UMLAUT'S KAWAHARA CONTROLS 'LAUGH RIOT'
Issue: Editing - April 2006

UMLAUT'S KAWAHARA CONTROLS 'LAUGH RIOT'

SAN FRANCISCO - Jean Kawahara of Umlaut (www.umlautfilms.com), here, recently cut a comedic spot for Comcast promoting the "Comedy Month" On Demand feature available via Comcast Digital Cable. Laugh Riot was conceived by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, and was directed by Happy of production company Smuggler.

The :30 spot open on what seems to be a violent riot taking place in downtown Los Angeles. The viewer quickly sees that something is amiss as rioters hurl bananas and cream pies at officers and smash watermelons with hammers. A TV news reporter and her hand-puppet twin provide live coverage of the humorous event.

The project marks the first time Kawahara has worked with the director and credits Happy with shooting exceptional footage with a great smoky atmosphere and a range of choices in mood, visuals and gags.

“With the large amount and variety of footage that Happy shot, the potential cuts ranged from darkly comic to cartoon comedy," says Kawahara, who cut the project on an Avid Meridian system. "We decided the best place to be was in the middle. We wanted a slight edge to the insanity without getting too dark or too goofy."

Ryan Shake assisted Kawahara on the edit. Company 3’s Stefan Sonnenfeld handled color correction and Jon Wank at Spy Post performed the online. Umlaut and Spy Post both contributed to the visual effects.

Walter Werzowa and John Luker at Musikvergnuegen created the chaotic, original rock/punk track. The spot was mixed by Eben Carr at San Francisco’s One Union Recording.