APPRENTICE 3: WEEK SIX
By: B -- 2/24/05
The task for week six: To create a graffiti billboard for Sony Playstation’s newest game, Gran Turismo 4. Each team, with the help of a local graffiti artist, has to create a 20-foot advertisement on a building wall in Harlem that accurately reaches the 18-34 male demographic. The Sony executives will consult with a focus group to help decide the winning design.
Net Worth: Tara, who has performed well thus far in the competition, is chosen as the team leader. Though she has no knowledge of the game itself, she does purport to have a solid amount of “street credibility.” She has an exact vision for the billboard and implements it with minimal input from her team members. Besides a slight skirmish between Craig (who is far less cool without his afro) and Chip-on-the-Shoulder Audrey, Net Worth’s mission is accomplished with little fanfare and little drama. The billboard is quite cool, but looks as if it’s designed by someone who’s never played the game. Which is true.
Magna: Outspoken Alex decides to be the team leader, though presumably not for his street cred (read: he’s a geek). After spending the beginning stages of the task searching for the “philosophy” of the gamers and what they like, he gives up and decides to ask some peeps in the ‘hood for their thoughts (read: he's a geek but at least he knows it). They eagerly illustrate some ideas (leading to Alex exclaiming, “That would be tight!”) and the project takes shape. The resulting billboard looks as colorful and artistic as Net Worth’s, but its message is much clearer (the game’s rating, locations, mood, etc). Magna wins for the second time in six tries, leading to Tara, Audrey and Craig in the final boardroom session.
The highlight of week six, by a landslide, is Audrey in the boardroom claiming that Craig is “very demeaningful” towards her. That’s right, demeaningful. Folks, there is no higher comedy in all the land than a person asking to be treated with respect AND using the word “demeaningful” in the very same sentence. These are the things that bring me back week after week.
Despite Craig’s alleged demeaningfulness, Tara gets canned due to her poor conceptualization and misguided project scope.
Clips from next week: Each team evidently has to dress like clowns, leading to the absurdly intense Chris angrily demanding to a youngster, “Give me a high five!” NOW, bitch!
TAKE ME TO THE TOP
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