Over the years when I heard the words “Grammy Hall,” two things came to mind. In the 1978 Oscar-winning best picture Annie Hall, Diane Keaton–playing the title role–tells Woody Allen (Alvy Singer) that the necktie she’s wearing was a gift from her Grammy Hall. The sound of the name Grammy Hall prompts Allen to ask Annie if she grew up in a Norman Rockwell painting.
More to the industry point, the other more obvious Grammy Hall reference for me would be to the National Academy Of Recording Arts and Sciences’ (NARAS) Grammy Hall of Fame in which music of lasting quality and/or historical significance resides.
But what I didn’t think of when hearing “Grammy Hall” was commercials–that is, until the recent passing of legendary ad man Hal Riney prompted some research which opened my eyes. It was Riney who while at BBDO San Francisco hired up-and-coming songwriters Paul Williams and Roger Nichols to compose a theme for Crocker Bank. The song, “We’ve Only Just Begun,” went on to become a number one hit by The Carpenters. Williams reflected on that experience and Riney in our last installment of this column (5/9).
“We’ve Only Just Begun” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. And while that to some might be a bit of interesting trivia, it carries particular relevance today as the Association of Music Producers (AMP) plans to petition NARAS for the creation of two Grammy Award categories honoring commercials–one for best original score, the other for best original song.
While AMP’s Grammy campaign (SHOOT, 4/18) is just getting underway and could face a long, hard road to its desired destination, Lyle Greenfield, recently elected AMP’s national board president, thinks the timing of such a lobbying effort is ideal in that commercial music is becoming more widely regarded as mainstream entertainment–so much so that major recording artists are embracing the ad discipline, and original music that strikes a responsive chord with audiences is regularly making spots standard fare on YouTube. (Greenfield is president/creative director of New York-headquartered Bang Music.)
Though I’m not much on awards shows–much less the need for yet another award–this industry lobbying effort is worthwhile because it promotes wider spread recognition of advertising music’s artistry and its creative artists. In many respects, Grammy Award recognition of commercials would be akin to the Directors Guild of America’s decision to recognize commercials with the establishment of a DGA Awards category in 1979. Today the DGA Award is arguably the most coveted honor for commercial directors.
So we’re jumping on the AMP bandwagon for Grammy recognition before there’s that large a bandwagon–but we’re confident there will be. As we sift through music for spots and branded content from week to week–not just for our regular coverage but also for SHOOT‘s quarterly Top Ten Tracks Charts–it’s clear that this music when done at its best is a most deserving art form that advances storytelling, message, emotional tone and ultimately is integral to connecting meaningfully with an audience.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More