The AICE Awards Show has grown into the post production industry’s premier competition for excellence in post production, creative editorial, music, color grading, design and sound. The Colonie’s creative editors, Brian Sepanik, and Keith Kristinat, received top honors at the 2016 AICE event, earning the editorial and post house the distinction of taking home the most awards of any Chicago-based company at this year’s presentation.

directed by Tyler Jay out of Tandem Inc., took home top honors in the ‘Dialogue, Monologue, Spoken Work’ category.  Cutter Keith Kristinat won in the ‘Spec Spot’ category for the Chevy  commercial, ‘Dependable,’ a touching narrative-style story written, directed and produced by Martin Rodahl of 71 Degrees Noth

 

Sepanik edited GrubHub’s :30 live-action/CGI spot while helming The Colonie’s team of visual effects and motion graphic artists.  The humorous storyline pits two co-workers against each other in a fast-paced game of ping pong with high stakes – the winner gets to decide what they will order for lunch. 

The editor spent three days rough cutting the footage and then worked remotely with Jay, collaborating on the final version. The main challenge Sepanik faced was timing the movement of the fast-paced ping pong paddles so that they hit the ball just right – and coming up with some innovative solutions to cover numerous timing issues, while taking a few liberties and letting the sound design carry some of the action. 

Creative editor, Keith Kristinat, garnered The Colonie’s second AICE win for his skillful crafting of director, writer, producer Martin Rodahl’s heartfelt two-minute video, ‘Dependable.’ The spec spot follows the story of an adult son reflecting on his relationship with his father and the adventures that they’ve shared over the years. 

Inspired by Rodahl’s personal relationship with his dad – the father and son play themselves in the spot, bringing authenticity to the documentary-style story, which was shot on location in both Chicago, where the filmmaker resides, and in Norway, his birthplace and his father’s home.

The commercial opens on Chicago’s skyline as Martin is preparing for a trip to Norway to meet up with his father for a skiing excursion - a tradition they’ve shared since he was a child. 

Rodahl senior is behind the wheel of his old Chevy truck as they head out.  Confident in his father's ability to provide everything needed to ensure a safe expedition, Martin catches a nap as the unpredictable weather takes a change for the worse. 

On the drive back, Martin takes the wheel of the Chevy, as his dad sleeps in the passenger seat. The director’s voiceover brings home his story’s message: ‘I have all of these amazing memories thanks to my dad – so whenever I look at him now I feel like it's time to return the favor.’ 

Kristinat edited the spot skillfully, juxtaposing the scenes shot in urban Chicago and the footage of the breathtaking Norwegian landscape.  The challenge was to keep the spot focused on the small moments and intimate story of the father and son.

“Martin came to me with three days’ worth of beautiful Norwegian countryside footage. The kind of footage you don’t get on a daily basis. It was an embarrassment of riches,” says Kristinat. "However, it was the voiceover that he recorded – and the simple, poignant personal story that needed to be the focus of this spot. Having lost my father the year before, I had a strong connection with his message.”

This past year The Colonie has been the recipient of numerous accolades. Nominated for three awards at The MIFF Best of the Midwest Awards, Martin Rodahl’s short film, ‘Happy Hour,' edited by Brian Sepanik, took second place at the Advertising Community Shorts Festival. AICE Chicago’s Camp Kuleshov’s ‘Design’ competition awarded assistant visual effects artist, Ben Pokorny, top honors at for ‘Brazil,’ his graphics-driven title sequence for director Terry Gilliam’s dystopian fantasy. Assistant editor Jimmy Helm's original trailer ‘Mainic,’ inspired by the film, 'Tootsie,' took home second place at the event.

About The Colonie: 

The Colonie is an award-winning Chicago-based creative editorial, motion design, visual FX and finishing boutique with a seamless full-service approach to creating spots and cross-platform content that engages, entertains, informs and moves audiences.

Its multi-disciplined collective of creative, technically skilled storytellers work as a creative partner with clients, following a shared vision - from rough-cut through completion – and consistently delivering a final product that exceeds expectations. 

A wide range of national and global clients, such as Nintendo, Google, McDonald’s, Pepsico and Bayer, rely upon our accomplished team of talent to consistently deliver compelling creative content that elevates the viewer’s experience and connects them to brands. For more information about The Colonie and its services, visit www.TheColonie.com, or contact executive producer Mary Caddy at 312-225-1234, or Sonia Blum or Hillary Herbst at Hilly Reps, 312.944.1100.