Its only been out for 6 hours and I'm already sick to death of hearing about The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to actually be alive and old enough to experience a full-blown movie phenomenon as I missed the boat with Star Wars and Indiana Jones. At least I understood the frenzy behind The Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter movies and didn't want to light myself on fire every time it came on the news. But this... this has got even the most hardcore fan inside of me screaming "that's freakin' enough Twihards, settle the frak down!"
Sigh. At least the guys over at Film Drunk feel my pain and have put together a brilliant piece on the absurdness of Twilight fans and their signs at the New Moon premiere. I strongly recommend you read the whole thing in its entirety here. Otherwise, the best bits are below:
"I’m only picking a few of my favorites, but clearly this represented a cross section of America’s finest. Like this guy. He likes America, sleeveless shirts, and vampires that sparkle. I think that was a Bob Seger song. Or this girl, the one behind the girl in the front. She wants to be “a stupid lamb.” Or possibly a stupid lamp, it isn’t entirely clear. Regardless, it’s good to have ambitions. Then there’s these girls,who support the Cullen diet, while standing behind a lady who doesn’t seem to support any diets. Diversity is beautiful. Meanwhile, the girl in the front right is enjoying her one day of the month outside. Anyway, I just thought you guys should enjoy some of these photos, because a lot of good cats went hungry for this."
Well said.
In other vampire news, the poster art for Daybreakers hit the net today and it looks siiiiiiick. And how's the quote from Variety; "Take The Matrix and 28 Days Later and you've got Daybreakers". That's a bloody brilliant line about the film and the poster art looks very slick. Very awesome. Very promising and hopefully a far cry from the romantic notion of vampires, I want to see more bloodsuckers darn it. Daybreakers is an Australian film shot in Queensland earlier this year on a budget of $25 million and stars Ethan Hawke, William Dafoe, Isabel Lucas and Sam Neil. Set in the not too distant future (2019 to be exact), a plague has turned most humans in to vampires who are now faced with a dwindling blood supply. Shot by the Spierig Brothers, I really hope this is a successful attempt by them to cross over in to Hollywood mainstream. If the trailer is anything to go by...
While everyone is busy throwing their panties, sharpening their fangs and causing a ruckus about New Moon, there’s another monster movie worthy of your affection. Thankfully this one doesn’t focus on the sex appeal of an ethnic temptation werewolf and a broody vampire, but rather a zombie apocalypse.
Ahhh, zombies, though they might be an excellent source or eye-gouging, flesh-tearing horror, Shaun Of The Dead taught us the undead can also be bloody funny (pun intended). But like Paris Hilton and a recording studio, horror and comedy can be toxic mix unless executed properly. Zombieland follows a rag-tag group who are trying to survive in a world overrun by zombies. There’s the central character Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg in another amicable turn after Adventureland, Whicta (Emma Stone), Tallahasse (Woody Harrelson) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). While everyone cast is decent, Harrelson owns this movie as the Twinkie-addicted, bad ass that kills zombies with literally everything from a chainsaw to a banjo. Eisenberg’s wry, Michael Cera-esque comedic timing hits all the right spots and along with Harrelson, they make a highly watchable onscreen duo. There’s also an unforgettable cameo from Bill Murray, of which I can’t go in to too much detail without spoiling, but lets just say he’s awesome.
You’ll be laughing from the opening credits onwards and there’s plenty of gore here to satisfy horror fans and aficionados of the zombie sub genre. Director Ruben Fleischer has mad a slick and stylish film, utilising slow motion for some of the chase and attack scenes with impressive results. When Eisenberg explains the rules for surviving Zombieland (“the first rule of zombieland: cardio. When the zombie outbreak first hit, the first to go, for obvious reasons... were the fatties”) the rule appears in text on screen at some of the most unexpected moments, but rather than annoy it adds to what is a ridiculously hilarious ride. With a hasty running time, Zombieland is some of the most fun I’ve had in a cinema this year and I can’t fault it.
