Boutique post shop WAX, with offices in New York and Boston, has added editor Peter Johnson to its roster.
Johnson’s most notable pieces include Smirnoff’s “Smirnoff Saber” and Johnnie Walker’s “Black Magick,” both of which garnered honors at the AICP Show. Beyond commercials and branded content, additional standouts range from Kanye West’s “Stronger” as well as Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Ni**as in Paris” music videos–both nominated for Best Editing at the MTV Video Music Awards–to Maxwell’s Five Days of Black documentary (directed/edited by Johnson and aired on BET).
Johnson’s best and favorite collaborations are when he and a director — like Roman Coppola and Barnaby Roper — share the same cinematic flow, fueling and sparking each other’s ideas in a time dissolving fashion.
Johnson’s editorial style is largely influenced by his multicultural upbringing. “I grew up throughout NYC, Paris, and London in the ‘80s. My father was a writer and my mother was a fashion designer. Much of my visual aesthetic and filmmaking approach comes from the different arts and lifestyles that I was exposed to as a child,” Johnson explained. “No matter what project I’m working on, I try to let the imagery tell me what it needs to be. I’m quite cerebral about my work. Every shot and edit has a purpose. I search to find and tell the best narrative possible with a focus on the emotions that I want the audience to feel.”
“I’ve known [WAX founder and EP] Toni [Lipari] for over a decade and we’ve always felt a creative connection,” related Johnson. “Her passion and vision for WAX has always stood out from the rest and I’m happy to be a part of the team now.”
According to Lipari, “I have known Peter since my agency producing days where I worked with him a few times in that capacity, and we stayed in close contact. We have spoken periodically over the last few years about him joining the WAX team and are finally able to make the timing work. Peter is an incredibly talented editor.”
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More