We are thrust into a hidden camera job interview situation where a zealous company man is trying to determine if the female applicant seated before him has what it takes to be successful as a hired staffer.
“It’s important to know what an employer is looking for,” he says, “and the kind of worker who thrives in this industry can be summed up in a single acronym.”
He then writes that acronym, AMPED!, on a poster board, and breaks down what each letter stands for: Articulate, Motivated, Passionate, Energetic and a “D” that represents, “Doesn’t mind selling a product that kills about 50 Americans an hour.”
The woman is at first speechless as the man repeatedly asks her, “Are you AMPED!,” increasing his decibel level with each utterance of the query.
She finally responds, “I’m AMPED!–if you change the “D.”
Disappointed, he concludes, “This isn’t going anywhere.” A tagline contains the American Legacy Foundation’s website for its ongoing anti-tobacco industry “Truth” campaign–thetruth.com.
Capturing the reactions of real-life job seekers, the campaign, including “Acronym,” came out of Arnold Worldwide, Boston, and a creative team that included chief creative officer Pete Favat, senior VP/creative director John Kearse, art directors Eric Stephenson and Robb Kottkamp, copywriters Gregg Nelson and Will Chambliss, producer Carron Pedonti, assistant producer Liz Cost and project manager Bob Carlson.
“Acronym” was directed by Henry Alex Rubin of Smuggler.
Editor was Aaron Langley of Cosmo Street Editorial.
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