A scene from the Izod commercial In the Sun.

Ben Orisich and cinematographer Pete Konczal teamed-up to create a vibrant, adventurous look for an Izod sportswear campaign produced by HomeNYC. The various spots took the director and cinematographer from one extreme environment to another, ranging from warm, sunny beaches to frozen glaciers. They have worked together in various capacities on a number of projects over the last decade.

"We look at a lot of the same visual references as far as movies, TV or online," says Orisich. "If I see something I like then I'll call him. It gives us a visual shorthand going into any project."

Orisich, who has over 10 years of experience as an award-winning flame artist, designer and creative, looked to Izod's print campaign for ideas put to into motion. "It is all about really bright colors for Izod," says Orisich. "Collaborating closely with Mike Kelly, senior vice president of marketing for Phillips-Van Heusen, we took the lead from what they were already doing with their brand in print, and tried to take it to the next level. We wanted it to not only be bright, but also surreal and eye-catching on top of that."

Bahamams: A scene for Izod commercial In the Sun.

In the Sun begins with a group of friends boarding a boat beneath a cloudy sky. There is a golfer who sends his Izod ball sailing into the sky, and the sun is suddenly shining. Fun ensues on the boat and underneath the crystal blue water.

Orisich and Konczal assembled a small crew for their Bahamas shoot in Mariah Cay, Exuma. Before shooting began, their first challenge was to build scaffolding for the jib 150 feet out into the ocean. "When I say 'we had to build,' I mean we as in myself, Pete, and even the client," Orisich says.

They chose the ARRI 435 Advanced and ARRI 235 cameras for the spot, mounted with Zeiss Ultra Primes ranging from 16mm to 180mm. "We fell in love with the 235, and used it 90 percent in handheld in 3-perf 35mm format," says Konczal. "It's so ergonomically designed. We shot 16-hour days with the 235, handheld, and it was no problem."

Konczal says they chose KODAK VISION2 200T 5217 film for the Izod campaign. "We knew it would hold up to our style of pushing a look. The grain structure is amazing. We pushed the hell out of it."

The In the Snow spot, shot in Iceland, opens faster with a more adventurous feel. There are two people running through the snow, kayakers maneuvering in the icy water, and golfers playing on glaciers.

Cast and crew prepare to shoot a scene for Izod commercial In the Snow.

"I wanted to keep the same theme going for the winter spot, but for it to also have its own mood," says Orisich. "Since we wanted the spots to tie-in, I thought we should use a snow globe and use the tropical setting from the In the Sun spot as some magical place inside that globe.

"To keep a consistent feel for the two spots, we also did sky replacement in post, so the same sky is carried through both the winter and the summer footage."

The shoot in Iceland was just one day, and Orisich praised the support provided by Base Camp, a local production company. Konczal shot the Iceland footage entirely with the ARRI 235 camera, primarily handheld. He used the same set of Ultra Prime lenses coupled with a Schneider True Polarizer and UV Haze filters to help cut down on glare and reflections, especially on the glaciers.

Cast and crew prepare to shoot a scene for Izod commercial In the Snow.

"A great sequence is the golfer on the glacier," Konczal says. "Every shot is handheld to give it life, and has a perspective that is anything but normal. For example, we took a 20mm lens shot with the head of the golf club in extreme foreground, with the golfer in midground, and a vibrant sky in the background. We also took a 24mm shot with the curvature of the glacier in the foreground, the golfer justified right of frame, and an enormous glacier wrapping the scene in. The only time we went longer in the sequence is with an 85mm lens, but even there it's a big shot with the golfer big in frame, and the lens compressing the glaciers and mountains in the background."

Postproduction for the spots was completed at HomeNYC's studio with editing done by Mark Tyler. Orisich used Flame software to adjust colors and tone, as well as using time-lapse photography to achieve his desired surrealistic look.

The spots have earned Orisich recognition as a director, including being named to Shoot Magazine's Fifth Annual New Directors Showcase. "As a director, you have to make tough decisions that carry with you through the rest of the job," Orisich says. "It is important to start out with a vision, protect it, and not compromise along the way."