Creative inspiration comes in varied forms for director/writer Steve McQueen as evidenced by a filmography which includes his first feature Hunger , followed by Shame and then 12 Years a Slave . The latter, adapted from Solomon Northrop’s 1853 memoir of the same title, won the 2014 Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, PGA (joint winner), Independent Spirit, African-American Film Critics Association and the Black Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Picture. While Northrop’s book was the basis of... Read More, Comment

Looking back on the language of 2018 provides cause for pause. Dictionary.com picked “misinformation” as its word of the year, on the heels of Oxford Dictionaries choosing “toxic.” While misinformation has always existed, it became more prevalent in 2018, fueled in part by the rise of often intentionally misleading social media where “alternate facts” found receptive audiences. Dictionary.com cited such examples as: Parkland school students becoming crisis actors instead of victims of violence... Read More, Comment

Though it’s not BBDO New York’s most heralded spot of 2018, American Family Insurance’s “Road Trip” is worthwhile in its own right while at the same time eloquently capturing the spirit behind the stellar creative which earned the shop distinction as SHOOT ’s Agency of the Year. Directed by Jamie Rafn of Smuggler, “Road Trip” centers on a young man who hardly looks the part of a pioneering adventurer--yet he perseveres, grappling with confusing directions and navigating rugged terrain to reach... Read More, Comment

With 2018 about to fully enter the proverbial rearview mirror, it’s time for reflection on varied fronts, including assessing what work was among the year’s most worthwhile creatively. Determining any year’s “best” is a highly subjective proposition so SHOOT staffers looked to at least narrow the field by first culling through our weekly Top Spots as well as our “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery entries throughout 2018. We then added to the field select pieces of work that might have... Read More, Comment

Dunkin’--known for donuts, morning pastry and coffee--extends its reach to higher-end espresso drinks, heralding the introduction with a campaign from BBDO NY which includes the unveiling of a faux line of “Espresso-Wear.” The tongue-in-cheek rollout comes in the form of this online film directed by Brian Billow of O Positive. The functional fashion includes Cappu-chinos, Americano-veralls and Latte-nk Tops, which allows people to keep their hands free and their espresso drinks--whether it be a... Read More, Comment

Our quarterly Chart is topped by a tongue-in-cheek Dunkin' spot driven by a score from Bang Music, which introduces us to "Espresso-Wear," a line of clothing with pockets big enough to carry specialty coffee drinks. This allows Dunkin' customers to enjoy their various libations with their hands free to take on varied errands and tasks. Also in the Chart mix is a cinema mashup spot from AT&T, a touching animated holiday reunion for Swiss retailer Migros, and a United Airlines "World... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- The Ad Council, R/GA, and a group of brand partners have teamed to debut Rising , a short film that is a powerful extension of the iconic Love Has No Labels campaign. The film was directed by Game of Thrones ’ David Nutter and written by Lena Waithe--creator of Showtime drama series The Chi and Emmy-winning writer for Master of None --and Azia Squire. The short pays tribute to real moments when people from different backgrounds come together following natural disasters. Rising hopes to... Read More, Comment

Our quarterly 2018 VIsual Effects & Animation Chart is headlined by the latest entry in Ad Council's "Love Has No Labels" campaign--the poignant short Rising directed by David Nutter ( Game of Thrones ), with VFX by Ntropic. Among other entries in the Chart mix are: TK Maxx's Xmas spot from Wieden+Kennedy London, Macy's "Space Station" directed by two-time DGA Award winner Martin de Thurah of Epoch Films, and a charmingly offbeat Secondhand Hounds piece which tells a rescue dog's story. So... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Director/producer George Tillman Jr.’s The Hate U Give (20th Century Fox) has planted itself firmly in the awards season conversation as a moving adaptation of Angie Thomas’ novel of the same title and for, among other elements, a tour de force performance by Amandla Stenberg as Starr Carter, a 16-year-old African American girl struggling to find her voice after the horrific shooting death of her childhood best friend by a white police officer. The tragedy shatters what had already been an... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- The Favourite may be aptly named when it comes to the 24th annual Critics’ Choice Awards, topping all films with 14 nominations. Meanwhile leading the way in the TV portion of the competition, with five nods apiece, are The Americans , Escape at Dannemore and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story . Presented by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA), the Critics’ Choice Awards will reveal and honor the... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Film Critics Association made its year best selections with the marquee honor going to Roma as Best Picture. However, Roma auteur Alfonso Cuaron wound up runner up for Best Director; that honor instead went to Debra Granik for Leave No Trace . Cuaron was also a runner up in tandem with Adam Gough in the Editing category for Roma . Winning Best Editing distinction were Joshua Altman and Bing Liu for the documentary Minding the Gap . Roma , though, earned Cuaron the Best... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- "A Star Is Born" led nominations for the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards with four nods including best ensemble on Wednesday, firmly establishing Bradley Cooper's romantic revival as this year's Academy Awards front runner. In nominations announced in West Hollywood, Calif., the actors guild — one of the most predictive bellwethers of the Oscars — threw cold water on the awards campaigns of numerous contenders while elevating others. But "A Star Is Born" fared the best of all, landing... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- It was a big night for director Bing Liu at the International Documentary Association’s 34th annual IDA Documentary Awards. During a gala ceremony held on Saturday evening (12/8) at the Paramount Theatre in L.A., Liu’s directorial debut, Minding the Gap , won the competition’s top honor as Best Feature. Liu, as previously announced, also won the IDA’s Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award. And in the Creative Recognition portion of the award proceedings, Liu and Joshua Altman earned Best Editing... Read More, Comment

