Commercial and feature director Daniel Benmayor has joined the roster of production house Cap Gun Collective (CGC) for U.S. spot representation. He was formerly handled by Anonymous Content.
“I’ve admired Daniel’s work over the years at Anonymous Content,” said CGC executive producer Jason Botkin. “He brings a unique blend of visual sophistication and raw energy to his films. You can really see an innate understanding of story and film language in his narrative work. He knows how to build tension, develop characters and deliver a strong finish.”
Building on his solid history in commercials, where he has worked for scores of major brands and agencies worldwide, Benmayor has also directed three feature films. The most recent is Tracers, which stars Taylor Lautner and will be released in theaters and on demand on March 20.
When asked what attracts him to certain feature projects, Benmayor explained, “I look for a combination between emotions and narrative–concepts that can motivate special storytelling techniques that engage drama and are visually compelling.” He views commercial assignments in very similar ways. “During the years the passions evolve, and you need new fuel to ignite them,” he said. “So there is a lot to love about commercials as long as there is an intriguing story and/or a challenge behind it.”
For commercial and branded content assignments, CGC is represented on the East Coast by The Family, on the West Coast by Novick & Associates, and in the Midwest by Them Reps.
CGC maintains offices in L.A., Chicago and London.
Review: Director Morgan Neville’s “Piece by Piece”
A movie documentary that uses only Lego pieces might seem an unconventional choice. When that documentary is about renowned musician-producer Pharrell Williams, it's actually sort of on-brand.
"Piece by Piece" is a bright, clever song-filled biopic that pretends it's a behind-the-scenes documentary using small plastic bricks, angles and curves to celebrate an artist known for his quirky soul. It is deep and surreal and often adorable. Is it high concept or low? Like Williams, it's a bit of both.
Director Morgan Neville — who has gotten more and more experimental exploring other celebrity lives like Fred Rogers in "Won't You Be My Neighbor?,""Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain" and "Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in Two Pieces" — this time uses real interviews but masks them under little Lego figurines with animated faces. Call this one a documentary in a million pieces.
The filmmakers try to explain their device — "What if nothing is real? What if life is like a Lego set?" Williams says at the beginning — but it's very tenuous. Just submit and enjoy the ride of a poor kid from Virginia Beach, Virginia, who rose to dominate music and become a creative director at Louis Vuitton.
Williams, by his own admission, is a little detached, a little odd. Music triggers colors in his brain — he has synesthesia, beautifully portrayed here — and it's his forward-looking musical brain that will make him a star, first as part of the producing team The Neptunes and then as an in-demand solo producer and songwriter.
There are highs and lows and then highs again. A verse Williams wrote for "Rump Shaker" by Wreckx-N-Effect when he was making a living selling beats would lead to superstars demanding to work with him and partner... Read More