SAY HELLO! TO BARBECUED DOG FOOD
Mark Gilbert of Los Angeles-based production house HELLO! directed a droll “Missing Something” campaign for Sears Optical out of Chicago agency Sponge.
One of the spots, “Dog Days,” centers on a near-sighted man who fires up the backyard grill, lighting what he thinks is charcoal. But his visual impairment leads to his mistaking a bag of dog food for a bag of briquets. At least he has an acute sense of smell. Once he sets the dog food ablaze, his olfactory acumen perceives that something is indeed amiss. Perhaps its time he went to Sears Optical to bring his eyesight into focus.
The spot ends with a canine visiting his doggie bowl only to turn away. A bowl full of charcoal is hardly appetizing.
The Sponge team included creative director Paul Brourman, copywriter Patrick Hoopes, art director Jesse Freese and producer Colleen Dirsmith. Richard Henkels was the DP. Editor was Mark Jepsen of Cutters, Chicago.
BAILEY, ASC, TO JUDGE KODAK COMPETITION John Bailey, ASC will judge the regional entries of the 2010 Kodak Film School Competition for the second consecutive year. The competition is designed to recognize innovative visual storytelling demonstrated by current film school students and recent graduates from the Asia Pacific region, Latin America, United States/Canada, and Europe.
“We introduced this competition 11 years ago with the goal of inspiring the next generation of filmmakers,” said Johanna Gravelle, worldwide manager, Education Segment, for Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging Division. “It’s an integral part of our commitment to tomorrow’s filmmakers.”
Kodak is currently accepting submissions at the national level. Finalists will be judged by Bailey, who will select one winner from each region. The prize includes a trip to the 2011 Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in France, where the winners will have the opportunity to screen their films in the Kodak Short Film Showcase.
Bailey has compiled more than 70 cinematography credits spanning such films as American Gigolo, Ordinary People, The Big Chill, The Accidental Tourist, Groundhog Day, In The Line of Fire, and As Good As It Gets. Additionally, Bailey was recently named the 2010 Kodak Cinematographer-in-Residence for the spring quarter at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television. In this program, students can receive direct guidance from noted cinematographers.
National Kodak Film School Competition finalists will be selected by August 30, and regional winners will be announced by November 1. For further information, visit www.kodak.com/go/filmschoolcompetition
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS…. Mathias Appelblad, Toygar Bazarkaya and Ralph Watson have joined BBDO New York as executive creative directors. Appelblad was mostly recently interactive creative director at Swedish shop Forsman & Bodenfors. At BBDO, he will take on a new role as director of innovation. Bazarkaya moves to BBDO N.Y. from BBDO Dusseldorf where he was CCO. He will lead global creative efforts on P&G. Watson joins from Saatchi NY, where he was senior VP/creative director and head of art. At BBDO N.Y., he will primarily oversee AT&T….Clay Weishaar has been hired as senior art director for the L.A. office of David&Goliath. Most recently, Weishaar worked at Razorfish‘s L.A. office as senior art director….
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More