JACK VAN BEYNEN <\/p>\n
Last updated05:00, April 23 2017 <\/p>\n
Stuff.co.nz <\/p>\n
UK gambling ads have been accused of ripping off What We Do In The Shadows, a Kiwi vampire comedy directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. <\/p>\n
Vampires don't have reflections, but two Kiwi directors might be seeing shades of theirfanged flick in a series of copycat British ads. <\/p>\n
Directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, 2014 mockumentaryWhat We Do In the Shadowstold the story of three vampires living in a Wellington flat. <\/p>\n
UK online gambling site Virigin Games has been accused of plagiarising the film for a series of ads. <\/p>\n
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Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh and Jemaine Clement as vampires in What We Do In The Shadows. <\/p>\n
The ads feature Vlad, a 21st century vampire who has learned to \"live a little\" by gambling on his smartphone. <\/p>\n
READ MORE: *What We Do in the Shadows TV spinoff in the works *Plenty at stake in Taika's new film * IT guy turns accidental film star <\/p>\n
CAMERON BURNELL\/FAIRFAX NZ <\/p>\n
Actor and comedian Cori Gonzalez-Macuer says he thought the ad campaign's ideas were plagiarised from What We Do In The Shadows. <\/p>\n
They appear to borrow several gags from the film, including issues over bloody dishes, disappearing reflections and a vampire dating an elderly woman. <\/p>\n
The similarities were highlighted by English satire magazinePrivate Eye, which accused Virgin Games of \"utter shamelessness\". <\/p>\n
Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, who plays reluctant vampire Nick in the Shadows, said after watching the ads he thoughtit was pretty obvious the idea had been borrowed. <\/p>\n
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What We Do In The Shadows was a mockumentary about vampires cohabiting in Wellington. <\/p>\n
\"I'm pretty sure they got the idea from What We Do In The Shadows. I mean it's not even like it's kind of like it, there's even exact lines from the movie in it.\" he said. <\/p>\n
\"I wasn't annoyed by it or anything, I think it's cute they tried to do it. It's not as funny, but good on them.\" <\/p>\n
Gonzalez-Macuer said he failed to see the connection between the legendary denizens of the night and gambling. <\/p>\n
\"It's a weird, weird idea to put it into a gambling ad. When I think of vampires I don't really think of gambling.\" <\/p>\n
Film critic James Croot said there was \"no doubting\" the ads were similar to Waititi and Clement's film but he wasn't convinced they were close enough to be considered plagiarism - \"more of an homage or 'cheeky liberty'- as Richard Branson himself might say.\" <\/p>\n
\"They've deliberately chosen a contemporary looking bloke, rather than the vampiric archetypes of that film. <\/p>\n
\"Also, there were some, particularly in Britain, who saw Taika's film as borrowing liberally from the much-loved 1980s British sitcom The Young Ones, especially with its anarchic sense of humour and disparate flatmates.\" <\/p>\n
He said ads riffing on popular movies was nothing new, pointing to a classic 1980s Kiwi-made commercial for Crunchie bars that was set in a world very derivative ofStar Wars. <\/p>\n
This isn't even the first time Waititi's own work has been ripped off for an advertisement. <\/p>\n
Earlier this year, a beer company made an ad that was almost a shot-for-shot copy of a section of Waititi's Team Thorshort,which he made to promote his latest filmThor: Ragnarok. <\/p>\n
When a fan brought the ad to his attention on Twitter, Waititi said: \"It makes me want a beer so I guess I can't be too annoyed.\" <\/p>\n
Gamesys, the parent company of Virgin Games and VCCP, the Londonad agency that devised the Vlad campaign, was approached for comment, but didn't respond. <\/p>\n
-Sunday Star Times <\/p>\n
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Original post:<\/p>\n
What We Do In The Shadows ripped off by UK gambling ad - Stuff.co.nz<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" JACK VAN BEYNEN Last updated05:00, April 23 2017 Stuff.co.nz UK gambling ads have been accused of ripping off What We Do In The Shadows, a Kiwi vampire comedy directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. Vampires don't have reflections, but two Kiwi directors might be seeing shades of theirfanged flick in a series of copycat British ads. Continue reading