LOS ANGELES -- ”You cannot turn down a Coen brothers movie,” affirmed cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, AFC, ASC in explaining why he immediately committed to Netflix’s The Ballad of Buster Scruggs . “I felt very honored and privileged when they called me after we had worked years ago on Inside Llewyn Davis . It’s been five years for Delbonnel between his collaborations with directors/writers/producers Joel and Ethan Coen. However, Delbonnel has been most productive during the interim with credits that include... Read More, Comment

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Amidst a week-plus of wheeling and dealing on completed features as well as projects in various stages of development, the 2018 American Film Market (AFM)--which wraps today (11/7) in Santa Monica--delivered much more in its distribution pipeline than just content for theaters and digital platforms. Also being distributed at AFM was advice on how to promote diversity and inclusion within that content and throughout the industry as a whole--along with insights as to why it’s important to bring... Read More, Comment

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- A variation of the glass either being half full or half empty argument--underscoring perceptions of quantity and how they translate to assessments of quality--emerged at the American Film Market’s (AFM) LocationEXPO, held November 3-6 in Santa Monica. While the glass was far from being filled to the brim in terms of EXPO attendee traffic, the quality of the contacts that flowed through the film commission space was in many cases enough to quench a number of exhibitors’ thirst for business... Read More, Comment

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The awards season launched with the presentation of the Hollywood Film Awards on Sunday evening (11/4), emceed by actress and comedian Awkwafina at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. In the Hollywood Film Awards’ 22-year history, more than 320 stars and filmmakers have been recognized and 130-plus honorees have gone on to garner Oscar nominations and/or wins. Felix van Groeningen voiced his utmost gratitude to receive the Hollywood Breakthrough Director Award and to be lucky enough to make a... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- The 2018 London International Awards (LIA) bestowed a dozen Grand LIAs, including two apiece for Montefiore Medical Center’s Corazón from JohnXHannes, NY, and Palau Legacy Project's "Palau Pledge" out of Host/Havas, Sydney. Also included in the Grand mix were Procter & Gamble’s “The Talk” from BBDO NY, and Nike’s “Nothing Beats A Londoner” out of Wieden+Kennedy, London. LIA winners were unveiled today (11/5); the results are based on judging for the 33rd annual LIAs convened over a 10-day... Read More, Comment

TORONTO (AP) -- If you want to see an exhausted Chris Pine, meet him after he's spent a day answering questions about his nude scene. Following the September premiere of David Mackenzie's "Outlaw King," in which Pine stars as the Scottish hero Robert the Bruce, conversation at the Toronto International Film Festival focused largely on Pine's instant of full-frontal nudity in the film. That such a brief moment should arouse such curiosity — and not, say, anything else in the two-plus hours of historical-epic... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- One hundred sixty-six features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 91st Academy Awards®. The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are: Above and Beyond: NASA’S Journey to Tomorrow Active Measures Amazing Grace American Chaos Andy Irons: Kissed by God Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco Avicii: True Stories Bali: Beats of Paradise Bathtubs over Broadway Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché Believer Better Angels Bill... Read More, Comment

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Win Bates--who directed this year’s primetime Emmy-nominated Monica Lewinsky anti-bullying PSA, “In Real Life”--has joined Tool of North America ’s live-action roster for spots and branded content in the U.S. Tool marks his first career production company roost for exclusive representation. Bates had previously been directing as a freelancer. In fact he freelance helmed “In Real Life” via BBDO Studios for agency BBDO New York. The Lewinsky PSA served as a powerful exploration of cyberbullying... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Production company Serial Pictures has signed filmmaker Max Minghella for commercials, branded content, and music videos. This marks his first career representation in the ad arena. Already known for his on-screen credits, including his dynamic roles in Hulu’s Emmy-winning series The Handmaid’s Tale and the Academy Award-winning film The Social Network , Minghella this year established himself as a captivating filmmaker with his feature-length directorial and original screenplay debut, Teen... Read More, Comment

