Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Steve Martin Cell Phone PSA

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Posted by Matt Fields (Member # 3211) on 12-18-2005, 10:10 AM:

IMDB movie news

Anybody know how to get a copy of this?

From IMDB:

Funnyman Steve Martin has filmed a new public service announcement in a bid to urge filmgoers to turn off their mobile phones at the movies. The actor recreates his recent role as bumbling detective Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther for the new big screen advertisement, which will be shown at cinemas across America this Christmas. In the public service announcement, Martin's Clouseau complains when a cell phone starts ringing while he's watching a movie, and then realizes it's his. He then switches his phone to vibrate and receives a shock every time it goes off. The short ends with the line, "Don't be a Clouseau, get a clue. Please turn your cell phones off and refrain from talking during the movie."

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 12-18-2005, 11:09 AM:

Contact Sony.

Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 12-18-2005, 12:31 PM:

Can be ordered from Sony Pictures Releasing web site.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 12-18-2005, 01:29 PM:

I've seen it. It seems pretty lame to me. Steve Martin's impression of Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau is awful.

Posted by Matt Fields (Member # 3211) on 12-18-2005, 03:09 PM:

Thanks.

Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 12-18-2005, 03:14 PM:

A few weeks ago I saw a "Theater Rules" policy snipe from the fifties for the first time, the one with the stern-faced guy telling kids to shut up. Get some modern actor to do that & I'll place it [Smile]

Posted by Robert Harrison (Member # 3202) on 12-18-2005, 04:27 PM:

I saw that one the other day. I'm sure it is more entertaining than the movie will be. Kevin Kline is in the film. They should have let him be Clouseau.

The film was supposed to be released back in August. Someone probably thought they would have a better chance of it being seen by a few more people after "Cheaper By the Dozen 2." I don't think "Shopgirl" did much for it, though.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-18-2005, 05:14 PM:

FYI: The Sony website to order this from is www.sonypicturesreleasing.com. If you're not signed up on it, you need your Deluxe account number to sign up. This site and Fox's are the most reliable for smaller exhibs to get one-sheets and trailers.

Posted by Andy Muirhead (Member # 712) on 12-18-2005, 07:45 PM:

I wouldn't bother getting it anyway.

Orange (UK mobile comms co) has been sponsoring ads in the UK for some time now, at least 18 months, probably longer. Anyway they have the 'Golden Spot' which is the last ad to hit the screen before the feature. At the end there 'is a please turn your mobile phone off etc' type text. It really doesn't work. In practice I've noticed it has more effect as a reminder for customers to check their phones for txts.

Besides, isn't Steve Martin a bit shit?

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-19-2005, 12:35 AM:

I don't know what "a bit shit" means but if it means he's past his prime, I don't think so....the original "Cheaper By The Dozen" a couple of years ago was his highest grossing film ever. He got critical raves this year for "Shopgirl," and "Cheaper 2" looks like a sequel-sized hit this year. I have more hope for "Panther" success after seeing the trailer -- he pulls the Clouseau bit off better than I thought he would. Remember, most audiences today have never seen the original Panther films.

Posted by Matt Fields (Member # 3211) on 12-19-2005, 07:24 AM:

To follow up Mike, "Bringing down the House" also did well...and most people enjoyed his performance as Oscar host.

Posted by Ross Oba (Member # 3433) on 12-19-2005, 01:51 PM:

Our theater got an entire box a couple months ago. Never knew what it was until reading that article a few days ago. Planning on putting them on this week's new movies.

Posted by Jarryd Beard (Member # 2543) on 12-20-2005, 01:54 AM:

Carmike required them to run a couple weeks back... at least on every film but Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-20-2005, 01:11 PM:

I wish more celebrities would volunteer to make spots like this. We need as many voices yelling "Turn off the damn cell phones!" as possible.

Posted by Andrew Duggan (Member # 1302) on 12-22-2005, 07:26 AM:

I'll probably be ordering this either way. I haven't been a huge fan of recent Steve Martin work, but I pretty much worship the man for "The Jerk".

(I'm really thinking about getting a Navin R. Johnson tattoo....once I get my Clark Griswold tattoo finished, that is!)

Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 12-22-2005, 12:28 PM:

Let all who oppose Steve Martin come through me first.

Comedic genius.

Anybody who doubts me -- go pick up a copy of his first book from the 80's -- "Cruel Shoes" -- abso-lutely-brilliant.

Posted by Jon Morgan (Member # 3059) on 12-22-2005, 12:45 PM:

Yeah. That was a long time ago.

But I think the best cell phone trailer of all time is the Cingular Wu Xia style one from maybe a year ago. It has these two old Chinese guys showing off all sorts of crazy martial arts in almost complete silence, then RING RING RING. It was pretty cool.

