Global Mechanic, a live-action/animation house with shops in Boston and Vancouver, B.C., has added noted animation director Dirk van de Vondel to its roster. He spent the past six years at Sherbet, London.
Among his recent credits at Sherbet were spots for Nokia and Seat Automobiles. (The Nokia worked aired in the U.S.) He has also helmed American assignments for Coca-Cola and Lee Khakis via Tricky Pictures, Chicago. Adding to his international cache are jobs for Siemens via Cine Nic, Barcelona, and a Tate Gallery project via Richard Purdum Productions, London.
At press time, van de Vondel was wrapping a Nokia spot via Global Mechanic. The ad is slated to break worldwide this month.
A filmmaker and painter, van de Vondel bases his work on observational drawing, meshing design, expressive painting and a sense of weight and grace in movement. He is also known for mixing digital and physical production techniques.
Van de Vondel joins a Global Mechanic lineup of directors that includes Bruce Alcock, Dan Sousa, Nathaniel Akin, Rich Ferguson-Hill, Ian Godfrey, Marv Newland and Cliff Saito. Matthew Charde is the company’s executive producer.
Global Mechanic is active in spots (Kellogg’s Anheuser-Busch, Procter & Gamble, Coke, Mattel, Unilever, Hershey, Kraft, Mattle, Target) and longer form fare. Its latest films are Alcock’s At the Quinte Hotel and Sousa’s Fable. Both continue their run on the festival circuit, with exposure at Sundance, the Toronto International Film Fest, the Chicago International Film Fest, the Ottawa International Animation Festival, the San Francisco International Festival and the Annecy Film Festival. Quinte won best Canadian animated short in Ottawa and the Golden Gate Award in San Francisco.
“A Complete Unknown,” “The Brutalist,” “Gladiator II,” “Wicked” Among ADG Excellence in Production Design Award Nominees
The Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) has unveiled the nominees for its 29th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards. The ceremony, hosted by actress and comedian Rachael Harris, will take place on Feb. 15, at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
Among the motion picture nominees are the production designers on A Complete Unknown, The Brutalist, Gladiator II, Nosferatu and Saturday Night in the Period Feature Film category; and Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Dune: Part Two, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Wicked in the Fantasy Feature Film category.
Television nominations span the likes of Bridgerton, Fallout, House of the Dragon, The Lord of the Rings: Pachinko, Rings of Power, Ripley and Shogun.
The ADG Awards celebrate excellence in production design across theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos, and animated feature films. The 2025 Cinematic Imagery Award will be presented to Academy Award®-nominated director and filmmaker Jason Reitman, whose body of work includes Juno, Up in the Air and Saturday Night.
“This year’s nominees showcase the incredible artistry and vision that define our craft and our industry. We’re thrilled to bring the Guild together to celebrate the achievements of these incredible production designers and their art departments,” shared award show producers Michael Allen Glover, ADG, and Megan Elizabeth Bell, ADG, in a joint statement.
In addition, the ADG will honor Lisa Frazza, Barbara Mesney, Dan Sweetman, and J. Dennis Washington with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Legendary production designer Carl Jules Weyl will be inducted into the ADG Hall of Fame as part of the... Read More