A series of short portraits featuring subjects discussing their line of work and the tools they can’t live without. Across a wide cross-section of skill-sets and vocations, these vignettes are unified by the theme of tools (read: products) as connectors between users and tasks by presenting narratives that speak to how these tools make users feel rather than simply how they function.

Click on the thumbnails below to view.

Directed by Michael Jacobs and Ryan Simon, with Red One cinematography by Mike Gioulakis.

		Camille Pradel Helicopter Pilot				Darren Foster Photojournalist
		Christian Toxboe Gelato Chef				Florence Hartigan Musician
		Matt Woods Lawyer				Karo Berberyan HVAC Technician

Just outside of Gustine, CA sits a quaint wooden stadium where a centuries old tradition is preserved under moon and buzzing lights. Truck drivers, dairy men and vegetable farmers by day, the Grabbers spend their able-bodied nights carrying on the rituals of their homeland by wrestling bulls with nothing more than their hearts and bare hands.

For this 30-second spec, director Michael Jacobs uses a documentary aesthetic to transpose an audacious lifestyle into a concise piece of content. A combination of Red One and Canon 5D Mark II cinematography by James Laxton and Mike Gioulakis.

An installation for Kimpton’s latest boutique renovation, The Muse Hotel New York, Muse melds the geography of the city with the theme of the hotel’s title, a haven where the frenzied pace of New York living gives way to a serene, ethereal experience.

Cinematographer James Laxton worked alongside producers Justin Barber and Michael Jacobs to capture days worth of time-lapse exteriors with a Canon 30D at locations all across New York City…in the dead of winter. Later, the “muse” foreground subjects were flown to San Francisco and photographed with a RED camera in a green-screen environment at 96 frames per second. A bit of fancy compositing, rigorous color-timing and terabytes upon terabytes of data later, the muses and their environs were conformed as one. Plasma displays custom built for The Muse rotate the imagery throughout the day, offering guests a unique visual note anytime they traverse the hotel lobby.

Despite the project’s steep technical threshold, the Muse pieces remain elegant and simple in embodying the hotel’s mission as stated in the Kimpton prospectus:

“Imagine an urban oasis—a New York City hotel just steps from the city’s renowned theater district. Inspired by its vibrant Manhattan setting and boutique hotel hospitality, The Muse Hotel, a Kimpton Hotel, offers comfort with creativity, service with style and function with form.”

We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.

“A comical and complex example of the conflict of religious devotion” Boston Globe

“Illustrates how smoothly delusions of show business grandeur can dovetail with religious zealotry” New York Times

Michael Jacobs’ debut feature documentary chronicles the making of a doomed Christian sci-fi movie. This excruciatingly funny doc took awards at a number of film festivals including SXSW, Silverdocs, DocFest, and was featured as part of the New Directors/New Films series at Lincoln Center and MoMA. The film was released theatrically by IndiePix and broadcast by Sundance Channel.

Commissioned by Sony Pictures Television, this character-driven web series by Michael Jacobs profiles eccentric individuals on the fringes of America. YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley favorited the “Bishop’s Castle” episode – NERD WIN.

“A highlight of the fall season’s lineup” Wall Street Journal

“Derby Woman”
She might wear a Mini Mouse T-Shirt and bright yellow goggles, but Eileen Mann is a force to be reckoned with on the demolition derby circuit.