Welcome to the Special Fall 2018 Edition of SHOOT’s Directors Series. Our mix of profiles includes several filmmakers whose work has entered this awards season’s Oscar conversation, including Paul Greengrass for 22 July, Yorgos Lanthimos for The Favourite, and Tamara Jenkins for Private Life. Lanthimos recently secured spot and branded content representation, joining the roster of Superprime. Also attaining a high profile for their feature exploits are directors Sam Taylor-Johnson and Jake... Read More, Comment

Continuing to break new ground with his commercialmaking via Park Pictures—a prime example being the recent high-profile Nike ad featuring Colin Kaepernick—Lance Acord is also prepping to break through with his feature directorial debut. On the former score, Acord teamed with Park Pictures’ colleagues—directors Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki and Christian Weber—on “Dream Crazy,” narrated by Kaepernick. The two-minute spot features star and not so prominent athletes striving to excel. It also touches... Read More, Comment

For Paul Greengrass—a Best Director Oscar nominee for United 93 in 2007—the chance to have his 22 July find an audience in theaters and on the Netflix platform right out of the gate represents a best-of-both-worlds scenario. But it’s the state of our world—reflected in his latest film—that makes Netflix particularly appealing to him due to the young demographic it attracts. Noting that young viewers might be more likely to give 22 July a look-see on Netflix—with the theater option also... Read More, Comment

Feature director ( The Road, The Proposition ) John Hillcoat successfully extended his reach to commercials back in 2010, making an auspicious ad debut with Levi’s “To Work” for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore. Fast forward to today and Hillcoat has gone far beyond just crossing over from one filmmaking discipline to another. He has stirringly meshed the feature and branding sectors with Corazón, a 48-minute film about organ donation for Montefiore hospital out of agency JohnXHannes, New York... Read More, Comment

There’s a symmetry to the protracted journey that finally gave birth to writer/director Tamara Jenkins’ Private Life, a story centered on a middle-aged couple (portrayed by Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn) long trying to become parents through assisted reproductive technology and/or adoption, coping with emotional hardship and assorted stumbling blocks along the way. The parallel prolonged sojourns in the story and getting the story finally made into a film carries for Jenkins—a Best Original... Read More, Comment

For filmmaker Sam Taylor-Johnson, it’s all about the story. And the story in James Frey’s initially acclaimed book, “A Million Little Pieces,” captivated her—a profound attraction which remained steadfast despite the controversy that later arose when it was revealed that parts of the memoir about drug addiction, rehabilitation and redemption were fabricated or embellished. Though the once marquee studio property was reduced to a tainted project—underscored by Oprah Winfrey rescinding her... Read More, Comment

A Best Original Screenplay Oscar nominee in 2017 for his English-language directorial debut The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos—whose Dogtooth received a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nod six years earlier—now finds himself once again in the awards season conversation, this time for The Favourite (Fox Searchlight). His first period film, The Favourite drew in Lanthimos not so much for the opportunity to travel back to the early 18th century but rather to tell a story with three strong female leads... Read More, Comment

For director Jake Scott, coming this year for the first time to the Toronto International Film Festival was especially meaningful, He brought with him the drama American Woman starring Sienna Miller who portrays Deb, a 32-year-old mom in the throes of a parent’s worst nightmare, the disappearance of a child. Set in a blue-collar Pennsylvania town, Scott’s film delves into the horror and impact of a teen daughter going missing. Deb is left to raise her infant grandson alone in a story that spans... Read More, Comment

“It was a gift,” affirmed Malik Vitthal. “Back when I was a P.A., BBDO was the dream company I wanted to work for. And Procter & Gamble was a dream client with work like the ‘Thank You, Mom’ campaign, sharing these different mothers’ stories. It was the kind of work I aspired to as a director.” The “gift” that ultimately brought director Vitthal, who’s with production house The Corner Shop, together with P&G and BBDO New York last year was “The Talk.” And this past awards season it... Read More, Comment

