Director Bryan Buckley Delves Further Into World Of Counterfeiting
By Christine Champagne
When the creatives from Crispin, Porter + Bogusky (CP+B), Miami, approached director Bryan Buckley of bicoastal/international Hungry Man to direct “Counterfeit MINI” (see this week’s Top Spot), they initially planned to prepare a booklet to serve as a companion piece to the humorous spot, which warns consumers to watch out for fake MINI Coopers and instructs them to visit www.counterfeitmini.com for more information. But the project ultimately grew in scope.
“We decided why not go all out and produce a DVD [instead of a booklet],” CP+B vice president/creative director Andrew Keller shared.
While it meant an even greater commitment in terms of time and effort, Buckley was glad to see the project broadened, noting that directing the eight-minute DVD gave him the rare opportunity to create an actual product. It also offered him a welcome opportunity to go deeper into the ridiculously funny world that he explored in the “Counterfeit MINI” commercial.
MINI EXTRAVAGANZA
Shot concurrently with the “Counterfeit MINI” spot (as well as other MINI spots yet to be released) on location in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by Buckley and DP Scott Hendrickson, who was equipped with 8mm, 16mm and video cameras, the DVD has an investigative report/infomercial look and feel.
At the outset, the DVD makes the claim–which is, of course, untrue–that the world of counterfeiting has become so advanced that cars are now being copied, with the MINI Cooper being counterfeited more than any other vehicle.
The DVD goes on to take us into the overseas chop shops where these cars are made–think Buick Rivieras detailed with MINI logos and racing stripes–and introduces us to fraud victims, including one man from Teaneck, N.J., who bought what he thought was a real MINI over the Internet only to find out it was a fake after he got it.
While we actually meet this poor sucker briefly in the “Counterfeit MINI” commercial, his sad life is further exploited for comic effect in the DVD, which reveals that he is now the subject of taunts from passersby who can’t believe he was duped into buying a fake MINI. Meanwhile, his disgusted wife has decided to leave him.
The DVD also shows us how to detect fake MINIs and hails the work of the fictional Counter Counterfeit Commission (CCC), which devotes countless resources to ending MINI forgeries.
THE REAL DEAL
Looking back on the intensive project, everyone involved in the making of the DVD worked tirelessly to make it the best it could be, said Buckley, who cited in particular the efforts of editor Kirk Baxter of Rock Paper Scissors, Los Angeles. Baxter also cut the commercial and due to deadlines had to juggle both projects, starting on the “Counterfeit MINI” spot, then shifting his attention to the DVD, then going back to the spot, according to Buckley.
Meanwhile, Keller praised Buckley and Hungry Man for their enthusiasm, noting that they were bidding on what was to be a spot package at first but immediately jumped at the opportunity to also produce a DVD.
In fact, Buckley went above and beyond the call of duty. “After the shoot in [Brazil], he called and said, ‘I’m going to London for a shoot. You guys want me to pick up any footage?’ ” Keller recounted. “That is the type of process he was offering up to us, and that’s exactly what we’re looking for in our partners.”
Keller continued: “So much these days, it’s not just a spot. You really have to give a client a three-dimensional media approach, so the directors and production companies that really embrace that are the ones we enjoy working with the most.”
It should be noted that those who worked on the “Counterfeit MINI” commercial also lent their talents to the production of the DVD. (See Top Spot credits).
Additionally, CP+B’s in-house team of Web experts created the www.counterfeitmini.com Web site, which includes a photo gallery of fakes, information on how to detect a fake and a victim support section.After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More