Production house Tool has added commercial and music video director Brent Bonacorso to its roster. He has helmed videos for the likes of Katy Perry, Elton John and Telepopmusik and his commercials span such global brands as Guinness, Audi, Ford, Panasonic, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz.
A visual storyteller, writer and director, Bonacorso is known for using lavish imagery and clever post techniques to create unique and expansive cinematic worlds. His music video for Katy Perry’s “Unconditionally,” which features an ethereal aesthetic and plays with metaphorical images of unconditional love, served as a pivotal moment in Perry’s evolution as an artist.
Bonacorso also experienced success on the festival circuit recently with his short film, “West of the Moon,” which captures the whimsical nature of the subconscious mind through the exploration of dreams, love and redemption. The short film was met with critical acclaim, winning awards for Best Short Film at the London Rushes Film Festival, the Santa Barbara Film Festival, the Aspen Shortsfest and the Carmel International Film Festival.
Bonacorso was previously repped by Collaboration Factory. Tool welcomes the director on the heels of it being awarded 10 Webbys for the projects “Remote Control Tourist,” Intel’s “The Power Inside,” Google’s “Art Copy & Code,” Water is Life’s “4-Year-Old’s Bucket List,” and Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches.”
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More