SHOOT’s fall ensemble of up-and-coming directors includes a feature filmmaker who recently wrapped her first commercial, an empowering piece for Nike. Also in the mix is an artisan who’s meshing art and science to great effect, reflected in her work garnering a recent Grand Prix in VR at the Venice Film Festival. Another emerging talent first established himself as a visual effects supervisor before showcasing his directing wherewithal with a whimsical music and dance short that’s scored on the... Read More, Comment

One DP got the opportunity to collaborate with a director he long admired, yielding a film which earned a six-minute standing ovation at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Another two-time Oscar nominee lensed an ad campaign for a director which translated into their again teaming on a feature, which debuted at the recently concluded Toronto International Film Festival. A third cinematographer shot two features which also made the cut at the Toronto Film Festival. And our fourth DP lent his... Read More, Comment

In this prequel to SHOOT’s The Road To Oscar series which starts next month, we tap into voices of experience—Academy Award winners and nominees who are now find themselves again in the awards season conversation. Here are reflections from an Academy Award-winning DP, an editor who earned an Oscar nomination for a documentary he co-directed and produced, a three-time Oscar-winning costume designer, and yet another costume designer who’s been twice nominated. They share insights, respectively,... Read More, Comment

Besides being the creator of notable shows including Catastrophe (Amazon and U.K.’s Channel 4, co-created with Rob Delaney), Divorce (HBO), and Pulling (BBC, co-created with Dennis Kelly), Sharon Horgan has also brought life to creative business environments that nurture the development and realization of such content as well as other entertainment fare. First, she and partner/producer Clelia Mountford formed what’s now the well established narrative film and TV company Merman. Then in 2017... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- The "Making a Murderer" filmmakers were in many ways in a race against the clock to make part two of their series, now available on Netflix. "We were in postproduction from day one," said Moira Demos. "We were shooting and editing and shooting and editing and finding the story as we went." The first "Making a Murderer" recounted the story of Steven Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, who were convicted in the 2005 slaying of Wisconsin photographer Teresa Halbach. Avery and Dassey are serving... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Tool of North America has signed director Hal Kirkland for commercials branded content and specialized innovation projects in the U.S. Kirkland, who comes aboard Tool’s Innovation roster, is an internationally awarded director, creative director, writer and media artist who wields words, film and technology to create meaningful human stories and experiences. He has created content for brands including Coca-Cola, Vice, Google, Oculus/Samsung and MTV, and worked with agencies such as R/GA, Wieden... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Director Daniel Benmayor--who first signed with Sweetshop in 2014 for representation across Asia, the Middle East and North Africa--has extended his relationship with the production company to now include the U.S. for commercials and branded content. He had previously been handled in the American ad market by B-Reel Films (BRF) and prior to that, Anonymous Content. Benmayor has worked for clients all over the world, including Adidas, Nike, Mini, PlayStation, Coca-Cola Group, Pirelli, Lexus,... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Director/cameraman John Mastromonaco has joined the roster at the L.A.-based production company Cultivate Media. Mastromonaco was most recently with FANCY Content, and prior to that he was a partner in his own bicoastal studio, Argyle Brothers. He’s represented in his native Canada by Untitled Films, Toronto. Mastromonaco’s work is a deft mix of visually-driven narratives and often stunning cinematography--evidence of his years as one of the most sought-after still photographers in advertising... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Director Elena Petitti di Roreto has signed with bicoastal Epoch Films for commercials, marking her first career representation in the U.S. In November, she is slated to direct her first job through Epoch Films--a project for Hennessy through Droga5. The shoot is set on location in France. Petitti di Roreto studied media design and received her BA and MA at the New Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, and then film studies at the Pratt Institute in New York where she was nominated for the Pratt... Read More, Comment

