Rooftop finishes Subway spot

Post, June, 2005

NEW YORK -- New York's pro baseball managers Willie Randolph and Joe Torre were brought together for a Subway TV commercial. The dialogue-driven Press Conference hypes Subway's Double Play 6-inch sub. Conceived by Source Communications, the spot was produced by NYC's Zero to 60 and edited and finished at the recently-launched post house, Rooftop Edit, based here.

Randolph is shown addressing the media, with a toasted sub beside him at the podium. Rather than ask about his new position as the Mets' manager, the media instead becomes fixated on the fresh-toasted sandwich. When Randolph desperately asks. "Any questions about me?" a voice from the crowd chimes in: it's Yankees skipper Joe Torre, who asks, "Are you gonna finish that?"

Due to time constraints, Torre was lensed against curtains and composited into the press gallery.

Sid Horn produced the spot for Source and worked closely with Rooftop during the editorial process. Rooftop's Ed Kisberg cut the :30 spot, accenting the playful give-and-take between Randolph and the press. Then he created a rough composite of Torre and the press gallery on his Avid Media Composer for agency and client approval.

Rooftop's online editor/Smoke artist, Anthony R. Forte, conformed the spot from Kisberg's EDL and rebuilt the final shot in Smoke. Forte rotoscoped Torre out of the shot and composited him against the press gallery, adding lighting and performing color correction. Forte also added a zoom to the press scene, defocusing the reporters in the background to give extra depth to the shot.

Colorist Ron Sudul at Nice Shoes in New York handled the transfer. Rooftop mixer Chris Russomanno performed the final mix. Another Subway spot featuring Randolph and Torre is scheduled to roll out in August.