When MJZ Director Rupert Sanders and Grey New York needed high-end VFX to bring a World War II epic, a medieval fantasy battle, and a bit of science fiction together in a new spot for DIRECTV, they turned to the team at MPC. The spot is a showcase of MPC’s impressive skillset and resources. The LA office led a team that included artists across MPC’s global family of studios, taking the project from rough concept design to photo-real rendering to flawless compositing.
“This was one of those projects that only comes along once in a while,” noted MPC LA Managing Director Andrew Bell. “To help create three disparate and fantastic environments with such an incredible director and agency is a VFX team’s dream come true.”
Acclaimed production designer Dominic Watkins (National Treasure: Book of Secrets, The Bourne Supremacy) and his art department helped MJZ transform a quiet canyon two hours north of Los Angeles into the otherworldly scenes. Working with MJZ’s footage of a battle scene populated with 50 extras in authentic military garb, Jeeps, a burnt-out half-track, derelict troop carriers, and a Sherman tank, MPC joined forces with the physical special effects experts at Full Scale Effects to help provide in-camera explosions and balloon lights to illuminate the vast canyon. MPC enhanced these elements in VFX as well as adding the parachute flare in CG.
They also collaborated to create the computer-generated dragon and a spectacular live-action fireball of dragon’s breath. Watkins worked closely with Sanders to recreate the backdrop with several imaginative twists, including a matte painting, a gnarled tree reaching toward the moon from a built-up hill, and a valley rippling with trees, scorched earth, and the skeletons of fallen combatants. The spot’s samurai warrior was shot onsite with a high-speed Phantom camera and lit by glimmering heatwaves to match the CGI dragon.
“One of our greatest challenges in this sequence was to have the dragon’s fireball interact with, but not touch, the warrior and his stallion,” said Mike Wynd MPC LA’s VFX Supervisor. “We solved this problem by digitally rearranging the scene to provide more distance between the two opponents with some of the live-action trees moved and foreground scrub added.”
To create the UFO scene, a small second-unit MJZ team shot the car traveling down a darkened country road. MPC then added the computer-generated spaceship and digitally added light to the ground, the car, its shadows, and the surrounding scenery. The studio also added additional atmosphere and jolted the power poles and cables with an alien-induced shake.
MJZ shot the plates of the back-seat observer with a green screen outside the windows and MPC composited the outside environments in afterward. MPC sealed the effort with interactive lighting in both the live-action and digitally enhanced segments.
View the: 60 version below the credits.
Credits: Client: DIRECTV Spot: “Road Trip” Air Date: May 2013 Agency: Grey New York President/CCO: Tor Myhren Executive Creative Director: Todd Tilford Executive Creative Director: Perry Fair SVP Creative Director/AD: Denise O’Bleness Executive Producer: Andrew Chinich Associate Producer: Lindsay Myers VP Account Director: Tamar Arslanian VP Account Director: Beth Culley Production Company: MJZ Director: Rupert Sanders DOP: Greig Fraser Producer: Laurie Boccaccio Editorial Company: Work/Spotwelders Editor: Neil Smith VFX: MPC LA Managing Director: Andrew Bell VFX Supervisors: Franck Lambertz, Mike Wynd VFX Team: Ben Persons, Brendan Smith, Sharon Marcussen, Brinton Jaecks, Ryan Knowles, Mike Wynd, Ross Denner, Daniel Marsh, Fred Durand, Ian Wilson, Danny Wynne, John Cherniack
Legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin announces the creation of the AXE Apollo Space Academy. No joke.
Now, the Unilever brand is pushing the envelope just a bit more in two ways: entering the Super Bowl advertising derby, and launching a Red Bull-esque promotion in which it promises to send 22 people just to the edge of space, with the tagline: "Leave a man, come back a hero."
The Super Bowl ad doesn't seem like such a big deal in comparison, but it will be for Axe. The brand will be airing a 30-second TV ad during the Super Bowl titled "Lifeguard" which, according to a press release, "includes a twist at the end" that aligns with a larger creative campaign scheduled for launch this month.