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Director Ali Ali has joined Little Minx for commercials and branded content in the U.S. He comes aboard a company roster consisting of such diverse filmmakers as Luca Guadagnino, Malik Sayeed, Augusto de Fraga, A.V. Rockwell, Andrew Dosunmu, Rodrigo Prieto and Carissa Gallo. Ali continues to maintain Good People Films in his native Cairo. His work caught the eye of Little Minx founder Rhea Scott who’s enthused over his prospects in the American ad market. Ali had earlier been repped in the U.S... Read More, Comment

LONDON -- Adrian Rossi, former ECD at AMV BBDO London, is joining Grey London as creative chairman, a new position. He will report to John Patroulis, worldwide chief creative officer of Grey. Vicki Maguire continues in her role as chief creative officer of Grey London. Rossi will oversee all creative development; help set and implement the creative vision; spearhead the recruitment of top talent and guide new business creative efforts working closely with Eduardo Maruri, president and CEO of Grey Europe... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Droga5 has elevated several executives and made multiple new hires. The promotions include Dan Gonda to managing director, Tasha Cronin to co-director of interactive production and integration lead, and Scott Chinn to managing director of Second Child, Droga5’s production studio. The new hires are Kelly Harrington who rejoins the agency as business development director, Molly McClernon who comes aboard as operations lead, production, and Rob Adams who comes to Second Child in a new post, head... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Linda Knight, formerly an executive creative director at TBWA\Chiat\Day, has joined Phenomenon as its chief creative officer. Erica Hoholick, president of business transformation agency Phenomenon, said, “Linda has a stellar creative pedigree and an incredible reputation for mentoring, developing and managing strong creative talent. She is a generous, bold and inspiring leader who has an impressive following--not only with creatives, but clients we well. Her experience, creative ambition and... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- BestFriend has added writer/director Mickey Finnegan to its talent roster. Headed by EP Zak Thornborough, Best Friend--which maintains bases of operation in L.A., NYC, and Boulder, Colo.--will handle spot, branded content and music video representation for Finnegan in the U.S. Finnegan has already made his BestFriend debut, directing a Krazy Glue commercial featuring a comedic performance from Icelandic strongman and actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. The project out of agency VML tapped into... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- A new study that analyzed four years' worth of films found that female-led movies have consistently outperformed those in which men get top billing. The study analyzed the 350 top-grossing films worldwide released between January 2014 and December 2017. Researchers found that in films with small, medium and large budgets, all averaged better global grosses when a woman was listed as the lead star. Conducted by the talent agency Creative Artists Agency and the tech company shift7, the study... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther” has been named the year’s Best Film by the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), the world’s largest group of black film critics comprised of leading film critics from across the country. The groundbreaking blockbuster also won Best Director (Coogler) and Best Song (“All the Stars” performed by Kendrick Lamar and SZA with music and lyrics by Kendrick Lamar, Anthony Tiffith, Mark Spears, Solana Rowe and Al Shuckburgh) making it AAFCA’s top award-winner... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The National Film Registry is turning 30 and will bring in a new crop of films ranging from dinosaurs’ return from extinction, a cowboys-in-love drama and stories showcasing Native Americans. The Library of Congress announced Wednesday that the films “Jurassic Park,” ‘’Brokeback Mountain” and “My Fair Lady” are among the 25 movies tapped for preservation this year. “These cinematic treasures must be protected because they document our history, culture, hopes and dreams,” Carla Hayden, the... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- CBS shareholders quickly elected a revamped 11-member board before their annual meeting adjourned without discussion of an investigation into sexual-misconduct claims against former CBS CEO Les Moonves. The first task for the new board: deciding by the end of January whether Moonves receives his $120 million severance package. The board will also have to chart a path for CBS to recover from the scandal. The meeting wrapped up in less than 30 minutes. About a dozen protesters gathered outside,... Read More, Comment