Posted by Robert Harrison (Member # 3202) on 12-22-2005, 07:11 PM:

I have devised a nuclear pulse device that disables cell phones where I work.

It may cause brain damage but xjfke gjidsinn snnfkjk.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 12-23-2005, 01:50 PM:

NARAS supposedly is petitioning the FCC to make cell jamming devices which are perfectly legal in Europe, legal over here. I on the other hand want to install a device that causes the cell phones to simply blow up when they ring. [thumbsup]

There are passive devices that can render cell phones inoperable -- a kind of foil that can be used in the walls in construction. I've heard there is something that can be mixed with paint to make it blind to cell frequencies. The jamming/active cell blockers are definately illegal over here; the FCC hasn't taken a position on the passive stuff (seems the regulation stipulates that you can't do anything to purposely prevent transmission or reception of radio waves); passive blockers would theoretically would violate the reg.

I think if NARAS were smart, they would get a campaign going with prestigious places like Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center and churches and the like to ALL petition the FCC to drop their inflexible approach. Cell phone reception doesn't work half the time anyway, so why do people think they must be guaranteed reception every place on the planet, including places that obviously shouldn't have cell phones chirping away? Blessedly our theatre's construction, for whatever reason, blocks most carriers. Just put up a sign saying that reception is poor or nonexistant just so doctors or firemen don't rely on their cells; my guess is that smart ones wouldn't rely on unreliable cell phones for serious emergency stuff anyway....what did they do before cellphones? They still went to movies and to church, didn't they?

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 12-23-2005, 02:14 PM:

quote: Robert Harrison
I have devised a nuclear pulse device that disables cell phones where I work.

It may cause brain damage but xjfke gjidsinn snnfkjk.

Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 12-23-2005, 06:56 PM:

There's been a series of trailers that emulate genre films (like the martial arts one already mentioned) in which a cell phone ring interrupts the action and usually causes some calamity to happen to the characters. What's cool about it is that they generally have the cell phone ring coming out of only one channel and half the time it sounds like it really is someone's phone.

On a number of occasions, the audience has actually applauded these trailers, although there's still always some asshole who doesn't shut their phone off and when it does ring, they always take their time in answering it.

If someone screams out, "shut the f__king phone off," it frequently leads to some kind of fight or a threat of a fight.

It's the one thing about most basement theaters that I like - the cell phones tend not to work there. It's amazing to me how many people simply don't give a crap about other people. Personally, I think every theater should post a sign stating that if a patron's cell phone rings, they will be ejected from the theater without a refund. Especially since virtually all phones have vibrators, there is absolutely no excuse for a phone to ring. It's bad enough when the cell phone screens glow in the dark when people check them.

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 12-24-2005, 03:50 AM:

Starting this weekend it wll go out to all Regals digitally as part of the 2wenty.

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 12-24-2005, 04:33 PM:

quote: Mike Olpin
it wll go out to all Regals digitally as part of the 2wenty.

Now THAT almost makes me want to get a cellphone and bring it into a theater [evil]

Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 12-24-2005, 04:46 PM:

Frank, contact the local Israeli Embassy, I'm sure their Mossad agents can teach you a thing or two about exploding cell phones! Lol.

Posted by Dominic Espinosa (Member # 2122) on 12-27-2005, 04:39 PM:

Well, I ordered my prints of the PP PSA [Smile]

The only problem with cell phone vibrators is that some of them (one of my employees has this kind of phone) sounds like a duck with a cold.

And of course, vibrate, silent, or not the douchebag who has it is going to answer it in the theater 9 times out of 10.

What really pisses me off is they don't knock it off when they see you...They don't knock it off when you start walking towards them...No. They make me walk my happy ass all the way up there to tell them to get off of it.
[Mad]

Seriously though, who makes PSA trailers for shutting up and being good during the movie? I'd love to be playing them...

Posted by Robert Burtcher (Member # 3227) on 01-14-2006, 03:32 AM:

As would I, especially because we don't have company-provided policy snipes anymore. They may not work on everyone, but they do make an improvement in this market.

Posted by Anslem Rayburn (Member # 1267) on 01-14-2006, 06:15 AM:

We don't have any policy snipes about cell phones. We have the Pink Panther ones, but we won't play them until :

a) We know we are playing the film

b) It's on dvd and won't be playing anywhere in our market.

The "be respectful of other moviegoers and turn off your cell phone" blurb during Movietunes does work, as I have witnessed many patrons check their phones immediately when that plays over non-sync...

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-14-2006, 12:16 PM:

We have a "Please turn off cell phones" sign by the boxoffice and it does get a lot of people to turn theirs off.

quote: Dominic Espinosa
What really pisses me off is they don't knock it off when they see you...They don't knock it off when you start walking towards them...No. They make me walk my happy ass all the way up there to tell them to get off of it.

That's because they don't really see you. They're in their own little private world when they're on their precious phone.