Pittroff and Cannonball for Ameristar
Comedy Director Matt Pittroff of Twist continues his collaboration with ad agency Cannonball on the multi-spot 2012 “Slots Alive Campaign” for Ameristar Casinos. The newest spots began airing recently.
“The Ameristar work never ceases to offer challenges and big rewards,” says Pittroff. “Round 4 was no different. We got to shoot Ancient Egypt, Pirates, and the late 1700s, which was a perfect marriage of ridiculous concept and high-production value. The locations, sets, costumes, and cinematography came together in a pretty special way. It was one of those shoots that reminded me how artful and talented our crew and partners really are. We all got to show off a little bit, which is always fun and makes for a great vibe on-set. The problem is the creative bar just keeps getting raised. Frankly, it's horrifying to think where it may go next. I keep having a recurring nightmare about a slot machine called ‘Apocalyptic Kitty.’”
In addition to shooting Ameristar spots last month, Pittroff was also chosen for a panel discussion in New York about his extensive visual effects experience including his work on the Ameristar campaign. Part of the “Createasphere’s Post Production Master Class,” the panel was entitled “Post Production For Spots: Delivering On The Idea.”
“Matt noted in the panel that he's never afraid of the challenges in front of him as a Director -- only excited,” comments Amyliz Pera, Executive Producer for Twist, based in New York. “It's fun to watch Matt work -- to problem solve and negotiate how to make everyone as happy as possible, while aiming his arrow at creative integrity. Speaking about VFX, Matt also mentioned his job was to explore in-camera options first. It's time for someone to give him a spot to shoot as he free-falls from a burning plane. I'm sure he could make it funny.”
"It was really easy to work with Matt from the beginning, but after doing more than a few productions together, that collaboration has become stronger, more ingrained, and even more productive,” says the Cannonball team. “We love it, and have to keep reminding ourselves not to take it for granted."
Twist’s Matt Pittroff is currently shooting a new Colorado Lottery spot, which will air later this autumn. Other recent projects for Pittroff include a sidesplitting spot for Affinity Plus Credit Union (named one of the top five spots of 2011 in “Shoot Magazine” and its highly respected “Best Work You May Never See” column) and a comical three-spot campaign for NASCAR’s 2011 Nationwide series. Twist Director Marc André Debruyne shot his first American commercial project for Maine Medical Center and completed his 100th music video for Canadian music artist Tyler Medeiros before being named “Director of the Year” at the 2012 MuchMusic Video Awards. Debruyne also just directed international spots for Red Door and Nestle; while Director Rich Michell shot projects for NetApps, Johnsonville and Fresh Wave. Additional projects to watch for from the Twist team include a new campaign for CenturyLink, directed by Matt Pittroff; a new Target spot from Grady Cooper; as well as continued work from Director Chris Stocksmith for the popular AOL “You’ve Got...” series.
Credits:
Client: Ameristar Casinos
Slots Alive Campaign Spring 2012
“Quadricorn 4,” “Baron VonBacon,” “Captain Caribbean,” “Pharaoh’s Dream,” “Winner’s Night”
Client: Ameristar Casinos
Slots Alive Campaign Spring 2012
Advertising Agency: Cannonball/ St. Louis, MO
COO: Stacey Goldman
Creative Director: Joe Bishop
Assoc. Creative Director: Aric Jost
Account Manager: Emily Bury
Producer: Larry Israel
Production Company: Twist/New York & Minneapolis
Director: Matt Pittroff
Director of Photography: Doug Chamberlain
Executive Producers: Jim Geib, Amyliz Pera
Line Producer: Steve Blair
Where shot: Los Angeles, CA
Editorial Company: 90 Degrees West/St. Louis, MO
Editorial: Scott Whiteaker
Graphics/ Visual Effects: Vlad Sarkisov
Color Grading: Kurt Simpson
Sound Design/ Mixing: Mark Bartels
Executive Producer: Ellen Legow
Project Manager: Beth Martychenko
