To launch the latest iteration of the enormously popular Call of Duty video game, TBWAChiatDay, Los Angeles tapped into director Rupert Sanders of MJZ and VFX house Asylum for a spot that didn’t show footage of game play. Instead we see people from all walks in life–from L.A. Lakers superstar guard Kobe Bryant and late night talk show host/comedian Jimmy Kimmel to everyday workers such as a fast food employee, a Best Buy staffer and a hotel concierge–playing soldier, discharging different variety firearms and showing different levels of expertise in the process while in the midst of battle.
The commercial reflects the spirit of what it’s like to play the game, advancing the common ground slogan which is the title of the spot, “There’s A Soldier in All of Us.”
The TBWAChiatDay creative ensemble included chief creative officer Rob Schwartz, group creative director Brett Craig, associate creative directors Blake Kidder and Patrick Almaguer, head of production Richard O’Neill, executive producer Anh-Thu Le, producer Stanton Hill, art director Chase Madrid and copywriter Chris DeNinno.
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