not like Buddy Lee. He’s not as quiet. No offense to Buddy Lee, but L’il Penny went to Wake Forest University, and so he’s an educated man, and he’s not naïve," says Morrison, tongue firmly in cheek. "He knows what to ask for."
sing-along
Morrison also works on non-celebrity-oriented fare. Leagas Delaney, San Francisco, recently called on him to helm three spots for adidas, all of which ended with the tagline "Long Live Sport." "Mascots" finds two football team mascots getting into a rumble; "Dog" depicts a boy scrambling over a fence to fetch a lost ball, only to encounter the neighbor’s dog; and "Shaved" shows a female swimmer shaving off her hair—even her eyebrows—before a big swim meet.
Morrison also helmed three Volkswagen spots for Arnold Communications, Boston. In "Crazy Guy," a man sits in his car in an empty parking lot, and appears to be talking to himself. When his friend approaches the car and opens the door, the Styx song "Mr. Roboto" blasts out of the car’s stereo. Turns out the "crazy guy" wasn’t talking to himself; he was singing along with the tune. His buddy joins in as they drive away.
The agency had chosen four or five potential songs, including "Rock Me Amadeus." "During auditions, we were casting actors, but we were also testing the songs to see which worked best," he says.
Morrison enjoys being involved in the creative process, but notes that lately most of the work he receives is thoroughly scripted. A few years ago, when the "mockumentary" was in vogue, Morrison (who has directed many episodes of Comedy Central’s Upright Citizens Brigade) was doing more improvisational work. For example, "Sightings" for Energizer, via TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles, follows a group of guys seemingly hunting for a UFO. At the end of the spot, though, the kicker is revealed—it wasn’t E.T. they were after; it was the elusive Energizer bunny.
With all of the humor-driven work on his reel, it isn’t surprising to find that Morrison has been labeled a comedy director. "Not too long ago, I might have tried to say, ‘Oh no,’ but I feel OK about that now." He admits it’s hard to avoid being categorized, but is confident that he will branch out into other areas.
Morrison’s only real fear is that he’ll wind up in SHOOT’s "Flashback" column. "I always say to the people at Epoch, ‘You better hope my name never turns up in the five—or especially ten—years ago thing in SHOOT, because man, once it does, I might have a breakdown!’ "c
Judge Upholds Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Charge Against Alec Baldwin In “Rust” Shooting
A New Mexico judge has upheld her decision to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
In a ruling Thursday, state District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer stood by her July decision to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin. She said prosecutors did not raise any factual or legal arguments that would justify reversing her decision.
"Because the state's amended motion raises arguments previously made, and arguments that the state elected not to raise earlier, the court does not find the amended motion well taken," the judge wrote, adding that the request was also untimely.
A spokesperson for Baldwin's lawyers said Friday that they had no immediate reaction to teh decision.
The case was thrown out halfway through trial on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense in the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
Baldwin's trial was upended by revelations that ammunition was brought into the Santa Fe County sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammo unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers say investigators "buried" the evidence in a separate case file and filed a successful motion to dismiss.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey can now decide whether to appeal to a higher court.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer for "Rust," was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer —... Read More