Production company Park Pictures and directing duo Terri Timely envision turned out this comedic short film titled Lazy Susan. The piece revolves around Susan, dubbed "Lazy Susan" by her demanding family. She can’t be bothered to move much in contrast to her backflipping fast-paced sister "Active Annie." When a trendy neighborhood self-serve soup joint threatens the family restaurant, it comes to light that many of Susan’s time-saving inventions have some modern purpose, though none more noteworthy than the spinning disc able to pass food around the table–i.e. the “lazy susan.”
The film commands furniture in-motion to hammer home the titular character’s inherent laziness, juxtaposing the motion of a lazy susan as she slouches in chairs and across couches rotating around a fixed point, much like her inspirational record player and next big invention. In contrast, lightning-speed camera cuts chase her sister as she deftly cleans house and serves dinner, assured and smug in her position as the favorite daughter. Ultimately, with the restaurant saved by the new novelty, Susan’s skill sets are given the recognition they deserve with humorous nods to trends of decades past.
The film bears many of Terri Timely’s stylistic hallmarks and tendency to showcase atypical narratives, resembling such award-winning works as their Geico “Unskippable” campaign, which garnered numerous industry awards including a Grand Prix win at the 2015 Cannes Lions. Additional film work includes the Avant/Garde Diaries documentary Father Philanthropy (2013), about the master art forger Mark Landis, and the short film Input/Output (2015), which was voted one of Vimeo’s “Best of the Year.”
CreditsProduction Park Pictures Terri Timely, director/writer; Jackie Kelman Bisbee, Lance Acord, Sam Bisbee, Theodora Dunlap, executive producers; David “Lambo” Lambert, producer; Donavan Sell, DP; Alyssa Carper, Andrew Chennisi, Ryan Miller, production supervisors; Ginger Tougas, production designer; Liza Coggins, Isaac Prado, hair/makeup. VFX Artjail Steve Mottershead, sr. VFX supervisor; John Skeffington, head of production. exec producer; Emily Branham, producer; Chris Memoli, lead Flame artist; Emily Bloom, Chris Sonia, Flame artists; Hahn Byol Chang, Jeremy Lloyd-Styles, Flame assist; Dayung Jo, Alex Harding, Nuke artists; Sandor Toledo, Ben Elliott, CG artists; Tim Haldeen, title design; Michael Foran, titles animation; Pat Romano, Adam Kedis, VFX rigging. Leslie McCartney, executive color producer; Clinton Homuth, color. Editorial Union Editorial Christjan Jordan, editor; Dani Duhadway, post producer. Music Rob Kieswetter with help from Buzzy Cohen Sound Design Rich Bologna, sound designer. Audio Ken Mantlo, sound mixer. Casting Jodi Sonnenberg. Wardrobe Kelle Kutsuguris, David Kaufmann. Cast Monica Hong, Julia Morizawa, Cathy Chang, Roger Lowe, Karen Yum, Ian Suh, Bill Lee Brown.
Top Spot of the Week: Nike, W+K Portland, Megaforce Take Us On A “Sunshine” Run
“Winning isn’t Comfortable” is the second chapter of Nike’s “Winning isn’t for Everyone,” extended through the lens of running. It is based on true insights and the realities that runner experience when they lace up their shoes.
It adds the perspective of how hard it can be to just get out the door and go for a run. The idea that if you don’t hate running a little, you don’t love running enough. It celebrates the need and opportunity to push outside a person’s comfort zone to discover what they can accomplish, emphasizing that true victory often requires pushing through uncomfortable moments.
Each film of the series builds on the tension that every runner faces--pushing through the morning dread, the elements outside, the pain of hitting a wall, or even walking down the stairs after a run or race--juxtaposed with the feeling of elation only runners know as they push themselves beyond what they thought possible.
The irreverence of the films--directed by Megaforce via production company Iconoclast for Wieden+Kennedy Portland--is in pairing visuals showing the mundanity of everyday struggles with music that brings to life a contradictory tension. This film, the first to be released, is titled “Sunshine” and shows the inclement weather and obstacles that runners encounter to the tune of “You Are My Sunshine.”
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