Johnny Walker Bruce Lee ad finally released! Epics/Master Primes

[Will Keir]

An alcohol company encouraging following instincts as their product numbs those very same instincts.... reality check fuckers

 

[Adrian Jebef]

An alcohol company encouraging following instincts as their product numbs those very same instincts.... reality check fuckers

Advertising, it's what pays them bills... fuckerz.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

I am a big Bruce Lee fan too and I personally don't find any conflict in the message delivered in the spot.

To each, their own... I guess. So, I would assume that if Burger King brought Adam Yauch back from the grave to rap about the Double Whopper with cheese, you wouldn't have a problem with it?

Lee was outspoken against alcohol, junk food, drugs, etc.. And now his family approves the use of his virtual recreation to advertise something he was opposed to. You're right, there is no conflict. Or as Lee would teach as part of Jeet Kune Do, the only true conflict is to overcome the demons within oneself.

 

[Christopher Probst]

Guys, this is a cinematography forum. Let's not digress into bickering on philosophical debates... I posted this because I wanted to share what I feel is an achievement in aesthetics and mood, production design AND that we attempted to pull off something incredibly difficult.

We all worked really hard on the product and yet no one here is even remotely interested in film-making technique? So why bother sharing any info? It's funny how no one cares about all of the violence and murder depicted in our media... that is totally fine. When I was in a room with Conrad Hall, I certainly didn't complain to him about the depiction of gun violence in Road To Perdition.

 

[Marcos Montenegro]

Huge Bruce Lee fan here. This add is a little confusing as he was never a whiskey drinker to begin with; always a promoter of good overall health as well as his martial arts philosophies.

To me, good CGI work is one you can't see, but on this piece I can see the CGI all over his face/eyes.

The cinematography is great, though!

 

[Andy Roberts]

Alcohol abuse, sex and nudity, guns and violence, profanity... this thread is touching on all the worst that media promotes. Maybe there really are some moral absolutes and maybe it is worthwhile to actually consider the consequences of participating in the production of projects that promote such subjects. I think so.

 

[Andrew Benz]

When some n00bs are calling out a member of the ASC who also happens to Champion our collective cause and writes positively about his experiences with RED cameras in AC, I have to question "your" common sense. Driving Christopher Probst away is NOT smart... And it makes me wonder, has REDuser jumped the shark?

And in case some are lost, Adrian Jebef is correct... "Advertising, it's what pays them bills... "

Edit #2-- Christopher Probst is not a member of the ASC, I stand corrected but He definitely has what it takes on several levels and I will I the day that he becomes a member of The ASC. Thank you Chris for sharing and for ALL the great articles.

 

[Mark L. Pederson]

I am a big Bruce Lee fan too and I personally don't find any conflict in the message delivered in the spot. They only used lines he actually said or that were philosophically very close to something Bruce said. That Johnny Walker is saying, "we agree with what this guy said, be bold, be yourself..." I don't have a problem with that. Many advertisements use archival footage of famous people who achieved greatness and try to make a correlation to their product in terms of innovation, stability or revolutionary thoughts. The ONLY difference here is that we created a semblance of the character stating these ideas.

Amen. I love the spot and think it looks awesome. I miss Bruce too.

 

[Andy Roberts]

Hey Andy, so you screen ALL of your renters to make sure the content that they shoot meets your high moral standards? I bet you do...

I have lost a lot of money because of rentals I would not do. But I fully understand your question and wrestle with it often. I'm not claiming perfect execution but I do think the discussion is fair. How is my work affecting people and culture? Is it making it better or worse? I want my children to grow up in a world where they can thrive in body and soul and spirit. And the dissolving of moral boundaries is making that less possible. There is a diminishing of the quality of life for everyone when alcohol abuse, sex and nudity, guns and violence, profanity, etc are promoted without restriction or restraint.

BTW, I'm simply pointing out that users on various levels have moral objections about this Bruce Lee piece. The concept of WRONG is so politically incorrect these days, but we all know in our hearts that there must be behavioral boundaries. Most just prefer to set those boundaries based on their own comfort level and experiences. That just doesn't work out all that well when Person A's boundaries conflicts with Person B's boundaries.

 

[Hrvoje Simic]

Guys, this is a cinematography forum. Let's not digress into bickering on philosophical debates...

One would think philosophy and arts & crafts are intertwined, and the latter worthless if separated from the former.

Not sure which bickering you are referring to, I see people doing their best of pointing the distinction between the work and its premise and not hurting your feelings by showing appreciation to your work.
There is a possibility you are taking this too personally.

I posted this because I wanted to share what I feel is an achievement in aesthetics and mood, production design AND that we attempted to pull off something incredibly difficult.

Which is likely appreciated.

We all worked really hard on the product and yet no one here is even remotely interested in film-making technique?

Likely yes, but the essence under that technique seems to overshadow the technique.

So why bother sharing any info?

To get an honest response from fellow colleagues.

It's funny how no one cares about all of the violence and murder depicted in our media... that is totally fine.

There is a possibility that this conclusion is based on the info coming from the same media.

 

[Andy Roberts]

When some n00bs are calling out a member of the ASC who also happens to Champion our collective cause and writes positively about his experiences with RED cameras in AC, I have to question "your" common sense. Driving Christopher Probst away is NOT smart... And it makes me wonder, has REDuser jumped the shark?

