Many years ago in this column I extolled the virtues of a local cable access channel in Los Angeles, an endorsement which on the surface seemed a bit strange.
After all, it was a channel providing a forum for local oddballs, some of whom were spouting vitriol. And it was a channel that served as a haven for ads promoting such essential products as balding remedies, suspect weight-loss programs and get rich quick schemes.
Yet the station’s saving grace was it being the only outlet on which I was able to consistently view some of that era’s outstanding public service spots. That in and of itself was a sad commentary in that it was work deserving of much more exposure–not only for its creative merits but also because it helped to advance worthwhile causes of benefit to society at large.
Fast forward to today and that sad commentary is still the case as evidenced by a Kaiser Family Foundation study released last month (see POV column below). The research concluded that much of today’s public service fare runs during dawn-of-the-dead insomniac hours. So much for public interest obligations mandated by the Federal Communications Commission for stations to earn their licenses.
The main difference today from the time my original column ran is that we now have the Internet through which it’s possible to at least access notable PSAs. But the public has to seek out this work–and that’s not enough to get much needed messages to the masses, including spots that carry inspired, moving calls to action.
A prime case in point is the entry in this week’s “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery, the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust’s ‘Remember” a spot directed and conceived by Allen Weiss.
Among those starring in the spot is Weiss’ father Harry, a 78-year-old man who introduces himself as “89444,” the number the Nazis tattooed on him 65 years ago. Harry Weiss still has that tattoo on his arm, a reminder of his time spent at Nazi death camps in Landsberg, Dachau and Auschwitz.
Harry Weiss is one of three Holocaust survivors featured in this :30. One man was at a concentration camp in Bergen Belsen, another recalls the haunting sight of the crematory smokestacks “going twenty-four hours a day.”
Descendants of Nazi death camp survivors–including Harry Weiss’ two granddaughters (and Allen Weiss’ daughters)–urge us to “remember,” a word which then appears by itself on screen to finally be joined by a more complete message, which reads, “Remember 6,000,000” and then encourages us to attend a “Holocaust Commemoration” on Sunday, May 4, at the Jones Auditorium at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C.
The PSA is being distributed to stations in such markets as Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, with the hope that it will be aired to promote the May 4 event.
But it remains to be seen how much meaningful exposure “Remember” will receive. If the Kaiser Family Foundation study is correct in this case, there’s sadly the distinct possibility that stations won’t pick up the spot–or if they do, don’t count on primetime placement.
“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