Director Brent Harris, formerly of Rabbit, has joined Skunk and Stink worldwide, with the exclusion of France and South Africa where he continues to be handled by Premiere Heure and Egg, respectively.
Harris’ recent credits include spots for Belgium Lottery, Nokia via Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, and Sony PSP for Deutsch LA. The latter was produced by Skunk.
Born in South Africa, Harris has made New York City his home for the better part of the last decade. Much of his time, though, has been spent traversing the globe, shooting for international clients including Nike, Nintendo, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Virgin Atlantic, BMW and Axe. Harris’ work has earned assorted accolades, including three Cannes Lions in 2007. He also made a major splash at that year’s AICP Show with MTV’s “Fetish” for Y&R New York, which was honored in the Agency Art Direction and PSA categories, thus earning the spot a place in the permanent archives of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Harris’ notable work at Rabbit included Mayflower’s “Big Move,” which made SHOOT‘s “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery last year (5/28/10). The cinematic :70 opened on a close-up of a young woman’s face. The camera then reveals it’s the visage of a larger-than-life puppet endowed with delicate features. She is handled with care by Mayflower movers. The lass, with strings attached, leads the way, striding along highways, with a large Mayflower moving van close behind. We see her react to her surroundings, including her ultimate destination–her new home. The movers unload a large box from the back of the van. The box contains an oversized lawn chair, in which the puppet settles in, with help from the Mayflower movers. A closing tag contains the Mayflower logo, accompanied by the slogan, “Every step of the way.”
“Big Move” came out of Grey New York.
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