LOS ANGELES -- Ed Lachman, ASC, has seen his ongoing collaborative relationship with director Todd Haynes yield myriad artistic dividends, including critical acclaim and industry honors for such features as Far From Heaven and Carol , as well as the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce . Far From Heaven and Carol earned Best Cinematography Oscar nominations for Lachman in 2002 and 2016, respectively, while Mildred Pierce garnered an Emmy nod for Outstanding Cinematography in 2011. Furthermore, Lachman is a three-... Read More, Comment

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Bryan Fogel, director of the acclaimed documentary Icarus , affirmed that documentaries are in a golden age, attributable in large part to Netflix which is giving worthwhile work a level of exposure not previously possible. Serving as a panelist on a Doc Roundtable at the recently wrapped AFI Fest (11/9-16) in Hollywood, Fogel noted that more people are “caring about documentaries than ever before because of Netflix,” which brings a reach of 190 countries spanning 120 million homes and 600... Read More, Comment

LONDON -- The 2018 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity will be marked by significant changes to the delegate experience and awards structure. The 65th edition of the Festival will run for five days, from Monday, June 18, through Friday, June 22, 2018. A streamlined Festival and a simplified award structure will bring much greater focus to each Lion, truly recognize the best work, deliver it to the biggest audience and ensure that delegates can benefit from the highest quality content program and make the... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Ethnic and gender diversity among episodic television directors continued to increase this past season, the Directors Guild of America reported, with the percentage of episodes directed by ethnic minorities rising by 3 percentage points to a record 22% of all episodes, while the percentage directed by women went up 4 points to 21% of all episodes, another all-time high. Further breaking down the data by ethnicity: Caucasians (male and female) directed 78% of all episodes, African-Americans... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Filmmaker Agnes Varda danced with Angelina Jolie. Donald Sutherland wanted to thank the characters he's played. Writer-director Charles Burnett said getting an Oscar eases the sting of a teacher's heartless words decades ago. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu dedicated his award to immigrants worldwide. And cinematographer Owen Roizman was moved to tears at the film academy's ninth annual Governors Awards. Hollywood took a break Saturday (11/11) from its growing sexual harassment crisis to present... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- In "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" or anywhere else, Frances McDormand means business. In Martin McDonaugh's new film, McDormand plays a woman, Mildred Hayes, consumed with rage because the rape and murder of her teenage daughter has gone unsolved after a year. She embarks on a blazing, relentless campaign to hold the town's sheriff (Woody Harrelson) accountable, erecting billboards that taunt him and an uncompromising, foul-mouthed fury on the sleepy Southern town. In a way, it's... Read More, Comment

Perhaps it's a sign of the times that after seeing an epic story as poetically told as Dee Rees' "Mudbound," feelings of awe and admiration are quickly replaced with frustration that Hollywood hasn't traditionally embraced the artistic visions of people who aren't white and male. Maybe it's because feelings are so raw in this post-Weinstein era, where the obstacles women face on their way to success are just beginning to be publicly understood. "Mudbound" is beautiful, complex and flawless,... Read More, Comment

MIAMI -- In his keynote address at the ANA’s recently held Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Conference in Miami, Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer of Procter & Gamble, said that the U.S. is at a “cultural crossroads” requiring marketers to combat racial prejudice which threatens to undermine a decades-long march toward parity among different consumer groups. Pritchard affirmed the importance of brands making the commitment to create responsible, powerful multi-cultural advertising. The issue... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) bestowed its 2017 HPA Awards on Thursday (11/16) evening during a sold-out gala celebration at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. And among the big winners was Stranger Things which took a pair of honors: Outstanding TV Editing for Dean Zimmerman on the “Chapter 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers” episode; and tying (with American Gods ) for Outstanding TV Sound on the strength of the “Chapter 8: The Upside Down” episode which was done by an... Read More, Comment

