Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is seen driving a car through harsh conditions–extreme cold, heat, rain and so on–juxtaposed with images of his being in different stadiums competing under the same circumstances.
He notes that “people expect the best performance under extreme conditions.” That’s why he’s prepared not just on the field but behind in the wheel. For the latter, he makes sure to use Castrol Motor Oil.
The spot was directed by Ian Gabriel of Giant Films, Cape Town, South Africa, for Ogilvy & Mather, Cape Town. (Gabriel is repped stateside by Los Angeles-based Notorious.
The tie-in with Ronaldo takes on added significance in that South Africa is the host nation for the Soccer World Cup in 2010.
The core Ogilvy creative team consisted of art director Alexi McCarthy and writer Jake Bester.
Cindy Gabriel exec produced for Giant Films, with Kirsten Clarence serving as producer. Vicci Turpin was the DP.
Editor was Ricky Boyd of Deliverance, Cape Town.
The ensemble of talent from The Mill, London, included lead Flame artist Ben Turner, Flame artist Jonathan Box, Shake artist Rod Norman, lead 3D artist Rob Holmes, colorist Adam Scott and producers Kate Stenhouse and Matt Williams.
Music composer was Theo Crous of Bellville Studios Cape Town. Audio post mixer was Arnold Vermaak of B&S Studios, Cape Town.
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