That other creative campaign — which Gaston Vaneri, Axe brand director, promised would take the brand "to new heights" — involves what it's calling the Axe Apollo Space Academy. The brand's new online contest promises to send winners to the edge of space and back aboard a private craft: a Lynx space plane built by the U.S. company XCOR Aerospace and operated by the tourism firm Space Expedition Curacao.
At a normal ticket price of $95,000, the plane is set to begin passenger flights in 2014. Winners of the Axe contest must write about why they should be chosen to fly, while others online will vote on the entries, and must attend a three-day training course. The deadline is Super Bowl Sunday, February 3.
"Space travel for everyone is the next frontier in the human experience," Buzz Aldrin, member of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon and the world's second moonwalker, after the late Neil Armstrong, said in a statement, according to Axe. "I'm thrilled that Axe is giving the young people of today such an extraordinary opportunity to experience some of what I've encountered in space." via: Dale Buss @ BrandChannel
Pink rises into light above and sings Her song "Try" from her new CD The Truth About Love in a new commercial for Target. See the No Doubt ad One More Summer for Target here.
Credits: Spot: Target "Pink" Production Company: MTh Director: Mathew Cullen DP: Shawn Kim Executive Producer: Javier Jimenez Producer: Rob Newman Post Production Company: Mirada Head of VFX and Animation: John Fragomeni Executive Producer: Patrick Nugent VFX Supervisor: Michael Shelton Creative Directors: Kaan Atilla, Francisco Ruiz Velasco Art Director: Daryn Wakasa Editors: Jeff Consiglio Post Producer: Leighton Greer Production Manager/HR Director: Tina Van Delden Production Coordinator: Derek Johnson Flame: Mark Renton (Pink), Michael Vaglienty Designers: Vlad Almonnord, Jaguar Lee, Erika Lee, Clara Moon, Jane Ro, Amy Wang, Jing Zheng Designer/Animators: Ivan Cruz, Evan di Leo, Frank Lin, Giancarlo Rondadi Generalists: Billy Maloney, Brandon Thomas, Jerry Weil Modeler: Christian Argueta Matte Painter: Thom McKay Price Lighters: Rommel Calderon, Nic Leach, Eric Pender
Everyone loves a good biff, especially when it has absolutely nothing to do with The Footy Show. Here, I’m speaking about the one and only Brisbane International Film Festival also known as BIFF. The Gold Coast, being the cultural vacuum that it is, us film geeks eagerly await the annual BIFF where a selection of films from around the world are screened over the course of one and a bit weeks. This year I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the BIFF crew by putting together articles on various films for the website and daily newsletter. With dozens of movies crammed into the 11-day event it would be easy to miss some of the real gems. The good news is I’ve taken a look at the complete line-up of films screening at this year's festival and even watched some of them early. So, the following is my list of the films you MUST SEE or die at this year's BIFF.
For you international readers this can be a handy guide of limited release films you should keep an eye out for in the coming weeks/months.
An Education — the opening night film starring Peter Sarsgaard and set in the 60s. The Sars-man in a film with romance, drama and intrigue sounds like too rare an opportunity to miss.
BALIBO — the notorious tale of five young, Australian journalists who were executed while reporting on Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor in 75. An impressive Aussie cast including Gyton Grantley, Nathan Phillips and Anthony LaPaglia expose the Australian and Indonesian governments shameless efforts to cover-up this important story.
Coraline — has been covered extensively on this blog given its beautiful visuals and dark storyline. Directed by Henry Selick, director of the classic Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline follows the adventures of a young girl who discovers a secret door leading to an alternative reality.
500 Days of Summer — a last minute addition to the festival line-up, this quirky, nontraditional love story deserves to be seen purely because it features the talents of my favourite Joseph Gordon Levitt. It also stars everyone’s favourite indie film star Zoey Deschanel.
CHE: Parts One & Two — director Steven Soderbergh’s stunning two-part opus based on the life Che Guevara and starring Benicio Del Toro in the title role. You’ll be hard pressed to catch this screened back to back anywhere else in Queensland.