BERLIN -- The Epica Awards jury decided to award two film Grand Prix honors this year--one for Sandy Hook Promise’s “Evan” from BBDO NY, the other for online retailer Allegro.pl’s “English for Beginners” from Poland agency Bardzo. At this evening’s (11/16) Epica ceremony in Berlin, Grand Prix winners came from Poland, the U.S., Canada, Germany and France. Network of the Year distinctino went to McCann Worldgroup with BBDO New York scoring the Agency of the Year mantle. Great Guns was named Production... Read More, Comment

BROOKLYN, NY -- Production and entertainment company m ss ng p eces has signed Japanese director Mr. Hide (pronounced Hee-day), formerly of RadicalMedia. He is best known for his groundbreaking work on the 2009 launch of the Toyota Prius with Saatchi & Saatchi LA which went on to win a Clio as well as three honors at the 2010 AICP Show. The colorful, cheerful commercial titled “Harmony” finds a Prius negotiating a lively landscape in which the mountains, the grass, the rivers, the sun and clouds consist of... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Oscar-nominated and multiple Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning Nexus Studios, headquartered in London, has launched an office in Los Angeles headed by executive producers Luke Ritchie and Diego Rosner. Additionally Nexus co-founder Chris O’Reilly is currently based in L.A. and continues in his role as executive creative director across all studio output. Ritchie has led the Interactive Arts team at Nexus for five-plus years, overseeing work across AR, VR, web, apps and live experiences for... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Director Jakob Strom--who took a break from the business to find himself as a filmmaker and ended up making a jarring piece that now carries added relevance given recent and ongoing news about sexual harassment of women--has signed with Cultivate.Media for representation in the U.S. Strom’s film, “Dear Daddy,” has been viewed millions of times around the world since it first appeared in 2015. It centers on a letter to a father from his unborn daughter. Starting off as a warm portrait of... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Production house We Fly Coach has signed 2017 Grand Clio-winning director Marcus Perry for spots and branded content globally. This marks the first commercial representation for Perry whose prior branded work was done on a freelance basis. Among his notable projects is a film--which won a Grand Clio at this year’s Clio Entertainment Awards as well as a 2017 Golden Trailer honor--promoting the lauded Denis Villeneuve-directed feature Arrival . Perry’s piece reinforces an Arrival theme--the... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- While there are assorted visually striking elements in director Matt Reeves’ War for the Planet of the Apes , what really counts is striking an emotional, responsive chord with viewers--and that can only be done in a story advanced by its characters. So while the film’s sr. visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri, a partner in New Zealand-based studio Weta Digital, is no stranger to spectacle, what’s most gratifying for him is making characters worth caring about. It’s a priority that has served... Read More, Comment

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Film commissioners contacted by SHOOT gave generally favorable reviews to the inaugural LocationEXPO at the American Film Market (AFM) which wrapped last week. For several, the high-quality traffic at the event (11/1-8) came as no surprise in that they had attended and/or exhibited at past American Film Markets. Still, this year marked the first in which AFM organizers formally put in place an EXPO designed for the film commission and resources community. A couple film commissioners noted that... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- The movie year seems destined to conclude the way it essentially began: With everybody talking about "Get Out." Jordan Peele's horror sensation is again the subject of debate after it was reported that Universal Pictures submitted the film for Golden Globe Awards consideration as a comedy, rather than a drama. The film's classification will ultimately reside with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, but whatever the outcome, the controversy shows how "Get Out" is already challenging the... Read More, Comment

Twenty-six features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 90th Academy Awards®. The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are: “The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales” “Birdboy: The Forgotten Children” “The Boss Baby” “The Breadwinner” “Captain Underpants The First Epic Movie” “Cars 3” “Cinderella the Cat” “Coco” “Despicable Me 3” “The Emoji Movie” “Ethel & Ernest” “Ferdinand” “The Girl without Hands” “In This Corner of the World” “The... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Fallout from sexual harassment and abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein continued Wednesday as the disgraced producer was hit with a new lawsuit, lost an honorary degree and his former company forced to sell off a major film asset because of the scandal. Weinstein and his former company were hit Wednesday with a proposed class action lawsuit that targets what it called the producer's "casting couch" harassment and abuses. The suit, filed in Los Angeles federal court by an unnamed aspiring... Read More, Comment

