Press Release

rOOm, a full service creative media design and commercial advertising, music, film and video post production facility, has announced the addition of renowned video editor Mario Mares to its staff
Mares joins rOOm with an impressive track record. In addition to working on a variety of national commercial spots for Target, Red Bull, L’Oreal and Diesel, he had become one of most sought-after music video editors in the industry. His credits feature over one hundred videos by some of the latest and most popular rock, pop and R&B recording artists including Staind (“For You”), Justin Timberlake (“Cry Me a River”), and No Doubt (“It’s My Life”). Other notable artists include Sting, Alanis Morissette, Elton John and Lionel Richie and work with noted directors including Nigel Dick, Kevin LaChapelle, the Malloys and Liz Friedlander. Mares has three Music Video Production Association (MVPA) award nominations and won the MVPA Best Editor of the Year Award in 2003 for Timberlake's “Cry Me A River,” directed by Francis Lawrence of DNA.
Mares’ first projects for rOOm include editing Say Anything’s video for “Alive with the Glory of Love,” directed by Kevin Kerslake of Crossroads, and an as yet unreleased video project for Nine Inch Nails, also directed by Francis Lawrence.
“Editing is the culmination of a truly collaborative process,” notes Mares. “You take footage that is the result of the labors of an entire production team and assemble it in a form that realizes an artist’s and a director’s vision. I look at music videos as taking the aural essence of a song and communicating it in a visual medium. A particular track’s tempo, mood, lyrics and the on-camera intensity of the artist all help bring this to life and merge with visual production aspects like narrative, lighting, visual effects, color grading and timing. A good video tells a story and as an editor it becomes my job to select the best footage that tells that story, and assemble it in the most compelling manner possible. For Say Anything, while the song was upbeat and catchy, there were also some deep meanings and heavy emotions behind the narrative that was actually depicted.”
The video for Say Anything’s melodic single, “Alive With The Glory of Love,” from their hit punk record, Say Anything Is A Real Boy (J Records), presents a metaphor for singer/guitarist Max Bemi’s grandparents, both Holocaust survivors, and the selfless love between them and obstacles they overcame being Jews subjected to the horrors of World War Two. The video contrasts some magical, even whimsical moments, as well as frantic ones, as a young boy and girl sneak out of a summer camp bunkhouse late one night, seemingly drawn by the sounds of the band playing in the woods. However, the camp and the escape become an allegory for a concentration camp as stern-faced uniform clad “counselors” embark on a frenzied search for the pair with flashlights, whistles and dogs. Things culminate in an intense performance outside a barbed wire fence in the forest as the band plays for a gathered group of young fans and the two escapees steal a quick kiss in the shadows before joining in the fun. Say Anything’s video serves as a tribute to the timeless power of love to sustain one in times of despair and to the ordeals that Bemi’s grandparents endured.

Director Kerslake consulted closely with Mares to bring the band’s single to life. “Once the shot footage was digitized I set about assembling shots on an Avid in one of rOOm’s editing bays,” Mares explains. “Since Kevin was overseas much of the time, we had to communicate via e-mail and phone messages, and I really had to use my skill and instincts as an editor to fill the gap. I edited the live shots of the band playing first and then worked on the narrative portions. It was critical to let certain shots play long in order to help establish the story and build the viewer’s connection with the characters before going to quicker cuts for the band’s live performance. The project took about 50 hours but I think the final cut is very compelling.”
Mares looks forward to a bright future with rOOm and to extending his repertoire of work for top recording artists. “rOOm is one of the leading creative shops doing post work on music videos and I am pleased to join their team. The facility has an online bay for touch-ups and visual effects, a 3-D and compositing bay, and an audio bay for sound sweetening and layback. The infrastructure really makes rOOm a one-stop shop for the entire video post process. Plus, the beautiful patio and being able play ping-pong and relax occasionally while being only two blocks from Venice Beach really demonstrates the level of client-friendly service the facility offers. I’m already looking forward to the next project.”
Victor Ginzburg, rOOm’s CEO, concurs. “We are very excited to have Mario Mares join our staff. He’s a both a mature storyteller with a keen sense of character development and an explosive editor with an incredible ear for music. Music videos are just a tip of the iceberg for Mario, and I see him mixing it up with commercials and features at rOOm in the near future.”
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