Away We Go — highly peculiar, yet, interesting film which looks at the journey of two thirtsomethings who discover they’re going to have a baby. Instead of settling down and preparing, the couple take to the road to visit old friends. This is the latest thing from the amicable Sam Mendes and marks a return to his off-beat indie roots.
The September Issue — one of the most anticipated documentaries of the year, this film delves into the life of legendary Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour in the lead-up to the massive September issue.
Jules And Jim — this French film from the 60s is a classic love-triangle with arguably the most recognisable face in French cinema — Jeanne Moreau.
Moon — one of the films I’m most looking forward to, this sci-fi thriller i
s the debut feature from David Bowie’s son Duncan Jones and stars Sam Rockwell in what is said to be the performance of his career.
The Missing Person — a private detective is hired to follow a missing person but what started as a simple job rapidly develops into a complex mystery. Full of double-crosses and classic noir moments, this is a film not to be missed by lovers of all things noir.
The Strength of Water (below) — having Maori parentage, I like to pay special attention to films from indigenous New Zealand filmmakers. The Strength of Water is definitely worth the gaze. A unique look at the complexity of grief through the eyes of a 10-year-old living in an isolated Maori community. Beautiful, naturalistic, creative and moving. A must-see.
Van Dieman’s Land — the infamous tale of Australia’s very own Hannibal Lecter gets the big screen treatment from a filmmaker heading for the stratosphere.Subdivison — Brisbanite Ash Bradman (from Nova radio fame) wrote and stars in this appealing comedy set in semirural Hervey Bay. Fans of Aussie films like Crackerjack, The Castle and Kenny are likely to enjoy this.
The Cove — along with Cathy Henkel’s The Burning Season, this has to be one of the most important documentaries of the year and looks at the culling of dolphins in the picturesque town of Tokyo, Japan. Part horror film, part espionage thriller and part environmental documentary, The Cove is all part's essential viewing.
It Might Get Loud — there’s no time for air guitar in this documentary which takes the audience on a candid trip into the world of three of rock’s most iconic electric guitarists; Jimmy Page (Led Zepplin), the Edge (U2), and Jack White (The White Stripes).
Black Dynamite — if I even have to explain to you the plot of this film, given the sheer volume of posts about it on this blog, then you deserve to be pimp-slapped into a China cabinet. Here’s your chance to see what all the fuss is about.
Dead Snow — Tarantino and Rodriguez fans, like myself, are likely to adore the work of the Norwegian lads behind this low-budget, horror slapstick about Nazi zombies. Writer/director Tommy Wirkola and writer/star Stig Frode Henriksen have been pipped for big things since their debut short Kill Buljo and their first feature doesn’t disappoint. Catch their work before it explodes as their next film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters has been picked up by The Weinstein Company (bada-boom).
Storage — a tense, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller from Brisbane filmmaker Michael Craft and starring Gold Coast actor Matt Scully in the lead role. An impressively clever debut from Craft who shot the film in storage facilities in and around Brisvegas. Creepy.
The Horsemen — containing what is said to be one of the `most amazing fight scenes captured’ is there really any other reason to see this?
Ticket prices are cheap as chips compared to a normal outing at the movies and BIFF is running a series of workshops where you can meet the director, producer, writer and/or stars of some of the films.
Jockey has supported great men like Babe Ruth, General Patton and Buzz Aldrin, who went to the moon. Imagine where Buzz would’ve gone in today’s Jockey underwear.
Creative Credits: Advertising Agency: Droga5, New York, USA
Smirnoff launches it's "Crazy Nights" new TV ad created by JWT.
