We are the eye of a National Geographic photographer united with two decades of motion picture post-production and production expertise.  Together, we have the expertise to inhabit the sweet spot between still photography and filmmaking by merging the paradigms and traditions of both disciplines.  We cut our chops the old fashioned way but are not beholden to habits or structures that no longer make sense.  Merge is built around the premise that the old paradigms for content creation, post and distribution have changed. 

At our core is an ability to to take traditional needs and seamlessly express them in old ways, new ways, and ways that have not been thought of yet.  Our hybrid production model allows a blend of art direction and improvisation, the integration of stills and motion, 3D, site specific digital cinema installations, or the use of dynamic technology like 4K RED and Scratch.  What people who have worked with us understand is that we are naturally adaptable and thrive at the intersection of tradition and change.

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The electronics giant turned to Merge for their extensive expertise in 3D and proven track record with a fast and light production models.

During a month long shoot with pre-production cameras in New York City and the Hawaiian Islands, Merge created three commercials targeted at action sports enthusiasts, aspiring filmmakers, and families.

We had the pleasure of working with singer songwriter Brian Bonz who did the soundtracks for family and filmmaker.  Brian is not only a really talented indie musician (as evident in Kid Stuff, song for the family Handycam 3D segment), he has a well developped cinematic eyes and ears, evident in the expansive sound track for Filmmaker. 

Merge delivered a wide range of assets: three tightly edited 3D commercial trailers, a high quality video library strong enough to hold it’s own against 3D footage shot on much more expensive cameras, extensive stills used for packaging, and behind the scenes documentation to inspire professionals and consumers alike to create 3D content.

 Sony Handycam 3D spot: eycandy for filmmakers

 Sony Handycam 3D spot: family vacation

Sony Bloggie 3D spot: action sports

The Sony TD-10 Handycam 3D: small, full 1080 resolution to each eye and an amazing 3D LCD screen.

Jerome swims with very 3D sharks at the Maui Ocean Center

Motion control timelapse set up at a Buddhist monastery, Oahu

The spot below was all shot on the Bloggie, a $250 3D camera. 

Mounting the Bloggie to the wing of a Hangglider in Oahu.

Shooting a skimboarder in Maui.

Bloggie in action shooting motorcorss in Oahu.

A taste of the Spring 2011 video package: Prelude to a dinner party

Still images from the Spring 2011 Shoot in West Texas.

 Horny Toad booth at Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City.

Company booth at Outdoor Retailer, the industry's largest tradeshow.

Playing With Fire

Saturday from Merge on Vimeo.

"Saturday": a broadcast spot combining still photography and motion pictures, shot with real people in Austin who know that everyday is an adventure.

Sony's mission was clear: show off the groundbreaking still and video features of the Alpha NEX cameras while inspiring people to pursue their own passions in photography and filmmaking.

With a small crew and the expert guidance of Sony's Lisa Gonzalez, Merge shot a dynamic mix of improvised and scripted scenarios on locations across South America.  The entire job took less than a month from concept to final delivery.  Deliverables included 5 unique videos demonstrating the NEX-5 capabilities as well as 50 still photographs to use in a national print campaign. 

See all of the videos at the link below.

http://blog.discover.sonystyle.com/tag/david-mclain

David McLain shooting the Sony NEX-5.

Andreas Burgess gets harnessed in for an aeriel shoot.

David McLain shooting in god light on an unnamed mountaintop in the Andes.

The Crew from left.  David McLain, Andreas Burgess, Aaron Flacke, Jerome Thelia, Cari Carmean, Gustavo Arenas, and Lisa Gonzalez.

The Sony Alpha NEX-5 in action.... don't let the size fool you!

 On location with horseback riders in Sand dunes near the Chilean seaside resort town of Valparaiso. 

Working closely with Eugenie Frerichs of Nau and Rodrigo de la Parra of Hopr, Merge designed multi-panel motion picture vignettes that evoked the Nau philosophy and esthetic - clothing for artists, activists and athletes: beautiful spaces (Ace Hotel, Sandbox Studios), considered lifestyle choices (bike commute in the rain, Sweet Pea Bike Shop) and ambient scenes (migrating geese).

We shot for six days on location in and around Portland, Oregon, making the most of advance scouting done by Tahni Holt and Eugenie Frerichs, while staying true to Merge's editorial improvisation style (see the geese vignette). 

Nau's spiritual home, Portland is a wonderful city; a unique blend of sustainable urban architecture, transportation and landscapes, alongside amazing parks and old growth forests.
We shot mostly slow-motion and timelapse with Merge's  Red camera and used Scratch DI tools to grade and transfer the 4K and 3K images.

Jean-Pierre Viellet of Siteworks made invaluable contributions in the physical installation bringing years of expertise in designing cutting edge retail interiors.

The installation is running on 5 Mac minis networked together using a fantastic shareware video installation program called Multiscreener, designed by Zach Poff (thank you Zach!) that keeps all 5 HD streams in sync.
The end result is a magnificent series of vignettes that run on a loop, projected on three 6'x4' windows and a giant 21' skylight, beamed from 5 projectors.  The experience is akin to walking through a cathedral with video stained glass, best viewed after dusk.
 
Driven by Design

a video installation at Here/Nau/NYC, 69 Mercer St. through December 31st.

Project lead: Jerome Thelia

Portland crew:
Creative Director for Nau: Eugenie Frerich
Cinematography: David McLain, Jerome Thelia, AC
Production Coordinator: Tahni Holt

Design/Post: Rodrigo de la Parra, Makoto Sato, Chris Difiore, Hopr.com and Jerome Thelia, colorist

Installation build masters: Erin Smith, David Henry Haan, Jean-Pierre Viellet, Steve White

www.nau.com

Broadcast:
Merge used a small crew on location in the golden wheat fields of Palouse, WA, along with a crane and Merge's Red camera package. In post, Merge's in-house Scratch color grading and vfx capabilities offered the client a seamless and personalized finish.  The spot was recut to accommodate a new ending, a vfx light blast was created to transition into the wheat field, and paint and roto touch-ups were applied to the models and the wheat field.

Jockey Art Director Eric Olson: "Merge has a unique production model that integrates shooting and post. The final shot really brought our spot to a new level at tremendous value relative to a traditional production company. Having a rough-cut on my i-phone the morning after the shoot was pretty damn cool as well... everything with Merge from production to post, stills, vfx and motion, is nimble and collaborative."

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:60 Spot

Medica from Merge on Vimeo.

In two days spent around Minneapolis' Lake Calhoun we captured life as it unfolded, including the coolest soccer girl ever. The finished spot uses stills, HD motion and cutting edge visual effects. Original music was done by our friend Chris Pierce.

Still campaign

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The goal of the piece was to convey the company's accomplishments in the field of renewable energy in visually compelling way. Under a tight deadline, a visually abstract subject and location shoots in Texas and Florida, Merge created motion from stills, also animating stock footage in the process. This combination of original content and highly customized stock, all in full HD, delivered GE timeless visual assets with an extended shelf-life.

GE Renewable Energy Video from Merge on Vimeo.

We were eager to pursue our passion for combining motion and stills and started shooting life unfolding on a busy neighborhood street in Santiago de Cuba. Fascinated by the scene - some guys working on an old american car, but clueless as to how it would unfold we watched in utter amazement as they fixed a friend's motorcycle, rain came down, they washed their car, rappers gave us an impromptu performance and the hero car was fixed and taken for a joy ride. The result was a 3 minute short that played in film festivals and remains one of our favorite slices of life, and the cornerstone of our production model.

Santiago from Merge on Vimeo.

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