We open on a clash of tiny toy weapons wielded by action figures held by two young boys. This innocent skirmish in a desolate landscape then escalates as behind the kids are two teenagers who, each with slingshot in hand, are firing water balloons at one another. Behind them are soldiers exchanging gun fire with a man standing behind a car.
Explosions then fill the air as heavy artillery is brought to bear with soldiers and a tank entering the picture. Hovering behind them are a helicopter on one side and a fighter jet plane on the other, exchanging fire, with the copter eventually blown away in an explosion.
A super appears on screen which reads, “Where stories make it big,” followed by the Newport Beach (Calif.) Film Festival logo and its running dates (April 22-29).
“Drama” is one of two trailer spots in the campaign, the other titled “Romance,” which shows a progression from innocent love to the kinky.
The trailers were directed by Erich Joiner from Tool of North America, and shot by Oscar-winning DP Robert Richardson (who also directs spots via Tool) for ad agency RPA, Santa Monica. Editor was Hank Corwin of Lost Planet.
Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey Launch Production House 34North
Executive producers Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey have teamed to launch 34North. The shop opens with a roster which includes accomplished directors Jan Wentz, Ben Nakamura Whitehouse, David Edwards and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles. Nakamura Whitehouse, Edwards, Feil and Fowles come over from CoMPANY Films, the production company for which Cicero served as an EP for the past nearly five years. Director Wentz had most recently been with production house Skunk while Stewart now gains his first U.S. representation. EP Clancey was freelance producing prior to the formation of 34North. He and Cicero have known each other for some 25 years, recently reconnecting on a job directed by Fowles. Cicero said that he and Clancey “want to keep a highly focused roster where talent management can be one on one--where we all share in the directors’ success together.” Clancey also brings an agency pedigree to the new venture. “I started at Campbell Ewald in accounts, no less,” said Clancey. “I saw firsthand how much work agencies put in before we even see a script. You have to respect that investment. These agency experiences really shaped my approach to production--it’s about empathy, listening between the lines, and ultimately making the process seamless.” 34North represents a meeting point--both literally and creatively. Named after the latitude of Malibu, Calif., where the idea for the company was born, it also embraces the power of storytelling. “34North118West was the first GPS-enabled narrative,” Cicero explained. “That blend of art and technology, to captivate an audience, mirrors what we do here--create compelling work, with talented people, harnessing state-of-the-art... Read More