LOS ANGELES -- For director Kari Skogland, it’s been a long journey to reach the destination of her first Emmy nomination. Over the years, her body of stellar work has spanned such shows as Boardwalk Empire, Penny Dreadful, The Walking Dead, Fear The Walking Dead, The Borgias, House of Cards, Power, Vikings, The Americans and The Punisher —as well as Sons of Liberty for which she won the Directors Guild of Canada Award for best director of a TV miniseries. This year Skogland finally broke through with TV... Read More, Comment

Craig Allen, head of integrated production, Venables Bell + Partners, observed, “It’s impossible to ignore today’s polarized society and the current state of distrust and uncertainty in the US, which affects who we look to for information and inspiration, and how we process messages too. Consequently, this is shifting the role that brands play in our culture and what consumers need from them nowadays, which extends far beyond the products that they sell. It’s been great to see many brands rise... Read More, Comment

One DP just earned an Emmy nomination for the second consecutive year in recognition of his work on Stranger Things (Netflix). Another garnered his first career Emmy nod on the strength of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon). And a third DP also has the distinction of having just attained his second Emmy nomination in as many years, both for episodes of Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon). Here are insights from cinematographers Tim Ives, M. David Mullen, ASC and Tobias Datum. Tim Ives Tim Ives shares... Read More, Comment

Our annual tradition continues with SHOOT sounding out John Leverence, sr. VP of awards at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, to get an entertainment industry POV on the spots nominated this year for the primetime Emmy which are: Procter & Gamble’s “The Talk” directed by Malik Vitthal of The Corner Shop for BBDO NY; P&G/Tide detergent’s “It’s a Tide Ad” helmed by the Traktor collective for Saatchi NY; the Monica Lewinsky anti-bullying PSA “In Real Life” directed by Win Bates... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Six promising filmmakers selected for the Commercial Directors Diversity Program (CDDP)--the joint initiative of the AICP and DGA designed to create opportunities for women and ethnic minorities--got the opportunity to showcase their talent last week (7/31) during an industry screening of their spec work at the Linwood Dunn Theatre in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Pickford Building in L.A. The spots featured at the screening were facilitated by the CDDP program which paired... Read More, Comment

From animation studio HouseSpecial and director Kirk Kelley comes Armor del Amor, a scripted nature “documentary” short—a combination of CG and live action—that follows the mating rituals of the nine-banded armadillo to discover the dark underbelly of modern mammalian dating. The tongue-in-cheek narrative follows the armadillo (a CG character creation) as she emerges from her burrow and into the lonely Texas landscape. HouseSpecial researchers captured footage of this modern animal’s efforts to... Read More, Comment

Our quarterly 2018 VIsual Effects & Animation Chart is headlined by a tongue-in-cheek Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom -esque document short exploring the mating habits of an armadillo in the age of computer dating. Among other entries in the Chart mix are: Budweiser's spot lighting up the FIFA World Cup, a poignant PSA which shows the impact of plastic pollution in our oceans, and a music video putting artist Sigrid in "Focus." So have a look at the best VFX and animation fare this past... Read More, Comment

To showcase how AT&T can provide a wide swath of entertainment through its range of services, BBDO LA created a campaign which includes a series of mashups blending movie genres in completely unexpected ways. One of the spots is “Bus,” which puts us aboard a touring bus making its way along a winding mountain thoroughfare. Distracted for a moment, the driver swerves to avoid a broken patch of road, causing the bus to careen until it stops at a precarious perch, half hanging off the mountain... Read More, Comment

Get an earful with a quarterly 2018 Top Ten Tracks Chart which is headlined by a wild bus ride that turns from suspense thriller to movie musical in order to promote the wide swath of entertainment provided by AT&T. Also included in the Chart mix are: a full-fledged musical which gauges the "Odds of Love" for the New York Lottery; a humorous look at a German car pro who takes a dim view--but is nonetheless duly impressed--by an Infiniti minivan that's put through its paces on his beloved... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- The Film Society of Lincoln Center has unveiled the 30 films for the Main Slate of the 56th New York Film Festival, September 28-October 14. This year’s lineup showcases films from 22 different countries, including new titles from celebrated auteurs, extraordinary work from directors making their first NYFF bows, and captivating features that wowed audiences at international festivals. Five films in the festival were honored at Cannes, including Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Palme d’Or–winner Shoplifters... Read More, Comment

