Client: Reynolda House
Written by: Josh Sliffe
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Production Company: Remedy
Producer: Austin Simmons & Josh Sliffe
Director: Josh Sliffe
Co-Director: Allen Baker
DP: Allen Baker
Gaffer: Brian DeContreras
Grip: Juan Carlos Garcia-Spitz
Sound Recordist: Jeremy Childers
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Post Production: Remedy

Remedy and Reynolda House worked together to create a film reintroducing Reynolda to the public, giving viewers an inside look into what a day there can hold.

Over the course of a few months, we worked with Reynolda’s marketing staff members to land on an idea and script that aimed to feel whimsical and adventurous, while still feeling natural and honest, all the while showcasing some important Reynolda features and guidelines.

Going into it, we knew the house itself would present some serious obstacles. There were many irreplaceable exhibits and items around the house so our crew and gear would have to be minimal. Not only that, but we wouldn’t be able to move any of our gear ourselves like lights, stands, cameras – they all had to be moved by a Reynolda staff member to a spot that they deemed safe. This was just a logistical reality we had to build in time and solutions for.

On top of that, the house is very large and very dimly lit with very little power, so we had to find creative ways to get enough light in there to expose the image and also make sure it had depth and a natural look to it. There were plenty more variables to this project, but suffice it to say we were having to constantly rethink things.

In terms of crew we kept it light and walked around with just a core team of six guys. These are the guys we hire and bring in when it counts and when it has to be good – and to be honest, guys who are used to crawling through the mud with us. For lenses, we pushed for using anamorphics to help lean into the storybook/dreamy feel. For the dinner table narration scene that guided the piece, we opted for making that look as though it were in the evening to give it that sort of intimate, reflective feel. The house we found was just 10 minutes outside of the Reynolda House and had a really great mid-century look to it that gave us the feel we were after - warm, aged, and cozy… not too city, not too country, not suburban, and not fancy.

We had worked with this family of actors before in part and knew from the beginning that they’d be the right family for this piece. They had just the right amount of performances and realism at every moment – able to dial it up for the image but able to keep it grounded in some reality to help everything still feel honest and real.

Reynolda was super happy with the piece, now showing it to every guest during their welcome/orientation, and was a project full of opportunities for us to dig in and have fun.