We open on a man jamming a pushpin into his face as he gazes into the bathroom mirror. The spot then cuts to a wide shot to show him as a walking bulletin board with multi-colored push pins all over his face, neck and down one shoulder.
At this point, his wife walks by carrying an armful of laundry. She asks, “What are you doing?”
The answer: “Acupuncture. It’s a traditional Chinese therapy.”
The wife shakes her head in disbelief, relating, “And did you know Group Health covers real acupuncture treatments?”
She adds, “Yup, they also offer tetanus shots.”
The hubby’s facial expression changes to one of foolish dismay. The insurer’s logo appears as a voiceover informs us that Group Health helps people live healthier lives. The Group Health website address, FindMoreMinutes.com, then appears on screen.
“DIY,” which stands for “do it yourself,” was directed by Tom Routson of bicoastal Tool of North America for agency Sedgwick Rd., Seattle.
Jennifer Siegel and Brian Latt executive produced for Tool, with Gayleen Sharon serving as producer. The DP was Dante Spinotti.
Sedgwick Rd’s creative team consists of creative director/copywriter Forrest Healy, creative director Jim Walker, art director Jason Black and producer Hal Dantzler.
Editor was the mono-monikered Katz of bicoastal Cosmo Street.
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