The song in the commercial, "Crazy, Crazy Nights" is a cover of the original Kiss song from 1987. It is sung by Sun For Moon and was arranged by Big Foote Music. Credits: Chief creative officer: Peter Nicholson Executive creative director: Matt MacDonald Creative director/art director: Scott Bassen Art director: Paul Sidharta Creative director/copywriter: Chuck Pagano Copywriter: Juhi Kalia, Ai Lin Tan Planner: Yusuf Chuku Director of integrated production: Clair Grupp Director of content production: Sergio Lopez Producer: Andrea Curtin, Carrie Lewis Director of music production: Paul Greco Account executive: Amy Frisch, Sandra Ciconte Project manager: Terea Shaffer Director: Samir Mallal Production company: Smuggler Post-production: Lost Planet Editor: Hank Corwin, Paul Snyder Editing house: Lost Planet Music: Big Foote Music Song: “Crazy, Crazy Nights” (Paul Stanley, Adam Mitchell) Media agency: Carat
Gwen Stefani and No Doubt debut and promote their new album "Push and Shove" exclusively with Target, the song "One More Summer" was featured in the commercial. Below a quick behind the scenes of the commercial featuring the entire band. Gwen says "We love target"...do you think we'll ever catch her shopping there? See the Pink "Try" Target ad from the CD The Truth About Love here.
Credits: Ad Agency: Motion Theory Spots: Target "No Doubt" Production Company: MTh Director: Mathew Cullen DP: Shawn Kim Executive Producer: Javier Jimenez Producer: Rob Newman Post Production Company: Mirada Head of VFX and Animation: John Fragomeni Executive Producer: Patrick Nugent VFX Supervisor: Michael Shelton Creative Directors: Kaan Atilla, Francisco Ruiz Velasco Art Director: Daryn Wakasa Editors: Jeff Consiglio, Bryan Keith Post Producer: Leighton Greer Production Manager/HR Director: Tina Van Delden Production Coordinator: Derek Johnson Flame: Dave Stern, Michael Vaglienty Designers: Vlad Almonnord, Jaguar Lee, Erika Lee, Clara Moon, Jane Ro, Amy Wang, Jing Zheng Designer/Animators: Ivan Cruz, Evan di Leo, Frank Lin, Giancarlo Rondadi Generalists: Billy Maloney, Brandon Thomas, Jerry Weil Modeler: Christian Argueta Matte Painter: Thom McKay Price Lighters: Rommel Calderon, Nic Leach, Eric Pender
The Recording Academy® and TBWA\Chiat\Day have teamed for the sixth year to promote the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards® with the ad campaign "#TheWorldIsListening." The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards (www.grammy.com) will be held on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network.
"Slammed Door" featuring Rihanna above and below is "Soundcheck" with The Black Keys and voiceover by Dr. John
"#TheWorldIsListening" campaign features both established and up-and-coming artists across a variety of print, out-of-home and digital communications, as well as three TV commercials. The first commercial, "Slammed Door," tells five-time GRAMMY® winner and current nominee Rihanna's story. The second commercial, "The World is Listening," features artists including the Kills, Snoop Lion and Taylor Swift alongside emerging artists such as Grace Potter, Kishi Bashi and Dam-Funk. Two-time GRAMMY winners and current nominees the Black Keys will appear in the forthcoming commercial titled "Soundcheck."
At the heart of this year's "#TheWorldIsListening" campaign is a newly created Web site, www.grammyamplifier.com, which allows musicians to share their tracks via SoundCloud for a chance to have their music tweeted out by a panel of musical icons, including Linkin Park, RZA, and Snoop Lion. While social media has given musicians more ways to share their sounds than ever before, the online music space is increasingly fragmented. As a result, it gets more difficult for emerging artists to be discovered. "#TheWorldIsListening" campaign and the GRAMMY Amplifier aims to help solve this problem by exposing new artists through social platforms — with the ultimate goal of discovering artists with the potential to be the next generation of GRAMMY winners..
"This year's campaign highlights the raw emotion and desire of the artist's journey, and is amplified via social media in order to draw more music fans into an engaged music conversation," said Evan Greene, Chief Marketing Officer of The Recording Academy.
Patrick Condo, Creative Director, TBWA\Chiat\Day, said, "Sure, the music industry embraces fame — but music always comes first. From RZA to Rihanna, to the young girl taking her first piano lesson, it's their passion for the craft that will, ultimately, lead them to the public and then fame. This year's campaign celebrates this passion and the talent as burgeoning artists embark on that quest for fame."
