The Art of The Visit: Storyboards & Production Design

Pre-visual concept art, storyboards and post production color and lighting FX for our award winning short film 'The Visit'. All concept art was hand drawn by writer, director Paul V. Grant.

 

The film is now available for streaming on Vimeo and YouTube.

Additional streaming platforms will be announced soon! www.ascenderfilms.com/thevisit #previsuals #storyboards #conceptart #style #vision #productiondesign #productiondesigner #paulvgrant #lighting #lightingdesign #drama #bts #filmart #directing #storytelling #production #camera #harriettubman #frederickdouglass #conceptartist #film #shortfilm #filmmaking #ascenderfilms #avidmedia #borisfx


Limited Edition Framed Giclee Print From 'THE VISIT'

"Harriet's Approach" Framed, Still Image Accepted into Collection of Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center

Exclusive Print "Harriet's Approach" Donated to Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center 

On Saturday, June 25th  we were honored to have this framed, giclee print titled ‘Harriet’s Approach’, a still image from our film ‘The Visit,’ accepted into the collection of the Harriet Tubman Museum and Education Center in Cambridge, MD. It’s depicts Tubman, standing before a massive plantation home. It’s symbolizes the long struggle for women and people of color against massive systems of social, economic, and political power.  The Ascender team attended a hike through historic Thompson plantation where Harriet Tubman was enslaved and co-hosted a screening of our award winning film “The Visit” at the museum, later that afternoon.

It was truly a remarkable day, learning about and discussing our shared American history.   Thanks to all who joined us in Cambridge, MD for the morning hike/tour of the former Thompson plantation (where Harriet Tubman was enslaved) and our film screening at the museum!

#filmart #filmstill #limitedediton #giclee #prints #gicleeprint #art #artwork #film #indiefilm #women #filmmaking #justice #interpretative #history #community #museum #ascenderfilmsinc


Rising Above the Smoke=Main Title Card

Rising Above The Smoke (Virtual Symposium, 2021)

RISING ABOVE THE SMOKE 

(Virtual Symposium / Webinar, 2021) 

Ascender supported The Colorado Black Health Collaborative by producing this 4-hour virtual conference featuring dynamic presenters and virtual activities to deepen the  community’s understanding and advocacy for why eliminating the sale of menthol tobacco is a social justice issue in the Black community. 200 people joined the virtual event from all across the country, including many longstanding, renowed public health experts and advocates.

The Anatomy of A Social Justice Issue (Intro Video)

RISING ABOVE THE SMOKE 

Flavor Academy: Dr. Terri Richardson and Dr Valerie Yerger

Dr. Terri Richardson and Dr Valerie Yerger discuss how major corporations have targeted the sale of menthol tobacco on African American communities.

Tobacco Policy Panel

Mr. Austin Collins facilitates a very informative tobacco policy panel with guest speakers Naomi Amaha, Natasha Phelps and Bob Doyle.

Rising Above the Smoke : Former Smokers Speak about their Cessation Process

Ms. Emma Jackson is a Denver resident, CBHC coalition member and a former smoker.

RISING ABOVE THE SMOKE: JIM PAVLIK ON STEPS TO SMOKING CESSATION

Mr. Jim Pavlik shares the steps to smoking cessation.

RISING ABOVE THE SMOKE: Dr. Rhonda Coleman, DAOM, Discusses a brief history of alternative clinical treatments for smoking cessation.

Jonathan Miles explains the Colorado QUITLINE

Jonathan Miles explains how the Colorado QUITLINE supports smoking cessation.


Ascender Creates Main Title and Motion Design Sequences for 'The Breakdown' Digital Series on BET+

'THE BREAKDOWN ON BET+'

(Main Title Design, Editing, Motion Graphics)

Ascender Films is proud to have supported main title design, animation and motion graphics for the new BET+ digtal series 'The Breakdown', released in April 2021.  Each episiode of the four episodes takes a deeper dive into lesser known aspects of African American history and culture from an African-centered viewpoint. The show was created by executive producers Len Burnett and Darnley Hodge and it was hosted by comedian Klarity. 

We also produced the fourth and final epidsode of the first season about the Maroons--enslaved Africans in the U.S. who fought for and won their freedom.  The episode features rich commentary from celebrated historian and professor, Gerald Horne.

The Breakdown: Episode 4 (THE MAROONS)

Main Title Design, Motion Graphics & Animation

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It's Time: CDC releases new slate of World TB Day (2020) PSAs produced by Ascender Films

Even the middle of a pandemic related to novel Coronavirus COVID-19, Ascender Films team is pleased to continue to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the production of TB messages for World TB Day 2020.  This is our fourth year doing this work and we are always thrilled to work with the talented team at the CDC Division of Tuberculosis Elimination as they document the stories of U.S. TB survivors.


UDC-TV Station Brand Identity

We loved design projects. Last fall, the Ascender team was thrilled to partner with Silhouette Media to design the new station ID/logo package for the University of District of Columbia Television Station.

It was a busiest time of the year for us–so that meant a lot of late nights, discarded sketches and concept work. But persistence and good design work, won in the end. Our client and partners were thrilled with results and that means everything to us!

 


What is the AHS? ( Animation|2017)

Animation for US Census Bureau / American Housing Survey

This summer the Ascender team proudly produced an short motion graphic / animated video for the US Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the US Census Bureau’s ‘American Housing Survey.”

The Survey is conducted in residences across the United States to collect data on how we live, average size and characteristics of our nation’s housing supply.

The project had a immensely short turn-around but we were up to the challenge!


ACRIA PSA series feat. Legendary Dionne Warwick

ACRIA PSA Series featuring the legendary activist, singer-Songwriter, and Dionne Warwick

Executive Producer: Deborah Levine (ACRIA)
Senior Producer / Director: Paul Grant
Producer : Tracey A. Grant
Director of Photography: Yul Sean Simmons
Post-Production & Motion Graphics: Ascender Communications, Inc.
Client: ACRIA / Black Women’s Health Imperative


The Family Block Party | Animated TV Spot (2016)

Animated 30-second TV Spot for an annual community health fair in Denver, Colorado.


Demo Reel

Spring 2014 is here.  That means we are just nine months away from our 10 year anniversary. TEN YEARSof traveling the globe to tell amazing stories for so many of our amazing clients. So we paused to put together this fun demo of our video production work.  Remember the format wars?  Remember when 36megapixels  and ANYTHING 1080P would cost you almost $30K? Remember when HD cameras were not for sale at Best Buy? Or, on your flip cell phone?  Or, when nobody cared about your manual DSLR prime lenses sitting in the closet?  Yeah.... that's how ten years can shake up an industry.

This video showcases an amalgam of our camera work, art direction, 2-D & 3-D motion graphics, animation, editing and it includes samples from our commercials, documentaries and dramatic features that were shot in SD + HD Formats, between 2004-2014.

Enjoy.