Editor Joe Siegel–whose interests in visual storytelling have taken him from DC Comics to his current incarnation as a sought-after creative editor–has joined LVLY, the recently rebranded content creation and creative studio in New York. He comes over from Crew Cuts, the New York editorial shop where he launched his career in post.
As an editor, Siegel has a feel for the ebb and flow of human stories, as seen in a B&W spot for Coach which follows a skateboarder as he travels on his board from Brooklyn to Manhattan and back. Siegel’s deft sense of rhythm and timing is also seen in his short film for the Range Rover Evoque and its “City Evocation” series, which profiles artists as they work in New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans.
Siegel says the move to LVLY makes sense in terms of where the industry is headed, as well as where he’s going as an artist. “LVLY is the next logical evolution in postproduction, bringing so many of the dynamic elements that go into creating great work under one roof,” he explained. “Collaboration is a hugely important aspect of post-production, and that’s at the forefront of their new structure and identity.”
LVLY EVP and managing director Wendy Brovetto, who leads LVLY’s editorial and live-action teams, said Siegel’s skill sets and versatility are a perfect match for the company’s purview. “We’re looking for artists and producers who want to experiment in varied genres and disciplines, and we clicked with Joe on that level immediately,” she noted. “His work reflects a wide range of styles, and while he’s well-versed in the thirty-second spot, he was looking for a home that would afford him not only the chance to work in different forms, but also one that could provide all of the collaborative services a project or client needs, such as VFX, design and finishing.”
Siegel said, “Joining LVLY presents an opportunity for me to stretch and work on projects outside of the traditional definition of a ‘commercial.’ They’re involved in so many things, from fashion and beauty to experiential and VR – I see all of this as opportunities for me to enhance my skills and broaden my craft.”
At LVLY, Siegel joins a talent roster that includes Olivier Wicki, Chrissy Rabe, J.P. Damboragian, Bruce Ashkinos, Geordie Anderson, Noelle Webb, Aaron Dunkel and Bryan Andes.
Review: Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance”
In its first two hours, "The Substance" is a well-made, entertaining movie. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat treats audiences to a heavy dose of biting social commentary on ageism and sexism in Hollywood, with a spoonful of sugar- and sparkle-doused body horror.
But the film's deliciously unhinged, blood-soaked and inevitably polarizing third act is what makes it unforgettable.
What begins as a dread-inducing but still relatively palatable sci-fi flick spirals deeper into absurdism and violence, eventually erupting โ quite literally โ into a full-blown monster movie. Let the viewer decide who the monster is.
Fargeat โ who won best screenplay at this year's Cannes Film Festival โ has been vocal about her reverence for "The Fly" director David Cronenberg, and fans of the godfather of body horror will see his unmistakable influence. But "The Substance" is also wholly unique and benefits from Fargeat's perspective, which, according to the French filmmaker, has involved extensive grappling with her own relationship to her body and society's scrutiny.
"The Substance" tells the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a famed aerobics instructor with a televised show, played by a powerfully vulnerable Demi Moore. Sparkle is fired on her 50th birthday by a ruthless executive โ a perfectly cast Dennis Quaid, who nails sleazy and gross.
Feeling rejected by a town that once loved her and despairing over her bygone star power, Sparkle learns from a handsome young nurse about a black-market drug that promises to create a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of its user. Though she initially tosses the phone number in the trash, she soon fishes it out in a desperate panic and places an order.
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