By BY MILLIE TAKAKI
Violent content has proven to be a double-edged sword in the case of an anti-gang PSA. The violence-which makes the piece poignant and compelling-has also caused cable and broadcast stations thus far to reject requests for airtime.
"Arturo’s Drive-By"-directed by Alex Mu˜oz, who recently moved from Crash Films to Momentum Films (both based in Santa Monica)-tells the story of a young, aspiring gangbanger being put through his initiation. He’s in the backseat of a moving car, accompanied by three senior gang members-the driver and two other passengers. In order to prove that he belongs, the youngster prepares to be the gunman in a drive-by shooting of rival gang members. He puts on a pair of gloves and is handed a gun. The car approaches a public park, at which point the young man bolts out of the car and begins firing on a group of picnickers. While he misses his target, one of the rivals reacts immediately, pulls out a gun and returns fire, hitting the drive-by shooter several times in the chest and stomach. The impact of the bullets and the show of blood are graphic.
The youngster is pulled into the car by his backseat companion. As blood flows out of the side of his mouth, we see the life ebb from his body. A voiceover explains that if you get into a gang, you’re sure to get out, "one way or another."
Mu˜oz, who is still trying to secure exposure for the PSA as a theatrical trailer in urban centers, thinks the lack of airplay due to violent content is an unfortunate catch-22. "The myth of a gang being cool-the trappings of having your own turf and driving low-rider cars-needs to be disrupted, and the best way to do that is to reflect the violence and death," contended Mu˜oz, who co-wrote the PSA with Love Mondo, an art director at BBDO West, Los Angeles. Mu˜oz observed, "It’s a shame because I live in a community where kids are getting shot right around the corner from my house. I want to shock the kids and scare them to get them to think. To beat around the bush is a big mistake."
In the PSA, Mu˜oz also wanted to convey just how young the victims of gang violence are, so he cast a 15-year-old boy who looks considerably younger. "You’ve got kids joining gangs at ages 11 and 12," he related. "We wanted to hit home with that."
The notion of creating a PSA didn’t occur to Mu˜oz until 1997 when the Showtime movie Riot-which included his "Caught In The Fever" Latino segment about two kids who get caught up in the hysteria of looting during the Los Angeles riots (SHOOT, 5/16/97, p. 7)-was screened at the First AME Church in South Central L.A. During a panel discussion after the screening, local activists criticized Hollywood for reinforcing negative stereotypes and for not hiring people from disadvantaged communities where filming takes place. Mu˜oz started a dialogue that night with several community representatives, promising to produce a PSA with a positive impact.
Mu˜oz received a $5,000 grant from the San Francisco 49ers Foundation to help underwrite the cost of the PSA. Several artisans donated services, including DP Arturo Smith, casting director Danny Goldman and Muggs from the rap group Cypress Hill, who contributed the spot’s music track. Additionally, Crash Films was supportive, providing production offices and other services.
The PSA was edited by Norman Buckley, a freelancer who cut "Riot." Buckley-who’s represented via Innovative Artists, Los Angeles-did the offline editing at Propeller, Los Angeles. Post Logic, Hollywood, also donated postproduction services, with a contingent that included online editor Jeff Gold, telecine artist Artemus Mayor, sound mixer Fred Howard and exec. producer Leslie Sorrentino.
Mu˜oz also lined up a sponsor for the PSA:-the Stamps Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to working with at-risk youth. The Stamps Foundation has set up a toll-free phone line that youngsters across the nation can call to get referrals for help in their local communities. The PSA is tagged with that 800 number.
And if it gains regional airing in the San Francisco Bay Area, the PSA will be tagged with a phone number from the Northern California-based Omega Boys Club, an intervention group that tries to prevent at-risk youth from becoming gang members.
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