This homage to Beach Blanket Bingo and other similarly themed beach movies of yesteryear depicts youngsters finding good wholesome fun in “trashing the beach.” They break out into song, relating the many ways in which they use the beach as a receptacle, with lyrics running down the debris they proudly leave behind likes broken glass, bleach, used condoms and underwear. They have even built a garbage castle in the sand.
The song is interrupted by a couple of teens who happily talk about mishaps, like a girl who smiles as she tells us she just punctured her foot on a hypodermic needle discarded in the sand. A rebel type dude in a motorcycle jacket says he saw a seagull choking on a corn dog.
The teens then continue singing, breaking into one last chorus of “Let’s Trash The Beach,” at which point a super appears on screen which reads, “Actually, let’s not,” followed by a website address, keepcaliforniabeautiful.org.
The spot leaves viewers feeling inane if they’ve every trashed the beach.
Geordie Stephens of bicoastal Tool of North America directed “Beach Party” for BBDO West, San Francisco. Brian Latt and Jennifer Siegel exec produced for Tool with Jeff Tanner serving as line producer. Ross Richardson was the DP.
The BBDO team consisted of executive creative directors Jim Lesser and Jon Soto, creative director/art director Roz Romney, creative director/copywriter Neil Levy.
Editor was Dan Oberle of The Whitehouse, Santa Monica.
Music was created by Human, New York. Audio mixer was Joel Waters of Lime Studios, Santa Monica.
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