We open on a day marked by sweltering heat as a potted plant tries to survive but seemingly to no avail as it is drying out before our eyes. Still, a vine strains as if an outstretched arm to seek relief, winding its way along a circuitous route to reach a dripping faucet.
You would think the dried out, hardened vine would try to turn the water on to drench and save itself. But instead it does the opposite, turning the faucet off to stop the drip, which in the long run will help ensure survival for plant life–and for that matter, all life.
A parting super reads, “Save Water. Save California.”
This spec PSA was written, directed and animated by Lapo Melzi who earlier this year took a 2010 AICP Show honor in the Student Commercial category for Centric’s “Black Rose,” a :30 he did at the Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and TV, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, under the aegis of instructor Laura Belsey (who directs commercials via C-Entertainment, New York). In ’09, Melzi’s student work earned him inclusion in SHOOT‘s New Directors Showcase.
Cinematographer Pepe Avila del Pino Discusses Residente’s “313,” Winning An ASC Award
Pepe Avila del Pinoโs second career nomination for an American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Award earned him his first win earlier this week in Los Angeles--for outstanding achievement in music videos on the strength of the Residente-directed โ313โ featuring performances by Residente, Sรญlvia Pรฉrez Cruz and Penelope Cruz. The cinematic, stirringly beautiful โ313โ opens with Penelope Cruz narrating in Spanish, reflecting on the meaning of life and the passage of time. She is joined by ballet dancers who are said to represent time while Cruz represents life itself. The ethereal music video brings us the essence of time in our lives. Residenteโs life and time are seemingly controlled, respectively, by Cruz and the dancers from the outset. But towards the end of the video, Residente starts to orchestrate his own time and life. What canโt be denied, though, is that time is fleeting as Cruz and Residente begin to disappear before our eyes. Avila del Pino, AMC, is best known for his work in television and features. In fact, his alluded to first ASC Award nomination came in 2018 on the basis of the TV pilot for The Deuce, directed by Michelle MacLaren. Over the past seven years, Avila del Pino has lensed select music videos--all for his friend, Residente (a.k.a. Rene Perez Joglar). The Residente videos have thus become passion projects, done out of โpure loveโ with the same close-knit team. The โ313โ song and video were especially personal to Residente in that they were both inspired by a friend who had died about a year earlier. To win an ASC Award for this particular project is most gratifying for Avila del Pino--not only because of the videoโs significance to Residente, but also the deep feelings the DP has for the ASC.... Read More