RSA family. Sean and I look forward to working and collaborating with you in the future.

Kindest Regards,

Jack Sitch