The Special Forces of Filmmakers

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Thanks to advancements in technology, it’s easier than ever before for individuals to break into industries that once required a huge upfront investment, such as publishing and filmmaking.

I recently sat down with Jacob Rosenberg, chief technical officer and director for the Bandito Brothers, an LA-based, full-service media company that is at the leading edge of a transition that I see happening in the movie-making industry. The Bandito Brothers was founded by a group of men who are athletes, technologists, filmmakers and master storytellers. They are harnessing smarter, less-expensive technology to create a cost model that is radically different from what the film industry has ever seen. It’s truly a disruptive technology.

One way Jacob told me they have managed to keep costs down is through “vertical integration.” From the start, he said the Bandito Brothers was a vertically integrated company, meaning it has complete control over the creative development, production, post production and visual effects. This opens up the range of projects the company can tackle.

Another reason for the Bandito Brothers’ success is that it stands at the forefront of the DSLR filmmaking revolution. Its filmmakers often shoot with Canon 5D Mark II DSLR cameras and use HP DreamColor displays to immediately review footage and ensure color accuracy on location. Video that used to take filmmakers several weeks to shoot, the Bandito Brothers can capture in a single day.

To see their awesome capabilities, check out these jaw-dropping ads that the Bandito Brothers created for HotWheels and BMW and edited in one day on HP workstations.

One timesaver is rather than doing multiple takes, the Bandito Brothers shoots the same scene with two cameras from different angles. Afterward, a visual effects expert will simply erase the extra camera in the shots. Now that’s innovative thinking.

The Bandito Brothers isn’t afraid to take risks with technology either. Jacob calls this “learning while you’re burning.” He trusts that the visual effects team can fix shots that don’t come out right, and if something is unsalvageable, he hasn’t invested a huge amount of time or money. 

At the 2011 NAB Show, Jacob showed me a clip from the Bandito Brothers’ action-packed feature film “Act of Valor,” starring active-duty Navy Seals. Two crews of 12 people shot the footage from separate locations in one day. As with any small business, everyone wore multiple hats. “We like to say that we are the special forces of filmmakers – a small, elite group of people who are attacking a target in an intelligent way,” he joked.

All their hard work paid off this month with Relativity Media announcing it had acquired the worldwide rights to market and distribute “Act of Valor,” which it’s expected to release in 2012.

That’s another major milestone for this small movie-making operation. I’m sure it’s just the first of many more great things to come for the Bandito Brothers as it continues to leap forward, serving as an early signal of the direction the entire movie industry is headed.