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- harvest Films--the longstanding production house founded by executive producer Bonnie Goldfarb and DGA Award-winning director Baker Smith--has signed director Nicholas Schrunk. Schrunk brings action and adventure storytelling sensibilities to the company’s boutique and curated roster. “Nick’s work is memorable and takes ‘action genre’ content creation to an entirely new level,” assessed harvest co-owner Goldfarb. “His experience working with Red Bull, as a creative director, has given him the... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Sweetshop has signed director Edward Berger for commercials and long-form branded projects globally. Berger recently earned a primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series on the strength of Showtime’s Patrick Melrose . His was one of five Emmy nods garnered by Patrick Melrose which starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Berger also directed the two-hour series premiere of this year’s AMC series The Terror . His other credits include the landmark... Read More, Comment

LONDON -- Global digital agency Isobar has tabbed Ronald Ng to serve as EVP and global chief creative officer. In assuming the shop’s newly created global CCO role, Ng will be based in New York and report to Jean Lin, Isobar’s global CEO. Ng will work closely with teams across Isobar’s 85 offices in 45 markets and in driving Isobar’s position as an agency that delivers experience-led transformation through the creative use of digital. He will dovetail with Isobar’s global creative and design, technology... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- NBC, Fox News Channel and Facebook all said Monday they will stop airing President Donald Trump's campaign advertisement that featured an immigrant convicted of killing two police officers. CNN had rejected the same ad, declaring it racist. Asked before leaving for campaign rallies if he thought the advertisement was offensive, Trump said, "a lot of things are offensive. Your questions are offensive a lot of times." The ad has already likely been seen by more people than it would if it kept... Read More, Comment

CULVER CITY, Calif. -- Commercial and feature filmmaker Ashley Avis has joined Backyard’s directorial roster for spot and branded content representation in the U.S. Backyard’s managing director Roy Skillicorn brought Avis over from his ongoing indie shop Seed Media Arts which had previously handled her in the ad arena. Avis has written and directed for blue chip brands including Mercedes-Benz, Pfizer, Red Bull, Coca Cola, Envya, Lone Ones, and most recently, Chevrolet. Avis’ latest film, a troubled teen romance,... Read More, Comment

BROOKLYN, NY -- Greenpoint Pictures, with bases of operation in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, has added directorial duo Ghost + Cow--consisting of John Carlucci and Brandon LaGanke--to its roster for U.S. representation. Ghost + Cow’s commercial and music video work has won numerous national and international awards, including Cannes Lions and One Show recognition. Ghost + Cow’s work has screened at film festivals including Slamdance and SXSW. The duo has directed for brands including McDonald’s, Home Depot,... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Bicoastal commercial production company REVERSE has signed lifestyle and comedy director Kim Jacobsen and docu-style director Bradley Tangonan for U.S. representation. Jacobsen’s versatility is evident in work spanning lifestyle, humor, automotive, and VFX, marked by clever, natural performances and emotional composition. He began his career as an agency copywriter and concept creator before branching out as a director. Jacobsen, who was previously handled through Bully Pictures, has directed... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- From the visual antics of Jim Carrey to the brooding post-war realism of Vittorio De Sica, assistants at post house and production companies took their best shot at reimaging classic (and not-so-classic) films into new creative statements as part of Camp Kuleshov, AICP’s popular trailer competition. The annual contest, which tasks assistants with cutting new trailers that change a films’ genre; composing new sound design tracks that alter a scene’s meaning; or creating original opening title... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- For a fundamentally nerdy subject, net neutrality is pushing a lot of political buttons. The latest salvo is over a California law that restores a ban on cable, wireless and other broadband providers from impeding people's ability to use their favorite apps and services. The federal government had rescinded that ban, and the Trump administration is seeking to block California's effort as an imposition on federal prerogatives. Though net neutrality started off more than a decade ago as an... Read More, Comment

Come closer, children, and listen to the tale of what politics was like before TMZ. Back in those dark ages, reporters simply didn't dig around and ask embarrassing questions of people running for office. They certainly did not bring up infidelity. I know, right? According to the fascinating new film "The Front Runner ," that all changed in the spring of 1987 when the first major politician to be grilled on his sex life was presidential hopeful Sen. Gary Hart, spotted cozying up to a woman who... Read More, Comment

Like the bottomless trunk totted by "magizoolologist" Newt Scamander, "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" is a mixed bag of wonders. Newt (Eddie Redmayne) can reach into his suitcase and, like Mary Poppins before him, pull out just about anything. And it sometimes feels as though J.K. Rowling — a screenwriter here for the second time — is similarly infatuated by her unending powers of conjuring. In this overstuffed second film in the five-part Harry Potter prequel series, every solved... Read More, Comment

