Jobs Well Done at Turner Production Jobs Well Done at Turner Production Turner Production recently appointed Domenick Esposito as Director of Production Operations. In this newly created position, Esposito will oversee the management of key production areas including editorial, audio, studio, directorial, and the scenery shop. He will also provide an additional level of interface for day to day operations and strategic planning for the future. Esposito has been with Turner Production for eleven years, the last four as Editorial Manager.

Turner also welcomes Gary Slawitschka as Avid Editor. Most recently, he was a Senior Editor at Todd AO/Editworks in Atlanta. Slawitschka graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in film before beginning work as an on-line editor. After gaining ten years of on-line editing experience, he switched to non-linear editing just as it was becoming a viable tool. Slawitschka began editing in Atlanta in 1990. In his new position, Slawitschka will work with such Turner clients as TNT and TBS Superstation.

Senior Vice President Dan Darling named Bud Wendling Manager of Turner Production's Film & Video Unit. Wendling, who has served as Directorial Manager for the past nine years, will also oversee all facets of the Film & Video Unit's daily operations. He is based at Turner Production's Atlanta headquarters and reports to Darling. Wendling joined Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. in 1980 as Production Supervisor/Director of "The TBS Evening News." Since then, he has directed and/or produced numerous special projects, including "The Jason Project" (1989-93), a pioneering series of live, distance learning telecasts produced by TBS, Inc., in cooperation with The National Geographic Society, EDS, and The Woodshole Oceanographic Institute. Wendling's other projects include, "Ghost Ships of Ontario" (1990), the first live special from National Geographic; Turner Adventure Learning's "Time Machine to Gettysburg;" "Wetlands and Natural Resources - Okefenokee Swamp;" and "Migration to America - Ellis Island" (1993-94). Wendling has also directed and/or produced many live events, including The Southern Regional Emmy Awards, and The Trumpet Awards, TBS, Inc.'s annual salute to the achievements of black Americans.

Turner Production also recently received two Southern Regional Emmy Awards. Director Tom Williams received an Emmy for his work on an episode of interact.america, Superstation TBS' public affairs program. Lighting Designer Rafael Ortiz-Guzman and Gaffer Mike Kenny also received Emmys for their work on a public service announcement for Whole World Theatre, an improvisational comedy theatre. The :30 PSA takes the viewer on a fast-paced ride down several blocks, through the lobby of the theatre where patrons are socializing, and into the theatre where improvisational comedy is being performed before a boisterous crowd.

Turner Production also recently completed four promotional videos for Cartoon Network's off-channel marketing campaign promoting the new weekday strip of Dexter's Laboratory, the network's top-rated show. The five minutes of video were created to run on four separate screens on the Dexter Mobile, an interactive van that toured 24 U.S. cities this summer. The videos create a scenario in which Dexter's latest invention, the Duplication Machine, is sabotaged by his arch rival, Mandark. The machine malfunctions and begins to produce thousands of prizes, burying Dexter. By participating in each of the interactive games and winning some of the excess prizes, kids can help save the day.

Turner Production's Art Director, Bob Pettitt, wrote, designed, and produced the videos, combining rotoscoping with existing and original animation. Rotoscoping and background elements were done on the Quantel Paintbox Express. After voice-over was recorded at Hanna-Barbera, the videos were offlined on Avid by Editor Tim Garber. Camera moves were built in Flame by Dave Sillman, and digital compositing was completed by Andrew Pope and Ken Horstmann. Audio was then recorded and mixed by Mark Coddington.