Welcome to SHOOT’s fall edition Directors Series, featuring helmers who have helped to shape advertising in traditional and new forms, a look at new directorial talent and conversations with cinematographers about their ground-breaking work in collaboration with directors.
Fittingly, in some instances our profiles of master storytellers uncover their personal stories like Bob Ebel who recently returned to the director’s chair after undergoing heart surgery; director Eric Saarinen who finds himself in an unfamiliar free agent role being courted by production houses after 26 years at one shop, the recently closed Plum, which he cofounded; and Ram Madhvani, who has secured his first U.S. spot representation after years perfecting his craft in India–but surprisingly has acute stateside sensibilities leading his friends to describe him as “more American than Indian.”
And then there’s the body of work reflected in our series of profiles–work that is in some cases transforming the advertising/marketing landscape like the HBO “Voyeur” initiative directed by Jake Scott; new millennium forms of political campaigning, as well as the mini-episodic, intentionally low-fi, home grown-feel Toyota fare spanning broadcast and the web being directed by Dan Levinson, and the brilliant Cingular “Battle,” which definitively shows that art and commerce can successfully mesh (reflected in an Emmy nomination and a Gold Effie) as directed by Alison Maclean.
Then there are the backstories of new, up-and-coming directors whose atypical beginnings have translated into fresh perspectives on commercialmaking and other forms. Consider director Christopher Hutsul who found career initiative and a bright future as a filmmaker from his improbable entree into the field of newspaper journalism. And then we have Alex Ogus who financed his spec reel and shorts through the successful creation and marketing of a salad dressing, which was promoted via his first real-world spot.
SHOOT’s search for new talent isn’t confined to Directors Series editions or our annual New Directors Showcase at the DGA Theater in New York. Virtually every issue of SHOOT provides exposure for emerging artisans, including our ongoing “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery. But in an interesting twist, this week’s “Best Work” entry is from an established star director, Jake Scott, who teamed with agency GMMB to offer a poignant PSA on behalf of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Indeed, among our most enjoyable pursuits is bringing you great work and talent–whether the latter be brand new or already renowned. In that spirit we hope you enjoy this issue and we welcome your feedback.
Review: Writer-Director Mark Anthony Green’s “Opus”
In the new horror movie "Opus," we are introduced to Alfred Moretti, the biggest pop star of the '90s, with 38 No. 1 hits and albums as big as "Thriller," "Hotel California" and "Nebraska." If the name Alfred Moretti sounds more like a personal injury attorney from New Jersey, that's the first sign "Opus" is going to stumble.
John Malkovich leans into his regular off-kilter creepy to play the unlikely pop star at the center of this serious misfire by the A24 studio, a movie that also manages to pull "The Bear" star Ayo Edebiri back to earth. How both could be totally miscast will haunt your dreams.
Writer-director Mark Anthony Green has created a pretty good premise: A massive pop star who went quiet for the better part of three decades reemerges with a new album — his 18th studio LP, called "Caesar's Request" — and invites a select six people to come to his remote Western compound for an album listening weekend. It's like a golden ticket.
Edebiri's Ariel is a one of those invited. She's 27, a writer for a hip music magazine who has been treading water for three years. She's ambitious but has no edge. "Your problem is you're middle," she's told. Unfortunately, her magazine boss is also invited, which means she's just a note-taker. Edebiri's self-conscious, understated humor is wasted here.
It takes Ariel and the rest of the guests — an influencer, a paparazzo, a former journalist-nemesis and a TV personality played by Juliette Lewis, once again cast as the frisky sexpot — way too much time to realize that Moretti has created a cult in the desert. And they're murderous. This is Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" crossed with Mark Mylod's "The Menu."
It's always a mistake to get too close a look at the monster in a horror... Read More