A man is fast asleep in bed. He’s roused from his night slumber by the sound of incessant clicking noises.
He gets up, picks up a nearby baseball bat and looks to find the source of the disturbance, thinking perhaps it’s a burglar or intruder of some sort.
He walks through the kitchen and then peers through window blinds, leading him to leave his house and head for the garage. Through the garage door panels, we can see that the light is on and numerous things, presumably bugs that look from afar like locusts, are buzzing about.
He presses the button on his garage door opener. The door lifts up to reveal his car, which is surrounded by computer icon arrows, each one clicking away.
A voiceover relates, “With over 10 million unique visitors each month, AutoTrader.com is the best place to buy and sell a car.”
The AutoTrader.com logo appears and then we see a parting shot in which one of the misguided arrows flies into an electric bug zapper and gets fried.
This spec spot was directed by Andrew Putschoegl, an aspiring helmer who is building his reel. The DP was Kelly Richard, with Jeff Maier, who at the time was with Freddy’s Barn Service, Santa Monica, serving as executive producer.
The concept came from creatives Morgan Halme and Niraj Zaveri who were working independently of their day gigs at Colby & Partners at the time. They are currently at DDB Los Angeles.
Editor was Curtis Schmidt of Crush, Santa Monica. Also contributing from Crush were visual effects artist Terry Silberman and executive producers Steve Weber and Chris Kern.
Colorist was Bob Festa of Riot, Santa Monica.
Sound designer was Paul Hurtubise of music/sound design house Stompbox (a sister shop to Crush), also in Santa Monica.
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