SHOOT’s sixth annual New Directors Showcase–which will be marked by an evening screening, panel discussion and reception next week (5/28) at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Theater in New York–offers a total of 38 up-and-coming helmers filling 30 slots (23 individual directors, a three-person team and six directorial duos).
Per usual, prominent in the mix are ad agency artisans who have pursued their directing aspirations. And while directors from outside the U.S. have traditionally been a part of the SHOOT Showcase over the years, this time around they are even more prevalent. Among the notables are:
• Mattias Montero of Social Club in Stockholm whose ATG’s “Statues” commercial is featured in the New Directors Showcase
• The young duo known as Sumo Science of Aardman Animations in Bristol, U.K., who scored with their first major helming endeavor, Stereo vs. Vacuum, a pilot episode for a mobile phone series commissioned by the Aardman studio and Player X.
• Keith Bearden of Mr. Hyde, Paris, who’s repped stateside by Good Films, New York. His “Apartment Sharing” spot for Brandt Washing Machines via DDB Paris first gained inclusion in SHOOT’s “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery (SHOOT, 11/30/07).
• Baby, a duo from production house Rebolucion in Buenos Aires, who helmed Huggies’ “Uterus” for Ogilvy & Mather, Buenos Aires.
• Christian Bevilacqua of Therapy Films, London, who artistically depicted the many facets of a potato skin in McCain’s “Rustics” for London agency Beattie McGuinness Bungay.
• Sam Holst of The Sweet Shop, Auckland, N.Z.., for a humorous yet unsettling spec spot titled “Slacker” for seek.com.au.
• Luis Carone of 02 Filmes, Sao Paulo, Brazil for AMC Car Insurance’s “Remote Control” out of DM9 DDB, Sao Paulo. Carone just signed for stateside representation with Venice, Calif.-based Backyard (see separate story in this issue).
• And Tony Briggs whose short film Creative Dictator for thecreamery.co.uk pokes fun–and for that matter, dry wit–at the agency business.
Furthermore, foreign work registered with SHOOT judges this year, including: Amnesty International’s moving “Signatures” directed by Philippe Grammaticopoulos of Mr. Hyde, Paris and London, and repped stateside by Mr. Hyde @ Curious New York (agency was TBWA Paris); a Uruguay Lottery spot which shows how spatial relationships change after a lotto win as captured by director Guillermo Rocamora of Big Mama Productions, New York (agency was Publicis Impetu, Montevideo); Diesel’s “Space Diner” directed by Rozan & Schmeltz of bicoastal/international Partizan (agency was Surface To Air, Paris); and Nike Plus’ “I Am Not A Runner” helmed by Eran Creevy of Sleeper Films, Santa Monica (Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam).
Creative pedigree As alluded to earlier, ad agency creatives who have transitioned to directing careers continue to make their mark in the Showcase, a prime example being Brian Billow who recently exited his creative director’s post at DDB Chicago (SHOOT, 4/11) to settle into the director’s chair at bicoastal/international Hungry Man. He registered in the Showcase with Wrigley’s “Big Red Montoya” for DDB Chicago.
Ryan Ebner of bicoastal/international HSI Productions was on the agency side for 13 years, serving as a creative/partner at Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners in the Bay Area for most of his career. Ebner’s Showcase recognition came in part for his “MaternaCord” product spoof spot for Mother, New York.
And Harold Einstein started out as a copywriter before making the career shift to director. He is now on board the roster of bicoastal/international Station and gained Showcase inclusion for such humorous fare as Avis’ “Accents” for McCann Erickson, N.Y.
Team work Besides the aforementioned Baby, Sumo Science, and Rozan & Schmeltz, the other teams in the Showcase are: The Docter Twins from DUCK Studios, Los Angeles (for Wienerschnitzel’s “Gotcha” out of DGWB Advertising, Santa Ana, Calif.); Bitstate of The Ebeling Group, New York (for Havaianas’ “Bus Stop” via BBDO New York); Gentlemen from Uber Content, Hollywood (Doritos’ “Mouse Trap” via a competition overseen by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco); and the trio known as Syndrome from Robot Films, Los Angeles (for the Estelle music video featuring Kanye West and titled “American Boy”).
Meanwhile there was a fair smattering of spec fare in the Showcase such as director Tony McNeal’s “Emergency Worthy” for Levi’s (McNeal signed with the recently launched Hydraulx Filmz, Santa Monica); helmer Lanre Olabisi’s “A Better Way” for Yahoo! Personals; Guido Verweyen’s “Serenade” spot for Joe Boxer (Verweyen is handled in Texas for spots by Big Fish Films, Dallas); and Rob Devor’s “Clams” for Coleman (Devor is with bicoastal Nonfiction Unlimited).
Devor, a documentary filmmaker, recently landed an ambitious global campaign for Bonefish Grill out of Cliff Freeman and Partners, New York (see feature story in this week’s issue).
Speaking of documentaries, Great Genius And Profound Stupidity helped secure a Showcase slot for director Benita Raphan. The doc. is slated for air on the Sundance Channel.
Rounding out the SHOOT New Directors Showcase lineup are:
• Adria Petty of harvest, Santa Monica, for Target’s “Portal” via Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
• Rich Lee of DNA Hollywood whose pop-up book spot for Eni out of TBWA, Milan, is this week’s entry in SHOOT’s “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery.
• David Katzenberg of Prettybird, Santa Monica for his short film The Tale of RJ.
• Keith Schofield of CaviarLA for Jennie-O’s “Wrestling” out of BBDO’s Minneapolis shop.
• Clay Weiner of Biscuit Filmworks, Los Angeles, for Bud Light’s “Dude” from DDB Chicago.
• And David Weinstock of Waif & Stray, N.Y., for Toyota’s “Icy Drive” out of The Ballpark, Santa Monica.
Lead sponsors for the Showcase event are the DGA, harvest and Sony. Silver sponsors are Kodak and Deluxe New York. For a full rundown of this year’s New Directors Showcase honorees, see our series of individual mini-profiles in this issue.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More