More than 160,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the United States. According to Johns Hopkins University, there are at least 4,895,868 cases of coronavirus in the states and at least 160,255 people have died from the virus. So far on Friday, there are recorded 12,286 new cases and 151 reported deaths. One of the ways to help prevent the spread is by wearing a mask. Now, former advertising copywriter turned director, Alex Grossman has written and directed a PSA titled, “Be a Hero – Wear a Mask.”
Oh, and it stars Batman. Not Robert Pattinson. Not Batfleck. Not Christian Bale. Not Michael Keaton.
And definitely not Clooney.
Similar to the Jason Voorhees PSA from Ogilvy Health, this fan film PSA features The Dark Knight wandering the city being avoided by everyone from bleeding victims to store owners. Not because he’s Batman, but because he’s not wearing a mask. His cowl only covers his eyes and head, not his mouth and nose.
Even Deadpool jumps in and tells Bruce, “Wear a mask, Batdick.”
With the Coronavirus Pandemic wreaking havoc on the US the messaging is pretty clear, wearing a mask makes you a superhero, but you need to cover your mouth and nose. Watch the :60 second effort which features the talents of Joker’s cinematographer Lawrence Sher, below:
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“It was important to me that this piece wasn’t just a great piece of art, but that it change minds,” Grossman told Reel 360. “The production was so fun and so collaborative. It was a reminder that having a willing and enthusiastic crew is more important than having a big one.”
According to Grossman, the parody was filmed in one night on July 15, 2020 in downtown Los Angeles with a crew of 3 people in 5 hours. The entire cast was made up of Grossman’s friends and the locations were found on the day.
Sher was given a Red Komodo camera to test out and when he was approached about shooting the project, it was a perfect opportunity for him to use the camera and test it out.
Grossman’s career began as a copywriter in San Francisco. He moved to L.A. where he studied with the Groundlings and Upright Citizens Brigade as he continued his writing and directing career.
His first feature film, Hickey, won best directing honors at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival and went on to competition at SXSW. Adweek named his work for Alliance Francaise as one of the top fifteen campaigns in the world. The campaign swept every major awards festival, making Alex the most awarded comedy director in the world for 2017/18.
In addition to directing, Alex performs stand-up around the country, including gigs at The World Famous Comedy Store, Flappers, and Stand-Up NY.
CREDITS:
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Redacted
Writer/Director: Alex Grossman
Producer: Dave Bernstein
DP: Lawerence Sher
Camera: Red Komodo
Lenses: Tim Arasheben
Editor, Mischa Meyer – Spotwelders
Color: Company 3 – Jill Bogdanowicz Producer: Matt Moran
Music: Jesse Denatale
Mix: Nightshift Audio – Jonathan Grossman
Flame Artist: Susanne Scharping
Motion Graphics: Terminal6
Special Thanks to: Elevator Casting, Greg Reeves, Charley Lanyon, Scholar
Cast:
Superhero: Brian Letscher
Guy in Alley: Benjamin Cain
Couple on Escalator Carlisle Forrester & Chase Rossner
Red Mask in hoodie: Dave Bernstein
Red Mask in hoodie Voice: John Viener
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1
