Denny’s is an unlikely late night destination for young people after a rock concert. But looking to increase the likelihood is bicoastal agency Filter Creative Group with this “All Nighter” Denny’s website spot which is also getting some regional broadcast play.
Seated at a Denny’s table are a motley crew: a T-Rex dinosaur character, a unicorn who appears to be a bit of a stoner, a gent in leprechaun garb, and a regular guy who’s the voice of reason.
The latter declares “what a night,” to which T-Rex responds, “yeah.” The unicorn, with french fries falling out of his mouth, affirms that the evening’s show “rocked.” The leprechaun retorts, “What you remember of it.”
A friendly Denny’s waitress, with some trepidation, approaches the table and drops off the check. The leprechaun whips out a pot of gold as payment, to which the waitress responds, “Got anything smaller?”
The normal guy in the group comes to the rescue, handing her some regular currency.
Unicorn senses that the waitress is “so into me.”
“Nobody’s into you,” snaps back the leprechaun.
“I’m into me dude,” affirms the unicorn.
“Obviously,” says the leprechaun sarcastically.
An end tag carries the Denny’s logo accompanied by the website address wwww.dennysallnighter.com. A voiceover chimes in: “Good friends, good value.”
This offbeat slice of night life was directed by David Jellison of Santa Monica-based TWC.
The Filter team included creative heads Alan Miller and Alan Sartirana, writers Evan Anderson and Patrick Strange, and project manager Connie Sang.
Jeff Snyder served as exec producer/producer for TWC. Kim Johnson was production supervisor. The DP was Bryan Newman.
Editor was Jason Painter of Nomad Editorial, Santa Monica.
Character fabrication was done by Rob Burman of Sticks and Stones, Tujunga, Calif.
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