What’s more sacred than ice hockey in Canada? Well, maybe not more sacred but a close second would be a stirring rendition of the Canadian national anthem just prior to the face-off of a hockey game in a packed arena.
But in this spot, singer Tony Martin enters the rink, microphone in hand, and croons a rushed version of the anthem. He goes through the song faster than a speeding puck, even walking backwards out of the rink while he’s still singing.
Why? Well, he’s in a hurry to get over to Fallview Casino in Niagara Falls as he’s next seen standing triumphantly in front of a slot machine.
James Rouse of Outsider, Santa Monica, directed the four-spot campaign for Fallview, including “Anthem.” Outsider and Spy Films, Toronto, produced the package for BBDO Toronto.
The BBDO team included chief creative officer Jack Neary, art director Todd Cornelius, copywriter Jamie Marcovitch and producer Sam Benson.
The DP was Barry Parrell. Editor was Brian Wells of School Editing, Toronto.
Does “Hundreds of Beavers” Reflect A New Path Forward In Cinema?
Hard as it may be to believe, changing the future of cinema was not on Mike Cheslik's mind when he was making "Hundreds of Beavers." Cheslik was in the Northwoods of Wisconsin with a crew of four, sometimes six, standing in snow and making his friend, Ryland Tews, fall down funny.
"When we were shooting, I kept thinking: It would be so stupid if this got mythologized," says Cheslik.
And yet, "Hundreds of Beavers" has accrued the stuff of, if not quite myth, then certainly lo-fi legend. Cheslik's film, made for just $150,000 and self-distributed in theaters, has managed to gnaw its way into a movie culture largely dominated by big-budget sequels.
"Hundreds of Beavers" is a wordless black-and-white bonanza of slapstick antics about a stranded 19th century applejack salesman (Tews) at war with a bevy of beavers, all of whom are played by actors in mascot costumes.
No one would call "Hundreds of Beavers" expensive looking, but it's far more inventive than much of what Hollywood produces. With some 1,500 effects shots Cheslik slaved over on his home computer, he crafted something like the human version of Donald Duck's snowball fight, and a low-budget heir to the waning tradition of Buster Keaton and "Naked Gun."
At a time when independent filmmaking is more challenged than ever, "Hundreds of Beavers" has, maybe, suggested a new path forward, albeit a particularly beaver-festooned path.
After no major distributor stepped forward, the filmmakers opted to launch the movie themselves, beginning with carnivalesque roadshow screenings. Since opening in January, "Hundreds of Beavers" has played in at least one theater every week of the year, though never more than 33 at once. (Blockbusters typically play in around 4,000 locations.)... Read More