DH Pixels

Last Wednesday was special. No other way to put it.
Months of work, all the planning, filming, editing, hauling gear, setting up, breaking down, dialing in audio and lighting… it all led to that moment where the film finally hit the screen. And it landed.
This film follows the creation of Scala, a monumental public art installation by artists Edra Soto and Dan Sullivan at UIC. A 40-foot structure made of poplar wood, over 17,000 pounds, suspended through a space that used to be an exterior facade. Rooted in Caribbean architectural language, the piece is about culture, structure, and belonging, and what it means to transform a space into something people can feel.
Getting to document that process, being around that level of creativity, and figuring out how to translate something this physical and this detailed through a lens… that’s a different kind of experience. One I want more of.
The panel after the screening brought it all full circle. Hearing the intention behind the work, the scale of it, and what it represents made everything hit even harder.
This felt like a real win for public art. For storytelling. For taking something massive and giving it another life through film.
Shoutout to the Scala premiere at the Three Top Lounge at The Salt Shed.
And thank you to everyone who came out, that support means a lot.
If you’re an artist, designer, engineer, or builder working on something real, something with weight, something that deserves to be documented, this is for you. We’ve built a team that knows how to capture these projects the right way, from concept to completion.
If you have a piece of public art or a project in motion, or you know someone who does, let’s talk.

Edra Soto showed me her archive of Puerto Rican vernacular architecture early in production, and I knew immediately the film had to start there. 🇵🇷
The journey from a neighborhood front porch to a 40-foot wall at is the heart of this film. It’s about how we carry our history into the spaces we build.
🎬 Scala Documentary Premiere – 2 weeks away
📅 April 15 | 7–9 PM
📍 Three Top Lounge, Chicago
💸 Free, RSVP required
👉 Linktree in my bio has the RSVP link. Save your seat.
PublicArt UIC IndieFilm SupportLocalFilm DHPixels CinematicDoc

Gale Street Inn Kids Commercial
This one was a blast from start to finish.
The biggest win on this project was getting the vision right. We spent real time shaping the script and dialing in the tone so it felt confident, sharp, playful, and fully aligned with Gale Street. Once we locked in their vision, everything else flowed.
Big shout out to Paulo for wearing the director’s hat that day and helping make sure what we captured truly reflected the heart of Gale Street. The Gale Street team provided the perfect lead chef for the role, and he crushed it. Great timing, big personality, and he brought real energy to the kitchen. We had a lot of fun shooting this and ended up with some classic outtakes along the way. Huge shout out to Sergio and my team at DH Pixels for bringing the focus and ex*****on. And a big shout out to the entire Gale Street team for trusting us and making this project happen. Here are some behind the scenes photos from the day.
If you are in the market for a commercial, reach out to DHPixels.com We have been producing commercials in Chicago for over a decade, helping brands bring their vision to life the right way. Let’s build something strong. Sergio Mantilla

Got to work with a bunch of different crews this past week, and it was one of those nonstop but rewarding runs.

Sunday and Monday kicked off with shooting a restaurant commercial here in Chicago, followed by filming a luxury penthouse property for a building company downtown, big space, high end visuals, super fun shoot.

Tuesday I worked with Chris again from Reside Home Loans, shooting a bunch of advertising and educational pieces, a full day of long-form talking head content.

Wednesday was a lighter reset, a few emails, some calls, and catching up on the business side of things.

Then Thursday came quick, headed out to D.C. super early in the morning and wrapped up the week working with a great team in Washington.

Back in Chicago now, freezing cold and finally slowing down a bit. Wild whirlwind of a week.

Built in the cold. Forged in the grind. Dhpixels.com

Great times at last week’s holiday party!

Colorado Springs throwback.