Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
Waking Nightmare Life Dept.: Last week we mentioned the current television ad spot for
Earthlink.com which apparently uses Austinite
Bob Sabiston's stunningly original proprietary animation software -- the same software currently being employed to create the
Rick Linklater/ Sabiston co-production
Waking Life. The spot, which features a clutch of "animated" actors talking up the site, is virtually identical in style to Sabiston's previous shorts
"Roadhead" and
"Snack and Drink" (co-produced with his
Flat Black Films partner
Tommy Pallotta), but a disgruntled Sabiston has since informed us that he had zero to do with the commercial in question. Turns out that Sabiston was approached by animation/advertising juggernaut
Klasky Csupo Inc. (creators of
Rugrats) to produce the spot earlier this year, and, although he agreed at the time, scheduling conflicts involving his work on
Waking Life forced him to back out. "We had pretty much set up the whole idea of what [the commercial] would be like," says Sabiston," and then when I couldn't do it they just went ahead and did it without me. They didn't use my software, but they had a guy working on mimicking my style -- as far as I know they just used Adobe Painter and After Effects." Sabiston had no idea that the agency's spot would end up looking exactly like his own extremely unique work, and says he didn't worry about it until he saw the final product on television. "It's so blatant," he says, adding that he's since attempted to have the ad pulled from the air (the spot was still airing at press time) and has hired legal representation to handle the matter. "The guy who worked on it feels pretty bad," says Sabiston, "but at the same time he hasn't told anyone that I wasn't involved. As far as anybody knows, I was a paid consultant. They did send me a check, actually, but it was unsolicited and I haven't cashed it. Right now, I'm just trying to figure out how to stop them." The situation couldn't have come at a worse time for Sabiston, who's currently spending every waking moment trying to finish up
Waking Life. More on this as the situation unravels... Monday night's benefit premiere of the locally shot
Sandra Bullock film
Miss Congeniality went off without a hitch at the Paramount Theatre, netting full coffers for both the
Austin Film Society's Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund and the
Lance Armstrong Foundation. Attending were Bullock, Armstrong, co-star
Benjamin Bratt, director
Donald Petrie, writer
Marc Lawrence, and a wily
William Shatner, who declined both to sing or participate in the post-film Q&A, but who -- I'm not kidding -- really does look like
Halloween's
Michael Myers in person. Also in semi-attendance was Bratt paramour
Julia Roberts, who leapt to her feet during Bullock's pre-screening intro, causing even more confusion for those APD officers who tend to get the two superstars confused during routine traffic stops. (You can't make this stuff up, folks.)... Want a cool job? The
Austin Cinemaker Co-op is seeking a technical director to oversee its wealth of film and audio equipment and provide "technical assistance at events and meetings." The position, which pays $200/month and requires 10-15 hours/week (more during events), also requires applicants to be able to recruit new volunteers for equipment rentals, develop and execute budgets for the Cinemaker's tech department, and coordinate and teach film workshops, among other duties. If you have a strong background in avant-garde filmmaking and a general knowledge of small-gauge productions, this could be right up your alley. Résumés (with letter of intent) should be mailed to
Jen Proctor, c/o Cinemaker Co-op, 1705 Guadalupe, Suite 201, Austin, TX 78701. Call 236-8877 for more information.
