SHOOT‘s New Directors Showcase marks a milestone, its 10th year, which will be celebrated the evening of Thursday, May 17, at the DGA Theater in New York City, highlighted by the introduction of a 2012 roster consisting of 34 up-and-coming directors–31 individual helmers and a three-member team.
On the other end of the filmmaking continuum, well established, acclaimed directors–including Lee Hirsch, the filmmaker behind the feature documentary Bully, and Bryan Buckley of Hungry Man, a DGA Commercial Director of the Year winner whose short film Asad was recently honored as the Best Narrative Short at the Tribeca Film Festival–will be front and center at SHOOT‘s counterpart daytime event, the Directors/Producers Forum, also on May 17 at the DGA Theater.
Buckley will kick off the Forum with a morning “In The Director’s Chair” session during which Asad will be screened and he will share the backstory of the film, what compelled him to write and direct it, the logistical hurdles he faced along the way, and his plans for “Asad” going forward.
Wrapping up the daylong Forum will be a late afternoon “In The Director’s Chair” session featuring Hirsch who will discuss the genesis of Bully, the documentary’s role as an agent for positive social change, and his filmmaking career which spans varied disciplines.
Sandwiched in-between the Director sessions will be three Forum panel discussions and lunch. One such panel will feature three leading directors, documentarian Matthew Heineman, RSA Films’ Amir Bar-Lev and Bandito Brothers’ Jacob Rosenberg, whose feature documentaries all made their mark on this year’s film festival circuit. Plus a panel session on emerging opportunities spanning different platforms will include creatives from BBDO, TBWAChiatDay, SapientNitro and Organic. And we’ll have a panel discussion tackling implications for postproduction workflow given the increased prominence of digital cameras–DPs and a production/post house veteran will offer their insights and expertise.
The Forum will provide a learning and networking opportunity for directors, producers, cinematographers, ad agency creatives/producers, feature & independent film, TV & cable executives, production & post company executives and artisans.
2012 marks the eighth year that the SHOOT New Directors Showcase event will be held at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Theatre on West 57th Street in New York City. Both the daytime Directors/Producers Forum agenda and the New Directors Showcase evening program combine to provide an ideal environment for filmmakers, commercialmakers and production and post executives and artisans involved in all types of content creation to capitalize on new business opportunities, share expertise, meet new project partners, initiate creative collaboration, source new possibilities for work and help define opportunities in an evolving marketplace now clearly spanning advertising and entertainment (and the merging of those two worlds).
New Directors Showcase
Meanwhile the directors lineup is set for the 10th annual Showcase. It features the following directors:
Eddie Alcazar
Manny BernardezAndrea Ball
Matt Bieler
Chanya Button
Ben Callner
Lawrence Chen
Everynone
Robin Fryday
James Gooding
Marshall Harrington
Hanna Maria Heidrich
Eran Hilleli
David Holm
Jonathan C. Hyde
Jeff Jenkins
John Ryan Johnson
Kirsten Lepore
Stephan Malik
Ariel Martin
Brian McAllister
Matt Miadich
Aron Paul Orton
Steve Petersen
Martin Rodahl
Tim Roper
David Rosenbaum
Andreas Roth
Habib Semaan
Michael Stahlberg
Rhys Thomas
M. Keegan Uhl
The debut screening of the Showcase Reel will take place during SHOOT’s 10th Annual New Directors Showcase Event from 6-10pm. The Screening will be followed by a special “Meet the Directors” panel and After-Party. Earlier the same day, SHOOT‘s Directors/Producers Forum takes place at the DGA Theatre from 9:30am-4:30pm.
The directors in this year’s Showcase come from a wide variety of backgrounds including unaffiliated newcomers, a noted ad agency creative who’s transitioned to full-time director and just landed his first production house roost, a member of the “Saturday Night Live” film unit ensemble, even a filmmaker who saw her short subject documentary earn an Academy Award nomination back in January. The work entered in the 2012 New Directors Showcase search spanned documentaries, features, commercials, alternative media content, TV programs, music videos, spec and student fare. The body of selected work represents a far reaching range of genres, styles, emotions and platforms, all reflected in SHOOT‘s 10th Annual New Directors Showcase Reel.
There was a great deal of very strong work entered in the search that ultimately did not make the final reel. SHOOT publisher, Roberta Griefer, noted that “letting directors know that they did not make the final Showcase is a difficult task but unfortunately the Showcase must be limited to approximately 30 pieces of work or the Showcase Event attendees would be sitting in the theater for days.” All directors who entered the 2012 Search were invited to keep SHOOT editors posted on their upcoming work and SHOOT looks forward to bringing many of them and their upcoming projects to SHOOT readers’ attention in the future.
Schedule of events
Here’s a look at the Forum interview sessions and panels:
10:10-11:05am: In The Director’s Chair Interview & Screening
Overview: Bryan Buckley, known for his work in comedy and on the Super Bowl via production house Hungry Man, took a 180-degree turn from his perceived mainstream norm with “Asad,” a short film which debuted at last month’s Tribeca Film Festival and won the Tribeca award for Best Narrative Short. “Asad” centers on a 12-year-old lad in a war-torn fishing village in Somalia who must decide between falling into the pirate life or rising above it to choose the path of an honest fisherman. After the short is screened for Forum attendees, Buckley reflects on “Asad,” the Tribeca experience and his filmmaking career. In bestowing an award upon “Asad,” the Tribeca issued a statement which described the film as “a lyrical, moving and beautifully realized portrayal of a world we rarely get to see in cinema. Every shot of the film is well thought out and specific to this unique world–a fishing village in Somalia. Yet Asad’s most astounding achievement is boasting an array of brilliant performances by a cast of Somali refugees. Congratulations to writer/director Bryan Buckley and his amazing cast on making a short film that is rather large in spirit, ambition and accomplishment.”.
