Venice, CA/NYC-based production hub HēLō director Eddie Alcazar evokes sensuality and femininity in a striking piece that’s his own visual mediation on Versace’s Bright Crystal Fragrance “Bright Crystal” artfully presents a crystal-growing bare-skinned female in a barren desert as eye-popping, poetic CG crystals begin to grow.
Alcazar’s got an unorthodox background as a filmmaker. After a previous life as a game developer working on EA’s Medal of Honor series, he formed a boutique content studio and worked on over 30 game titles before turning his eye towards film. With this piece, Alcazar explores a softer, more feminine aesthetic, deviating from his darker brooding works such as Everlast “Astral” and the HBO documentary TAPIA.
“I wanted to challenge myself through an area that I felt was undiscovered and through an idea that I knew would take experimenting with to accomplish,” notes Alcazar. “I wanted to create something sensual but also push the visual medium and create an almost spiritual piece that connects the essence of the product to humans to earth.”
The project gave Alcazar the opportunity to explore using the highest end film cameras, namely the Panavision 65mm Panaflex camera, the same format that Christopher Nolan used to shoot Interstellar—a rarity today, together with a combination of stunning practical and visual effects.
Combining the art of traditional filmmaking with modern technology, “Bright Crystal” additionally required three main VFX teams to complete the complex crystal elements of the film, all with the challenge of ensuring the end result still felt delicate, natural and real.
Alcazar has upcoming work for Taylormade out of Zambezi, in addition to the upcoming HBO premiere of TAPIA on December 16. Executive produced by 50 Cent, the documentary takes viewers inside the tortured soul of Johnny Tapia, the 5-time world champion boxer whose unprecedented success was overshadowed by a volatile drug addiction brought on by the brutal rape of his mother at the tender age of 8 years old. Through archival footage and first-person interviews, Alcazar explores the achievements, personal demons and ultimate redemptions of the popular fighter, who died in 2012 at age 45.
About HēLō
Venice, CA/NYC-based HēLō was started in 2013 with one simple vision: to create experiences, not interruptions.
In a digital age, there is no longer differentiation between consumers and audiences; they are one and the same. This is why we didn’t set out to be merely another production company. We are experience providers, problem solvers, storytellers and nimble content creators. Our principals have done everything from run a Digital Agency to heading up a Talent Management Firm. That, combined with our meticulously selected group of HēLō talent, provide fertile ground to meet the challenges of today’s increasingly integrated entertainment and advertising markets.
Everyone on our roster is an original voice and innovator in new formats and distribution channels. Some are downright pioneers. www.flyhelo.com
