Famous for playing against the Orange County conservative stereotype, the Newport Beach Film Festival continues to build a distinctive personality for itself as a powerful player in the national film festival circuit.
"We are thrilled to be working with this incredible dream team of creatives and filmmakers who are all donating their valuable time," said Todd Quartararo, co-founder and director of marketing of the Newport Beach Film Festival. "The Festival will have more than 400 films and there is a lot of pressure to make sure our spots are of the same caliber as the incredible films we showcase. The end results are spots that surpass all expectations."
This year's advertising thematically illustrates how a film festival can be the catalyst for a small idea to make it to the big time. The spots, set on ultra-wide sweeping landscapes, speak to the epic power of film. The stories, inspired by the genres of drama and romance, begin with simple scenes that grow exponentially through a series of dramatic reveals that crescendo with the title "where stories make it big."
"Drama" begins with a clash of tiny weapons wielded by action figures held by two young boys and quickly escalates into a full-on airborne artillery attack. Public VFX is credited for the creation of the 3-D computer-generated imagery of military forces; indie artist Glorious Monster provides bombastic music backup.
"Romance," set to the Magnetic Fields' woeful masterpiece "Busby Berkeley Dreams," opens on two pinky fingers interlocked by a shy couple through a series of romantic exchanges that intensify to become a no-holds-barred fetish scene. The sexy cast features Rena Riffle (Showgirls), famed dominatrix Olivia Bellafontaine, and dancer/choreographer Carlton Wilborn, credited for his work with Madonna on the Blond Ambition Tour and The Girlie Show.
"When RPA first sent me the boards, I immediately knew the direction that I wanted to take, and the team I wanted to have with us. Since I'd worked on a campaign for the Festival a few years ago, and I have worked with the creatives at the agency many, many times, we were all very comfortable and confident with each other right from the first call. Bob (Richardson) did an amazing job shooting `day for night' in `Romance,' and his idea of shooting `Drama' black and white was spot on. Hank's (Corwin) an amazing talent and we were really lucky both his and Bob's schedules aligned-both were set to do other projects. I wouldn't have wanted to do it with another team and I think the end result showcases the creative shorthand we share," Joiner commented.
"It's my sixth year collaborating with the Festival, and this year's it's been an incredible journey from the little doodle that Laura (Hauseman, art director) created to what we have before us. That's what happens when plenty of brilliant people are left to do their thing," said Scott McDonald, creative director at RPA.
The 8-day festival, April 22-29, will screen the spots in-theater. "Drama" will first air on local cable on April 5. "Romance," too risqué for television, will air online and in-theater.
Since its beginnings, the Festival has launched countless acclaimed films. In 2006, the Festival catapulted onto the national landscape with the U.S. premiere of Crash. The tradition continues, and last year's Festival lineup boasted several 2010 Oscar® nominees and winners. As a result, the Newport Beach Film Festival has gained recognition from both filmmakers and audiences and currently attracts more than 50,000 patrons.
Credits:
Agency: RPA, Santa Monica, CA
CCO: David Smith
Creative Director: Scott McDonald
Art Director: Laura Hauseman
Copywriter: Tom Hamling
Agency Executive Producer: Gary Paticoff
Agency Senior Producer: Selena Pizarro
Production Co: Tool of North America, Santa Monica, CA
Director: Erich Joiner
DP: Robert Richardson
Executive Producer: Brian Latt
Digital EP: Dustin Callif
Line Producer: Joby Ochsner
Production Designer: Jeffrey Beecroft
Special Effects Supervisor: Al DiSarro
Editorial Company: Lost Planet, Santa Monica, CA
Editor: Hank Corwin
Executive Producer: Gary Ward
Online Company: Public VFX, Venice, CA
Online Artist: Chris Noellert
Telecine Company: Company 3, Santa Monica, CA
Telecine Artist: Stefan Sonnenfeld
Telecine Executive Producer: Rhubie Jovanov
Visual Effects Company: Public VFX
Visual Effects Artist: Jonah Hall, Chris Noellert
Visual Effects Creative Director: Tony Smoller
Visual Effects Executive Producer: Kim Nagel
Title Design: Laundry!
Artists: Anthony Liu, PJ Richardson
Audio Post Company: Ravenswork, Venice, CA
Audio Post Mixer: Robert Feist
Audio Post Executive Producer: Ashley Bartell
"Drama" Music Company: inthegroovemusic, Minneapolis, MN
Composer/Arranger: Glorious Monster, Daniel Burke, Brian Casey
Music Supervisor: Melissa Vickerman
"Romance" Music: The Magnetic Fields "Busby Berkeley Dreams"
Composer/Arranger: Stephin Merritt
Music Supervisor: Naheed Simjee
Via: Trust Collective
Attribution: Written content created by TRUST: http://www.trustcollective.com
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Share Alike