LOS ANGELES -- For a cinematographer who’s had a hand in significant technological breakthroughs that have facilitated ambitious storytelling--in his Emmy-winning turn on the hit streaming series The Mandalorian , for example, and now on the recently released feature Dune (Warner Bros.)--Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS, affirmed that “the challenge for me is never the technical.” Instead, he explained, “What I always tackle first is character. If I’m at a movie and not feeling the characters, it doesn’t work. You don’... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Elena Ferrante adaptation “The Lost Daughter” won four Gotham Awards including best feature film at the 31st Gotham Awards, the annual New York independent film celebration that serves as a boozy kickoff to Oscar season. Gyllenhaal won breakthrough director and best screenplay for her directorial debut, and star Olivia Colman shared the award for outstanding lead performance with Frankie Faison, “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain,” a drama based on the 2011 police shooting... Read More 

NEW YORK -- The National Board of Review unveiled its 2021 honorees, with top awards including Licorice Pizza for Best Film; Paul Thomas Anderson for Best Director for Licorice Pizza; Will Smith for Best Actor for King Richard ; and Rachel Zegler for Best Actress for West Side Story . NBR President Annie Schulhof said, “In a moment of transition and uncertainty, there is nothing like Licorice Pizza to remind us of the joy, hope, and exhilaration that great cinema can inspire. The NBR is honored to award... Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Alec Baldwin said he feels incredible sadness and regret over the shooting that killed a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set, but not guilt. "Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but it's not me," Baldwin said in an ABC interview with George Stephanopoulos that aired Thursday night, the first time the actor has spoken in depth on screen about the Oct. 21 shooting on the set of the Western "Rust." "Honest to god, if I felt I was responsible, I might have... Read More 

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- Authorities pursued new leads Tuesday on possible sources of live ammunition involved in actor Alec Baldwin's fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the New Mexico set of a western movie, as they searched the premises of an Albuquerque-based firearms and ammunition supplier. The search took place after a provider of firearms and ammunition to the ill fated movie production for "Rust" told investigators that he "may know" where live rounds came from, describing ammunition he received from a... Read More 

Jack Dorsey is out of his post as Twitter's chief executive for the second time in his career — this time, he says, by choice. Dorsey, who co-founded the company, offered no specific reasons for his resignation Monday beyond an abstract argument that Twitter, where he's spent 16 years in various roles, should "break away from its founding and founders." Dependence on company founders, he wrote, is "severely limiting." He will be succeeded by Twitter's current chief technology officer, Parag... Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Confusion over purpose and mission. Lack of focus on long-term goals. Ineffective communication internally and externally. Lack of accountability for top officials, especially the CEO. Too politically partisan, and too aligned with Hollywood. These are just some of the issues raised in a report commissioned by Time's Up and released Friday — in the name of transparency — as the advocacy group pledged a "major reset" including the termination of most of the staff. It comes three months after a... Read More 

LONDON -- Cannes Lions has made changes to the 2022 Awards which include the launch of the Creative B2B Lion and an evolved Creative Commerce Lion. The new Creative B2B Lion will celebrate game-changing creativity and effectiveness in work for products and services that are purchased by professionals on behalf of businesses. Philip Thomas, chairman, LIONS, said it was a Lion that had been “several years in the making”. He added, “We first started discussing a Lion that recognises B2B work way back in... Read More 

NEW YORK -- The One Club for Creativity has finalized the lineup of creatives from around the world who will serve on the diverse jury for the ADC 101st Annual Awards, which celebrate excellence in craft and innovation in all forms of design and advertising. Along with this year’s jury chairs announced last month, nearly 250 highly-qualified creatives from 48 countries will judge work from around the world. A sampling of ADC 101st Annual Awards jurors includes: Maxinne Abuyuan, chief experience officer,... Read More 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ex-Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen implored lawmakers Wednesday to avert the usual congressional stalemates as they weigh proposals to curb abuses on social media platforms by limiting the companies' free-speech protections against legal liability. Still, Haugen urged caution in making changes to the 1996 law that provides legal protection both for content the platforms carry and for companies removing postings they deem offensive. She cited unintended consequences from a... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- There's a famous saying in showbiz: "Never work with children or animals." NBC is wisely ignoring that as it mounts a live version of the hit Broadway musical "Annie." The tale of the spunky young orphan with her dog Sandy set during the Depression will be NBC's first live musical since its triumphant "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert" in 2018. "Annie Live!" airs Thursday. "It is a musical about hope and optimism, and it couldn't come at a better time," said Neil Meron, who has served as... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Leave it to Mel Brooks to blurb his own memoir. There, along with laudatory quotes from Billy Crystal, Norman Lear, Conan O'Brien and others is one from "M. Brooks," who hails "All About Me!" as: "Not since the Bible have I read anything so powerful and poignant. And to boot — it's a lot funnier!" "All About Me!," which landed on bookshelves Tuesday, is indeed chock full of stories, anecdotes and memories from a comedy master of biblical proportions. Brooks, 95, spent much of the pandemic... Read More 

