Commercials - Production Review 1999 Nr. l, 15.01.

In this "wired" world, the latest form of Organisation is the network - companies work in networks and use project teams to get things done. It's all about finding the people with the greatest knowledge on a subject or, in other words, finding the people with the best ideas and resources for a project when it comes to creativity, management and innovative technology. The economy of networks turns all the conventional laws of the market upside down - the value of the network increases the more participants the network has.

The most important thing is to select the right people and companies to be involved in a media project. Gehrisch Film is particularly committed to tracking down new talent and, doing so, the Company is able to constantly expand its international pool of freelancers and co-operating partners. Due to this, a network of knowledge, where project and customer-oriented working practices remain the central issue, is being created. Internal structures are open and uncomplicated. The team works interactively, across a wide range of competencies.

The use of Gehrisch Films Avid machines, which are linked to various animation and graphic tools, is not restricted to postproduction and the optimisation of film projects, but is also used as early as in the stage of developing projects for agencies. The;most recent acquisition is an Avid Symphony System (digital High End Finishing with 1:1 video Streaming). Gehrisch Film is one of the first production companies in Europe to be equipped with this product and perceives it as the next step towards total service.
"Our customers prefer a close collaboration based on trust, integrity and loyalty" states Rainer Gehrisch, referring to the long-standing business relationships with the Bozell Network (eg. Chrysler) and the Deutsche Bank, who have been clients of Gehrisch Film right from the Start. Gehrisch Film now boasts an impressive list of agencies and international concems as clients, such as BASF, Braun, Daimler Benz, Hyundai, Sony and Wella.

Since the foundation of the production Company in 1995, clients at home and abroad have put the expertise of Gehrisch Film to the test in over 180 projects (commercials, music Videos, corporate image films). They have received many awards confirming the high standard of their productions.
The film "Ziele und Werte" (Goals and Values), a corporate image film produced on behalf of Deutsche Bank, has already won several awards. Deutsche Bank sets itself the challenge of globalisation and modernisation. Gehrisch Film hired Serge Roman, director and DOP, for the visual effects, and filming took place in London, Tokyo, New York and Frankfurt.

Equally eye-catching are the cinema and TV commercials produced by the Company: the "Heiss begehrt" (Dearly desired) ad for Hyundai, directed by Juergen Bollmeyer, is a perfect example of the successful combination of live action and digital montage. Troops of penguins waddle through Munich city centre looking for the special offer on air-conditioning units.

Social and cultural commitment is also important to Gehrisch Film. In Germany the production Company played a leading role in the realisation of Steven Spielberg's Shoah Visual History Foundation. Since 1996, the Foundation has been working on establishing a visual library containing several thousand testimonies by survivors of the Holocaust, collected by video teams all over the world. Gehrisch Films group of five young camera operators have produced nearly 200 interviews in the past three years. Encouraging young directors is an activity that lies close to the heart of the Company. That is why Gehrisch Film gives financial support and advice to projects at the Berlin School of Film and Television and encourages ambitious projects by young cinematographers. Some short films that Gehrisch Film has been involved in have already been awarded and successfully marketed. Rainer Gehrisch also sees this as a bridge to feature projects: "Sooner or later" states Rainer Gehrisch "we want to use our ever-increasing production know-how in both cinema and TV projects."