From Features to Commercials, Hollywood South Finds Success in Netgear Collaboration

New Orleans based production company, FatHappy, and post-production house, Cadence Post, collaborated to bring an elevated level of comprehensive services to New Orleans and the Hollywood South.

Between them, they offered production and post-production support on a campaign for Netgear’s launch of the Nighthawk M6 Pro mobile hotspot in European markets, and later in the North American market in coming months.

The Austin-based agency, Upperline, entrusted FatHappy for their production needs and in turn, FatHappy teamed up with Cadence Post to provide seamless post-production services.

"Putting our support behind Cadence Post for this project was a no-brainer," said Matthew Wilder, director and co-owner of FatHappy. "I knew their crew would kill it and they did. They took our ground-floor ideas and elevated them."

Production Insight

In early conversations with Netgear, there were clear features that the team needed to highlight— speed, security and the ability for multiple devices to connect at the same time.

“Each scene was built around a different core feature of the product,” said Matthew. “Cinematography was then used to create a common language that would connect the different scenes.”

Director of Photography, Nick Shamblott shared his insight on the look of the piece. "I made the decision to use the Canon K35 zoom in conjunction with the pearlescent filters after Wilder and I analysed a diverse group of references and realised that we didn’t want to make just another tech commercial.”

Camera: Arri AmiraLens: Canon K35 12mm-120mm f/2.8 macro zoomFiltration: Tiffen Pearlescent filters

Nick continued, “It felt like we were both naturally inclined to push against many visual norms found in tech commercials at the time - this meant using older, more charismatic, and imperfect lenses while using harder, more saturated, and impressionistic light to paint the scenes.”

New Orleans' reputation as 'Hollywood South' has brought serious investment into the film industry that's resulted in a deep local talent pool and high-end production facilities and soundstages.

"For centuries, New Orleans has been a source of inspiration for artists that today has grown into a top location for bringing those ideas to life," said Matt Wolfe, vice president of communications at Greater New Orleans, Inc. "It's no surprise that these ground breaking visuals are being made in a city where talented film professionals have been perfecting their craft for years, and commercials represent the perfect platform for showcasing those talents and pushing the boundaries of creativity."

"The availability of a Vū LED volume in New Orleans was a huge bonus for our creative process,” Matthew added. “It allowed us to be in multiple places at once - on a busy city street at night, both on foot and in a car, as well as in a high-end commercial production environment. But beyond the practical convenience it brought to the production, being on a stage gave us a lot of room to play with the look and feel of the world we built for our characters."

Getting to Work–In The Edit

Cadence Post, a post house that is quickly building a reputation for quality and award winning work, partnered with director Matthew Wilder and producer Amber Vogts from FatHappy, along with Zach LaPlante of Upperline TV to bring this project to life.

The first step in the process was for the team at Cadence Post to have a meeting with Wilder and Vogts to understand their POV, client needs and the overall vision for the piece.

Editor, Chase Guidroz, started the post production process by getting to know the project on an intimate level. 

"As an editor, the first meeting with a client is so important,” said Chase. “This is our opportunity to drill down on the director’s vision–where we think it could go.”

Chase continued, “Once we have our hands on all the assets, we spent a lot of time upfront getting it organised. This helps tremendously when editing to not pull you out of flow state during the editing process. I watch all the footage… twice.”

Head of post-production and supervising editor Rick Nelson recalled the process was one that his team tackled with a careful consideration to detail, as they do during their post production work.

“The editing process doesn't start with cutting,” said Rick. “This seems obvious, but I know so many editors that just start cutting before they even let the footage sink in. You never know, there could be one frame, a look in someone’s eye, or a happy accident after they yell cut that may change the edit drastically.”

A unique element of this project was time… and Cadence had it. Over the course of a week or so, footage was crafted into assemblies and cuts were reviewed by the team.

“There were so many ways this piece could go in the edit. One of the challenges was to ensure the piece led with the product,” said Chase. “We had to create a strong tie between the action and the use of the product.”

Tone and pacing are critical. The target audience were people who are on the go and the edit needed to reflect that. It was a primary goal–all while keeping it fun, snappy and energetic.

Rick added, "Our job is to control its impact on the audience and we take it seriously. It’s not without its challenges–the initial cut of this spot was non-linear, but it just wasn't flowing. We had a comprehension problem. So, we pivoted and went with a linear storyline and it was like a light bulb went off. Now it all makes sense."

As editor Chase Guidroz pointed out, “It's important to know when a change in perspective is needed. In their pursuit to shape the story and control its impact on the audience, the journey of exploration and discovery can sometimes lead to roadblocks.”

“Frame.io enabled us to curate our versions, internal and external notes all in one place. We were able to jump between versions and even compare side by side which edit we thought was working better,” said Rick. “Frame.io has revolutionised our editing process, especially during the initial development phase.”

"Its capability to streamline feedback and enable smooth collaboration among our team members has played a vital role in bringing our projects to life,” Rick continued. “ Frame.io and Premiere Pro's seamless integration has made our editing process more efficient, allowing our team to collaborate in real-time, not just with internal members but also with clients.”

Music was critical to the success of this piece. During the editing process, the team at Cadence made the decision to cut with two separate songs all the way until the end. 

“We utilised Musicbed for the track that made it into the piece,” said Rick. 

“There was a sense of synchronicity to the track. It had the right tone and importantly to me, matched the actions of the visuals,” said Chase.

Colour and Remote Workflows

The team at Cadence Post and FatHappy partnered with Nic Apostoli at Comfort and Fame based in Cape Town, South Africa for a seamless colour turnover. 

"We've worked with Nic for years now and the process has always been so fluid–there's a shared language,” said Matthew.

“Resources are everywhere–whether across town, across the country… or an ocean,” said Rick. “That’s the reality of the industry in 2023.”

Rick continued, “Cadence operates with a strong team-first philosophy. Our workflows are optimized to collaborate with colour houses such as Comfort and Fame and larger partners like Company3, ensuring a smooth process. We continuously invest in technology and infrastructure, including the implementation of real-time, frame-accurate remote playback tools for improved collaboration with teams, maintaining a remote-first approach."

“It’s like you’re in the suite with us,” said editor, Chase Guidroz. “That’s the experience we’re striving for.”

Cadence Post is tailored to meet the evolving needs of today’s production environments, making it a valuable resource for modern post-production workflows.

Continuing A Partnership

As the Hollywood South brings new opportunities, together, Cadence Post and FatHappy form a powerful alliance, bringing their unique strengths to the table and elevating each other's success and future endeavors.

"The team at Cadence are the real deal - they always bring their A-game and their passion for getting it right is unmatched,” said Matthew. “They were the perfect fit for our project and I'm so glad we got to collaborate with them. Can't wait for what's next!"

"It's all about community," said Rick. "When local businesses support each other, everyone wins. I'm excited for what's to come in the future for the New Orleans film scene and collaborations with FatHappy! By working hand in hand, we can keep raising the bar and make the film and ad industries here even stronger."