For the fourth straight year, the Emmy winner for Outstanding Drama Series was Mad Men, underscoring that the ad biz had indeed once again made its mark on the television awards season. But that impression wasn’t confined to AMC’s acclaimed 1960s Golden Age of Advertising period piece show. In fact, there was a TV commercialmaking tinge to several other winners both during this past Sunday’s (9/18) primetime Emmy telecast and the prior week’s Creative Arts portion of the competition.
The ad industry connection was even part of another big winner during the primetime Emmy telecast, ABC’s Modern Family, which copped a total of five Emmys to top the evening–for Best Comedy Series (the second consecutive year), Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series (Steve Levitan and Jeffrey Richman), Outstanding Supporting Actress (Julie Bowen) and Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Ty Burrell), and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Michael Spiller).
Spiller won on the strength of the “Halloween” episode of Modern Family, the same episode which earned him back in January the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award for Best TV Comedy Series Director. The Emmy thus capped a stirring awards season for a helmer who too has been gaining momentum as a TV commercial director via Lookout Entertainment, a Hermosa Beach, Calif.-based production house headed by executive producer Yvonne Bernard. Spiller’s recent ad exploits include a three-spot package for Purolator oil filters out of Grey New York, the comedic premise centered on unlikely mechanics like a grandmother, geisha and an Amish man performing oil changes on an old pickup truck. If they can do it, anyone can as each is asked questions off camera by Spiller, adding to the people appeal and humor of the campaign.
Spiller’s credits also include directing Lookout-produced commercials for Mercury Insurance out of Kovel/Fuller, Culver City, Calif., and Ross Dress For Less from Los Angeles agency Admarketing.
Spiller continues to direct multiple episodes of Modern Family (now in season three) and has embarked on a new ABC sitcom, Apartment 23.
Scott Free
The History channel’s Gettysburg–produced by Ridley and Tony Scott’s Scott Free Productions in association with Herzog & Company–scored four Emmys during the Creative Arts ceremony, including the statuette for Outstanding Nonfiction Special as well as Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special. Gettysburg was directed by Adrian Moat, best known for his commercialmaking on both sides of the Atlantic via RSA Films.
Mary Donahue, one of three History executive producers on Gettysburg, acknowledged that she and her colleagues took a leap of faith on Moat. “We would have had concerns with anyone who didn’t have a big background in factual TV. But we absolutely fell in love with Adrian, his work and passion for the project. You could see the narrative skills in Adrian’s short films and commercials. And his compelling visual style was also essential for what we were trying to do.”
Part of what History was trying to do was to strip away the levels of romanticism that often surrounded accounts of the Civil War. Gettysburg thus focused on the perspective of the foot soldier, providing a realistic, graphic depiction of what the weapons of that time could do to human beings, the brutal heat endured by men on the battlefield, and the bravery needed to walk into what for many was certain annihilation.
Donahue related, “Given what we wanted to achieve, what better company to tell the story than the one run by Ridley and Tony Scott? The Scotts in turn connected us with Adrian who is one of the most creative, collaborative directors I’ve ever encountered. He was a true partner in the production.”
Outstanding TV Commercial
As earlier reported (SHOOT, 9/11), for the third consecutive year, Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., won the primetime commercial Emmy Award, which was presented at the Creative Arts ceremony. This time Wieden scored the Emmy for Chrysler’s “Born Of Fire” directed by Samuel Bayer of Serial Pictures and edited by Tommy Harden of W+K’s Joint Editorial.
“Born Of Fire” topped a 2011 field of spot nominees that also consisted of Nissan LEAF’s “Polar Bear” directed by Daniel Kleinman of Epoch Films and London-based Rattling Snake for TBWAChiatDay, Los Angeles; McDonald’s “Baby” directed by Fredrik Bond of MJZ for TBWAChiatDay, New York; Old Spice Body Wash’s “Questions” directed by MJZ’s Tom Kuntz for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland; American Express’ “Conan-Curtain” directed by Bryan Buckley of Hungry Man for Ogilvy & Mather, New York; and Subaru’s “Baby Driver” directed by Jake Scott of RSA Films for Carmichael Lynch, Minneapolis.
“Born Of Fire” debuted on this year’s Super Bowl telecast and went on to generate invaluable earned media, eliciting social chatter, email, blogs and the like that continue to this day, most recently sparked by the Emmy win.
Director Bayer said that the commercial “was really a form of anti-car advertising. That’s why people appreciated it so much. We weren’t talking about the virtues of a Chrysler, how beautiful the car is. Instead the spot talked about something bigger, much greater in significance–the spirit of a city, Detroit, a sense of hope and economic recovery. People could relate to that. I feel lucky to have been involved. I’m just a guy who executed it. The big props go to Wieden+Kennedy for having a big idea and a big set of brass balls along with Chrysler to make it happen. The copy was amazing, really beautiful. The commercial didn’t have the comedy or special effects you expect to find in the Super Bowl. Instead it just had a lot of heart, which broke through the ad clutter and stood out, especially in a business as insincere as ours can be at times.”
