From the release:
Chimney, the Sweden-originated international post production company, has finally come to the US. Their new Los Angeles office is the first American office, totaling 12 locations worldwide. The team has hit the ground running, working with Team One to produce two Lexus campaigns, including one that debuted during the Super Bowl.
Founded in Stockholm in 1995, Chimney now produces over 6,000 pieces for more than 60 countries each year, averaging 1,000 projects and 10,000 VFX shots annually (including 3,500 VFX shots). The company is privately held by 50 of their artists, anchoring their core belief that compelling work is curated by focused and creatively driven individuals.
Chimney is known for delivering within all content creation areas and utilizing state-of-the-art post production facilities and dedicated artists. And housing offices in a dozen cities around the globe enables them to deliver 24-hour service with passion, creativity, and quality at heart.
This passion and creativity can be seen in their most recent work with Team One on the Lexus “Man & Machine” Super Bowl Spot, which also utilized talent from Chimney’s Poland and Sweden offices to bring the collaboration to life. Jesper Palsson, Managing Director of Chimney LA, gushed that there is “no better way to start in the US than with a high-end Super Bowl commercial.
“It’s really been a pleasure working with the super professional people over at Team One and the brilliant Jonas Åkerlund.” He went on to describe the project as trying to “enhance the Lexus promise of performance, engineering, design, and craftsmanship prowess. With a tight deadline, high-end VFX and an all-star team from agency and production company we had to go all in on this one.”
The Super Bowl spot sees movement artist Lil Buck gliding, twisting and jookin to Sia’s lastest single, “Move Your Body,” (from album “This Is Acting”) around the new Lexus LC 500, creating visual and emotional parallels between the sleek automobile and jaw-dropping dancer. Even before airing, the commercial has been deemed a success, with numerous publications praising it. The Drum said, “Lil Buck’s amazingly fluid movements are compared to both the body and the engine of the automobile, with a sort of symbiosis between man and machine;” and Fast Company pointed out, “The technique is smart because it’s impossible not to notice that this is a really rather beautiful automobile.”
With extensive experience and roughly 400 artists worldwide, it’s the perfect time for Chimney to expand into the US market. And by doing so, they signed with Shortlist Mgmt, joining other A-level talent like RSA, Caviar, Tool, and No6 Editorial. Charlie McBrearty, Founding Partner of Shortlist Mgmt, described adding Chimney to Shortlist’s roster, saying that they’ve “been on our radar for quite some time and we are very excited to be part of their US expansion.
“The market is ready for a new kid on the block to offer amazing talent and great efficiencies in post production. Shortlist is no stranger to Managing Director Jesper Palsson and we are thrilled to be reunited with him after our past collaboration through Stopp USA.” Chimney is a welcome addition to Shortlist, especially as their sole Post Production/VFX client.
When asked why Chimney decided to open an office in LA, Founder Henric Larsson said, “Believe it or not… it was not the palm trees and beaches that made us open up in LA. We’re film nerds, and have been doing this for 22 years with 12 offices in 8 countries. We want to work with the best talent in the world, and where do we find the top directors, DoPs, ADs, CDs and Producers if not in the US?”
https://www.chimneygroup.com/