Think of it as Willy Wonka gone terribly bad. That’s the scenario that unfolds in this stop motion animation :30 titled “Candy Factory” for the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi out of Maris, West & Baker (MWB), Jackson, Miss.
A Wonka-type impresario takes a group of kids on a tour of his magical world. We open on the children who are passengers on a choo-choo train as their Wonka-esque tour guide says, “Welcome to our orchard where we get our flavoring worth savoring.” Workers pick what appear to be cherries and other fruits in the “orchard.”
However, we know something is amiss when we hear the workers sing a song that contains the lyrics, “If you try these goodies, you surely might die.”
Next the kids are taken inside the factory where candy is presumably made. The tour guide introduces the kids to a giant-sized, fun-loving cherry character. But a girl who’s taking the tour notices that the assembly line doesn’t contain sweet treats. Instead, it’s a cigarette factory.
She immediately issues a thumbs-down on the factory, relating that tobacco companies are making products that have candy flavoring. She urges her classmates and kids at large to “not get tricked into trying them.”
An end tag contains the RAT (Reject All Tobacco) logo, accompanied by a Web site address (www.gorat.com). RAT is an educational program created by the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi designed to get kids to not try or to quit smoking.
The :30 was directed by Seamus Walsh and Mark Caballero via ka-chew!, Hollywood. Walsh and Caballero are noted stop-motion artisans, having co-directed Ray Harryhausen’s Tortoise and the Hare, having animated on the Celebrity Deathmatch series, and having supervised Cartoon Network’s Robot Chicken.
John Andrews executive produced for ka-chew!, with Kristina Schoentag and Chris Finnegan serving as producers. Other ka-chew! contributors included DP/art director Joe Schmidt, character designers Caballero, Walsh and Chris Finnegan, animators Josh Jennings, Ethan Marak, Sihanouk Mariona and Sarah Meyer, puppet fabricators Cameron Baity and Clint Zoccolli, set builder Kelly Mazurowski, effects artist Michael Landon and storyboard artist Jeremy Costello.
The core team at MWB consisted of creative director/writer Marc Leffler and art director Chris Nolen.
Audio post mixer was Peter Carlstadt at ka-chew!
Directors Amy+Pilar and Jose Antonio Prat Join Reform School
Boutique content production company Reform has added comedy directing duo Amy+Pilar (Amy York Rubin and Pilar Boehm) and award-winning multicultural director Jose Antonio Prat to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded entertainment.
Partners in both life and art, Amy+Pilar are know for their sharp wit and comedic timing. Their synchronicity is evident in a body of work across TV, film and commercials. Prior to joining Reform School, Amy+Pilar had been repped in the ad market by production company Knucklehead.
Amy has directed high-profile comedy sketches featuring stars like Amy Schumer, Kate McKinnon, and Sarah Silverman. On the episodic front, Amy has helmed for series such as Fresh Off the Boat, Casual, Superstore and Angie Tribeca--as well as the pilot for the hit Netflix comedy Dead to Me.
Before joining forces with Amy behind the camera, Pilar was a psychotherapist, a background that informs her ability to create fascinating characters and stage irresistible, nuanced performances. Amy and Pilar’s shared passion for comedy brought them together. Their collaboration began with a Synchrony Bank campaign, starring cult-comedy favorite Maribeth Monroe (Workaholics), and they went on to direct the pilot of the Hulu series Love, Victor. Amy+Pilar’s ad fare also includes spots for Uber’s “Go-Get” campaign and “Shift,” starring Martin Starr.
“We have been fans of Amy and Pilar for a long time,” said Ryan Ennis, executive director at Reform School. “They excel at capturing comedic performances and dialogue. Coming from the TV and L.A. comedy scenes, they’ve built a strong following and collaborated with some of our favorite funny people.... Read More