Director Robert Jitzmark has signed with Santa Monica-based Green Dot Films and just wrapped his first project there, a California Lottery :30 titled “Hot Streak” for agency David&Goliath. Jitzmark joins Green Dot Films from Hungry Man. He is also a partner at the Swedish production company Camp David, which was founded together with five other colleagues in 2003.
Jitzmark’s latest spot, for both TV and the web, opens on a Sierra Nevada stream during the California Gold Rush, where rival prospectors pan for gold on opposite banks. Suddenly, the grizzled older prospector pulls a sizable nugget from his pan. Wide-eyed, he reaches down to find still more riches–a golden pocket watch, golden spectacles, golden horseshoes for his donkey and, finally, a golden bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti. All the while, the younger prospector looks on in disbelief, jealously muttering “Oh, come on!” as the 49er whoops with delight. We then cut to a nearby town as the older prospector rides his donkey to market atop a golden chariot laden with enough solid gold trinkets and jewelry to make a rap star blush. As townsfolk view him with awe, a beautiful senorita gazes at the spectacle adoringly. The old prospector turns to her and salutes as the tagline “Going On A Hot Streak Has Never Been Easier” appears supered on the screen. The spot ends with a product shot of a California Lottery Scratchers ticket against a rustic wooden background with the words: “6 games. 1 Ticket.”
Jitzmark and DP Par Ekberg worked together to shoot the period piece on 35mm with panoramic lenses in order to achieve a vintage Technicolor look. The director’s notable work over the years includes a series of Mini Cooper spots such as the wild ride of Mini vs Monster, the just released McDonald’s “Fire Sprinkler” ad via DDB, a package of commercials for Puma in the U.S. and Europe, a well-received series of commercials for Inpes condoms for the French Ministry of Health, Peugeot, IKEA, Vybemobile (starring Snoop Dogg), Sony PlayStation, Falcon Beer, Canal+ and MTV. In 2009 Jitzmark’s spots for Swedish Fish won gold at the ADC Festival in New York.
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More