As this issue’s coverage celebrates the talent in SHOOT’s fifth annual New Directors Showcase–honored during a screening/panel discussion/reception event at the DGA Theatre in New York–I’d like to take the opportunity to reflect on the competition.
Ironically while five years is a short span, my first thought is related to an even shorter time frame–just back a couple of years to the 2005 Showcase, which included a promising talent, David Gray, who made an impressive transition from noted agency creative to a full fledged director at Hungry Man.
It was the offbeat, charmingly funny Starter work he directed, featuring Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Brett Favre, that caught our attention and gained Gray a slot in that third annual SHOOT Showcase.
I hearken back to that ’05 Showcase at the DGA Theatre in New York because less than two years later Gray was at the DGA Awards ceremony in Los Angeles as a nominee for best commercial director of ’06.
I’m not referencing Gray’s career progression to pat ourselves on the back but rather because it’s inspiring to the unique brand of artisans who struggle, scramble and dedicate themselves to becoming viable directors in a marketplace that is highly competitive and oversaturated in numbers.
And truth be told, as reported in our profile of Gray in this spring’s Directors Series, he was hardly an overnight success. The fact is that it was many years on the agency side of the business that groomed him to be a director. And the lessons he learned along the way as a creative at such shops as BBDO New York and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, served him in good stead.
Those same dynamics–perseverance, talent, careful reflection–are evident in this year’s crop of New Directors Showcase talent. And like Gray, there are several from the agency ranks who have aspired to directing careers and made great strides toward that end. But there are also in the ’07 Showcase many others from diverse backgrounds, including film students who have shown incredible initiative, connecting with notable established creatives to secure strong conceptual spec concepts.
Let’s face it, though–it is indeed an uphill, often daunting yet exciting climb. And new talent showcases of all sorts still have a high percentage of promising prospects who eventually don’t quite make the grade despite years of trying. But that makes it all the more important to cite examples like Gray, which thankfully aren’t all that isolated during SHOOT’s five years of presenting Showcase directors. Among the noteworthy others is Nelson Cabrera who I first met in the audience during our first Showcase.
A veteran first a.d. on commercials, Cabrera was just starting to do spec work, hoping to demonstrate his filmmaking sensibilities. The next year he gained inclusion into our second annual Showcase and appeared on stage. Today he’s an established director with HKM, underscoring just one aspect of what makes the Showcase so gratifying for all of us at SHOOT.
Nominees Unveiled For Cinema Audio Society’s 61st Annual Awards
The Cinema Audio Society has unveiled its nominees in seven categories for the 61st Annual CAS Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing 2024.
The 61st CAS Awards will be held on Saturday, February 22, at the Beverly Hilton.
Nominated in the live action motion picture category were the audio teams behind A Complete Unknown, Deadpool & Wolverine, Dune: Part Two, Gladiator II and Wicked.
Animated motion picture nominees were the sound ensembles behind Inside Out 2, Moana 2, Mufasa: The Lion King, The Wild Robot and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.
As previously announced, multi-award-winning sound mixer Tod A. Maitland CAS (A Complete Unknown, West Side Story, Joker), will be honored with the CAS Career Achievement Award. In addition, visionary filmmaker Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two, Blade Runner 2049, Arrival) will receive the Cinema Audio Society’s Filmmaker Award.
The CAS Award nominees highlight the outstanding contributions of sound mixers, recognizing excellence in the specialized craft of sound mixing for both film and television. Each year, accomplished CAS members—who possess extensive expertise in the art and science of sound—carefully review hundreds of projects to ensure the nominees truly reflect excellence in sound mixing in Motion Picture and Television entertainment.
“2024 was a year of remarkable achievements in the sound community, with exceptional talent on display across every category,” said CAS president Peter Kurland. “The innovation and artistry of these sound mixers continue to elevate the craft, and the upcoming awards will be a celebration of the outstanding contributions made this year. Congratulations to... Read More