By MILLIE TAKAKI
"What’s my motivation?" It’s become an actor’s clich when seeking guidance and further insight into the character he or she is portraying. But in the case of "Critic," a :60 conceived by a team from Fallon McElligott, Minneapolis, for Theatre de La June Lune, an aspiring actor finds his own motivation to confront a critic who had the audacity to pan him in a past stage performance as "Macbeth."
We first see the critic coming out of a theater. He bemoans the musical he’s just sat through, promising to "skewer" the production in his review. The critic’s sarcastic remarks and demeanor don’t make him all that likeable to begin with. But you start to feel for him a little when he’s approached-seemingly stalked-by an angry young man. Derisively addressing the critic as "Mister Arbiter of Taste," the pursuer takes the offensive. Unphased, the critic responds, "You got me."
The young man’s rage slowly builds as he identifies himself as the "Macbeth" whom the critic unmercifully lambasted. The critic holds his ground, jousting back with snide remarks and expressing disbelief over the actor’s confrontational behavior merely because of a bad review. The confrontation escalates to a vengeful tirade on the actor’s part, who affirms, "It’s payback time. You won’t know where. You won’t know when … but you’ll beg for mercy."
From the theater, we cut to a more relaxed backdrop: the actor kicking back in his apartment with a cup of coffee. The doorbell rings. He gets up and opens the front door to find a pair of plain-clothes cops. "Mr. Jeffrey, you’re under arrest for making threats on the life of drama critic Simon Bower," says a detective.
The actor smiles and triumphantly extends his hands outward for the police to clap handcuffs on. "And he said I couldn’t act," beams the thespian. The color spot then segues to successive black and white snapshots of the actor being photographed at the police station-his prison number appearing underneath each picture. The mugshots capture the actor in great celebratory spirit, as if he’s just won an Oscar.
The :60 ends with a title card that promotes "Performance Workshops" at the Theatre de la June Lune, Minneapolis, where actors can learn or improve upon their craft.
The Fallon team behind "Critic" consisted of creative director Mike Lescarbeaux, copywriter/ art director/producer Viv Walsh and copywriter Rob McPherson.
The spot was directed by Robin Armstrong of Open Road Productions, North Hollywood. Janet Ferrari served as line producer. DP was Jerry Sidell and the production designer was Richard Amend.
The editor was Rich Mason of Brass Knuckles, Venice, Calif. Colorist was Marco Barrera of Post Logic Hollywood, with additional telecine from Greg Kibbler, Encore Santa Monica. Conner Moore of Post Logic Hollywood was audio mixer (he has since moved over to AudioBanks, Santa Monica.) And the composer/sound designer was Billy Mallery of malleryscores, Hollywood.
Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. Explore Generations, Old School vs. New School, In “Poppa’s House”
Boundaries between work and family don't just blur in the new CBS sitcom "Poppa's House" starring father-and-son comedy duo Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. They shatter.
"It's wonderful to come to work every day and see him and some of his kids and my sister and my brother and nieces and nephews. They all work on this show. They all contribute," says the senior Wayans. "I don't think there are words to express how joyful I am."
Wayans plays the titular Poppa, a curmudgeonly radio DJ who's more than comfortable doing it his way, while Wayans Jr. plays his son, Damon, a budding filmmaker who's stuck in a job he hates.
"My character, Pop, is just an old school guy who's kind of stuck in his ways," says Wayans, who starred in "In Living Color" and "My Wife and Kids."
Pop yearns for the days when a handshake was a binding contract and Michael Jordan didn't complain if he got fouled on the court. Pop laughs at the younger generation's participation trophies.
"It's old school versus new school and them teaching each other lessons from both sides," says Wayans Jr., who played Coach in the Fox sitcom "New Girl."
"They (the characters) bring the best out in each other and they're resistant initially. But then throughout the episode they have revelations and these revelations help them become better people," he adds.
The two have worked together before — dad made an appearance on son's "Happy Endings" and "Happy Together," while son was a writer and guest star on dad's "My Wife and Kids." But this is the first time they have headlined a series together.
The half-hour comedy — premiering Monday and co-starring Essence Atkins and Tetona Jackson — smartly leaves places in the script where father and son can let... Read More