Harvest Director Michael Downing Nets Laughs, Attention For LMU Basketball
By Robert Goldrich
Trying to garner attention in a Los Angeles marketplace steeped in basketball tradition and teams can be a daunting task for a Division One College program like that at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). But desperate times call for desperate measureSáor at least offbeat creative ones in order to attain a higher creative profile in the city, which the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans–as well as two professional teams, the Lakers and the Clippers–call home.
For Marina del Rey, Calif.-based ad agency Ignited Minds, the most compelling, albeit tongue-in-cheek, case for fan loyalty to LMU basketball was that this college team reciprocates. “Static Cling” is one of two spots in a campaign based on that premise.
“Static Cling” opens in a college lecture hall where two female students talk to each other in hushed tones.
“I found a pair of girls’ underwear on the floor next to his bed,” says one girl.
“No way,” says her friend in disbelief.
“After all I’ve done for him–I just don’t understand how this could happen,” continues the first girl.
Overhearing this conversation is a male LMU basketball player–in uniform–who’s seated one row in front of the two women. He turns around to offer them a two-word theory: “Static cling.”
The girls look at each other, not sure what the player (an actual LMU team member, Dustin Brown) means. He explains, “Most guys don’t use dryer sheets. The underwear was probably left behind in one of the dryers and stuck to his clothes.”
Whether this is a thoughtful explanation or a case of a male sticking up for his gender remains to be seen. But the girl who was afraid her boyfriend had been unfaithful clearly appreciates the static cling hypothesis.
“Thanks,” she says. The player extends his arm and the two bump fists as the spot ends with the tagline, “Be There For The LMU Basketball Team and They’ll Be There For You.”
Both :30s in the campaign–the other being “Cottontail”–were directed by Michael Downing of harvest, Santa Monica. These spots were done prior to Downing gaining recognition for his Bud Light “Skydiver” spot which was produced on spec, went on to air during the Super Bowl telecast and was named the number one ad on the Big Game according to USA Today‘s annual Admeter Super Sunday poll.
Bonnie Goldfarb executive produced for harvest with Scott Howard serving as line producer. The DP was John Zilles.
The creative team at Ignited Minds included creative director Ron Gould, associate creative director Mike Wolfsohn, art director Reece Hoverkamp, writer Prentice Howe and producer Liz Corsini.
Editor was Adam Parker of Chrome, Santa Monica. Colorist was Dave Smith of Rushes, Los Angeles.
Audio mixer/sound designer was Zach Fisher of POP Sound, Santa Monica.After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More