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The American Cinematheque presented the 31st American Cinematheque Award to five-time Oscar nominee ( Junebug, Doubt, The Fighter, The Master, American Hustle ) Amy Adams at the Cinematheque’s annual benefit gala on Friday night (11/10) at The Beverly Hilton. Adams was the unanimous choice of the Cinematheque Board of Directors selection committee. Since 1986, the organization has annually honored an extraordinary artist in the film industry, who is fully engaged in his or her work and is... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Federal regulators have weakened rules meant to support independent local media. Now, one company can own newspapers and broadcast stations in one market, undoing a ban in place since 1975. Thursday's decision by the Federal Communications Commission also makes it easier for one company to own two broadcast TV stations in one market and coordinate operations with stations owned by others. Although the changes won't affect AT&T's pending bid for Time Warner and its cable channels, they come... Read More, Comment

It’s hard for us cynical souls to walk into a movie advertised with the tagline “Choose kindness” and not shudder in trepidation. What sentimental hooey is this? What new hellish circle of cheese awaits now? And yet Stephen Chbosky’s “Wonder,” despite its Hallmark Card appearance, is far from the “Clockwork Orange”-like exercise in emotional manipulation some might fear. Even the most pessimistic of us may actually find it charming and genuinely affecting. Based on R.J. Palacio’s 2012 YA novel... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The God of Thunder isn't ready to relinquish his box office throne yet. Studios estimated Sunday that "Thor: Ragnarok" added $56.6 million from North American theaters in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to $211.6 million. The film, from Disney and Marvel and directed by Taika Waititi, out-grossed each of its two predecessors domestically in just two weeks, not accounting for inflation. It easily beat out the comedy sequel "Daddy's Home 2" and the lavish Agatha Christie... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- After two years of record low ratings, the Country Music Association Awards rebounded last week and was the most-watched entertainment program on television last week. Hoist a glass to the appeal of country music? Not so fast. The size of last year’s audience was depressed since it aired on the same night of an epic World Series seventh game between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians. This year, the competition was much more manageable. The awards reached 14.3 million people last week for... Read More, Comment

Penny, Germany’s supermarket chain, encourages reconciliation at Christmas in a new campaign from agency Serviceplan Campaign. Centerpiece of the campaign is this two-minute film titled “Der Weg” (“The Path”) directed by Chiara Graymayr, a.k.a. Chiara, via production house Stink. With the tagline “However long the path might seem,” the film introduces us to a mother who misses her daughter after they had a falling out. The mom overcomes psychological obstacles to reconcile with her daughter--... Read More, Comment

Leonardo da Vinci’s legendary, rediscovered portrait of Christ masterpiece “Salvator Mundi,” aka “The Last da Vinci,” will headline Christie’s Post-War & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in New York on Wednesday, November 15. Christie’s partnered with Droga5 to create a special project that would bring the world’s attention to the significance of what was happening--the sale of the last Leonardo da Vinci. “The Last da Vinci” was brought back into the public eye by sharing the emotional story... Read More, Comment

Waitrose is putting community spirit at the heart of its Christmas campaign with this 90-second TV spot shot in black and white. The ad is set in a remote pub in the Yorkshire Dales, where local villagers gather for a drink on Christmas morning. When a terrible snow storm hits the area, we witness how a generous act of Christmas spirit brings the community together in the most unconventional of Christmas Day meals. The pub, The Tan Hill Inn near Richmond, is the highest pub in Britain (at 1,732... Read More, Comment