No, "The Girl in the Spider's Web" isn't a Spider-man spinoff about a young woman ensnarled by Peter Parker. But you'd be forgiven for thinking the latest, revamped iteration of Stieg Larsson's thrillers has some superhero DNA. This, Lisbeth Salander's third big-screen incarnation in nine years, has morphed the avenging Stockholm hacker into a blander action hero, complete with a Batman-and-Robin-like band of white across her eyes. Following the spikier Swedish trilogy, with Noomi Rapace, and... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Freddie Mercury biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" and 20th Century Fox are — for now, at least — champions of the world. "Bohemian Rhapsody," starring Rami Malek as the late Queen frontman, shrugged off production troubles and mediocre reviews to debut with $50 million in weekend ticket sales in U.S. and Canada, and another $72.5 million internationally, according to studio estimates Sunday. That was well beyond expectations, which had pegged the film closer to $35-40 million in its opening... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- While political battles raged, viewers overwhelmingly cast their TV votes for football. Eight of the 10 most popular telecasts last week were NFL and college games or related programs, according to Nielsen ratings released Tuesday. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” Green Bay-New England contest was the top-rated NFL game of the season on any channel, the network said. More than 23 million viewers saw the England Patriots’ 31-17 victory over the Packers. CBS was the No. 1 network among all viewers... Read More, Comment

Gifts are not just for Christmas but for a whole year--courtesy of a playful, seemingly never-ending stocking and the latest festive campaign by TK Maxx. Launching in-store on Nov 7, the big gifts at small prices retailer will offer shoppers the chance to bag TK Maxx treasures every month for a year--for absolutely nothing. The real-world activation is brought to life in an irreverent spot directed by Nick Ball of Blink Productions, voiced again by the droll Bill Nighy. The ad is shot in the... Read More, Comment

adam&eveDDB, London, has created a powerful new campaign for the AA Charitable Trust, in an effort to reduce the number of road fatalities caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel. In a 60-second film titled “Drowsy Driver,” we see a man driving alone on a quiet road at night. Out of nowhere, a pair of hands appear and start giving the driver a shoulder massage. Then more hands appear, this time gently rubbing the driver’s temples. The relaxing vibe then steps up a level, with incense... Read More, Comment

This anthem spot for Macy’s holiday campaign centers around an astronaut who is in space over the holiday season, and her seven year-old daughter, Mia. The mom keeps in contact with her family over video transmission, and keeping her company in space is Sunny, a snowpal hand-made by Mia. As the spot unfolds, you see the wonder of the holiday season through an ingenious plan hatched by Mia. The piece ends with the line, “Believe in the Wonder of Giving.” Titled “Space Station,” the :60 was... Read More, Comment

The vicious cycle of gun violence never ever ends as depicted in the video #TheMostViciousCycle--posted last month as a ScreenWork entry--with music by Kesha, her brother Sage and rapper, Chika. Now the video comes with narration--from March For Our Lives co-founder Sarah Chadwick, and Marla Pike, mother of a Chicago shooting victim--which explains hidden aspects and meanings in the video, shedding light on the work while reminding viewers that the only way to stop the cycle of tragedy, human... Read More, Comment

This PlayStation spot follows a lone protagonist through a series of fantastical worlds on a journey from ordinary gamer to full-blown action hero. Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen of MJZ for BBH NY, “Journey Ahead” combines CG from The Mill with live action, depicting immersive, unforgettable experiences for gamers, advanced by a classical sounding poem which invites viewers to discover the greatness that awaits in the PlayStation universe. Highlighted were games such as Days Gone, Marvel’s... Read More, Comment

Each time a species becomes endangered, conservationists and scientists immediately take action to raise awareness of the problem and to secure protection and resources that will ensure the threatened species’ survival. But what happens when an at-risk population is a group of humans with particular characteristics, such as people with Down syndrome? In some countries like the U.S., there have been 30% fewer people born with Down syndrome than projected, and in a few countries, that number is... Read More, Comment

Creative agency GUT, founded by Anselmo Ramos and Gaston Bigio, along with The Fisher House Foundation and director Tucker Walsh of m ss ng p eces have rolled out this piece timed to Veterans Day on November 11. Fisher House maintains a program that provides a “home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. Veterans Day has long been regarded as a national holiday to honor military veterans who have served in the United States... Read More, Comment

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