By SEGGAN MOORE
On June 9, CineScope Media had the opportunity to film four commercials for 1-800LoanMart starring Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart.
The ‘80s wrestling icon and his “Mouth of the South” manager made their way to the set at the Pro HD Rentals sound stage in Santa Monica. Their bigger-than-life personalities instantly made the CSM crew feel right at home and ready to take on the 12-hour shoot.
For this shoot I was the first assistant director. The first AD is the right hand to the director, Shaun Piccinino, which means that I was responsible for making sure that everything was going according to schedule throughout the day. Twelve hours may seem like a long time to have to film four 30-second commercials; but every minute counts.
Preparation for the 1-800LoanMart shoot began months before June 9 and continued up until the night before filming. Editor and CSM co-owner Jason Sanders expressed his feelings about getting ready for the day.
“The preparation leading up to the shoot day was a little chaotic because of everything that had to be assembled for the shoot. We had a lot of great people involved and they really made this thing happen without a hitch. From the guys at Empire Wrestling Federation who set up the wrestling ring, to the management and staff at Pro HD Rentals that helped save the day,” he said.
The night before the shoot, we were able to step inside the sound stage at Pro HD Rentals to see what our sets would be like. Pro HD Rentals owner Bob Bekian and his assistant Alex were there to make sure we knew where everything was and what was going to be available. They were very accommodating and made us feel right at home.
While we were at the sound stage, we met the guys from Empire Wrestling Federation that set up the wrestling ring that we’d be filming Hulk inside of. Jesse Hernandez and his crew spent over four hours setting up the ring and did a professional job at making sure to keep the green screen in perfect condition.
The concept for the commercials involved Hulk popping up unexpectedly to tell car owners that by using 1-800LoanMart, they can get an auto title loan based off the value of a vehicle that is paid off or almost paid off … and you keep your car! Our actors were broke, without girlfriends and had no life; but they owned their cars. Hulk and Jimmy turned their day around and referred them to 1-800LoanMart to “pin down the cash they needed.”
We worked with Tommy Iorio and Armand Acuna from Rio Media, an advertising agency based out of Huntington Beach. Having them on set during the shoot was a big help for us. We had the 1-800LoanMart guys, Hulk and his crew, the CSM crew and the groups of people that were in-and-out all day. But, with Tommy and Armand, we were able to stay focused and make sure that we were capturing each concept that had been so carefully discussed and planned out.
In the midst of a chaotic day with setting up scenes, getting our actors in and out of make-up and being 10 steps ahead of what we were doing, Jason said he loved watching everything come together.
“Having such a hard working crew is a huge asset on set because I depend and rely on everyone putting in 110 percent and when they all come out and put 150 percent … I am left speechless. Everyone performs so well together; I am proud to say that the biggest compliment I get is how well our crew works together and that makes me proud,” he said.
Along with an amazing, hard-working crew and the company of everyone else, we had a great lunch catered by Rosie’s Catering Service from Chatsworth. CSM co-owner Ernie Klawitter picked a menu of barbecue chicken, tri-tip, baked beans, seasoned potatoes, chicken salad and other goodies to fill our tummies. He and his assistant Barney Adams kept us fed with sandwiches in the afternoon and lots of baked goods throughout the day.
Months of preparation all led to a 12-hour day, working with Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart, and showing the guys at Rio Media and 1-800LoanMart that a 13-man crew from Bakersfield can do a professional job, no matter what the gig is.
Jason said, “The highlight of the day for me was being able to watch everything that we had planned come together so smoothly and to be able to see the final product unfold in front of my eyes. It was an amazing day.”
“I think the one thing out of this that I will remember longer than anything else, is what a fantastic job the crew did. We started strong and we finished even stronger than we started. We were able to get so much more completed then we had hoped.
That takes a professional and dedicated cast and crew to accomplish that. So thanks to all,” said Klawitter.
The day couldn’t have run smoother. That takes a dedicated, professional crew. I’m glad to have shared the experience with a great group of people I work with, who I can also call my great friends.
That’s one hard days’ work, brother.
For more information about Pro HD Rentals, visit www.prohdrentals.com.
Read Jesse’s thoughts at http://www.empirewrestlingfederation.com/News/news.html.
To view more pictures go to: http://www.CineScopeMedia.com/loanmartgallery.html.
CineScope Media Crew and Hulk Hogan - From top: Blake Hooks, Ian McAleece, Jason Sanders, Hulk Hogan, Steven Borzachillo, Nick Reisinger, Justin McAleece, Seggan Moore, Tattie Grace, Rickey Bird Jr., Zack Allen, Shaun Piccinino and Ryan Najibi (not pictured Ernie Klawitter)
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