Congratulations to our first "Tongaler of the Month" in 2015, Visceral Content! Benjamin, Craig and Shawn make up the team and these guys prove that great things come in threes. Read on to hear about their unique creative journeys, their incredible teamwork and their Spanish skills! ¡Ay, Carumba!
Izzy Francke: What’s your filmmaking background? Did you go to film school?
Benjamin Howdeshell: I didn’t go to film school, but my background is in postproduction and VFX. I had an idea for a short film exploring what it would be like for a daughter to make an impossible choice with her father, coupled with the intensity, tension and special effects of the zombie films I’d come to love. Craig helped me write the script, Shawn produced the short and my friend Dmitry Tokoyokov did the visual effects. We did it for very little money, calling in every favor I could. I put it on YouTube to see what would happen and 6 months later we were shooting the biggest budget web-series IGN/Fox had ever done.
Craig Dewey: I moved to LA one week after graduating with a BA in History and got a job as a post PA on Michael Mann’s Miami Vice. Getting coffees and lunches for editors and directors while sitting in on editing sessions and notes calls was my film school. I’m currently still working in feature editorial.
Shawn Wallace: When I was a kid, a movie was a transportation device to another world - I would go into a theater and be engulfed in that other time and place for 2 hours of my life. When I grew up I thought I’d build buildings so I studied architecture and construction management in college only to realize that what I really wanted to build was those transportation devices of my childhood. So I studied screenwriting in LA and NY, and produced a handful of short films (most that I’d never show to anyone). Later, I hustled my way into a job working as the assistant to a successful film producer from London. Funny thing is, putting together the pieces to build a 20 story building and putting together the pieces to build a $20M movie are pretty similar when you get right down to it. Each step of the way, from the dark theater of my youth to reading scripts for a producer, that was my film school.
IF: That's great! It's interesting to hear about your diverse backgrounds. How did you find Tongal?
BH: Don Broida.
CD: I had been Don’s PA back in 2008, and then I met Ben and Shawn and things started to take off in a hurry.
SW: Wait, how long have you known about Tongal?
BH: He told us about it 2 years ago.
SW: You've known about Tongal for 2 years?
CD: Yeah, I distinctly remember telling Ben about it.
SW: So we waited 1.5 years to do this?
BH: I know, I know…I regret not listening to Craig and Don right away.
SW: At least we are here now.
BH/CD: Agreed!
IF: Well, we're definitely glad that you're using Tongal now — Thanks, Don! What do you look for in a Tongal Project and what specifically attracts you to one when there are so many on the site?
BH: I look for interesting campaigns and ideas that I feel are a good fit for my storytelling interests and where we can deliver something unique.
CD: I like to Pitch on the Tongal Projects where I immediately have an angle while I’m still reading the Brief. Then that passion and excitement comes across in the Pitch and the brands definitely notice the enthusiasm.
SW: I think we try to look for Projects where the product, the campaign, and our energy all come into alignment. We know where our strengths lie so our goal is to find the Projects where we really believe we can have the kind of impact that the brand is looking for. At the end of the day, it’s all about the brand.
IF: Your Video "Board Meeting" for the HP Datapass What Can You Do When You’re Connected? Project is beautiful, how did you go about planning that shoot? (Editor's note: trust us, this Video is amazing, but we can't link to it until the Sponsor's big reveal!)
BH: That was an amazing shoot. We knew after we finished the Pitch that it was going to be awesome. We started scouting Leo Carillo immediately. I used to surf and Eric Leach (our DP) is an avid surfer so we knew the spot well. We chose each of the spots we were going to use and sent pictures to my favorite VFX Guru, Dmitry Tokoyakov of thegreenlight.ru. He mocked up our VFX so we would know when and where to shoot (see picture below). The actual shooting day was beautiful. Our first shot of the day was the sun coming up so we got everything ready at basecamp in the dark to catch first light. I remember sitting outside of a coffee shop in Malibu with Craig at 4:50am waiting for them to open. The morning sky was amazing. It was a great shoot and a lot of fun.
SW: The whole plan starts with the creative. We will always Pitch creative that we know we can execute at a high level given the resources available. So when we get together with Craig to bounce around ideas and craft our Pitch, it is always with planning/execution in mind. We know how to execute on a tight budget. This comes from having built a talented and loyal network of crew and an understanding of where we can get the most bang for our buck. We aim to put as much of the resources available on the screen with the goal of over-delivering.
IF: That sounds like a very cool experience! We also love Generations, your spot for the Montejo Beer Video Project. Can you tell us about the process of making that? Are you native Spanish speakers?
BH: I am a novice Spanish speaker, but the themes we were exploring in Montejo were universal. Family and traditions are important to me and we were able to express that through our commercial. From a technical standpoint, it was a very fun Project, the turn around was extremely fast so we had our DIT transcoding our footage as fast as we were shooting and I had our first cut about 45 minutes after we finished our last shot, as the crew was packing up.
CD: My amazing girlfriend is a second generation Mexican-American, and because of that we’ve often had conversations about authenticity, heritage and what it means to be Mexican-American, and those concepts fit nicely into the Montejo Project. I’m still an intermediate Spanish speaker, so she was instrumental in the translation.
