Company News: Page (1) of 1 - 11/11/04

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Operating on the theory that less is often significantly more, AdMusic and 740 Sound Design recently collaborated on music and sound design for two new spots for Lexus, creating a powerful statement about the new ES from the simplest elements.

Conceived by Team One Advertising, the spots Highway and Milestone present montages of driving footage showing the ES in a number of dramatic settings. The accompanying voice-over evokes Lexus? passion and quest for perfection. ?To get there,? states the voice-over in Highway, ?you set your speed at ?impossible? and never take your foot off the accelerator.?

AdMusic composer Paul Bessenbacher and 740 Sound Design sound designers Eddie Kim and Michael Johnson were tasked with creating original music and sound to support the lyrical quality of the voice-over while suggesting the speed and power of the car. ?The obvious choice would have been to go with a fast, strong track, but I thought a minimalist approach would be more effective,? said Bessenbacher.

As a result, Bessenbacher prepared a disarmingly clean track carried by a solo piano. ?A classy, sophisticated and ultimately simple track complemented the personality of the car and the character of the voice-over,? he said. ?It also left room for the sound design to do its work.?

The sound work of Kim and Johnson, similarly took an unconventional approach. ?It?s emotional and abstract, rather than literal,? explained 740 Sound Design executive producer Scott Ganary. ?The sounds recall memory and speed more than mechanics and power. They have a hypnotic effect.?

The design scheme does not rely on actual car sounds. ?We used a light glass sound to support close-ups of the headlights, and wind sounds when the car was making performance maneuvers,? recalled Kim. ?We only used organic sounds, nothing processed or mechanical.?

About Admusic
In addition to their TV credits, Admusic has scored some of the most recognizable and acclaimed ad work on television today, including Delta ?Seat? and Mt. Dew ?Animated.? Working with advertising agencies such as BBDO/New York, Leo Burnett/Chicago, TBWA/Chiat Day/Los Angeles, Cliff Freeman & Partners, DDB Needham/Chicago, Fallon/Minneapolis, Wieden & Kennedy/Portland, and Goodby Silverstein & Partners/San Francisco to name just a few, Admusic has continually sought out the best creative in the industry. It comes as no surprise then, that Admusic works with directors such as Traktor, Noam Murro, Kuntz & Maguire, Kinka Usher, Bruce Dowad, Sam Bayer, Rob Pritts, and Tarsem.

AdMusic is 1615 16th St. Santa Monica, CA 90404. For more information, call (310) 399-6900 or visit www.admusic.com.au.

About 740 Sound Design
740 Sound Design is located at 1615 16th St., Santa Monica, CA 90404. For more information, call (310) 664-0468 or visit http://740sounddesign.com.

Commercial Credits
Title: Highway, Milestone

Length: :30

Client: Lexus

Agency: Team One, El Segundo, CA. Chris Graves, creative director/art director; Jess Spiegel, copywriter; Nikki Brancatil, producer.

Production Company: Rock Fight, Hollywood, CA. Daniel Barber, director/director of photography; Matthew Brown, executive producer/line producer:

Location: Northern Italy, Tuscany.

Editing Company: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Los Angeles. Adam Pertofsky, Olaf Garcia, editors.

Music Company: Admusic, Santa Monica, CA. Paul Bessenbacher, composer; Paul Schultz, executive producer.

Post Facility: Company 3, Santa Monica, CA. Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist.

Visual EFX Company: A52, West Hollywood, CA. Lisa Tomei, VFX/Inferno artist; April Killingsworth, executive producer.

Sound Design Company: 740 Sound Design, Santa Monica, CA. Eddie Kim, Mike Johnson, sound designers.

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