The Association of Music Producers (AMP) premiered the short film The Third Millennium: 2000–Present at “AOL AMP’d UP!. Presented by Platform A,” Advertising Week V’s opening night concert at the Nokia Theatre in New York City on Sept. 22. The soundtrack, composed and produced by AMP-member companies, was performed live by an orchestra while the film, an extraordinary montage of images chronicling recent history, screened. Virtually all of the footage for the film was provided by Thought Equity Motion, and Paul Kelly of Beast, New York, edited the piece.
With a running time of five minutes, The Third Millennium chronicles the historic events of the past eight-plus years–from the triumphant New Years’ celebrations of 2000 to the tragic events of 9/11 to the Mars landing and the recent Olympic Games.
“This film is a great collaborative effort, showcasing many talents,” said Lyle Greenfield, president of the national board of AMP, and founder of Bang Music, who crafted the film’s concept. “It’s a unique example of what AMP member companies and composers are capable of–what we do.”
The original music score was composed in collaboration among Liz Myers (Trivers/Myers); Chris Plansker (Yessian Music); Jeff Slutz (Sugarbox); and Ben Zebelman (Octave Music). Each composer scored a portion of the film, with their combined efforts fluidly melding into one cohesive track. Executive producers for the film’s music were PJ Hanke of Sovereign and Jason Menkes of the newly launched COPILOT.
Menkes, VP of AMP’s New York board, noted, “The creative challenge of this project was to provide a consistent narrative while balancing individual expression through writing freedom. We chose these four composers specifically for their unique viewpoints, yet it was equally essential to present this work as a single living piece.”
The soundtrack to the film supports and gives cohesiveness to the moving images. “It was gratifying–and challenging–to be a part of this project and frankly, pretty extraordinary to view all we have lived through in the past eight years,” said Kelly.
The film tapped into Thought Equity Motion’s inventory for archival footage. “We provided 95 percent of the footage for this film–giving the producers nearly 800 clips to select from,” said Thought Equity Motion CEO/founder Kevin Schaff.
“This is a great example of seeing editorial content typically used only in documentaries or news programs in a fresh, creative light,” continued Schaff. “The end result is both entertaining and thought-provoking.”
Since 2006, AMP and the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) have brought their expertise to the planning of Advertising Week’s opening night celebration (which this year featured performances by OutKast’s Big Boi and N*E*R*D), as well as other entertainment events during The Week.
“But The Third Millennium film,” affirmed Greenfield, “is one ‘event’ that has brought together a full ensemble of creative forces in our industry–live action, still photography, editorial, soundtrack composition, sound design, performance, audio post, It rocks!”
Visionary Filmmaker David Lynch Dies At 78
David Lynch, the filmmaker celebrated for his uniquely dark and dreamlike vision in such movies as "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive" and the TV series "Twin Peaks," has died just days before his 79th birthday. His family announced the death in a Facebook post on Thursday. The cause of death and location was not immediately available, but Lynch had been public about his emphysema. "We would appreciate some privacy at this time. There's a big hole in the world now that he's no longer with us. But, as he would say, 'Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole,'" the post read. "It's a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way." Last summer, Lynch had revealed to Sight and Sound that he was diagnosed with emphysema and would not be leaving his home because of fears of contracting the coronavirus or "even a cold." "I've gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I'm homebound whether I like it or not," Lynch said, adding he didn't expect to make another film. "I would try to do it remotely, if it comes to it," Lynch said. "I wouldn't like that so much." Lynch was a onetime painter who broke through in the 1970s with the surreal "Eraserhead" and rarely failed to startle and inspire audiences, peers and critics in the following decades. His notable releases ranged from the neo-noir "Mulholland Drive" to the skewed Gothic of "Blue Velvet" to the eclectic and eccentric "Twin Peaks," which won three Golden Globes, two Emmys and even a Grammy for its theme music. "'Blue Velvet,' 'Mulholland Drive' and 'Elephant Man' defined him as a singular, visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade," Steven Spielberg said in a statement. Spielberg noted that he had cast Lynch as director John Ford in the 2022 film "The... Read More