When the great Mel Blanc passed away, Warner Bros. took out an ad in honor of the voice actor. It showed a spotlight beam cast down upon a microphone stand with nobody at the mike. Off to the side were Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn and Pepe Le Pew, their heads bowed in silence. Above them was the word “Speechless.” And below the microphone stand was “Mel Blanc 1908-1989.”
Because I’m an unabashed Looney Tunes fan, that “Speechless” tribute sticks in my mind to this day. And now, 18 years later, another series of “Speechless” ads–this time in the form of web spots–have struck a responsive chord. The campaign–some 30 spots and counting, ranging from 15 seconds to three minutes–shows support for striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) members (SHOOT, 11/30).
The genesis of the campaign came when director/writer George Hickenlooper (Factory Girl) and writer Alan Sereboff (The Red House) were walking a WGA picket line in Los Angeles. The two had a vision that they and their talented colleagues could do much more than picket in the strike offensive against the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers.
“We thought why not take our argument to the Internet, the very medium we’re fighting over, the medium which is the future of entertainment,” related Hickenlooper. “…So Alan and I decided to reach out to major celebrity SAG talent to tell the writers’ point of view. We came up with the idea to create informative and entertaining ads that will let the general public know our side.”
The original idea, which has been realized, was to simply have the celebs stand silently in front of the camera, underscoring the fact that they are “speechless” sans the contributions of writers. An A-list lineup of actors was assembled–and more continue to volunteer. Among the notables are Sean Penn, Woody Allen, Ethan Hawke, Charlize Theron, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Patricia Arquette, Susan Sarandon, Alan Cumming, Laura Linney, Matthew Perry, America Ferrera, Harvey Keitel and Ray Romano.
Once these performers became involved, several got their creative juices flowing with Hickenlooper and Sereboff, coming up with concepts that went beyond the “Speechless” scenario. For example Holly Hunter is seen having trouble with a script she’s performing so she seeks writing help on a hotline that’s outsourced to a scribe in India. Patricia Clarkson and Amy Ryan are reduced to reading from the Yellow Pages, trying to emote along the way. The response from high profile celebs has been overwhelming, so other directors–such as Paul Haggis (Crash), Wayne Kramer (The Cooler) and Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry)–have been brought in to accommodate the influx of on-camera talent.
Hickenlooper noted that there’s another implied message in the web ads that feature and TV studios should take to heart–namely that writers have been able to successfully liaison with big ticket performers and make a significant Internet splash without any corporate distribution arm.
This, said Hickenlooper, shows that writers can create content, directly package talent and gain meaningful exposure on the web, eliminating the studio as middleman.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More