This past summer, fig was part of the five hit commercials that Chicago entrepreneur Billy Dec and Rockit Ranch Productions used in the recent viral marketing campaign for his new nightclub The Underground. fig filmed and contributed to the creative direction, lights, camera, sound, editing, and music composition. fig even had the unique opportunity to team up with director David Schwimmer. All shot in one day, the five spots were creative, funny as hell, and had a talented cast that included Joey Slotnick and Billy Dec himself.

click here to see the amazing final versions

The fig team included:
Producers: Megan Taylor, James Gustin
Camera Operator: Carl Wiedemann
Editor: Billy Rood
Assistants: Lauren Pollock, Joe Martinez

What is it? It’s the best idea in wedding services in a long, long while. At fig, our brides and grooms have the unique opportunity to cross off three major things on their pre-planning “to do” list. We offer DJ, video, and photo – throw in an on-site coordinator to orchestrate the whole thing and you have yourself a Mod Deal. It saves time and money working under one roof with the very talented, experienced fig crew. We will make your special day go smoother, and you probably will just have more fun with the fig team there.  Please check out our website to see examples of the Mod Deal and to learn if it’s right for you.

PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving: a no-kill animal shelter) hosted their annual benefit, Animal Magnetism, at Kaleidoscope on Saturday, February 10th. Dogs stylishly clad in tutus and cats in tuxedos accompanied their fetching owners also dressed to kill in formal wear.  fig photographers, Brian Carey and Chris Monaghan, had a blast shooting the adorable animals and projecting the photos onto Kaleidoscope’s big spandex screens. This event gave fig deejays, Jonathan Hood and Tobey Geise, the opportunity to boogie the night away with an eclectic blend of music ranging from electronic lounge to classic rock to contemporary and more. The tunes were so magnetic that guests and their pets were drawn to wag their tails and shake their booties onto the packed dance floor. The guests will be begging to have fig back next year! For more information and a list of sponsors, click here.

Swissôtel, LOVE FM and Fox News Chicago held their 2nd annual bridal giveaway in February and fig media was along for the ride. Over 1,000 couples competed for their chance to win a free wedding valued at $50,000. Five finalists were then selected and interviewed on Fox TV the week leading up to Valentine’s Day. On Feb. 14th, the on-line votes were tabulated, the judges deliberated, and the winning couple was announced at a special media event hosted by Swissôtel and simulcasted on both LOVE FM and Fox News Chicago. Fig was the premier DJ, video and photo sponsor donating an entire Mod Deal to the wedding giveaway. Check out our photography of the event and of the lucky couple on our website. And we look forward to working the winning couple, Jill and Steve.

This past year fig became the new production company for Dyson, the #1 vacuum cleaner company, and produced many of their new marketing and training videos. Fig provided creative shot consultation, full video production, voice-over recordings, graphic design, and rush editing. The final products can be found at Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, and the Home Shopping Network…. Please check out some of the footage below.

Producers: Megan Taylor, James Gustin
Director of Photography/Steadicam Operator: Carl Wiedemann
Editor/Original Music: Billy Rood
Assistant Editor: Keren Aronoff
Grip: David Joyce, Chris Weiher

The result of shooting high school sports for the web media company Prep Sports Online has been a substantial fig sports photography portfolio. It opened doors to other sports markets, and now fig is “The Official Photographer of the Chicago Storm.” fig’s approach to each game has been to not only cover the action on the turf, but also to capture the experience of live indoor soccer: the players, the fans, the victory, the defeat, the bumps and bruises, the pride, and the celebration. Storm staff members have been a delight to work with, and the Storm players have been open to our “in your face" photojournalistic style. Check out the continued Chicago Storm season schedule at www.chicagostorm.net.

This February fig took part in two fabulous events in conjunction with the launching of Chicago Social’s Brides magazine. The first was a luxurious sold-out bridal event held at the Peninsula Hotel. Heffernan Morgan provided spectacular event design, Frost supplied awesome lighting, and fig provided both a live mixing of Super 8 nostalgic films and good music by one of fig’s female deejays, Megan Taylor. The show also had an exclusive runway show by Vera Wang, sneak peaks from Belle Vie Bridal Couture, and a percentage of the proceeds were donated to the Y-Me Breast Cancer Organization. The second event was at the MCA Warehouse where Blue Plate Catering offered yummy treats and Event Creative supplied awesome event décor and design. An industry night for CS Brides sponsors, fig was there again to provide the perfect mingling soundtrack. DJs Alvin Black and Hafeez Sarumi played downstairs alongside a live percussionist from Stitely Entertainment. Female DJs Emily Hard and Megan Taylor kept it rocking upstairs.

Soo In. Guarding benevolence. This pseudonym and philosophy of Accent Asia owner Daniel Kim’s grandfather was transferred to a web presence that fig designers realized. Situated in River North, Accent Asia specializes in Asian antiquities in addition to more contemporary artwork.  After bringing the project to the design team, where everyone had an opportunity to design a mockup, a final layout was synthesized from two concepts: a horizontal layout and a flash banner to display inventory. Kim finally decided on an earth/fire combination of brown and earthy reds, which reflects the nature of many of the handmade objects in the store. Benevolence guarded.