"Every black person born in America was born on Beale Street...whether in Jackson, Mississippi, or in Harlem, New York," reads the title card that begins director Barry Jenkins' "If Beale Street Could Talk ." The quote is from a 1974 James Baldwin novel, which Jenkins has adapted himself for his first film since 2016's "Moonlight." The story is, loosely, about a pregnant woman, Tish (KiKi Layne, a phenomenal breakout) and her partner Fonny (Stephan James), who has been wrongly jailed for a... Read More, Comment

Both tender apologia and vigorous justification, Clint Eastwood's "The Mule" is a deeply, fascinatingly personal meditation from the 88-year-old director who, like his aged drug mule protagonist, has spent a long time on the road. "The Mule" is the indefatigable Eastwood's second film just this year, following "The 15:17 to Paris," a distinctly undramatic dramatization of the thwarted 2015 train attack, starring the real-life heroes. Eastwood isn't playing himself in "The Mule" — far from it —... Read More, Comment

In the half-century since the original "Mary Poppins" debuted, we've learned a lot about refined sugar, frankly none of it good. Doctors tell us it can lead to obesity, heart disease and all sorts of other detriments to our health. But let's face it, there are times when a little sugar — oh what the heck, let's say a spoonful — is just what we need, if not for health then for happiness. So it's sweet news indeed that "Mary Poppins Returns," a sequel 54 years in coming, provides just that... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Golden Globe Awards will introduce a new TV special achievement trophy at next month's telecast and name it after its first recipient — comedic icon Carol Burnett. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association said Tuesday the Carol Burnett Award — the small-screen version of the group's film counterpart, the Cecil B. DeMille Award — will annually honor someone "who has made outstanding contributions to television on or off the screen." The first Carol Burnett Award will, fittingly, go to Burnett... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- In the calm before the Christmas storm at the box office, "Ralph Breaks the Internet" remained No. 1 for the third straight week, while the upcoming DC Comics superhero film "Aquaman" arrived with a cannonball-sized splash in Chinese theaters. For the second week in a row, no new wide releases opened in North American theaters, allowing Disney's animated sequel to again lead domestic ticket sales with $16.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The top six films at the box office were... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Some of last week's most popular television programs are much older than most of the people who watched them. ABC's showing of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was the most-watched of a handful of holiday specials that aired in primetime last week, reaching 5.3 million viewers, the Nielsen company said. It's a tradition in many households that was first on television in December 1965. Two other old favorites, "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman," were both seen by more than 4... Read More, Comment

Santa Claus gets svelte and stylish as we see him upgrade everything from his suit to his sleigh in this epic year-long transformation for the 2019 Audi RS 5 Sportback. Capturing the makeover is this online holiday short, New Santa , directed by Craig Gillespie of MJZ for agency M/H VCCP (formerly MUH-TAY-ZIK | HOF-FER). Read More, Comment

Christmas is all about keeping the time-honored family traditions alive. And many such traditions are rooted in the kitchen. So what does the festive season look like when a key family member has just passed away? And what about if it’s the one who also just happens to cook the Christmas meal--year in and year out? This is explored with subtlety, delicacy and room for ambiguity in PLUS Supermarkets Xmas campaign conceived by J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam. Directed by Ismael ten Heuvel of Pink... Read More, Comment

To honor the sixth anniversary remembrance of the Sandy Hook School shooting, Sandy Hook Promise has launched its latest PSA, “Point of View.” Created by BBDO New York and directed by Rupert Sanders of MJZ, the chilling video highlights how often a shooter goes unnoticed until it’s too late. “Point of View” follows students throughout their average high school day as they prepare for their class election. But the film takes a dark turn when it’s revealed to the viewer that they’ve been seeing... Read More, Comment

AdventHealth (previously Adventist Health System) partnered with independent ad agency 22squared to bring to life the power of new beginnings for cancer survivors. In a one-of-a-kind event, patients of all ages, from across the AdventHealth system and around the country, came together to form the Survivor Bell Choir. Together, they perform with synchronized bell ringing a moving rendition of the classic holiday carol “Silent Night” to honor patients marking the end of their treatment and the... Read More, Comment

PUBG Corporation (PUBG Corp.) has collaborated with indie ad agency Battery and RSA Films to create an ambitious global campaign for the launch of the Sony PlayStation®4 version of the popular digital game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. The centerpiece of the campaign is Pan-demonium, a long-form social film produced by RSA Films and directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, whose work includes the feature film Kong: Skull Island and a variety of high-profile commercial campaigns. Pan-demonium is an... Read More, Comment

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