Director Darren Aronofsky has joined Los Angeles-based A Band Apart. 35mm, which represents feature filmmakers for short format projects.
The deal marks the first official spot and music video representation for Aronofsky, who has directed two critically acclaimed features: (1998) and Requiem for a Dream (2000). Requiem, starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto and Jennifer Connolly, offers a harrowing depiction of its characters’ descents into drug addiction. After premiering at Cannes in 2000, the film won an excellence in filmmmaking honor from the National Board of Review and has appeared in more than 150 critics’ Top 10 year-end film lists.
Aronofsky co-wrote and directed , which was filmed in New York for $60,000. Shot on black-and-white, the thriller is a study in mental obsession: It revolves around a tortured genius working to crack a mathematical code that promises to solve the secrets of existence. earned Aronofsky the Dramatic Directing Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, the Open Palm Award from IFP/ Gotham and an IFP/West Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, among other accolades.
Eric Bonniot, executive producer of Los Angeles-headquartered A Band Apart Commercials and A Band Apart. 35mm, said that Aronofsky’s visual style and storytelling ability lend themselves very well to the short format. "I think he’s a great complement to our .35mm division," noted Bonniot.
For spot projects, Aronofsky will continue to collaborate with his producing partner, Eric Watson, who co-wrote and produced and produced Requiem; Watson and Aronofsky are also partnered in New York-based feature development/production company Protozoa Pictures, which they opened in ’98. A year later, Protozoa launched Amoeba Proteus, a digital studio. Amoeba’s first undertaking was designing and executing the 100 digital shots in Requiem; the studio is now developing an animated feature film.
Aronofsky has some familiarity with A Band Apart, reported Watson. DP Matthew Libatique has worked on both and Requiem, and has DP’ed a number of music video projects for A Band Apart directors McG and Phil Harder. Moreover, one of Aronofsky’s friends is feature film producer Lawrence Bender, a partner in the overall A Band Apart, which encompasses feature, commercial and music video operations.
In addition, said Watson, Aronofsky has gotten a sense of the commercial industry from editor Oren Sarch of New York-based Blue Rock Editing Co., who cut . Watson added, "I think [Sarch] exposed Darren to the fact that there’s a real creative side to commercials, and that kind of piqued his interest."
"The shooting and cutting style that Darren uses will translate pretty seamlessly into commercials," continued Watson. "Darren sees it as a medium where there’s a lot of creative expression to be had. I think he really looks forward to working with a company like A Band Apart, which has experience and a track record to help him [break into directing spots]."
Bonniot said that, in addition to Watson, Aronofsky intends to involve in his commercial endeavors other members of the team he worked with on his features. "It’s a phenomenal advantage to us," stated Bonniot, "because people will obviously look at that work and want to emulate it. We can have not only the director, writer and producer, but also the editor and visual effects group that worked on the movies. They’ve got a great synergy, and they’re fast."
While and Requiem are dark in tone, Aronofsky does not seek to be pigeonholed in any particular commercial category. "We’re not really dark people," explained Watson, "and I don’t think he’s necessarily looking to make dark commercials. I think he’s looking to use commercials to expand his horizons. [Projects] that visually stretch boundaries are going to appeal to him more than dark material." Bonniot affirmed that the company wants to broaden Aronofsky’s horizons beyond the style of his features, noting that the director is ideally suited to storytelling and performance-driven projects.
Although Aronofsky is now writing the script for Batman: Year One, which he is attached to direct, he is currently available for spots and videos. Watson noted that Aronofsky may well be doing a good deal of such work, given the possible strike action by the actors’ unions and/or the Writers Guild of America against the feature/TV studios.
The directorial roster at A Band Apart .35mm includes A Band Apart founder Quentin Tarantino, Tim Burton, John Woo, Robert Rodriguez and George Tillman Jr.