SW: Siempre me he sentido atraído por la cultura latinoamericana, puesto a que es emocionante; llena de drama pasión; y un entusiasmo característico por la vida. Al principio…en la escuela, me gustaba persuadir a mis compañeros de intercambio de países extranjeros como: México, Centroamérica y Sudamérica para que me enseñaran palabras de su idioma con la finalidad de poder relacionarme con ellos de una manera que ellos apreciarían. Algunas veces negociaba el dinero de mi almuerzo por unas lecciones. Más tarde, me adentre a tomar varios años de educación formal del idioma Español. Así que cuando llegó el momento de preparar el terreno de juego y ejecutar la jugada, me quise asegurar de que puse particular atención en los elementos culturales de mayor importancia, detalles como la comida y el uso del lenguaje distintivo del país en temas importantísimos para los latinoamericanos como lo son la familia y las tradiciones.
IF: In case you don't speak Spanish, here's the gist... "I've always loved Latin American culture...at school I'd persuade my Latin American friends to teach me Spanish words (sometimes I'd exchange my lunch money for some lessons!). When I got older, I took more intensive Spanish lessons. When this Project came about, I wanted to make sure the Pitch emphasized the important cultural elements of Mexico, such as the food, distinctive use of the language, and the importance of tradition and family."
IF: Impressive! I took French in school...so I had to Google translate that! What would be your dream Project on Tongal?
SW: We started out a little bit cautious in initially choosing a Project that we knew we could knock out of the park without “going big." Now that we are off the starting line with a handful of Projects under our belt, the engine is purring and I’m ready to put the pedal to the metal. If Ben says he wants to “go big” on a campaign, I’m ready to go BIG. So if he says let’s do techno cranes, helicopters, camera cars, the works...I’m ready. In short, I’d love to do something for a major automobile brand - something that wows. If you look at our work on Project: S.E.R.A, you’ll see we can shoot cars beautifully with lots of energy and excitement. I am looking forward to the day when we get behind the wheel of an automobile campaign.
BH: What Shawn said. Plus, I’d love to do something sports related…something with athletes at the top of their game. I’m a huge fan of slow motion and there is nothing like watching a world class athlete perform at the top of their game at 120 frames per second.
IF: As they say...go big or go home! What are your daily must-reads?
BH: io9.com, betweenthenumbers.com and AdWeek. I’m also a YouTube and Instagram junkie. I’m much more of a visual person so I’m always looking for inspiration in photography, video games, short films and concept art.
CD: It used to be only Deadline and /Film. Now it absolutely includes AdWeek.
SW: I read the entertainment trades, the auto trades, and I read the NYT and LA Times.
IF: Sweet, lots of good reading materials! Tell us a fun fact or surprising hobby about yourselves.
BH: That’s a fun one… I’ve had a lot of passions along the way. Growing up in Wyoming I was the state champ in alpine skiing, then I was a professional dancer in NY, after which I went to college on a ballet scholarship, which was where I changed paths again and realized that I wanted to be involved in film. I was the first student in my school to learn the Avid, and visual entertainment has been my focus ever since. Now my need for physical activity mainly manifests in a mild obsession with Crossfit.
CD: Between full-time work and Tongal projects, who has time for hobbies??? Ben even has two kids, so I don’t know how he does it.
SW: Fun fact/surprising hobby...hmmm...I spent 2013 getting into supreme shape doing Crossfit but I’ve fallen off that lately. Ben, on the other hand, is in better shape doing Crossfit than I ever was.
IF: Love the variety of passions you have! Do you have any advice for other Tongalers?
CD: Getting started was the biggest hurdle. There’s an inherent reluctance to spend real money to create that first Wildcard Video. I know, because it took me nearly two years to finally do one. And it wasn’t my money! It was Ben’s. But seriously, that first step is the hardest part. I would look at the site and go “Man, if only xyz…” That “if only” will always hold you back.
SW: Check out the competition – not to be intimidated, but to be inspired. There are a lot of great filmmakers out there and more than a few of them are on Tongal sharpening their skills.
IF: That's great advice! What’s next for you, on Tongal or otherwise?
BH: For Tongal, we are in post on a commercial for Bud Light Lime. I got an opportunity to work with one of my favorite models/actresses, Brittany Brousseau. The shoot was way too much fun and I can’t wait for everyone to see it. Outside of Tongal, we are working on a feature project. We’re about 2 months away from shooting a short film/pitch for it. Craig has created compelling/ strong/dynamic/tortured characters. I can’t wait to bring them to life. The lead character has such a distinct voice. I absolutely LOVE that moment when what is on the page comes alive on the screen.
CD: I’m moving to New Zealand to work on a feature film production and will be on post through spring 2016.
SW: I’m headed out the door right now (and will jump in a car that would photograph beautifully in a campaign for some major auto brand) to grab some street tacos. Gonna wash them down with some Anheuser-Busch Beverage products. Safely, of course.
Wow, sounds like 2015 will be a busy year! Thanks so much for sharing your insight with us, and good luck with everything. We always look forward to seeing your gorgeous work.
PS: Shawn, if you happen to pick up any extra tacos, Team Tongal will take them off your hands!
