Children flee from a swarm of bees on a playground as their adult supervisor, perhaps a parent, also looks for cover.
The spot then cuts to a nearby alleged bee keeper, who freely admits he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Clearly not adept at keeping bees in their designated living space as he holds an empty container which should be full of the buzzing creatures, he acknowledges, “Bee keeping–not my forte. But that is.” He points to a parked Kia Forte automobile of which he is clearly proud.
“Bee Keeping” is part of a three-spot campaign directed by David Wellington of Steam Films, Toronto, for Publicis, Toronto.
The Publicis creative ensemble consisted of exec creative director Duncan Bruce, creative director/writer Pat Pirisi, associate creative director/art director Gary Holme and senior producer Dale Harrison.
Krista Marshall exec produced for Steam with Jeff Darragh serving as producer. The DP was Barry Parrell.
Editor was Richard Unruh of Rooster Post Production, Toronto.
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