This web spot is a dramatization that tells the real-life story of a child who witnessed the murder of his mother and how he came to deal with that loss and trauma. The boy, whom the spot identifies as Luther (not the real child’s name but one used for this dramatization), shuts himself off from the world but gradually over time re-enters society with the help of a therapist/counselor from Childsavers, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children with developmental and emotional issues. Luther’s story is told through the eyes and voice of his Childsavers’ therapist.
This web piece is actually part two of a cross-platform campaign, the first component being a TV spot that sets up a story about a child facing a specific challenge. Then at the end of the spot, viewers are prompted to go to childsavers.org to see what has become of the child and how he or she is coping with adversity. “Luther” is one of four children whose individual stories are told in this two-pronged media campaign which was directed and edited by Jack Hartmann of Studio 108 in Richmond, Va., for Burford Advertising, Richmond.
Studio 108’s full-service approach to production, editing, audio mixing and music allowed its team to meet the challenge of a tight deadline and limited budget. Director/editor Hartmann, DP Graham Copeland, and producer Ula Wozniak worked as a unit, carefully planning the logistics of the production.
Hartmann directed a total of 33 scenes for the four spots in a single day. The interviews with the therapists were shot at Studio 108 in its in-house studio on the second day, and a third day was dedicated to shooting interior and exterior scenes with the kids at three locations in Richmond.
Studio 108 used two cameras to create a documentary-like feel. DP Graham Copeland lensed the wide shots with the Canon 5D and Anna Kolantis operated the B-camera, a Canon 7D, fitted with close-up lens.
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