NEW YORK -- John Patroulis has been promoted to global creative chairman and president, creative business, while Javier Campopiano has been upped to worldwide chief creative officer of Grey and appointed creative leader of WPP’s global Coca-Cola account. “We have transformed the global structure of Grey during the last 18 months, reducing the number of studios across the world, and focusing more than ever in the density of talent, especially on the creative side. This new leadership model is the next... Read More 

NEW YORK -- FCB has appointed Danilo Boer as global creative partner, bolstering the creative leadership team under global chief creative officer Susan Credle. Partnering with Credle, Boer will further evolve FCB’s creative vision while also supporting FCB’s ongoing investment into innovation-fueled creativity. Boer joins FCB’s Global Creative Council and will serve as the connector among the network’s global creative teams that have delivered renowned work, leading FCB to be named Cannes Lions’ 2020/2021... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Production company Little Minx has brought director/photographer Carlos “Kaito” Araujo aboard its roster for representation spanning commercials and content. This marks Kaito’s first representation in the spotmaking space. At the age of 19, Kaito moved to Los Angeles to begin his career working as a director and photographer for Sean “Diddy” Combs at Combs Enterprises. Kaito has since captured assorted iconic moments with Combs--most notably photographing him for Vanity Fair’s September cover—... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Director Vincent René-Lortie has joined The Corner Shop for representation in the U.S. and U.K./Amsterdam. This marks his first career representation in those markets. A breakthrough director from Canada, René-Lortie has been recognized with a D&AD Graphite Pencil for Best Direction on the basis of Simon Leoza’s “La Nuèe” and a UKMVA 2020 Best Choreography (for Brittney Canda) on the strength of Sheena Ko’s “Wrap Me Up” René-Lortie’s most recent Young Director Awards Gold in Video Art for... Read More 

SAN FRANCISCO -- Eric Cruz has come aboard DDB San Francisco as executive creative director, partnering with ECD Ben Wolan. “Eric is different from me in so many ways, and that is very intentional,” said Wolan. “I wanted a partner who has different skills and experiences than me, but shares the same passion for creativity as I do. Eric brings stellar design and experience skills and with his global lens he’ll help us craft more unexpected stories. I couldn’t be more excited to partner with him, expand our... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Scheme Engine has brought director and writer Kimberly Stuckwisch aboard its roster, marking her first U.S. commercial representation. In 2020, Stuckwisch burst onto the directing scene with several acclaimed music videos including “Someone Else’s Problem” for Jeremy Ivey, which won Best Rock Video/Newcomer at the 2021 UK Music Video Award (UKMVA). Headlining issues like homelessness and climate change, the film is emblematic of Stuckwisch’s gift for bringing pressing social issues into the... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Director Chris Muir has joined Eleanor, the production house under the aegis of executive producer Sophie Gold. He comes aboard a directorial lineup which includes Kate Cox, Woods, Adrian De Sa Garces, Kacper Larski, Elias Ressegatti, Kelsey Taylor, Sean Thonson, Dawit N.M. and Alice Waddington. Muir continues to be repped in his native Canada by production company Radke. Gold sought him out upon learning he was not currently being handled by a U.S. production company (earlier he had been... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Gravy Films has added directorial duo Trent and Marlena Jaklitsch, a.k.a. Trent and Marlena, to its commercial roster for U.S. representation. Partners in work and life, Trent and Marlena live in Brooklyn, NY. Trent has been on the Gravy roster for five years as a solo director and now joins forces with Marlena as a directorial team. This marks Marlena’s first spotmaking representation. With combined backgrounds in creative advertising and visual arts, Trent and Marlena infuse emotional realism... Read More 

We're so rife with reboots and remakes today that it can take a moment to gauge just what Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" is. It isn't a papered-over modernizing or a thinly disguised retread. It's a feat of reconstruction. Spielberg, Tony Kushner and Steven Sondheim have taken the original play and reworked it from the inside, burrowing into the DNA of "West Side Story" and its characters to recast, reconsider, deepen and clarify one of the 20th century's most iconic musicals. It is, I... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stephen Sondheim, the songwriter who reshaped the American musical theater in the second half of the 20th century with his intelligent, intricately rhymed lyrics, his use of evocative melodies and his willingness to tackle unusual subjects, has died. He was 91. Sondheim's death was announced by Rick Miramontez, president of DKC/O&M. Sondheim's Texas-based attorney, Rick Pappas, told The New York Times the composer died Friday at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut. Sondheim influenced several... Read More 

