Abortive Promo Schemes
«21»
Surely the grandaddy of them all! Mix and matching three of my
favourite films, The Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven, and Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs, in various combinations seemed like a wonderful,
attention-getting way to celebrate 21 years in the design and illustration
game. My true favourite was the Kurosawa piece (though I admire pretty much
everything I have ever seen by this director). Included are a few of the more
dynamic studies (some of which were sent as multiple job feelers to Nelvana,
the animation studio, who never acknowledged their receipt). All that ever
surfaced in final form was my contribution to a Valentine’s group promotion of
Three in a Box … a samurai holding a dwarf aloft while a cowboy watches from
behind a rock (the dwarf was trying to bribe the samurai with a heart-shaped
box of Valentine’s chocolates) … the samurai’s kimono also featured a heart
motif. I was never aware of any reactions to this piece and it certainly didn’t
net me much in the way of new work. Which is what such promotional schemes are
all about. Aren’t they? This is a later version of the Valentine's 21 artwork....
The Fun Hustler’s Olympic
Septathlon
A «21» spin off. A myriad of events involving the number seven.
For starters there were the Seven Dwarf Toss, Seven Samurai Gauntlet Run
(Ouch!), and Magnificent Seven Shootin’ Range. Then came the Seven Seas
Regatta, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Scavenger Hunt, the Seventh
Seal Cross-Country Run (led by Death, of course), the Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers Wife Swapping Spree, etc. Plus some demonstration events such as the
Seven Grain Bread Bakeathon, the Group of Seven Sketch Event, the Seven Deadly
Sin Along, and a «Seven» Film Festival (things like Seven Beauties, The Seven
Year Itch, etc.) Nothing final has ever come of this but that doesn’t mean it
won’t in time.
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