And in case some are lost, Adrian Jebef is correct... "Advertising, it's what pays them bills... "

I am a noob, but I also have a conscience. BTW, I thought Christopher's piece was well done and I said so. It was others who were driving him away. I was commenting on the irony of that. I have no particular qualms about his piece. I just found it ironic that some spoke so strongly against alcohol, when some of their "art" was the alcohol of MY OWN PAST. I've never been drunk on alcohol in my life but I've been drunk on the images of women and like any former alcoholic will tell you, you must avoid the addictive substance at all costs.

BTW, I have edited my original post. You're right, it wasn't fair and I sincerely apologize.

 

[Christopher Probst]

Everything in moderation my friends! We need to remember that the heart of the message is what matters here and from that stand point, I think it's a beautiful sentiment to reintroduce. I say kudos to Johnny Walker for putting out that message and not just some sexualized ad. The debate of the merits of alcohol aside, can a product in that category at least aspire to promote goodness?

By the way, I'm not a member of the ASC, I just have a long standing relationship with AC magazine as a writer and editor.

And Mark, yea Bruce is missed by MILLIONS, every day. Crazy how one individual's life can resonate for ages...

 

[David Kuhn]

It's an advert that I would have watched and enjoyed because of the subject and the quality of the work. I don't think it was in bad taste - it didn't show Bruce swilling Scotch or doing/saying anything he would have objected to - it was Bruce in his own words. The advert was saying (to me) "JW thinks that what Bruce is saying is something we believe in... it matches our values".

 

[David Battistella]

Someone needs to put this thread in reverse.

A very talented reduser posted a link to his work. That's it.

But it's turning into a flame war for nothing.

Maybe take another look from a fresher more relaxed perspective and come back and comment on the work, but I think it's pretty unfair to see some of the comments thrown at the OP for his willingness to work in high end advertising.

David

 

[Adam Eden]

Christopher you have done an amazing job and i really like your lighting and lens choices. The blue look is great.

I agree with Christopher, he has posted his work for people to comment on his work, not the subject matter.

 

[Mark L. Pederson]

Someone needs to put this thread in reverse.

A very talented reduser posted a link to his work. That's it.

But it's turning into a flame war for nothing.

If you don't like alcohol or soft core porn it really has nothing to do with the work. Maybe take another look from a fresher more relaxed perspective and come back and comment on the work, but I think it's pretty unfair to see some of the comments thrown at the OP for his willingness to work in high end advertising.

David

Yup.

Christopher is a seriously talented cinematographer who's been shooting seriously kick ass stuff on RED for years and wanted to share his work. It's pretty disrespectful, IMO, to hijack a thread from someone who can actually contribute something a few million notches above "why hasn't Dragon shipped yet" - and start passing judgements on each other. Lame.

Wanna debate how the entire fashion industry is "soft core porn" - and debate how alcohol is destroying our world - head over to Facebook and rant away.

If you want better content on REDUSER - try to keep the focus on track of relevance.

 

[Hrvoje Simic]

Someone needs to put this thread in reverse.

A very talented reduser posted a link to his work. That's it.

But it's turning into a flame war for nothing.

Maybe take another look from a fresher more relaxed perspective and come back and comment on the work, but I think it's pretty unfair to see some of the comments thrown at the OP for his willingness to work in high end advertising.

David

Nothing was thrown at anyone here and there is no flame war whatsoever.
Some things connote negativity just because of the emotional tension they unavoidably include.
Which is normal. And seems pretty well handled.

If you perceive a flame war in this thread, with thoughtful comments, courtesy and appreciation displayed, please disconnect the assumption/projection module and allow a fresh and relaxed perspective you are suggesting.

 

[David Battistella]

Maybe I wasn't pointing at you hrvoje.

In any case. I'm stepping out of here. I am not a mod, I could just see this thread building like a train wreck. I just post here at reduser once in a while now. Less and less because of more and more threads like this.

i know you like to be provocative. Write whatever you like, I'm not biting on your jungian bafflegab.


Cheers and peace my friend,

david

 

[Phil Holland]

Interesting spot for sure. Tricky pulling off a full CG character off of a real subject. That CU with the rack at 00:00:59 is rad and the hand bit at 00:01:17 lands the punch.

 

[Hrvoje Simic]

Maybe I wasn't pointing at you hrvoje.

I know you weren't because there was nothing to point to, but I thank you for making that clear anyway.
The comment was related to the thread in general and allowing a mature discussion and not assuming the worst just because of the sensitive topic and difference in opinions. Certain things can taste bitter but be healthy.

Less and less because of more and more threads like this.

If there were more threads like these no one would embark on shooting a love story between a man and a cadaver and name it based on a serious mental illness, to be downloaded into subconscious of the society as an option.

The context being "open discussion about sensitive topics", to avoid any negative assumptions. It is accidentaly this thread. Also, sensitive topics wouldn't require closing because people would learn to adapt and discuss reasonably and respectfully as this community is capable for it.

i know you like to be provocative.

No, you don't. You assume.
I'll disregard the comment which follows and hope the good spirit prevails.