TORONTO -- The Toronto International Film Festival’s 2018 documentary program has unveiled its lineup of 27 feature-length non-fiction films, representing 19 countries. The TIFF Docs selection will open with the world premiere of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 , a radical and humorous look at the United States under Donald Trump. Other world premieres include Rashida Jones and Alan Hicks’ Quincy , profiling musical icon Quincy Jones; Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble’s The Elephant Queen , narrated by... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Spike Lee heard the whispers. Just a few years ago, some were suggesting that Lee was no longer the essential filmmaker he had once been. There had been critical and box-office disappointments. He was hunting for funding on Kickstarter. His remake of the Korean classic "Oldboy" was re-edited against his wishes. As Lee readies his latest "BlacKkKlansman," his incendiary satire of white supremacy, those whispers are long gone. If it ever didn't, the phrase "a Spike Lee joint" again carries with... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- With a new movie coming out this fall, "The Old Man & The Gun," Casey Affleck is speaking publicly about bowing out of presenting the best actress Oscar and past harassment allegations against him amid the #MeToo and Time's Up movements. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Affleck reflects on the Oscars, the film, which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, and past harassment allegations against him in light of #MeToo, apologizing for... Read More, Comment

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- For the third straight year, FX reigned as the top winner at the Television Critics Association (TCA) Awards. This time around the network received four awards, three for its hit undercover Cold War thriller The Americans which earned Program Of The Year distinction, as well as Outstanding Achievement in Drama, and Individual Achievement in Drama for star Keri Russell. Additionally, FX scored Outstanding Achievement In Movies And Miniseries honors for the critically acclaimed true crime event... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Oscars are adding a new category to honor popular films and promising a brisk three-hour ceremony and a much earlier air date in 2020. John Bailey, the newly re-elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and film Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said in an email to members Wednesday morning that the Board of Governors met Tuesday night to approve the changes. Ratings for the 90th Academy Awards fell to an all-time low of 26.5 million viewers, down 19 percent from the... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- John Bailey, ASC was re-elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Tuesday night (8/7) by the organization’s Board of Governors. Also elected to officer positions by the Board: Lois Burwell, First Vice President (chair, Awards and Events Committee) Sid Ganis, Vice President (chair, Museum Committee) Larry Karaszewski, Vice President (chair, Preservation and History Committee) Nancy Utley, Vice President (chair, Education and Outreach Committee) Jim Gianopulos,... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- When actress Scarlett Johansson reversed course recently and canceled plans to play a transgender man in the film "Rub & Tug," transgender actors like Scott Turner Schofield were gratified — and pleasantly surprised. After years of watching non-trans stars win accolades — including Oscars — for what was seen as bravery in playing transgender characters, finally it seemed that somebody got it. "To have someone with any amount of power be reflective, and say, 'I did something wrong, I learned... Read More, Comment

VENICE, Calif. -- Saville Productions has signed Emmy-nominated directors Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster for U.S. commercial representation. The directing duo recently made its feature documentary debut with the film Science Fair , winner of the Festival Favorite Award at the Sundance Film Festival and the Audience Award at SXSW, Sun Valley Film Festival, Cleveland Film Festival, Portland International Film Festival and the Tumbleweeds Film Festival. Both directors come from an investigative journalism... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES/LONDON -- Sweetshop has signed director Jakob Marky for representation globally, excluding most of Europe where he is handled by Scandinavian shop Bacon (the U.K. is covered by Sweetshop). Born in Gothenburg, the half-Swedish, half-Hungarian director went all the way to Australia to earn his stripes in the film industry. After scoring in Scandinavia with films for TRYG, Nordea and IKEA, Marky won the Ingmar Bergman Award for Best screenplay for his film Fuga . The prize allowed him to spend time writing... Read More, Comment