Emmy follows Oscar
The Creative Arts Emmy proceedings also saw HBO’s Game Of Thrones land the statuette for Outstanding Main Title Design. The honored title design team included creative director Angus Wall, art director Robert Feng, animator Kirk H. Shintani and designer Hameed Shaukat.
Wall is best known as an editor and partner in Los Angeles house Rock Paper Scissors through which he has cut assorted commercials over the years. His Emmy for title design caps a memorable awards season as earlier this year he and editor/partner Kirk Baxter of Rock Paper Scissors earned a Best Editing Oscar for director David Fincher’s The Social Network.
VFX signing
J. John Corbett has been named VFX supervisor/design director at creative content/visual effects/brand communications house Gravity and will be based at the company’s New York studio. The announcement comes on the heels of the Boardwalk Empire pilot winning the Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series Emmy at the Creative Arts ceremony.
Corbett was part of that Emmy-winning Boardwalk Empire pilot team, serving as a lead compositor. Other artisans in that ensemble were VFX designer Robert Stromberg, VFX producers David Taritero and Richard Friedlander, VFX supervisors Justin Ball and Paul Graff, special effects coordinator Steve Kirshoff, and lead compositors Brian Sales and Ah Dee.
The same project earlier this year garnered a VES (Visual Effects Society) Award.
Corbett joins Gravity from Brainstorm Digital, New York. Gravity is active in commercials and branded content, and Corbett has credits in that arena which include contributions to Canon Digital Rebel’s “Impossible” campaign and to TV campaign graphics for Kmart.
Audio honor
Taking the Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation was Family Guy‘s “Road To The North Pole” episode. Artisans from CSS Studios‘ Todd-AO on the Emmy winning episode were production sound mixer Patrick Clark and re-recording mixer James F. Fitzpatrick.
Tally-ho
Topping the 2011 Emmy Award tally was HBO’s Boardwalk Empire with a total of eight–seven of which came during the Creative Arts ceremony, the other during this past Sunday’s primetime telecast for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series, won by Martin Scorsese.
Next with six was PBS’ Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)–two from the Creative Arts proceedings, four during the primetime telecast, The latter quartet of honors was for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special for helmer Brian Percival, Outstanding Writing for Julian Fellowes, and Best Supporting Actress for Maggie Smith.
Tied with five Emmys apiece were HBO’s Mildred Pierce (which led the field with 21 nominations) and the aforementioned Modern Family. Mildred Pierce earned three Emmys during the Creative Arts proceedings and two this past weekend for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for Kate Winslet in the title role, and Outstanding Supporting Actor for Guy Pearce.
Garnering four Emmys each were: History’s Gettysburg; NBC’s Saturday Night Live; ReelzChannel’s The Kennedys; and Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch. Both Gettysburg and Deadliest Catch caught all their Emmy Awards during the Creative Arts proceedings. Saturday Night Live and The Kennedys won three apiece at the Creative Arts ceremony. During the primetime telecast, The Kennedys won for Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Barry Pepper, and Saturday Night Live scored for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series, for helmer Don Roy King.
Winning three Creative Arts Emmys each were FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance and PBS’ Freedom Riders (American Experience). The latter won all three categories in which it was nominated: Nonfiction Filmmaking (Best Documentary), Editing for Nonfiction, and Writing for Nonfiction.
Rounding out those shows with more than one Emmy were a dozen with two each, including: Mad Men (with one during the primetime telecast for Outstanding Drama Series); Game of Thrones (a primetime telecast Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Peter Dinklage); Comedy Central’s The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (two primetime wins for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series, and for Outstanding Writing); and DirecTV/NBC’s Friday Night Lights (primetime wins for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, Kyle Chandler, and for Writing, Jason Katims).
The balance of seven shows winning a pair of Emmys all got them during the Creative Arts proceedings: FOX’s American Idol, PBS’ American Masters, Disney Channel’s Phineas and Ferb, Comedy Central’s Futurama, Cartoon Network’s Firebreather, CBS’ 64th Annual Tony Awards, FOX’s Glee and Showtime’s The Borgias.
Among the one-time 2011 Emmy winners of note were: Julianna Margulies who won Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for CBS’ The Good Wife; Margo Martindale who took Supporting Actress in a Drama Series honors for FX’s Justified; Jim Parsons of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series; Melissa McCarthy of CBS’ Mike & Molly for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series; and CBS’ The Amazing Race for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program.
The Creative Arts and primetime Emmy ceremonies were held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The live primetime telecast was hosted by Glee star Jane Lynch and executive produced for the first time by reality TV producer Mark Burnett.
