Going behind the scenes

Norwalk company produces DVD that takes a look at the hundreds of volunteers who make an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project work.

By CHRIS BOSAK
HOUR STAFF WRITTER

NORWALK — The long-awaited Extreme Makeover: Home Edition episode featuring the Brown family from Bridgeport will air at 8 p.m. this Sunday on ABC. The show's designers and team leader Ty Pennington will have the lion's share of the spotlight during the hour long program.

In reality, it takes thousands of volunteers to get the project completed in such a short amount of time. To recognize the tremendous efforts of those behind-the-scenes volunteers, Norwalk-based production company Palace Digital Studios has filmed and produced — on a voluntarily basis, of course — a DVD focusing on the volunteers.

The DVD, entitled "Building Your Extreme Dream," will be distributed to the Brown family and some of the volunteers who worked on the project. The Brown family and Gulick Associates, a New Canaan-based construction company that was the main contractor for the project, are having an invitation-only airing party at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport for the people who volunteered.

"The TV show focuses on the crew that works for ABC and the family," said Maureen Connelly, Vice President of Operations for Palace Digital Studios. "Viewers don't see much of what the volunteers do. These people are working 24 hours a day. We wanted to focus on the heart and soul of the project — what the volunteers go through. This is more of a 'thank you' to the volunteers."

Several local businesses volunteered time, staff and products to help with the project. The Brown family of Bridgeport was selected to receive a new "extreme dream" home to replace their flood and fire damaged house. Gulick Associates, the ABC design team, and the volunteers had one week to tear down the old home and build and new one. The home was completed on August 1.

For the DVD, Palace Digital Studios, according to Connelly, pared down more than 60 hours of footage to 30 minutes. The company donated staff time and services to shoot, produce and duplicate the DVD.

"We thought it was important to show what actually happens behind the scenes," said Connelly, who was also the executive producer of the DVD. "It means a lot for people to help other people. It takes the whole community"

Connelly said the DVD will not be for sale to the general public because everything involved with making the DVD was donated.

Even the music for the DVD was donated by local bands Liquid Carousel and Warrior Poetes.

<back

Palace Digital Studios, located within the historic Palace Theater in downtown South Norwalk, provides audio and video production and post production, computer graphic design and animation, and multimedia production services to the area's top advertising agencies, broadcast and cable TV networks, corporations and independent producers.

Palace is also headquarters for Rabbit Ears Entertainment, publisher of more than 60 classic children's stories on broadcast and cable TV, as well as distributed on home DVDs, video and audio tapes and books.

"We are delighted to volunteer our time and video production services to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," said Wendy Lambert, president and chief operating officer of Palace Production Center and Palace Digital Studios.



On the Web:
www.palaceproductioncenter.com
www.rabbitears.com
www.gulickassociates.com
www.abc.go.com/primetime/extrememakeover