NEW YORK—Filmmaker David Gordon Green—with such features to his credit as George Washington, All the Real Girls and the soon-to-be-released Undertow—has signed with bicoastal/international Chelsea Pictures for spot representation in the U.S. Via Chelsea, Green recently made his commercial directing debut with work for the American Legacy Foundation’s ongoing national youth smoking prevention "Truth" campaign, out of Crispin Porter+Bogusky, Miami, and Arnold Worldwide, Boston.
The Green-helmed "Truth" spots are part of the new "Connect Truth" campaign, which depicts the big picture effects of smoking, and the chain of events from marketing to consumer to illness and death. The ads give teenagers cause to never start smoking, or to quit if they have started.
For example, "Replacement Smokers" takes us to a New York street scene where mannequins are being assembled, but for what purpose we do not yet know. The dummies’ nude torsos and body parts are strewn across the sidewalk, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers. Red labels that say "Replacement" are affixed to the mannequins. A spokesman then explains that smokers are dying, necessitating what one tobacco industry executive described as "replacement smokers." At this point, we see the mannequins lined up in rows, ready to step in and succeed deceased smokers.
The spot then transitions to a still photo of a mannequin, the red "Replacement" label front and center. Attached to that label is an umbilical cord-like lifeline that leads to a photo of a woman. The woman then becomes live action, as the story takes on a human voice and face. "My dad died six years ago from emphysema," she says. "I haven’t met his replacement yet."
For the "Truth" fare, Green opted for a documentary-style approach, combining 35mm with handheld super 8mm film footage.
In the longform arena, Green is currently in postproduction on the aforementioned Undertow, a film noir thriller based on a story by noted director Terence Malick (The Thin Red Line, Days of Heaven), who also produced the movie.
Green’s feature film debut was George Washington, which he wrote and directed. Released in 2000, the acclaimed feature relates the trials and tribulations of a group of African-American children, ages nine to 14, in North Carolina.
All the Real Girls, which Green also wrote and directed, is a romantic drama. It won the Special Jury Prize at last year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Chelsea is headed by partners Allison Amon, Lisa Mehling and Steve Wax. The company maintains offices in New York, Los Angeles and Sydney.
