On the occasion of his third career nomination, Craig Gillespie made his first trip to the DGA podium and was bestowed the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award for best commercial director of the year. The honor was presented at the DGA Awards, Jan. 28 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
This was a big night for Gillespie, as well as bicoastal/international MJZ. Four of this year’s five commercial nominees are with the production company: Gillespie, Rocky Morton, Spike Jonze and Rupert Sanders (who was nominated for work from MJZ and his prior home, now-defunct Omaha Pictures). The fifth nominee in the commercial category was last year’s winner, Noam Murro of Los Angeles-based Biscuit Filmworks.
When he reached the stage, Gillespie accepted the award from actor John Leguizamo, and the helmer thanked his wife, MJZ president/co-founder David Zander, first AD Ken Gilbert, and his fellow nominees.
“There was so much good work,” Gillespie said afterwards, admitting that he was surprised by his win. The director added that it was nice to be sharing the event with the MJZ team, saying there is a real camaraderie among the directors. “Everyone wishes the best for each other,” he related.
Gillespie’s win came on the strength of a Ameriquest’s “Surprise Dinner” and “Mini-Mart” for DDB, Los Angeles, and Altoids’ “People of Pain” and “Fable of the Fruit Bat,” out of Leo Burnett USA, Chicago.
Of the lot, the director’s favorite is “Surprise Dinner,” which debuted during the ’05 Super Bowl. The dark comedy features a man preparing a surprise dinner for his love interest. Just as she unlocks the apartment door, a kitchen mishap occurs and she finds the man in the kitchen with her cat in one hand, and a large knife covered with red tomato sauce in the other. Gillespie thought the agency took a chance with the cat and dark sense of humor. “But the agency sold the commercial, and the concept paid off,” he said. In fact, this decorated spot also won the 2005 Commercial Emmy and inclusion in the AICP Show.
When asked what lies ahead for the director, Gillespie reported that he recently helmed another Ameriquest package and some work for Bud Light. These ads, he said, are scheduled to air during this year’s Super Bowl. Gillespie also recently wrapped his first feature, Mr. Woodcock, a comedy with a cast headed by Billy Bob Thornton and Susan Sarandon, which is scheduled for a summer release.
Looking at the business, Gillespie says it hasn’t really changed despite the attention on high definition and Internet advertising. “It still comes down to a good idea and executing it. I think it will stay like that for a while.”
Gillespie’s previous two DGA spot nominations came for his spot work in the ’01 and ’02 competition. This year was the fourth consecutive spot nomination for Murro. It was Morton’s third nomination in the DGA’s commercial category, and the first for Jonze and Sanders. Jonze however was nominated for a DGA Award in feature films for Being John Malkovich in ’99.
Feature Debut
This year, another commercial maker earned a DGA Award nomination in the feature film portion of the competition. Bennett Miller, who helms commercials out of bicoastal/international Hungry Man, earned a DGA Award nomination for his acclaimed feature directorial debut Capote, from United Artists and Sony Pictures Classics. Capote cast members Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener presented Miller with his DGA feature nomination medallion. The following night, Hoffman earned a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for outstanding male actor in a leading role for his portrayal of Truman Capote.
Ang Lee earned the DGA Award for direction of a feature film this year for Brokeback Mountain, topping a field rounded out by Miller, Steven Spielberg (Munich), George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck), and Paul Haggis (Crash). It was Lee’s third nomination and second win, having earned the 2000 honor for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Last year’s winner in the feature competition, Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby), was this year’s recipient of the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award.
