A man opens a huge crate in his kitchen. From it he pulls a huge dead fish, which he plops onto a nearby table. The whole fish looks like a fresh catch, but what in the world the guy will do with such a large entrée we’re not yet certain–perhaps it’s a trophy to be mounted on a wall. But if you put this up on a wall, you wouldn’t even be able to see the wall.
However, his intent becomes known when he reaches into the crate–which we assumed was empty–and pulls out something else, a live sushi chef. He hands the chef the knife that was used to pry open the crate. Indeed a month’s supply of sushi and sashimi is at hand–talk about an extravagant takeout order.
A simple two-word question is then supered on screen. It reads, “What if?” Next we see a Powerball ticket for the Oregon Lottery emerge from a machine into the scene.
“Sushi” is one of three spots in the Lotto campaign–the other two being “Keys” and “Museum.” In the former, a man drives a high-performance sports car through winding roads. But the vehicle runs out of gas. He gets out the car and then hops into another different colored high-performance automobile and resumes his exhilarating sojourn.
And in “Museum,” a woman pushes a shopping cart through an art gallery, taking the Mona Lisa off the wall and placing it in her cart.
The commercials were directed by Brian Lee Hughes of Reginald Pike, Toronto, for agency Borders Perrin Norrander, Portland, Ore.
James Davis and Josefina Nadurata executive produced for Reginald Pike, with Gwyn Fletcher serving as producer. The DP was Eric Edwards.
The agency team consisted of creative director Terry Schneider, copywriter John Heinsma, art director Kent Suter, and producer Scott Fox.
Editor was Chris Jones of DownStream, Portland. DownStream’s Jim Barrett was the colorist. Audio engineer/sound designer was Eric Stolberg of Digital One, Portland. Music composer was Charlie Campbell of Flooded Music, Portland.
Principal actors in “Sushi” were David Johnson and Mio Tadaka.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More