By Robert Goldrich
This black-and-white spot from Bozell & Jacobs, Omaha, shows little girls engaged in fun, constructive activities at YWCA centers–dancing, playing guitar, studying together, reading in the dark by flashlight, playing with bubbles, bike riding and socializing.
This in and of itself would make for a feel-good PSA that promotes the services, resources, recreational opportunities and the sense of community that can be experienced at the YWCA. But the piece takes on an added thought-provoking dimension when these scenes play against a soundtrack of hip-hop and rap tunes that fade in and out, all of them referring to the girls in negative demeaning language (“bitches,” “hos” and telling them to “get out of my face.”).
Seeing the images of the girls in a positive light juxtaposed with the music lyrics makes the songs sound absurd and bizarre, which coincides with what the YWCA does to negative sentiments, as reflected in the spot tagline: “Eliminating racism, empowering women,” accompanied by the Web site address, www.ywca.org.
“Little Girls” was directed by feature filmmaker Bronwen Hughes (Harriet the Spy, Forces of Nature, Stander) of Santa Monica-based Independent Media. Susanne Preissler executive produced for Independent Media. Max Malkin was the DP.
Music producer Nicole Dionne of Primal Scream, Los Angeles, had composer Billy West create seven separate melodies for the spot, turning out music that helps to drive the creative.
The creative team for Bozell & Jacobs consisted of creative director/copywriter Cliff Watson, art director Erica Rowe and producer Nan Pike.
The spot was cut by Meg Kubicka of The Whitehouse, Chicago. Audio post mixer was Dave Gerbosi of Chicago Recording Company, Chicago.After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More