What begins like a mundane slice-of-life spot in which a guy pulls his Vauxhall Vectra LS automobile into a petrol station for a fill-up turns into something quite unexpectedly racy once the gent inserts the nozzle into the gas tank.
Upon insertion, the car begins to rock up and down uncontrollably accompanied by a spirited chorus of “Love Machine.” The car’s parking lights flash, its windshield wipers are activated and it even lets lose some wiper fluid in the process. Another petrol customer looks on in disbelief as our original guy then pulls the dripping nozzle out of his car’s tank.
The tagline: “Vectra LS. Surprisingly responsive.”
This is one of eight spec spots directed, written, produced and edited by London-based director Hedi Young (http://www.hyfilms.co.uk/) who’s looking to make his first foray into the production house world. Young is a graduate of the London Film Academy.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More