MADRID (AP) -- Voicing wake-up calls for new generations to save cinema, oceans and journalism, film director Martin Scorsese and marine biologist Sylvia Earle on Friday were awarded Spain's prestigious Princess of Asturias prizes along a selected group of scientists, mountaineers and intellectuals. In his acceptance speech in the northern Spanish city of Oviedo, Scorsese said he worried about the low consideration that cinema and arts receive globally, but more specifically in the United States. He also... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Director Danny Leiner--whose work spanned features, TV and advertising, the latter via production house Independent Media--passed away last week (10/18) after a battle with cancer. Known and admired for his sharp wit and comedic vision, his tireless work ethic, valuable mentorship, consummate professionalism and collaborative nature, Leiner had a body of work ranging from the boisterous comedy features Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and Dude, Where’s My Car? , to indie ensemble comedy-... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Stept, a creatively integrated production company with offices in Los Angeles and Jackson Hole (Wyoming), has added Toby Wosskow, Andy Maser, and Max Lowe to its roster for exclusive commercial representation in the U.S. Lowe and Wosskow previously directed independently while Maser had been earlier repped by production house Superlounge and prior to that was with National Geographic Creative. Maser is a three-time Northwest Emmy Award-winning director and cinematographer who began his career... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Michael Meyers — or is it Jamie Lee Curtis? — can't be stopped. "Halloween" dominated the North American box office for the second straight weekend, carving up an estimated $32 million in ticket sales. The top four films were all unchanged at the North American box office, according to Sunday estimates, as Hollywood left "Halloween" to dominate the pre-trick-or-treating weekend. The sequel to John Carpenter's 1978 original, starring the 59-year-old Curtis as Laurie Strode, last week notched the... Read More, Comment

As mobile phones are seemingly getting a hard time, criticized for how overuse of them hurts the quality of life, Three UK is taking on the cynics and bringing some balance to the debate with its new brand campaign, “Phones Are Good.” To extol the virtues of smart phones, this Three spot directed by Ian Pons Jewell of Friend London for Wieden+Kennedy London humorously reimagines pivotal moments in history, demonstrating in each scene how much better things would have been if phones had been... Read More, Comment

More than 115 people in America die every day from opioids and, in 2016, 2.5 million young adults (ages 18-25) reported misusing an opioid in the past year, making this one of the most critical public health issues of our time. That’s why Truth Initiative®, the Ad Council and the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) collaborated to create The Truth About Opioids campaign, a multi-channel opioid public education truth® effort, which first launched in June. Produced in partnership... Read More, Comment

Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky has teamed with the Sierra Club Voter Education Fund and Generation Z activists from all over the country who are calling on their peers to vote in the midterm elections. Produced by Aronofsky’s film/TV production company Protozoa Pictures and his commercial/branded content house Chromista, the video features people active in movements for indigenous rights, gun control, rights for the disabled, immigrant rights, climate justice, and transgender equality, among others... Read More, Comment

Action movie star Dolph Lundgren conducts a boot camp for Volvo Construction Equipment’s full range of heavy duty excavator machines (weighing from 1.5 to 95 tons)--putting them through a rigorous set of calisthenics in this cinematic, tongue-in-cheek film from Forsman & Bodenfors Sweden. During a series of extraordinary stunts, the machines are seen pulling Lundgren atop a huge concrete block across an unknown desert location, flipping gigantic tires across a muddy track and taking part in... Read More, Comment

Paul McCartney’s "Come On To Me"--from his newly released album Egypt Station--celebrates that basic human need we all have for connection. Three music videos, directed and edited by TG Herrington, harness the track’s joyful exuberance and inspire audiences to get up and dance as part of the #COTMChallenge. “Little Freddie,” “Ali” and “Elsa” were filmed in director Herrington’s home town of New Orleans, a place that lives large with compelling characters in a city known for its warm and wild... Read More, Comment

George Clooney returns in his latest installment as a Nespresso brand ambassador, as he’s never been seen before. Directed by Grant Heslov of Santa Monica-based Untitled Inc., “The Quest” sees Clooney suited up in armor, majestically saving a medieval kingdom before hitting the streets of New York City on a quest to find his heart’s desire, the kingdom’s most exceptional coffee. Co-starring in the epic adventure is one of the silver screen’s most famous queens, Natalie Dormer. This is the... Read More, Comment

Lack of transportation is a barrier for millions of Americans, so Midas has launched Project Spark to give back to those who give all of themselves. Designed to help families, veterans and first responders get back on the road, the national initiative will provide repairs, including parts and labor, for vehicles donated through 1-800-Charity Cars. Over the next year or two, Midas will be helping 1,000 families get back on their feet by fixing their cars. To help introduce the program, The... Read More, Comment

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