Creative lab Impossible Objects (IO) has made Sarah James an executive producer, promoting her from sr. producer, a role she has held since earlier this year.
James attended the University of Georgia for film production and media studies before beginning her career at Energy BBDO in Chicago; first as an intern, then working her way up to in-house producer. She later freelanced as an on-set producer before landing at Ethos Studio as a post producer. At Ethos, James’ first job was with Diablo/Google Play which served as her introduction to IO and her gateway into the virtual production landscape.
She post-produced a large campaign for Sprite Limelight, a global music experiment in partnership with producer, singer, and songwriter James Blake that aimed to shine a light on trailblazing artists from around the world. The massive project had more than 300 deliverables, including eight unique long-form films and their cutdowns. Other brand collaborations include 5 Gum, Forever 21, SC Johnson, Lululemon, and Spotify’s “Viva Latina” activation. In her short time with IO, she has worked with Diablo, Dell, Core Power, and Merrell, with a specialty for fulfilling entire campaigns versus single spots.
“Seeing everything come together on set–in the volume–it’s a fantastic feeling,” said James. “This ability to generate unique environments and visual effects on set, in real time, delivers a seamless production approach and previously unparalleled level of flexibility.. It helps us do things more efficiently and it allows me to do what I love most–-working with incredibly talented agency partners, artists, and filmmakers.”
Joe Sill, IO co-founder and executive creative director, said, “Sarah is a natural leader and a curious storyteller, and her excitement for finding new and innovative ways to tell stories makes her a perfect addition to our team. She’s got an inherent knack for identifying and empowering a team’s strengths, and is an instinctive champion of artists and filmmakers.”
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More