LOS ANGELES-The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has named its nominees for best commercial director of 1998: the team of Amy Hill & Chris Riess from Tony K., West Hollywood and London; Peter Darley Miller of Stiefel & Company, Hollywood; Rocky Morton of Morton Jankel Zander, Los Angeles; Tarsem of bicoastal/international radical.media; and Kinka Usher of House of Usher Films, Santa Monica.
SHOOT learned of the nominees at press time right after DGA judges’ ballots were tallied. Of the field, only Tarsem is a past DGA winner, having earned distinction as the best spot director of 1996 based on Nike’s "Good vs. Evil" out of Wieden & Kennedy, Amsterdam, Coca-Cola’s "Red" from Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore., and Levi’s "Pool Boy" via Foote, Cone & Belding/San Francisco.
Meanwhile Usher is no stranger to DGA recognition; he was nominated for the coveted honor as best commercial director of both 1995 and "96. The timing of this, his third nomination, is fortuitous as it comes just as he’s scheduled to return to the spot arena from his first feature, The Mystery Men for Universal (SHOOT, 9/11/98, p. 1).
Hill & Riess, Miller and Morton are first-time nominees. Morton was nominated on the strength of five ads: FOX Sports’ "Feet" via Cliff Freeman and Partners, New York; Sega’s "Egg" from Ground Zero, Santa Monica; and a trio of spots from TBWA/ Chiat/Day, Los Angeles-Taco Bell’s "Bobbing Head" and "Romeo and Juliet" and Sony Playstation’s "Laundromat."
Miller’s DGA-recognized body of work is comprised of: Sony Playstation’s "Scout" from TBWA/Chiat/Day; Slice’s "Dissection" via Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco; 360 Communications’ "Chase" for The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.; Midway/NFL Blitz’s "Target Practice" out of DDB Needham Chicago; and Nike’s "The Great Magician" from Wieden & Kennedy, Portland.
Hill & Riess garnered nominee status on the basis of four entries: Saturn’s "Driving Range" via Publicis & Riney, San Francisco; Long John Silver’s "London Loves Us" out of jordanmcgrathcase&partners, New York; AmSouth’s "Life" for Slaughter Hanson Advertising, Birmingham, Ala.; and Bronson Medical Center’s "Pediatrics" from Biggs & Gilmore, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Tarsem copped his second DGA nomination for: John Hancock’s "Sarajevo" out of Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Boston; Miller Brewing Company’s "S ance" and "Dances With Dog" for Fallon McElligott, Minneapolis; and a Beck’s beer spot, "Romance," for Saatchi & Saatchi, New York.
And Usher’s entry card consisted of: Sony’s "Egg" for Young & Rubicam, New York; Mt. Dew’s "Michael Johnson’s World" via BBDO New York; Miller Brewing Company’s "Cupid" for Fallon McElligott; Nike’s "Undercover Ushers" for Wieden & Kennedy, Portland; and Hallmark’s "Neighbor Lady" from Leo Burnett Co., Chicago.
DGA Award winners-spanning feature, TV, documentary and commercial categories-will be announced and honored during a gala ceremony in Los Angeles on March 6.
In that the DGA nominees didn’t become known until the 11th hour deadline of this week’s issue, SHOOT wasn’t able to reach each nominated director for comment. However, next week’s edition will have reactions from the nominees, including insights into selection of the spots submitted for DGA consideration.
