How to make millions in two days

Before YouTube, slipping quietly across the Pacific to produce a TV spot promoting an obscure foreign product was a quick and easy way to replenish the bank account without having to live with the embarrassing results. These days, though, it's becoming more and more legitimate. Studio City, a casino resort in Macau owned by Melco Crown, has dropped a reported $70 million on a short film which is the centerpiece of a new ad campaign, bringing together some of the brightest stars in Hollywood's firmament, and placing them under the watchful eye of Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, CNN reports. In a teaser for "The Audition" (yes, this ad is so ambitious it has a title, and a preview), Scorsese stalwarts Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio bump into each other in Studio City's lobby. Both are preparing for the titular audition by practicing lines -- for the same part, it transpires. The trailer plays out like any theatrical release preview, with a tantalizing glimpse of Brad Pitt rounding out the triumvirate. The short film plays heavily on Scorsese's distinctive style -- albeit with a greater element of humor -- and riffs on "Casino," one of Scorsese's previous collaborations with De Niro. Together they have made eight movies; DiCaprio and the legendary director have made five. So the overseas ad cash-in has come a long way. Full story