Visit: www.accentasia.net

Every year, at the end of January, the Sundance Film Festival inhabits Park City, Utah.  This year, Joe Martinez from Fig Media volunteered at the festival, and spent most of his time in the snow-capped mountainous town networking with independent film's cutting edge players. On a daily basis, actors, directors, producers, buyers, publicists, editors, and investors were among the few categories of people with whom Joe engaged.  Being up close to independent filmmakers and witnessing their first steps into success, has inspired him to come back to Chicago and shake fig films into its first year of producing cinema. More exciting news to come…

Who are the people that influenced you the most? Three positive influences on my filmmaking activities:  Linda Gottwald: 5th grade art teacher who introduced me to the mechanics of stop-motion model animation (think of the 1933 version of King Kong). Patricia Zimmermann: hyper-articulate film scholar and cinema verite enthusiast at Ithaca College who introduced me to Maya Deren (experimental filmmaker) and Valerie Solanas (writer of rants). My friend Brock Craft (soon to be Dr.Brock, Phd) who enabled me to overcome my techno-phobia by demonstrating his irreverent and playful attitude to dissecting and mutating hardware.

How do you feel about fig's standard of wearing all black attire on gigs? This question is an inside joke as it is well known to figsters that my wardrobe is virtually all monochrome and dark. I’m not sure if this appeals to me because I find a field of black to be a soothing blank slate or if I’m just a nerd who doesn’t want to bother to think about how I’m going to dress every morning.

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do? I’m fascinated by the remains of 20th century industry. I’d like to check out the Maginot Line in France and abandoned steel factories in the Ruhr Valley and Alabama. What I feel when I go to these places is the similar to what people describe when they go on spiritual pilgrimages. I don’t know if that makes me more crass, or more in touch with the transitory nature of humans and civilization. Some of my best, numinous dreams involve wandering through vast, convoluted architectural spaces. Also: I’d also like to explore the remains of the Empire State Building after Global Warming floods have claimed Manhattan.

Digital Photography: Tim Musho

What's the most awkward thing/situation you've shot? While documenting bridesmaids preparing at a hotel I walked into a room of conversing women and began recording them chatting and then noticed that one of them was breast-feeding an infant. A clearly more uncomfortable situation: witnessing grooms who are verbally antagonistic with their new wives during “private” photo sessions, but who quickly exude charm and smarm when mixing with guests and parents. Gives me a window into a rather unpleasant future. I’ve witnessed this situation several times.

What's the funniest part of being a videographer? Part of the appeal of photography and cinematography is the sense that I can somehow contain and control the overwhelming nature of reality by putting a frame and a duration around it, believing that I can then rearrange these images to make the world conceptually and aesthetically more pleasing. But I see art, religion, and other rituals as being equally successful in achieving transcendence for humanoids. I simultaneously believe wholeheartedly in the artistic process and know that I’m deluding myself. That’s pretty funny.

What's you favorite kind of animal? Does it resemble you in any way? I am drawn to The Domestic Shorthaired Cat: generally aloof, unpredictably affectionate, likes to climb on stuff. That sums me up.

Where do you see your career going in 5 years? 10 years? I see bigger and better work with Fig as a documentary and editorial photographer and videographer, proceeding with more confidence and a better sense of fun and exploration. In the next year I will be compiling a selection of my short films onto a DVD for mass-duplication, distribution and sales. Also within the next year I will be collaborating on at least one Dance Film with Atalee Judy and Breakbone Dance Co. (We’ve collaborated on a great deal of dance documentation but never executed a self-contained dance film). Over the next five years I will be doing more Steadicam Operation on narrative shorts and feature films. Over the next 10 years I will be working on music videos and performance films as Director of Photography, Steadicam Op’, or director. Within the next year I’m going to work on a Rant Film (that’s my best, succinct description of the short, experimental piece). Sometime in the next 10 years I’d like to do a more lucid, longer format work exploring some civil liberties issues.

email: carl@figgy.net

VIEW CARL'S BIO: CLICK HERE

Since we already do a bit of everything, we figured why not take our creativity and aspirations to the next level with our new project space next door – we call it Fig East. It is our new space to work, create, produce, progress, and of course, play. We threw a pre-opening on December 30th, and an official opening on January 19th to give our friends, clients, neighbors, and the Chicago community a taste of what we do and of how excited we are to be displaying and promoting fig owner Michele Gustin’s artwork. Check out her website, www.michelegustin.com, to see her work and some photos from the openings. Our next opening will be on April 20th and we are already planning and getting excited – we will keep you posted!

Many of the Chicago downtown hotels received the gift of fig for their holiday parties this season. Four Seasons, Peninsula, Sheraton, Hard Rock, Sutton Place, Westin River North, Whitehall, and the Peninsula were among some of the hotels that hired fig to handle the entertainment for their staff parties. Two hotels, Peninsula and Sheraton, commissioned our Integrated Experience: DJs spinning everything from oldies, current Top 40, disco, and Latin music while VJs mixed photos, videos, and other images projected onto large screens. Another perk is our fig photographers captured great images that were used later for appreciation albums. fig was grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the hard work of these amazing hotels and their staff.