This spec :60 opens on a handsome coupleaa man and a womanaas they leave a restaurant and climb into his late model sports car. Theres clearly a chemistry building between the two but the escalating romantic mood is abruptly shattered by wailing police sirens. A moment later, the guy is in handcuffs and the gals in disbelief. A plain-clothes cop informs her that the car was stolen and the elegant dinner was paid for with counterfeit money. She still disputes the law enforcement officers claims. There must be a mistake, she says of her boyfriend Chad. The detective corrects her, noting that the mans name is really Harvey.
Heartbroken, the woman begins to accept the reality of the situation as her would-be beau is led away by the police. She turns to presumably tell him off but then her eyes drift down to his Lee Jeans. She fixates on how the jeans hug his behind as he walks off into the distance. Her parting shot becomes a wishful cry, Call me!
Director Tom Finerty and his spot shop roost, Santa Monica-based The Joneses, produced and financed the spec piece; the goal being to showcase the commercialmakers prowess in directing talent, in this case an ensemble cast. Dream Date was conceived by creatives at an undisclosed agency.
It was quirky and left-of-center enough that I could sink my teeth into it, said Finerty. It allowed for interaction of the characters, and the thing I really liked about it was the way it leads you in one direction, then takes a 180-degree turn.
Also key, continued Finerty, was that there was enough humanity in the situation that you can believe something like this could actually happen. Its grounded in reality, and thats what makes it funny.
Some 75 artisans, all working for well below their normal rates, showed up at 6:30 one chilly night for a shoot in El Pueblo State Park, Los Angeles, that wrapped at 3:00 the next morning. Among them was DP Don Smith who provided his services free of charge.
For The Joneses, Dan Bryant was exec. producer, with Peter Spoerri serving as producer. Rochelle Ford of Avenue Edit, Santa Monica, both off- and online edited the spot. Colorist was Stefan Sonnenfeld of Company 3, Santa Monica. David Barnard of POP Sound, Santa Monica, was the audio mixer. Sound designer was Neil Uchitel of Slappo, Santa Monica.
Finerty also credited a gifted cast. Commercials usually lure actors with a chance to make a lot of money in residuals, said the director. We werent offering that, but what we did have going for us was the reputation of my casting director, Judy Landau, and the strength of the script. Actors love to work and I was giving them a real opportunity to act rather than to deliver a bite of sound.
aMillie Takaki
Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. Explore Generations,ย Old School vs. New School, In “Poppa’s House”
Boundaries between work and family don't just blur in the new CBS sitcom "Poppa's House" starring father-and-son comedy duo Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. They shatter.
"It's wonderful to come to work every day and see him and some of his kids and my sister and my brother and nieces and nephews. They all work on this show. They all contribute," says the senior Wayans. "I don't think there are words to express how joyful I am."
Wayans plays the titular Poppa, a curmudgeonly radio DJ who's more than comfortable doing it his way, while Wayans Jr. plays his son, Damon, a budding filmmaker who's stuck in a job he hates.
"My character, Pop, is just an old school guy who's kind of stuck in his ways," says Wayans, who starred in "In Living Color" and "My Wife and Kids."
Pop yearns for the days when a handshake was a binding contract and Michael Jordan didn't complain if he got fouled on the court. Pop laughs at the younger generation's participation trophies.
"It's old school versus new school and them teaching each other lessons from both sides," says Wayans Jr., who played Coach in the Fox sitcom "New Girl."
"They (the characters) bring the best out in each other and they're resistant initially. But then throughout the episode they have revelations and these revelations help them become better people," he adds.
The two have worked together before โ dad made an appearance on son's "Happy Endings" and "Happy Together," while son was a writer and guest star on dad's "My Wife and Kids." But this is the first time they have headlined a series together.
The half-hour comedy โ premiering Monday and co-starring Essence Atkins and Tetona Jackson โ smartly leaves places in the script where father and son can let... Read More