Engine Room Starts Up in Boston

Creative director/editor Scott Knowlton and long time Avid and film editor Don Packer have joined up to form the new editorial and effects company, Engine Room, located in Boston.

Packer and Knowlton both left Boston-based commercial editing house Finish, where Packer was founder and COO, to open up their own company and also brought over from Finish editor Matt Rogers and operations manager Cheryl McKeever.

Since opening in September, Engine Room has worked on commercials for Bose, Toyota and Tufts Health Plan, among others.

Focusing on high-end commercial work, the three-suite HD studio is powered by Autodesk Flame/Smoke combo running on SGI Tezro in one suite, an Avid Adrenaline in the second and the third is for Apple Final Cut Pro and graphics work.

“I think our strategy is to prove that not only are we creative commercial editors, but we are also experts in the world of HD. We have done three projects so far and continue to bid such,” said Packer.

Packer left his old haunts having just finished a trailer for a new Danny Glover/Linda Hamilton film for director Gabrielle Savage entitled MIA. He also did a fifteen-minute film for Arnold Worldwide and VW – a road documentary about two jugglers driving to New York for a show, culled from over thirty hours of footage and five cameras. And a national campaign for Scottrade and agency Gearon Hoffman, lensed by production company Area 51. Credits go to RedTree Productions for VW and Director Charles Wittenmeir and Director of Photography Jordan Valenti. Executive Producer was Phyllis Koenig for Area 51.

Scott has finished numerous spots for agency TCAA and New England Toyota including their recent campaign and the first campaign at Engine Room, shot and finished in HD. These were lensed through production company Strader Films in Nashville and shot on the Panasonic HD Vari-Cam. Director was Michael Merriman and the Creative Director was Marty Klar. Also for TCAA, Executive Producer Jerry Izzo.

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