)midnight, belli-cola headquarters Eddie walks out of the building )Eddie Nakamura, the hotshot new head of marketing, has a lot on his mind silhouette of Eddie, framed by a funky, Keith Haring -esque advertisement, emblazoned with the slogan, "BELLI-PEACE/BELLI-LOVE/BELLI-COLA" ) Rising up in the company from a mere junior copywriter, he was responsible for some of the company's most iconic slogans, such as, "BELLI-PEACE, BELLI-LOVE, BELLI-COLA" and "The Taste Of Tomorrow!" ) his innovative ad campaigns grew belli-cola's national market share from a mere 13% up to 57%, skyrocketing it from the n5 to the n1 cola in the country. shot of Eddie from behind ) but he didn't do it alone... ) his enigmatic collaborator, the graphic designer FINE!, had just as much a hand in his campaigns' success as he did. ) the eccentric, off-beat sensibilities of his designs grabbed the nation's attention like no other advertising could, ) each new campaign working its way into the collective consciousness of America. ) And Mr. Nakamura has a meeting with him first thing next morning. EN: (I just hope it makes sense this time...) --- shot of the sky, with birds flying by Eddie sips coffee out of a disposable cup E: Ahh... zoom out to Eddie and FINE! sitting outside of a gas station E: this coffee is terrible. --- F: Bad coffee is an important part of life. Eddie gives FINE! a confused look F: It's there for you when good coffee can't be. E: Do you have thosae new designs we talked about? FINE! hands Eddie a manilla envelope F: Sure, here. F: I've been on the road for a month or so, just drinking the country in. Eddie removes the contents of the envelope. F: I guess this is the result of that. Panel of Eddie blinking at the picture he got out of the envelope. --- Shot of the advertisement on an easel, being displayed for a boardroom. The ad is a photograph of a Belli-Cola billboard on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by patchy grass and dirt. The billboard is in front of a forest. In the sidewalk in front of and to the side of the billboard, a single dandelion grows. A: I don't get it. --- E: That's what I said, but this is his design. B: And no text, no slogans, no editing the photo at all? E: Besides cropping it for different formats, nothing. A: Jesus, why do we even work with this megalomaniac?! E: I mean, it's on a take it or leave it basis, and we don't have to take it. But we do need an ad for this upcoming quarter, bad, and if we started the whole process over with another designer, it might get delayed. C: Hmm... C: Maybe it's a meta-commentary on the nature of advertising itself. By including the juxtaposition of the ad with its surroundings in the ad itself, it creates a space for the viewer to reflect on the ubiquity of our product and its position in the world. A: Sounds like a load of hooey to me! A: He obviously just got lazy and wasted the time we gave him, then panicked and threw this "design" together at the last minute and tried to make it seem artsy! --- B:Hmm... B points to the dandelion. B: Look at that! B: A single dandelion, growing through the concrete. C: Hmm, I see. C: A metaphor, for the voice of the artist, rising up through the cracsk in the cold, regulated world of advertising. B: ohh... A: Are you nuts?! A: It's just a flower that he left in the shot. It's about as deep as a kiddie pool! B: No, I get it. B: Just like it;s in the nature of the dandelion to grow, wherever it's planted, it's in the nature of the artist to express himself, whatever he does for a job! Eddie looks at the ad through new eyes, mystified by it A:(offscreen) You moron! You really think he meant all that with a flower?! --- shot of the sky above the gas station Eddie brings out a coffee for FINE!, with a big dopey suck-up grin on his face. E: Here you go! My treat! E: I have to say, althoughthe board -- and myself -- didn't quite get it at first, that design was really something special! E: The visual metaphor of the dandelion poking through the sidewalk was a genius touch. Quite a bit like your career, I must say! FINE! looks a little bit unsure and uncomfortable F: ... E: We all agree, you were right, no extra text, no slogans. The image speaks for itself! E: But there is just one tiny change we'd like to make... E: The flower, in the original, it's a bit off to the side, not really super noticable. Could you maybe take the picture from a bit of a different angle? Something more like, from here, or here, you see? F: Hmm... F: And this is the only change the board wants? E: Yes, yes, that's all! Just a small adjustment. F: Okay... Eddie sips his coffee E: Ahh, terrible coffee... --- shot of belli-cola HQ shot of eddie in his office, pacing E: ... E: What's taking him so long?! Those reshoots should have been done already! --- an assistant, Q, pokes his head into Eddie's office Q: Sir... E: A new fax from FINE!? Q: Er, I'm afraid not, sir. The board just sent me up here to ask how much longer it's going to be. E: Rrrgh... We'll give him 15 more minutes. Eddie looks stressed out E: But if he doesn't get it here in time, I'll just have to tell the board the bad news. E: ...And it'll be my head, along with his. E: Why do I keep sticking my neck out for him? U: SIR! U, a different assistant, barges in with a manilla envelope U: It's here! It just came in! E: Oh, thank God! Eddie sprints out of his office, handing off the envelope to Q E: Here, get this on the projector! I'll get the board ready! E: It was down to the wire, but you pulled it off! I can't wait to see another FINE! masterpiece! --- big reaction shot of A, B, C, and Eddie looking stunned A,B,C,E: HUH?! The same photograph of the billboard from the beginning, shot from an angle that would put the dandelion front and center -- if it were still there. The dandelion has been plucked from the ground. --- B: W-where did it go?! C: Perhaps it's a commentary on how the editorial process tramples upon the artist's unique vision, or... A: I told you guys from the start, it's just a stupid flower! focus on Eddie, utterly dazed E: wha... shot of FINE! in a field, holding a dandelion )The advertisment, formally untitled, but usually dubbed, "Billboard", was a rousing success for the Belli-Cola Corporation. shot of FINE! blowing the dandelion )Critical opinion was somewhat divided, with some praising its bold, avant-garde direction, while others criticized it as lazy and uninspired. )Ultimately, though, it spread awareness of the brand, which was now on the verge of a 60% market share. shot of the dandelion seeds blowing in the wind )Which is, after all, the only point of advertising.