CLIENT
Mr. Rooter Plumbing.
PRODUCTION CO.
DeNolfilms, Dallas. Tom DeNolf, director/executive producer; David Waterston, DP; Jenny Wolk, producer. "Dog" shot on location in Dallas. "Aquarium" shot at MPS Studios, Dallas.
AGENCY
Hadeler Sullivan & Law Advertising, Dallas. Tom Marcantel, creative director and art director, "Dog"; Rich Batt and Chuck Stephenson, copywriters; Amy Hopkins, art director, "Aquarium"; Dan Calhoun, producer.
EDITORIAL
Match Frame, Austin, Texas. Stephen Bohls, Avid editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
Match Frame. Ted Brady, colorist; Ron Pippin, Smoke/Flame artist.
AUDIO POST
Digital Domain of Austin. Jacob Perez, engineer.
MUSIC
Tequila Mockingbird, Austin. Billy Henry, composer/sound designer.
THE SPOTS
In "Dog" (:30), a family pet heads to his favorite watering hole—the toilet—only to recoil in disgust at the bowl’s contents. The voiceover reminds the viewer that "plumbing problems affect the whole family." "Aquarium" (:30) opens on what appears to be a fish swimming in his tank. As he swims up and out of the top of the aquarium, the camera pulls back to reveal that the entire room is flooded. "It’s not a good idea to wait too long for a plumber," states the narrator.
Spots broke in September.
Review: Writer-Director Adam Elliot’s “Memoir of a Snail”
It's not your typical stop-motion film when characters name pets after Sylvia Plath and read "The Diary of Anne Frank" — or when the story's inspired by a quote from existentialist thinker Søren Kierkegaard. And it's certainly not your typical stop-motion film when you find yourself crying as much as the characters do — in their case, with huge droplets leaking from bulging, egg-shaped eyes so authentic-looking, you expect the screen to get wet. But those are just a few of the unique things about Adam Elliot's "Memoir of a Snail," a film that's as heart-tugging as it is technically impressive, a work of both emotional resonance and great physical detail using only clay, wire, paper and paint. One thing Elliot's film is not, though, is for kids. So please take note before heading to the multiplex with family in tow: this film earns its R rating, as you'll discover as soon as young Grace, voiced by Sarah Snook, tells us she thought masturbation was about chewing your food properly. Sex, nudity, drunk driving, a fat fetish — like we said, it's R-rated for a reason. But let's start at the beginning. In this, his seventh "clayography" (for "clay" and "biography"), the Australian writer-director explores the process of collecting unnecessary objects. Otherwise known as hoarding, it's something that weighs us down in ways we can't see, for all the clutter. Elliot also argues that it helps us build constrictive shells around ourselves — like snail shells, perhaps. Our protagonist is Grace Pudel, voiced with a quirky warmth and plenty of empathy by the wonderfully agile Snook. We first encounter Grace as a grown woman, telling her long, lonely life story to her pet garden snail, Sylvia (named after Plath), at a moment of deep sadness. Then we flash... Read More