The spot opens on a shot of a proud science fair entrant. Set to the Cole Porter song “C’est Magnifique” performed by Luis Mariano, the action pushes us toward his experiment where we see a hamster on a wheel that’s connected to a belt that generates enough energy to power a small fan that topples three cardboard presentation boards–triggering a complex, Rube Goldberg-machine-meets-science fair, string of chain reactions featuring rockets, lasers, gas bubbles and clever use of an old computer’s disc drive.
Directed by Jonathan Zames via Studio G, Google, the spot showcases the innovative wherewithal of creative engineering company Syyn Labs, perhaps best known for the OK Go music video “This Too Shall Pass.” (Syyn Labs recetly signed with Motion Theory for spot and music video representation as a directorial team.)
Teaming with Google to produce the job–which promotes the search engine’s new international science fair–was Bullet, the creative production hub founded by agency producer Oscar Thomas and music supervisor Patrick Oliver.
“We’ve worked with Jonathan [Zames} before and knew together we could pull off this complicated production,” said Andrea Leminske, Bullet’s managing partner/executive producer, who managed the production for Google. “The chance to work with a company like Syyn Labs was extremely fun and educational. They’re just a bunch of talented mad scientists with this amazing ability to create this controlled chaos.”
Zames’ dramatic use of a motion-controlled camera gives the spot a cinematic feel and pace.
“We basically did it 69 times and what you seeing is essentially the 69th take essentially,” Zames said. “I loved working with Syyn Labs. Every time I had an idea, they made it come to life in an amazing way….The biggest challenge was getting the pace just right. In some takes the camera was moving too fast or too slow. I wanted to make this look smooth, clean and steady so you could really see what was happening in each set-up. After a lot of tries we nailed it both cinematically and with all of these contraptions working perfectly.”
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