It took nearly a decade to get their movie made--or from another perspective, to gain an understanding of a “foreign” language that’s overlooked by, if not invisible to many. Either way, the film was worth the wait for writers Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, promoting a deeper appreciation of that language’s universal value and the message it imparts. The film penned by Fitzerman-Blue and Harpster was A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Sony Pictures). Their journey began by chance one... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- After the juggling act of two Bond films, with their cadre of characters and armory of gadgets, Sam Mendes had something cleaner in mind for his next film. Two main characters. No backstory. Real time. And one shot. From the start, Mendes envisioned his "1917" as unfolding continuously and breathlessly. In the British trenches of World War I, two soldiers are tasked with delivering an urgent message to stop an attack, planned for the next morning, that's doomed to fail. The Germans have... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Michael B. Jordan doesn't usually get star struck. Bryan Stevenson had a different effect on him. Stevenson, whom Jordan plays in the legal drama "Just Mercy," has led one of the most successful efforts to combat mass incarceration and racial injustices in the United States legal system. In 1989, he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit. He's argued five times before the Supreme Court. He and the EJI have successfully challenged more than 125 death row convictions. Archbishop... Read More 

LOS ANGELES & WESTPORT, CT -- The SHOOT stories that generated the most engagement (clicks to view) in 2019 delved into subject matter ranging from hires at Framestore, DGA Award television nominees, Lauren Greenfield’s launch of Girl Culture Films, Vishal Dheiman joining BBDO in a new Innovation role, the lineup of select women creatives for the Cannes Lions See It Be It program, and remembrances of the late executive producer and commercial production house entrepreneur Skip Short. Topping the click tally for SHOOT in... Read More 

Of the 10 most viewed SHOOT videos of 2019, eight were marked by humor, perhaps reflecting the need for comic relief during what many regard as serious, divisive, trying times for society at large. The entry generating the most views in SHOOT ’s ScreenWork gallery this year was AT&T’s “Surgeon” directed by Martin Granger of Moxie Pictures for BBDO. The comedy spot introduces us to a surgeon who hardly inspires confidence from his patients. He’s generally regarded as “just OK” which isn’t... Read More 

LOS ANGELES & WESTPORT, CT -- The most engaging publicity news releases on the SHOOT Publicity Wire (SPW) in 2019 range from Territory Studios’ deployment of Maxon resources towards the creation of graphics for the Marvel Studios hit feature Avengers: Endgame , to the unveiling of the AICP Post Awards Shortlist, a look at Sony Pictures Post Production Services’ work on sound production for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , a report on the winners of The One Club for Creativity’s global ADC 98th Annual Awards, and the... Read More 

LOS ANGELES & WESTPORT, CT -- The most viewed videos of 2019 posted to the SHOOT Publicity Wire (SPW) span an offbeat galaxy of synonyms to motivate men to get prostate exams for their health, a playful promo for Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl XV,” a pair of humorous Crunch Fitness spots, and Crest toothpaste’s latest integration with Discovery’s Shark Week--many featuring a comedic bent, even to address a serious issue or two along the way. The most viewed SPW video of 2019 was a spot from director Kiran Koshy designed... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- When the family-friendly Hallmark Channel recently pulled, under pressure from a conservative group, a set of ads featuring a kiss between two happy brides at the altar, backlash was swift — to say the least. Within hours, stars like Ellen DeGeneres and William Shatner were tweeting in protest to their many followers, and LGBT advocates were mobilizing a boycott via social media. This was on Saturday; by Sunday evening, Hallmark had reversed its decision, and apologized for what it acknowledged... Read More 

Notables in the arts and entertainment passed away in 2019. The death of Toni Morrison in August left a chasm in the publishing world, where she was a "literary mother" to countless writers. She helped elevate multiculturalism to the world stage and unearthed the lives of the unknown and unwanted. She became the first black woman to receive the Nobel literature prize for "Beloved" and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. In April, Hollywood lost director John Singleton, whose... Read More 

PARIS -- Florence Bellisson has returned to BETC Etoile Rouge, taking on the role of chief creative officer, working alongside fellow CCOs Brune Buonomano and Delphine de Canecaude. Bellisson rejoins the Paris agency after spending time in London where she founded VCCP Saint-Pancras, worked as communication creative director at Hermes and more recently at Publicis Luxe. Her first tour of duty at BETC Etoile Rouge lasted 15-plus years, working in particular on the Air France account. Now she will be in... Read More 

NEW YORK -- Independent creative agency YARD NYC has made three new hires: Teng Phour as style director, Emily Green as executive producer and Tennille Teague as head of production. These hires address the expansion of the agency’s in-house capabilities, innovation of its production arm and its biggest year yet in terms of new business wins. As style director at YARD NYC, Phour will work alongside the creative team to lead the visual development and execution of strategy across all channels. Phour is a... Read More 

MUMBAI -- Havas Group has made its third acquisition in India this year: experiential agency Shobiz. Founded in 1982, Shobiz is regarded as a pioneer in the experiential space and has grown steadily and consistently to employ over 300 professionals across its five offices in India. Headquartered in Mumbai, Shobiz is a multi-disciplinary experiential communications agency, offering an integrated service spectrum from concept to commissioning and final reporting. The agency’s strengths include strategic... Read More 

BOSTON (AP) -- More than two years after he killed himself in his prison cell, former NFL star Aaron Hernandez's story still fascinates — and now it's heading back to the small screen. Netflix is releasing "Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez" on Jan. 15. The three-part documentary examines the meteoric but troubled — and violent — rise and fall of the late New England Patriots tight end. A teaser for director Geno McDermott's film opens with chilling audio of a collect call Hernandez made to his... Read More 

