BT Ad Followup

Matthew Delieu was the Gremlins consultant on the BT ad and came to the project as a huge fan and supporter. This is a note he sent me a couple days ago:


"I really respected what the movies did for cinema and I thought both Chris Walas and Rick Baker created some of the best movie creatures ever. Dante's direction was perfect.....

When I worked on the ad I had to provide as much advice and material to help them create the Gremlins on a really tight schedule. Next to the worlds most famous prop owner, Bob Burns, I own a pretty large collection of original Gremlins props.

They borrowed my Gremlin puppet from the first movie and all my paperwork and puppet designs and blueprints and throughout the design stage asked me to comment on the look. They pulled off a miracle. This was effectively a mini sequel.

The special effects team worked day and night to produce around 20 puppets to interact with Peter Jones during the ad. Peter was a natural at acting and everybody got on really well with him, a true professional. His image has done wonders for BT, so lucky them.

Vince Abbott worked hard to produce some of the puppet mechanics such as the ear mechanisms. Vince and I got to operate Gremlins on the set and became good friends. Vince was no stranger to puppets, having worked on the Muppets Treasure Island and helping to bring the Gremlins to life on camera. We puppeteered together like two kids who had found their Dad's gun. It was just like being on the set of the original movie. Seeing a Gremlin operated by a professional, face to face, is something very rare. These things came to life.....Imagine being an Elvis fan and then getting to sing with him. Well, thats close to how I felt.

A lot of people saw the ad as the official return of the Gremlins, looks like somebody definitely fed Gizmo after midnight this time..........

So what can I tell you......Gremlins are back.......and hopefully, they are here to stay.

Im proud to have been involved in the return of the Gremlins....and have one thing to say to anyone wondering what will be next.......WATCH THIS SPACE."

Matthew is a good guy, and as you can gather, excitable and enthusiastic. I'm not sure I'll break any major stories, but if I hear something, I'll be sure to post it.

British Telecom Spot

People have been asking me lately if I've seen the BT spot that features gremlins. I have, and you can see it here.

People have also been asking if the tremendous response to the spot in the UK has in any way given momentum to future Gremlins projects, including a possible Gremlins 3.

The answer to that question is: in a way, yes. That's all I can say right now.

Additionally, a young man named Sacha Feiner has created one of the most astounding Gremlins clips ever. It really defies description, so if you're a fan, you can watch it here. But be sure to watch the jaw-dropping, hard-to-believe-but-true "Making Of" clip here. I guarantee you, you won't forget it.

And yes, I can tell you that the people responsible for Gremlins have seen it too, and are pretty darn impressed.

That is all.