When the great Mel Blanc passed away, Warner Bros. took out an ad in honor of the voice actor. It showed a spotlight beam cast down upon a microphone stand with nobody at the mike. Off to the side were Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn and Pepe Le Pew, their heads bowed in silence. Above them was the word “Speechless.” And below the microphone stand was “Mel Blanc 1908-1989.”
Because I’m an unabashed Looney Tunes fan, that “Speechless” tribute sticks in my mind to this day. And now, 18 years later, another series of “Speechless” ads–this time in the form of web spots–have struck a responsive chord. The campaign–some 30 spots and counting, ranging from 15 seconds to three minutes–shows support for striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) members (SHOOT, 11/30).
The genesis of the campaign came when director/writer George Hickenlooper (Factory Girl) and writer Alan Sereboff (The Red House) were walking a WGA picket line in Los Angeles. The two had a vision that they and their talented colleagues could do much more than picket in the strike offensive against the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers.
“We thought why not take our argument to the Internet, the very medium we’re fighting over, the medium which is the future of entertainment,” related Hickenlooper. “…So Alan and I decided to reach out to major celebrity SAG talent to tell the writers’ point of view. We came up with the idea to create informative and entertaining ads that will let the general public know our side.”
The original idea, which has been realized, was to simply have the celebs stand silently in front of the camera, underscoring the fact that they are “speechless” sans the contributions of writers. An A-list lineup of actors was assembled–and more continue to volunteer. Among the notables are Sean Penn, Woody Allen, Ethan Hawke, Charlize Theron, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Patricia Arquette, Susan Sarandon, Alan Cumming, Laura Linney, Matthew Perry, America Ferrera, Harvey Keitel and Ray Romano.
Once these performers became involved, several got their creative juices flowing with Hickenlooper and Sereboff, coming up with concepts that went beyond the “Speechless” scenario. For example Holly Hunter is seen having trouble with a script she’s performing so she seeks writing help on a hotline that’s outsourced to a scribe in India. Patricia Clarkson and Amy Ryan are reduced to reading from the Yellow Pages, trying to emote along the way. The response from high profile celebs has been overwhelming, so other directors–such as Paul Haggis (Crash), Wayne Kramer (The Cooler) and Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry)–have been brought in to accommodate the influx of on-camera talent.
Hickenlooper noted that there’s another implied message in the web ads that feature and TV studios should take to heart–namely that writers have been able to successfully liaison with big ticket performers and make a significant Internet splash without any corporate distribution arm.
This, said Hickenlooper, shows that writers can create content, directly package talent and gain meaningful exposure on the web, eliminating the studio as middleman.
“Se7en” Turns 30, Gets A Special Restoration From David Fincher For Its Re-Release
For David Fincher, seeing “Se7en” in 4K was an experience he can only describe as harrowing. That or a high school reunion.
“There are definitely moments that you go, ‘What was I thinking?’ Or ‘Why did I let this person have that hairdo’?” Fincher said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
He’s OK with the film being a product of its time in most respects. But some things just could not stand in high-definition resolution.
“It was a little decrepit, to be honest,” said Fincher. “We needed to resuscitate it. There are things you can see in 4K HDR that you cannot see on a film print.”
Ever the perfectionist, he and a team got to work on a new restoration of the film for its 30th anniversary re-release. This weekend the restored “Se7en” will play on IMAX screens for the first time in the U.S. and Canada, and on Jan. 7, the 4K UHD home video version will be available as well.
The dark crime thriller written by Andrew Kevin Walker and starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as a pair of detectives looking for a serial killer was somewhat of a career-reviver for Fincher, whose directorial debut “Alien 3” had not gone well. “Se7en” was not a sure thing: It was made for only $34 million (and only got that when Fincher managed to persuade studio execs to give up $3 million more). But it went on to earn more than $327 million, not accounting for inflation, and continues to influence the genre.
Fincher has over the years overseen several restorations of the film (including one for laser disc) but decided this needed to be the last. It’s why he insisted on an 8K scan that they could derive the 4K from. He wanted to ensure that it wouldn’t have to be repeated when screens get more... Read More