Tony Award-winning composer Jerry Herman, who wrote the cheerful, good-natured music and lyrics for such classic shows as "Mame," "Hello, Dolly!" and "La Cage aux Folles," died Thursday. He was 88. His goddaughter Jane Dorian confirmed his death to The Associated Press early Friday. He died of pulmonary complications in Miami, where he had been living with his partner, real estate broker Terry Marler. The creator of 10 Broadway shows and contributor to several more, Herman won two Tony Awards... Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Anthony Daniels went through a painful experience after not receiving the same amount of public recognition as other co-stars when the first "Star Wars" film released in 1977. But in time, Daniels' C-3PO character became one of the most popular in the franchise and he's the only cast member to have appeared in all nine of the main "Star Wars" films. The British actor plays the soft-spoken "protocol droid" built by young Anakin Skywalker that is fluent in six million languages. His gold-plated... Read More 

It's been a good time for World War I buffs — especially if they're also movie buffs. A year ago director Peter Jackson applied state-of-the-art technology to century-old war footage to bring the Great War alive with sudden, stunning immediacy in his documentary "They Shall Not Grow Old." And now, in the feature film "1917," another of our most talented directors, Sam Mendes, has similarly taken top technology — and the best cinematography, courtesy of Roger Deakins — to give us a different,... Read More 

LOS ANGELES -- Boutique visual effects and design studio Shape+Light has officially launched in Los Angeles, led by managing and creative director Rob Trent and executive producer Cara Lehr. Shape+Light provides high-end VFX, design, and finishing services for agency and brand-direct clients, and has already delivered work for brands including Nike, Apple, Gatorade, Lexus and Procter & Gamble. An industry veteran, Trent began his career as a Flame artist at studios including Imaginary Forces and Digital... Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Prosecutors in Los Angeles are reviewing eight cases accusing disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, an official said Thursday. The Los Angeles and Beverly Hills police departments each brought four investigations to prosecutors, according to Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The office will decide whether to move forward with prosecution. No charges have been filed, Santiago said. He did not know details about the allegations... Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Eddie Murphy delivered an early holiday gift to "Saturday Night Live." With Murphy aboard as host after a decades-long absence, the NBC show earned its biggest audience since 2017. Just shy of 10 million viewers tuned in to see Murphy back on the late-night comedy show that helped launch his career. His last appearance was in 1984. In May 2017, an episode hosted by Melissa McCarthy attracted 10.4 million viewers. Murphy reprised some of his landmark "SNL" characters on last Saturday's show,... Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Force was a little less strong with "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." J.J. Abrams' Skywalker finale couldn't match its recent predecessors on opening weekend, but it still amassed a $175.5 million debut that ranked as the third largest weekend of the year. "The Rise of Skywalker" came in with worse reviews than any "Star Wars" movie except for 1999's "The Phantom Menace," which famously heralded the debut of Jar Jar Binks. "The Rise of Skywalker" has a 57% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes... Read More 

The beloved movie alien E.T. has come back to Earth, this time reuniting with his friend Elliott, who is now an adult with kids of his own. Elliott’s family shows E.T. how to surf the web via Comcast Xfinity and use a remote to play holiday movies on a big-screen television. In return, Elliott teaches the kids some tricks of his own, most notably how to fly, literally, on their bicycles. Lance Acord of Park Pictures directed and shot the live action for Goodby Silverstein & Partners, with... Read More 

Bewilderment. Unease. “A bit of a stretch.” “It just rubs me the wrong way.” Those were some of the reactions from focus group participants shown fake ads for products like laundry detergent and cereal that prominently featured people with a disability. However, when shown the same ads with an explanation from the actors why it’s important to accurately represent people with disabilities on TV and in the media, the focus group’s opinions changed as they saw the value of the work. This focus... Read More 

Will and Chuck are police officers ready to spring into action when they get called to chase down a couple of suspects. Enthused, they jump into their police car only to have to spend an inordinate amount of time adjusting the vehicle’s settings including the positioning of the driver’s seat, mirrors, etc. As a result, the thrilling pursuit of bad guys never comes to pass. If only they had a SKODA, the automobile with a built-in “key” feature. The "key" stores driver settings, meaning that in... Read More 

Dell Technologies and VMLY&R partnered with Ballet Austin and eSight to give members of the visually impaired community an even more magical holiday. With visual-assistive technology developed by eSight, this community got to witness earlier this month a live performance of The Nutcracker performed by Ballet Austin. With members across the community attending, “The Unseen Ballet” was a special event that brought families together this holiday season. One guest was an eight-year-old girl... Read More 

DFS has partnered with Bristol, U.K.-based Academy Award®-winning animation studio Aardman to create a multi-channel campaign with iconic characters, Wallace & Gromit. The campaign has been created by London agency krow and directed by Aardman’s Magdalena Osinska in the time-honored method of stop-motion animation. The cinema and TV spots also feature the voice of Academy Award® nominee, Helena Bonham Carter, as Lady Tottington. This is the first time Nick Park, who was Aardman’s creative... Read More 

It seems that Burger King® Belgium has not found anyone named Whopper to offer them the rent-free apartment above their new restaurant in Louvain. While some might see it as a failure, the generous brand and its Paris-based ad agency Buzzman prefer to see it as an opportunity to let an “almost” Whopper win. Burger King Belgium had initially been looking for a person named Whopper to offer them the rent-free apartment for a year. But that effort was to no avail as there didn’t seem to be anyone... Read More 

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