What started out as a spec piece directed by Klaus Obermeyer of Aero Film, Santa Monica, is slated to become a real-world TV PSA–with the possibility of a cinema release–for Oceana, a global public service advocacy organization dedicated to reduce pollution and to prevent the collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other sea life.
Featuring striking underwater photography by DP Pete Zuccarini, the spot shows us varied forms of aquatic life ranging from dolphins to whales to vegetation to jellyfish to varied fish species. Woven into these scenes featuring marvels of sea nature are several supered messages, which read, “The oceans have been healthy and full of life for millions of years….”/”…until now.”
At this point we sea fish tangled in a deep sea net.
The supers continue: “Scientists predict that life in our oceans is quickly approaching an irreversible collapse…”
Scenes of whales and other sea life appear and then the supered sentence concludes, “…unless we do something now./Help Oceana make a difference.”
An end tag carries the Oceana logo and mission, “Protecting the world’s oceans,” accompanied by the website address www.oceana.org/yourocean.
Bob Jenkis of Aero Post edited “Oceana.” Colorist was Stefan Sonnenfeld of Company 3, Santa Monica.
The visuals unfold to the accompaniment of music composed by Walter Werzowa of Musikvergnuegen, Hollywood.
Supreme Court Seems Likely To Uphold A Law That Could Force TikTok To Shut Down On Jan. 19
The Supreme Court on Friday seemed likely to uphold a law that would ban TikTok in the United States beginning Jan. 19 unless the popular social media program is sold by its China-based parent company.
Hearing arguments in a momentous clash of free speech and national security concerns, the justices seemed persuaded by arguments that the national security threat posed by the company's connections to China override concerns about restricting the speech either of TikTok or its 170 million users in the United States.
Early in arguments that lasted more than two and a half hours, Chief Justice John Roberts identified his main concern: TikTok's ownership by China-based ByteDance and the parent company's requirement to cooperate with the Chinese government's intelligence operations.
If left in place, the law passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in April will require TikTok to "go dark" on Jan. 19, lawyer Noel Francisco told the justices on behalf of TikTok.
At the very least, Francisco urged, the justices should enter a temporary pause that would allow TikTok to keep operating. "We might be in a different world again" after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Trump, who has 14.7 million followers on TikTok, also has called for the deadline to be pushed back to give him time to negotiate a "political resolution." Francisco served as Trump's solicitor general in his first presidential term.
But it was not clear whether any justices would choose such a course. And only Justice Neil Gorsuch sounded like he would side with TikTok to find that the ban violates the Constitution.
Gorsuch labeled arguments advanced by the Biden administration' in defense of the law a... Read More