Director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, which also earned him an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay; The Devil’s Backbone; Hellboy) has teamed with his long-time cinematographer Guillermo Navarro (a best cinematography Oscar winner for Pan’s Labyrinth) and two mainstays at Motion Theory–director Mathew Cullen and executive producer Javier Jimenez–to form Mirada, a creative workshop spanning multiple disciplines. The new venture is a sister shop to Motion Theory, with each able to tap into the other’s resources.
Mirada’s resources include design, animation, post, visual effects, an art department, a soundstage to facilitate traditional and virtual productions, and a full camera shop–all housed in a 25,000-square-foot studio in Marina del Rey, Calif. All four partners will be working out of Mirada, developing and overseeing original works, driving Mirada’s nimble approach to digital production, and guiding the larger creative agenda of the company. The partners see Mirada as a collaborative space where they and other filmmakers can work with artists to create and produce projects that span digital production and content for film, television, advertising, interactive and other media.
Motion Theory is now the commercial production company arm, and the directing core of the entire operation, nurturing strong visual filmmakers across multiple disciplines–and when needed, they can turn to Mirada’s artists and designers to help develop and realize their projects. Mirada is also going to be an incubator to develop up-and-coming storytelling talent, which has long been del Toro’s passion.
“We are creating a storytelling engine in the form of a company–an imaginarium, where we are free to explore the practical possibilities of transmedia without compartmentalizing our artistic process,” said del Toro. “Mirada will be an adaptive entity, constantly in transformation. We see a different model that looks beyond what the market is doing right now to where it will be in 10 years.”
Cullen related, “We’re taking a multidisciplinary approach, bringing design and cinematography to the forefront. Del Toro and Navarro have such a unique creative perspective–you see it in films like Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone and Hellboy. They embrace those great timeless narrative traditions, and Mirada will be building on that history.”
Del Toro is an accomplished director, producer, screenwriter, novelist and designer. Cullen and Jimenez have directed and produced through Motion Theory more than 300 projects together, earning multiple Grammy, Emmy and MTV awards. Navarro has shot more than 30 films.
Mirada’s management team includes: industry veterans Grady Hall (who remains a director on the Motion Theory roster) as executive creative director; John Fragomeni who serves as head of visual effects; Patrick Nugent, general manager; and Mark Allen Kurtz, executive producer.
Motion Theory continues under the aegis of co-founders Cullen and Jimenez. The Motion Theory directorial lineup includes Cullen, Hall, Jesus de Francisco, Mark Kudsi, Christopher Leone, Chris Riehl, and the recently signed collective Syyn Labs.
Director Hans Emanuel Joins Caviar For Commercials and Music Videos
Production company Caviar has signed director Hans Emanuel for U.S. commercial and music video representation. The film and advertising director fuses his keen--and Berlinale Film Festival Award-winning--eye for cinematic storytelling with a commercial background across multiple genres including beauty, automotive, dance, and visual effects-heavy projects, to produce creative for clients like Kia, Nivea, Nissan, L’Oreal, BMW and more.
Caviar executive producer Salim El Arja noted, “Hans has a unique ability to blend stunning visuals with heart and humor, rooted in his confidence as a craftsman. This allows him to focus on drawing exceptional performances from actors--including celebrities--and crafting films that are not only visually striking but also deeply engaging and often hilariously comedic. His sensibilities align perfectly with Caviar’s vision, and we’re excited to collaborate with him on work that pushes creative boundaries.”
Emanuel added, “Caviar is a renowned name, certainly since I began my career. They have a solid reputation for quality work, and I’ve always respected them as a company. Life is about where destiny makes you flow with the people you need; thanks to a series of projects, I was introduced to Florence Jacob with Caviar Paris first, and the rest is history. I feel they can support my career growth with their comedic expertise and filmmaking prowess.”
Prior to joining Caviar, Emanuel had been repped by production house Stadium. He was born and raised in Santa Monica, Calif., to a Mexican-German mother, benefiting from a culturally diversified upbringing that carried through his education interests. Knowing he wanted to be a filmmaker from the start, he began his career in the luxury and beauty field,... Read More