Looking to inspire youngsters (particularly “tweens,” ages 8 to 11) to dream and invent, Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco, turned to director John Dolan of bicoastal Anonymous Content for a TV spot on behalf of the Department of Commerce’s U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation in conjunction with the Ad Council.
The public service :30 opens with a nervous young boy introducing himself and his new invention–a BMX bike with wheels on which are fastened assorted suction cups. His inspiration for the bike was the suction cup-like tentacles of the octopus, at which point we’re treated to a show and tell of sorts. The boy rides the bike along walls and on a ceiling. He even pedals the bike up a ramp which leaves him hanging from the handlebars suctioned to a building. A buddy of his looks on incredulously. We are left to wonder if this bike actually exists. Of course it does–in the minds of kids who dare to imagine and think big.
The spot ends with the slogan, “Anything’s possible. Keep thinking,” accompanied by the website address www.InventNow.org where kids can get in touch with their own innate inventiveness. Designed by VPI (Visual Perspectives Internet), the site allows children to explore their inventive interests in space, sports, design and entertainment. And a gallery on the site highlights inventions created by children throughout the country.
For generations, the U.S. has been a global leader in technology and innovation. While the country represents only five percent of the world’s population, it accounts for nearly one-third of the world’s science and engineering researchers and 40 percent of all research and development, according to the Council on Competitiveness. However, with increased economic competition globally, it’s widely understood that the U.S. must take steps now to maintain its leadership. In particular, America must ensure we inspire future generations of innovators.
Titled “Suction Tires,” the television commercial is part of an ambitious multimedia campaign. The Publicis & Hal Riney creative ensemble included chief creative officer Roger Camp, art director Rich North, copywriter Adam Kopel, director of integrated production David Verhoef and producer Sara Krider.
Andy Traines and Dave Morrison exec produced for Anonymous with SueEllen Clair serving as head of production, Megan Moore as producer and Cheryl Guzman as production supervisor. The cinematographer was Dariusz Wolski.
Editor was Paul Martinez of bicoastal Lost Planet. Elephant Post, a Lost Planet sister shop, was the visual effects/post house. Betsy Beale exec produced for both Elephant and Lost Planet.
Stefan Sonnenfeld, co-founder of bicoastal Company 3, was the colorist.
Jeff Fuller of Eleven, Santa Monica, served as sound designer/audio mixer.
Review: Director Alex Parkinson’s “Last Breath” Starring Woody Harrelson and Simu Liu
A routine deep sea diving mission in the North Sea goes terribly wrong when a young diver is stranded some 300 feet below the surface in the new film "Last Breath." His umbilical cable has severed. The support vessel above is aimlessly drifting away from the site through violent, stormy waters. And the diver has only ten minutes of oxygen in his backup tank.
As if that wasn't enough, it's also a true story.
If merely reading this is giving you heart palpitations already, you can only imagine the white-knuckle experience of watching this all play out on the big screen. It's 40ish minutes of pure suspense and anxiety as the story shuffles between the man at the bottom of the ocean, Chris Lemons (Finn Cole), his fellow saturation divers (Woody Harrelson as Duncan and Simu Liu as Dave) in the diving bell below the waters who are unable to help and the crew in the support vessel above (including Cliff Cutris and Mark Bonnar) scrambling to get their systems back online and operational as the clock rapidly runs out. Ten minutes has never felt so short – and then it just gets worse as the clock starts counting up, showing Chris's time without oxygen.
At one point, Liu's character Dave, a no-nonsense, all-business diver says matter-of-factly at that it's a body recovery, not a rescue. Deep sea saturation diving is a dangerous business, described at the start of the film as the most dangerous job on earth. Chris tells his fiancé, in a short introduction, that it's no more dangerous than going to space. She replies that it's funny that he thinks that is comforting.
The real incident happened in September 2012 – Dave, Duncan and Chris were just one team of divers sent to the ocean floor off the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland, to repair oil... Read More