This spec spot is a shining example of movie parody, presented in the context of a dinner theater production. In this case, the film is The Shining, Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 horror flick based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel.
In the movie, an axe-wielding Jack Nicholson goes berserk and pursues his wife with murderous intent. As the axe blade rips through the bathroom door behind which she hides, he yells, "Here’s Johnny!"—providing a moment of perverse comic relief in an otherwise terrifying situation.
Our :30 homage to the film opens on a camera pan across a sign, which reads, "Smithville Dinner Theater Proudly Presents…" We are then taken on stage, where a door and its framework are front and center. An actress runs through the doorway and closes the door behind her. She’s holding a knife, but trembling in fear and screaming for help. In pursuit behind her is a man carrying a large axe.
"Wendy, I’m home," he declares.
She continues to scream as her husband turns up the terror. "Let me come in or I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in," he threatens.
A shot of a couple at a dinner table shows them getting into the story and feeling the tension of the situation.
The actor starts axing the door, but like the Big Bad Wolf, he is confronted by an impenetrable barrier. The door doesn’t give, even after repeated swings of the axe, which take a toll on the guy. Clearly winded, he glances over his shoulder, as if pleading for some help from offstage, and says, "I think I need a sharper axe."
We are then taken from the stage to a sign promoting Reliabilt Doors, available at Lowe’s Home Improvement Centers. When we return to the stage, the door is still standing, and the man lets out a half-hearted, "Here’s Johnny."
The spot was directed by Michele Atkins, a Los Angeles-based production manager who is an aspiring helmer. Atkins also produced the job, which was shot by DP Jan Thomas.
"Dinner Theater" was conceived by creative directors Marc Garbarini and Desmond Burrows. Garbarini is a New York-based creative, while Burrows is an associate creative director/writer at McCann-Erickson, Los Angeles. Earlier in their careers, Garbarini and Burrows were an art director/writer creative duo at McCann-Erickson, New York.
Offline/online editor was Christine Mitsogiorgakis of earth2mars, New York, who also served as audio mixer and sound designer on the spec piece. The colorist was Dave Smith of Rushes/601, Los Angeles.
Cristal Cane, Harold Green were the lead actors in this spot. The SAG/AFTRA Commercials Contract Standing Committee has granted a waiver to allow commercials to be available for viewing on SHOOTonline.com. The spots cannot be copied, downloaded or e-mailed.