All of the campaign materials prominently feature the hashtag #TheWorldIsListening, a first in GRAMMY history and a testament to the role of social media with regard to the GRAMMY telecast. In February 2012, the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards generated more than 13 million social media comments making it the biggest social media event in the history of television at the time.
"The World Is Listening" 55th GRAMMYs Full Campaign Credits: Artists: The Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr., DaM-Funk, The Gaslamp Killer, Jim James, Kaskade, The Kills, Lianne La Havas, Linkin Park, Moon Duo, Nas, Ozzy Osbourne, Papa, Grace Potter, Rihanna, RZA, Simian Mobile Disco, Snoop Lion, Taylor Swift, Anthony Valadez, Warpaint, Patrick Watson, Jonathan Wilson.
Global Creative President: Rob Schwartz Executive Creative Director: Patrick O’Neill Creative Directors: Patrick Condo & Bob Rayburn Associate Creative Director/Copywriter: Eric Haugen Associate Creative Director/Art Director: Kirk Williams Art Directors: Hillary Coe, Rebecca Ginos, Katie Dittman Executive Director of Integrated Production: Richard O’Neill Executive Producer: Sarah Patterson Producer/Music Supervisor: Michael Gross Assistant Producer: Whitney Fromholtz Director of Creative Technology: Ricardo Diaz Account Director: Michele Tebbe Management Supervisors: Mike Peditto & James Aardahl Account Supervisor: Daryl Conui Group Planning Director: Rad Tollett Digital Strategist: Kyle Luhr Business Affairs Managers: KK Davis & Lisa Lipman Typography Design: I Love Dust
DIGITAL PRODUCTION Music Supervisor: Liza Richardson Creative Technologist: David Riegler Tech Lead: Gevorg Ablabutyan Senior Developers: Marcelo Duende & Jake Edur QA Lead: Lester Broas QA Engineer: Walter Velasquez Senior Producer: Justin Taylor Producer: Kiley Story Tech Lead: Mike Bucks Technology Manager: John Byrne
PRINT & OOH PRODUCTION Photographer: James Minchin Executive Art Producer: Karen Youngs Print Producer: Matthew MacDonald Project Managers: Jane Martin, Collin Beckles Creative Retouching: Arthaus Prepress: E-Graphics
FILM PRODUCTION Director: Saam Farahmand Production Company: Furlined President: Diane McArter VP Executive Producer: Eriks Krumins Producer: Dave Robertson Original Music, Sound Design, & Mix: Barking Owl Creative Director: Kelly Bayett Mixer: Brock Babcock Sound Design, "Slammed Door" and "Soundcheck": Barking Owl & Michael Anastasi Editorial: Arcade Editor, "The World is Listening": Kim Bica Editor, "Slammed Door" and "Soundcheck": Greg Scruton Post Producer: Kirsten Thon-Webb Managing Partner: Damian Stevens Executive Producer: Nicole Visram Assistants: Dean Miyahira, John Jenkins, Pete D'Andrea, Laura Sanford Visual Effects: The Moving Picture Company Creative Director / VFX Supervisor: Paul O’Shea Smoke Artist: Mark Holden Telecine Artist: Ricky Gausis Producer: Juliet Tierney Executive Producer: Asher Edwards
Apple's newest commercial promoting the new "engineered for maximum funness" iPod Touch entitled "Bounce" features a colorful array of iPod's being dropped and bouncing about...I wouldn't try this with your own device.
The spot features the music and song, "Yeah Yeah" by artist Willy Moon.
Credits: Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab CCO: Duncan Milner ECD: Eric Grunbaum CD: Demian Oliveira, Jesse Gazzuolo AD: Parker Grant, Shawn Schrader EP: Mike Refuerzo Agency Producers: Rob Saxon, Stephanie Gocke, Zane Miller Production Co: Psyop Director: Laurent Ledru Editor: Brett Nicoletti Flame Artist: Kim Stevenson Lead Animator: Daniel Vislocky
