Energy Upgrade California
April 2017 ––With this film, we’re painting an evocative, deeply felt picture of how they each think about their urban footprint. But even more than that, how they feel about their urban footprint. We’re looking into their mind’s eye to discover their complex emotional worlds; what excites them, scares them, motivates them, and inspires them. We all know that the troubled natural beauty of California is only a symptom of a much larger global illness.
The natural resources on our planet matter, and our actions can save or destroy them. By choosing images that cut to the heart of that reality in a single glance, we can powerfully evoke that concern through the eyes of our characters, doing what all great storytelling aspires to: conveying a universal message through an authentic and deeply personal lens.
The Film
–– 01 The Approach
–– AuthenticLight is how we start the day, how we represent joy, love, and new beginnings; it’s an essential part of life, and the human experience. As such, light is an important cast member in our film. Expressing our landscapes through light immediately transforms them into something dynamic, interpretive, and alive.
This is particularly true when you combine light with people. If you show a picture of a valley, the viewer passively studies it. If you overlay that valley atop the person who holds it close to their heart, it wraps around them, changing their appearance — now, it’s not just a picture, but an active part of a two-way relationship.
In this way, we can use light to create a surreal palette that expresses the impact of California’s stunning natural world in starkly personal terms. Our characters don’t just care about the environment. The environment is enmeshed into their very being, as intimately a part of their identity as anything else. By painting and sculpting the space around our characters with the light of these images, we imbue them with profound meaning and emotion.
For more info about Energy Upgrade California, head to EnergyUpgradeCA.org and do your thing.
Production
Director: GMUNK
Managing Partner: Oliver Fuselier
Executive Producer: Sarah Dileo
Head Of Production: Amy Delossa
Producer: Mary Church
Production Supervisor: Jess Royall
Asst. Prod Supervisor: Jessica Tomson
Asst. Production Supervisor: Kailey Aleto
1st AD: Freddy Childress
2nd AD: Ronnie Misetich
Camera Dept
DP: Justin Henning
1st AC: Nick Cutaway
DIT: Daniel Satinoff
Electric
Gaffer: Mickey Petersen
Best Boy Electric: Mark Mann
Electric: Mike Cruz
Dimmer Board Op: Eric Androvich
Grip
Key Grip: John Hatchitt
Best Boy Grip: Jason Elhers
Grip: Cory Beaird
Art Dept
Production Designer: Charles Infante
Art Director: David King
Set Decorator: Simona Ennas
Prop Master: Adam Jette
Coordinator: Chris Rubin
Leadman: Craig Pizzella
Set Dresser: Mark Pizzella
Set Dresser: Cecelio Perez
Art Driver: Todd Anderson
Stylist: Paula Tabalipa
Sound, VTR, Script
VTR: Dylan Defelicis
Script Supervisor: Michele Tedlis Sorbo
Post Production
Editor: Bradley G Munkowitz
Colour: FreeFolk
Colourist: Duncan Russell
Music: Keith Ruggiero
Agency
Creative Director: Sam Brown
Associate Creative Director: Dallas Baker
Associate Creative Director: Michelle Sjoberg
Art Director: Tufan Guzeloglu
Executive Integrated Producer: Andrea Bustabade
Business Lead: Matt Perry
Account Director: Lindsey Lucero
Account Supervisor: Ross Mcleod
Account Manager: Amanda Fuller
Business Lead Multicultural: Karla Kruger
Creative Director: Serge Castagna
Senior Producer: Mimi Cossio
Senior Account Executive: Patricia Burelli
Talent
Couch Female: Sarah Chang
Couch Male: Hardhi Harris
Grandma: Irene Yah-Ling Sun
Grandson: Mason Ha
Farmer: Anthony Delongis
Laundry Male: Mark Cirillo
Laundry Male: Edward Kiniry-Ostro
Mother: Rosemary Dominguez
Shower: Dalon Holland
Office: D'kia Anderson
Teen: Neil Aggerwhil
Son: Nicholas Johnny
Daughter: Alexia Alvarez
Father: Louis Anthony
Hipster: Tyler Cook
Munky’s Grid.
1999 –– 2025The Grid is a mosaic of the creative profile. It is the flowchart of output –– the pulse of pursuit. Each entry is a memory, an arc of emotion; a creative fulfullment with vivid learnings and an enduring imprint.
The Grid is the totality of the flow.