Featured Speaker::
Bryan Buckley, director, Hungry Man
11:15am-12:15pm: Advertising & Entertainment Production: The Bar Is Raised
Overview: An agency-produced feature-length documentary, “Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare,” debuts at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. “Re:Generation: Music Project,” a feature-length film pairing a leading production house with a music-focused entertainment studio–made in association with the Grammys and sponsored by an automobile maker–is selected for the 2012 South By Southwest Film Festival. Another feature documentary, “Waiting For Lightning,” deftly tied into DC Shoes, also premieres at SXSW. Agency-initiated and brand-supported content is starting to make its mark on the festival circuit, underscoring how advertising talent is finding varied places in mainstream entertainment and informational content. We talk to the movers and directors behind these three festival films in a panel exploring the maturation of the coming together of the advertising and entertainment communities. Plus a little perspective on the legal front as to the implications of this maturation as it applies to intellectual property.
Panelists:
Amir Bar-Lev, director, RSA Films
Matthew Heineman, director/producer, Our Time Projects
Rick Kurnit, partner, Frankfurt Kurnit klein & Selz
Jacob Rosenberg, director, Bandito Brothers
Doug Scott, president, OgilvyEntertainment
12:30-1:15pm: Lunch Break
Lunch & casual conversation downstairs at the DGA Theatre
1:30-2:30pm: Screen Play – Content Creation in a Multi-screen World
Overview: New platforms and combinations thereof–as well as different forms of advertising & entertainment content for them–continue to emerge and evolve. How are traditional media and new platforms meshing? What approaches are working to help connect brands with the right audiences? What lessons are we learning about the coming together of art and commerce, advertising and entertainment? As Transmedia, Social Media and diverse forms of Digital Media continue to evolve, this panel offers multifaceted perspectives on that evolution and how the advertising and entertainment content creators are striving to engage consumers.
Panelists:
Conor Brady, chief creative officer, Organic
Layne Braunstein, executive creative director/co-founder, Fake Love
Teddy Lynn, executive VP, director of content, BBDO
Gary Nelson, creative director, SapientNitro
Robert Valdes, head of production, TBWAChiatDay, New York
2:30pm-3:15pm: Production Workflow – Get “Flow-ent” In The Language Of Camera-To-Post Workflow
Overview: Cinematographers and post artisans discuss how they dovetail with respect to workflow stemming from the growing prominence of digital cinematography. We’ll hear about some of today’s hottest cameras and production workflows. Plus, we’ll share exciting footage shot with the ARRI Alexa and new Alexa M cameras.
Panelists:
Tiffany Armour-Tejada, Local 600 D.I.T
Craig Leffel, Head of Production, One at Optimus
Darren Lew, Director of photography
Matthew Woolf, Director of photography
3:20-4:20pm: In the Directors Chair Interview session
Overview: Lee Hirsch, director of “Bully,” will be on stage for a one-on-one interview with SHOOT editor Robert Goldrich. A cinematic, character-driven documentary that’s proving to be an agent for positive social change, “Bully” has earned critical acclaim as well as honors at the True/False Film Fest, the Zurich Film Festival, the Silverdocs Film Festival, the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Hamptons International Film Festival and the Bergen International Film Festival. Hirsch will discuss the “Bully” backstory, the feature documentary’s role in society, his filmmaking career spanning varied disciplines, and what’s next on his career horizon. Plus, the audience will get the chance to “interview” Hirsch as he will field questions from the audience.
Featured Speaker:
Lee Hirsch, director
—4:30PM: SHOOT Directors/Producers Forum Adjourns
Attendees have brief break to check in with their offices, catch up on emails/calls or explore the city. Attendees are asked to be back at the DGA Theatre for New Directors Showcase Check-in between 5:30-5:50PM
The New Directors Showcase Agenda: 6:00pm-10:00pm
5:30-5:50pm – Attendee Check in
6pm – Welcome from SHOOT & the DGA
6:15 -7pm – Screening of the 2012 10th Annual SHOOT New Directors Showcase Reel
7:00-8pm – “Meet the New Directors” Panel
Six of the New Directors in the Showcase will share their backstories & aspirations.
Two industry pros provide industry perspective:
>Bonnie Goldfarb, co-founder and executive producer, harvest
>Agency Exec to be announced
8:00-10pm – After-party downstairs at the DGA.
New Directors, panelists and attendees head downstairs for food, drink and conversation with industry friends and new connections made during the course of the day.
Register to attend the SHOOT Directors/Producers Forum &
New Directors Showcase (use special discount code)…
SHOOT is offering an all-inclusive low-cost registration fee of just $70. to attend both the May 17th SHOOT Directors/Producers Forum & 10th Annual New Directors Showcase. The combined programs will provide an ideal environment for directors, producers, ad agency creatives & producers, studio creatives, production company entrepreneurs, and other artists & executives to capitalize on new business opportunities, share expertise, meet new project partners, initiate creative collaboration, source new possibilities for work and help define opportunities in an evolving marketplace now clearly spanning advertising and entertainment, and the merging of those two worlds. Click here for Event Registration </FONT href="https://www.shootonline.com/go/showcase"
SHOOT Directors/Producers Forum and The SHOOT New Directors Showcase Event Sponsors
The DGA and production companies harvest and ONE at Optimus are the 2012 “Lead Sponsors”. Kodak, media & entertainment law firm Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, and ARRI are “Silver Sponsors”. “Bronze sponsors are: the Nevada Film Office and Moxie Pictures. SHOOT greatly appreciates the support of the sponsors. It is their support of this event that allows SHOOT to offer a low ticket price for the combined daytime Forum & evening New Directors Showcase.