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- A 29-year-old man has been arrested in the death of philanthropist Jacqueline Avant, who was fatally shot this week at the Beverly Hills home she shared with her husband, legendary music executive Clarence Avant, police said Thursday. Aariel Maynor is currently on parole and was taken into custody early Wednesday by Los Angeles police at a separate residence after a burglary there, Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook said. Police recovered an AR-15 rifle at that home that was believed to... Read More 

BRUSSELS (AP) -- Concerned by the misuse of political advertising to undermine elections, the European Union on Thursday unveiled plans to help people better understand when they are seeing such ads online and who is responsible for them. The proposals, aimed at ensuring fair and transparent polls or referendums, would also ban political targeting and "amplification techniques" used to reach a wider audience if they use sensitive personal data like ethnic origin, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation without... Read More 

HONG KONG (AP) -- A renowned Chinese fashion photographer has apologized for her past work after online critics called it insulting to the Chinese people and fashion house Dior removed one of her photos from a show in Shanghai. Chen Man acknowledged the criticism of her earlier work, including "Young Pioneers," a series of images of a young model with backdrops of major landmarks such as China's massive Three Gorges Dam or with an image of the country's first lunar orbiter flying out from under her dress. The... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Thanksgiving weekend moviegoing was still far from the feast it normally is, but Disney's "Encanto" and the Lady Gaga-led "House of Gucci" both gave a lift to two genres that have been particularly battered by the pandemic: family movies and adult dramas. "Encanto" led the box office with $27 million over the weekend and $40.3 million across the five-day holiday frame, according to studio estimates Sunday. While well off the pace of past Disney animated movies released over Thanksgiving — "Coco... Read More 

Derek Cianfrance of RadicalMedia directed this spot, “Caring Makes Magic: A Holiday Tale," conceived by agency Alto New York for Montefiore Einstein. Advanced by visual effects from Method Studios and stop-motion animation provided by Good Stranger, the film reminds us that the most magical way to see the holidays is through the eyes of a child. In the piece, the girl take her stuffed animal unicorn, who’s injured, to the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore where a team of surgeons saves her best... Read More 

For the fourth year running, Canadian grocer IGA has released a special short film for the holiday season. The Trophy is a story of hope, reconnection and shared passions, conceived by creative agency Sid Lee. In the piece a grandfather and his granddaughter inspire each other with their love for food and hockey, which brings the family even closer together. Animation for the film is by Mathematic Studio, with a soundtrack by Circonflex. Once again, scripting was the work of a multidisciplinary... Read More 

Refuge, the U.K. organization which runs the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, is marking 50 years of supporting victimized women and children in a campaign created by BBH London that highlights the insidious ways technology is being used by abusers to monitor and control their partners, and how this makes the charity’s job more complex than ever. At the heart of the campaign is this 40-second film which, at first glance, appears to be promoting a new smartphone. But as the camera lingers on... Read More 

Irish supermarket chain SuperValu’s Christmas spot, from agency TBWA\Dublin, introduces us to a girl named Aoife who wakes up one morning to a strange noise. Accompanied by her parents, she hurries outside to find an injured wild deer in her back garden. For Aoife though, this is no ordinary deer, and she quickly makes it her mission to help her new friend get back to its feet--and beyond. Directed by Ben Liam Jones via Antidote Films, with visual effects from Windmill Lane, "Share the Magic"... Read More 

Monaghan’s Cashmere, situated in Dublin, Ireland’s iconic shopping district, was established 61 years ago by the now 96-year-old Tom Monaghan. In its lifetime, the luxury knitwear and cashmere business has weathered three recessions and most recently, the COVID-19 crisis--which forced the store to close its doors for the very first time. Usually serving customers visiting Dublin from around the world, lockdowns and travel restrictions meant the longstanding establishment has faced unprecedented... Read More 

Luxury jewelry brand David Yurman rolls out its 2021 holiday campaign, “Magical Menagerie,” a continuation of the company’s yearlong “My New York” theme. This holiday spot celebrates artistic creativity and the beauty of a gift while highlighting New York City’s iconic Central Park. On a winter’s night, Central Park is transformed into an enchanted landscape where snowflakes turn into jeweled treasures, and the spirit of the season breathes life and playfulness into the park’s beloved animal... Read More 

---