Can bad advertising save the world? In a society that is becoming more and more divided each day, Toronto ad agency john st. thinks that humanity’s shared hatred of terrible advertising might be just the thing brings us together. The ad shop’s latest video, called “Make Humanity Great Again,” is a note-perfect parody of Heineken’s “Worlds Apart” social experiment, except in this case, it’s not beer that gets people talking to each other, but awful ads. The film, which debuted on Thursday (11/9... Read More, Comment

Featuring two kids--a boy who loves the Light Side and a girl aligning herself with the Dark Side--this spot promoting PlayStation and the Star Wars Battlefront II game speaks to a friendship that blossoms through rivalry. We watch the boy and girl grow up, constantly trying to one-up each other. It begins innocently enough with the boy destroying a TIE fighter piñata but the girl strikes back by building a jaw-dropping Death Star treehouse. As they get older, their pranks ramp up, reaching the... Read More, Comment

Macy’s 2017 holiday advertising campaign kicks off with this two-minute anthem titled “Lighthouse” which tells the story of two children, and their families, being brought together by the perfect gift. This tug-at-the-heartstrings tale--which has the lad reaching out to a girl who recently lost her mother--was directed by Steve Ayson of MJZ for BBDO New York. The two-minute piece is being shown online, while :60 and :30 versions will run both on TV and online. Read More, Comment

Set to a cover version of The Beatles’ song “Golden Slumbers,” recorded by British band Elbow, this two minute Xmas ad for John Lewis tells a heartwarming story of a little boy called Joe, who is kept awake by a 7-foot-tall imaginary Monster called Moz who is living under his bed. The two form a friendship and play together every evening, but staying awake through the night starts to take its toll on Joe, who can hardly keep his eyes open during the day. For Christmas, Joe receives the perfect... Read More, Comment

Agency BBH NY and director Guy Shelmerdine of Smuggler have once again teamed with JBL Wireless Headphones to showcase the potential dangers of corded headphones to hilarious effect. JBL takes their slogan “Dare to Listen” to new lengths in this :30 which highlights the mayhem that can ensue when you choose not to wear JBL Bluetooth enabled headphones while going about your day. You might even wind up in jail for armed robbery at a convenience store, This is Shelmerdine’s second outing with BBH... Read More, Comment

Bryan Buckley of Hungry Man directed this spot featuring Conan O’Brien who describes himself as another celeb with too much time on his hands and “a lot of aggression.” Thus O’Brien unwinds by beating up people dressed as fantasy characters. We see him doing just that at a Comic-Con type of gathering, acknowledging that such behavior is illegal. Thankfully O’Brien has found a substitute form of beating up fantasy characters with the new Lineage II Revolution video game he can play on his cell... Read More, Comment

Following on from their award winning Paralympics ad, 4creative and director Dougal Wilson of Blink Productions have teamed up once again, this time to create a brand new set of idents for Channel 4. In the films, Channel 4’s iconic blocks are brought to life as a friendly fallible giant. Shot across the UK, the films are a celebration of togetherness, diversity and youth. Wilson takes a refreshingly humorous and light-hearted approach to the channel’s new identity, making it impossible not to... Read More, Comment

Director Tom Tagholm of Park Pictures reunites with telecommunications brand TalkTalk on a holiday spot titled “This Is Christmas” out of CHI & Partners, London. This candid, unscripted TV commercial reveals what Christmas really looks like in one British family home, when the filmmakers are out of sight. Created by advertising agency CHI & Partners, the :60 offers an intimate, honest insight into the laughter, chaos and touching moments of the festive season as experienced by a family... Read More, Comment

Jessica Clark, a two-time USAC Ford Focus Champion race car driver from Ventura, Calif., dreams of racing in NASCAR one day. As a confident and driven female in a male-dominated career field, she is an empowering example of a woman defying the odds and resisting any challenge she encounters on and off the track. Ellen Houlihan, a SHOOT New Directors Showcase alum (2013), decided to profile Clark on spec, yielding this short which recently won first place at the AudFest 2017 Documentary Short... Read More, Comment