As SHOOT’s 8th annual New Directors Showcase approaches, there’s context to be had from and for a first-time SHOOT event that same day (Tuesday, May 11) at the same venue, the DGA Theatre in New York City. The evening New Directors Showcase event has been expanded to include the launch of a daytime event, the SHOOT Directors Symposium. The expansion was in part sparked by past Showcase attendees asking for sessions where agency creatives and production house execs and directors could spend more time together and exchange ideas..
In recent years, the New Directors Showcase has been graced by the presence of director Laura Belsey, who acts as a DGA representative and provides introductory remarks for the Showcase. Belsey is an accomplished filmmaker whose multiple disciplines include commercials, repped by New York-based C-Entertainment. She is also a teacher of the commercial directing class at the Graduate Film School of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Several of our Showcase directors over the years have benefited from her tutelage at NYU.
Also successfully assuming the dual role of notable director and educator is Bob Giraldi of bicoastal Giraldi Media. Giraldi teaches two undergrad classes at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York–The Project Class, and Evolutionary Dynamics in Advertising.
In the spirit of our Showcase, we have slated for the Directors Symposium a morning session dubbed “The Next Generation: In the Classroom Chair/In The Director’s Chair.”
Giraldi and Belsey will discuss teaching their craft to–and mentoring–students. The two directors/educators will share their insights into being a director today and how they are helping to prepare up-and-coming directors for the real world by teaching as well as creatively nurturing students. Training, mentoring and survival tactics for directing advertising and entertainment content in today’s constantly evolving landscape will be among the topics.
Giraldi teaches classic storytelling in SVA’s The Project Class while going completely contemporary in the Evolutionary Dynamics curriculum, which centers on what he described as “social media, the new media, any media–wherever a brand needs to market itself outside of traditional media. There’s no television, radio, print or outdoor in this class. What’s allowed are new ways of thinking encompassing apps, other mobile content, Twitter, Facebook, both the more and less obvious of emerging outlets.”
Meanwhile, consider the comments of Nat Livingston Johnson, half of the directing duo (with Gregory Mitnick) known as Peking. Johnson and Mitnick were students of Belsey at NYU and have since signed with Station Film. Johnson told SHOOT in fall of 2009 that Belsey served as “an incredible influence and presence in our segue into the industry. She was always available and mentored us, taught us most everything we know about film, and most of her guidance was outside of the classroom. She is a loyal, helpful guide and a close friend. She introduced us to people, prepared us for what to expect in the real world, how to approach meetings with production companies, how to approach conference calls. She has offered us sage advice along the way.”
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Reach Divorce Settlement After 8 Years
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement, ending one of the longest and most contentious divorces in Hollywood history but not every legal issue between the two.
Jolie and Pitt signed off on a default declaration filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, saying they have entered into a written agreement on their marital and property rights. The settlement was first reported by People magazine.
"More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt," Jolie's attorney, James Simon, said in a statement. "She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr. Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family. This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over."
The filing says they give up the right to any future spousal financial support, but gives no other details. A judge will need to sign off on the agreement. An email late Monday night to Pitt's attorney seeking comment was not immediately answered.
Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, were among Hollywood's most prominent pairings for 12 years, two of them as a married couple. The Oscar winners have six children together.
Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, after a private jet flight from Europe during which she said Pitt physically abused her and their children. The FBI and child services officials investigated Pitt's actions on the flight. Two months later, the FBI released a statement saying it would not investigate further, and the U.S. attorney did not bring charges.
A heavily redacted FBI report obtained by The Associated Press in 2022 said that an agent provided a probable cause... Read More