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.(AP) -- Television is in danger of storytelling overload with diminishing returns to viewers, FX Networks' chief executive said Friday. His previous caution that there was too much TV was overly narrow, John Landgraf said: "There's too much story, there's too much narrative." That leads to the "impossibility of surprising the audience, of providing something that seems truly novel, truly new," he told a TV critics' meeting. As the growth of cable and streaming services has steadily expanded the show... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- The executive producer of the CBS news show "60 Minutes" is delaying his return from vacation until an investigation into sexual misconduct claims at the network wraps up. Meanwhile, CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl told reporters on Sunday that CBS isn't saying it's perfect and that there's room for improvement in any large company. The executives are dealing with fallout from a scandal after allegations against the executive producer, Jeff Fager, and CBS CEO Les Moonves appeared in a... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- For a company bent on making the world more open, Facebook has long been secretive about the details of how it runs its social network — particularly how things go wrong and what it does about them. Yet on Tuesday, Facebook rushed forward to alert Congress and the public that it had recently detected a small but "sophisticated" case of possible Russian election manipulation. Has the social network finally acknowledged the need to keep the world informed about the big problems it's grappling... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Disney's upcoming streaming service won't try to compete directly with Netflix and Amazon, but will focus instead on quality — namely original programs from Disney's "Star Wars," Pixar and Marvel brands. The details from Disney CEO Bob Iger came as Disney reported a growth in earnings for the latest quarter, though results missed expectations. With Comcast out of the bidding war, Disney is planning to move forward with its $71.3 billion purchase of Fox's entertainment assets, in part to boost a... Read More, Comment

In 1979, a man named Ron Stallworth who was the first African-American police officer and detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department also became a card-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan and the leader of the local chapter. He would send a white co-worker to play him for in-person meetings as part of the wild undercover operation, but Stallworth was the one on the phone, insisting his hatred for non-white races with everyone from the local chapter members to the KKK's "grand wizard"... Read More, Comment

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The judge who allowed AT&T's mega-merger with Time Warner was clearly wrong in concluding the marriage won't harm consumers, the Trump Justice Department argued Monday in challenging the decision. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon misunderstood the complexities of the booming pay-TV market and the nature of AT&T's competitors, the department's antitrust regulators asserted in their filing. But AT&T General Counsel David McAtee said that there's nothing in the government's new filing... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- NBC cut through the summer doldrums with the best week for a television network since the NBA Finals were seen on ABC two months ago. NBC was led, as is typical during the summer months, by “America’s Got Talent.” The competition show was seen by 11.8 million people last week, more than four million more than anything else on television, the Nielsen company said. Joining favorites like “American Ninja Warrior” and “World of Dance,” NBC added a new competition series in “Making It,” a crafting... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Tom Cruise sped past Winnie-the-Pooh at the box office to lead all films for the second straight week with an estimated $35 million in ticket sales for "Mission Impossible -- Fallout." The success of Paramount Pictures' sixth, stunt-filled "Mission: Impossible" installment, along with muted enthusiasm for the Walt Disney Co.'s "Christopher Robin," made for a seldom-seen result: A Disney movie debuting in second place. In a year where the studio has already notched three $1 billion films... Read More, Comment

Every day in America, eight children are unintentionally killed or injured by a gun,* often one that is found loaded and unsecured in the home. Today, in response to this ongoing crisis, a coalition led by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence unveiled “End Family Fire,” a comprehensive public education campaign focused on preventing the eight gun-related tragedies that occur daily because of these improperly stored weapons. The campaign was produced in partnership with the Ad Council and... Read More, Comment

Director Monty Marsh’s “Original Is Never Finished” spec spot for adidas is in line with the brand’s current marketing strategy of tracing a line between the past and the present. Told across three dimensions in time, the spec film is about the power of culture, and pioneering new ways to inspire the collective. This is achieved by utilizing modern-day Jumbies who cross from the past into the present, “ceremoniously protecting and empowering our village of today,” said Marsh. The goal is to... Read More, Comment

System1 Agency initiated this two-minute public service film, created in partnership with production company UNIT9’s directorial duo A Common Future. The piece shows how a couple’s young love is tragically and needlessly cut short due to texting while driving. The film alludes to a pivotal moment in the couple’s relationship, where long-term commitments are possibly about to be made, when suddenly the viewer is robbed of what happens next. The film concludes by stating, “There’s No Next If You... Read More, Comment

Wieden+Kennedy New York created “Fantasy Draft,” the latest spot in the Duracell “Trust is Power” campaign. Directed by Matt Aselton of Arts & Sciences, the :30 highlights the epic consequences of not having the #1 trusted battery brand in your wireless mouse during your Fantasy Football draft. Who wants to auto-draft a kicker in the 7th round? No offense, Justin Tucker. Read More, Comment

Denver-based creative studio Legwork created the animated content for this L.L.Bean backpacks ad illustrating how tough these backpacks really are. Taking place in a testing lab, the video shows how much weight and use these backpacks can take, and compares those numbers with fun and instructional examples—ranging from apples to Dalmatians, Statues of Liberty and water balloons. The script for "Testing Lab" was provided to Legwork, and from there they did the storyboards, designs and animation... Read More, Comment

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