Production house UNHEARD/OF, which maintains bases of operation in Atlanta and Seattle, has added docu-style director J. Austin Wilson to its roster for commercials and branded content in the U.S.
Born in a small town south of Atlanta and raised by two professional illustrators, Wilson flourished in the arts from a young age. He began painting, before adding photography, music, and filmmaking to his creative toolbelt. Driven by the work of Gus Van Sant and Harmony Korine, directors who blur the line between real-life and fiction, Wilson focused on documentary filmmaking and cinematography at the New York Film Academy before moving to L.A. to attend the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
In describing his style, Wilson said, “Authenticity is the ultimate goal. I try to bring a cinematic approach to a mostly observational style of filmmaking.” Capturing the real and the raw often means working with non-actors, and forging a true connection with those he works with. He said, “I’ve spent my career developing a style that feels unscripted. It’s especially rewarding when I work with musicians and artists. I spend a lot of time with the people I make films with, and often that develops into a natural friendship. And this relationship translates on screen, it helps the audience to experience that sense of authentic affection.”
Wilson jumped into commercial work immediately after USC, frequently collaborating with San Francisco-based ad agency Heat to helm spots for clients including Bank of the West, EA Sports and Fantex. In 2005, he moved to Seattle and began directing short music docs for KEXP, a local college radio station, where he worked with bands like Fleet Foxes, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and Jonsi. Inspired by his work at KEXP, Wilson directed, shot and edited his first short film Frank Fairfield, which premiered at SXSW 2011.
Since then, Wilson has directed dozens of commercials, including for Home Depot, Facebook, Nissan, and Intel, along with many music videos and documentary shorts. His organic aesthetic has struck a chord with audiences, leading to a Bronze Lion for his Nissan spot “What’s in the Giant Box?” and two American Advertising Awards for his “Visit Seattle” tourism campaign.
The “Visit Seattle” project holds a special place in Wilson’s heart, as he was given creative freedom to represent the city through all of the senses. The film utilizes unexpected perspectives as real people share why they love the area. Achieving the right sound was equally as important as the visuals, an emphasis Wilson fostered through his experience working with musicians. As he describes it, “For me, Seattle is a town that’s not only visually beautiful, but it also offers a constantly evolving audio experience. I was inspired to capture that via the marriage of images with sound design and music.”
Prior to joining UNHEARD/OF, Wilson was repped by production house Society.
Review: Rachel Morrison Makes Feature Directorial Debut With “The Fire Inside”
"The Fire Inside," about boxer Claressa "T-Rex" Shields, is not your standard inspirational sports drama, even if it feels like it for the first half of the movie.
There's the hopeless dream, the difficult home life, the blighted community, the devoted coach, the training montages, the setbacks and, against all odds, the win. We've seen this kind of story before, you might think, and you'd be right. But then the movie pulls the rug out from under you: The victory is not the end. "The Fire Inside," directed by Rachel Morrison and written by Barry Jenkins, is as much about what happens after the win. It's not always pretty or inspirational, but it is truthful, and important.
Sports dramas can be just as cliche as fairy tales, with the gold medal and beautiful wedding presented as a happy ending. We buy into it time and time again for obvious reasons, but the idea of a happy ending at all, or even an ending, is almost exclusively for the audience. We walk away content that someone has found true love or achieved that impossible goal after all that work. For the subject, however, it's a different proposition; Life, and all its mundanities, disappointments and hardships, continues after all. And in the world of sports, that high moment often comes so young that it might be easy to look at the rest of the journey as a disappointing comedown.
Claressa Shields, played by Ryan Destiny in the film, was only 17 when she went to the 2012 London Olympics. Everything was stacked against her, including the statistics: No American woman had ever won an Olympic gold medal in the sport before. Her opponents had years on her. She was still navigating high school in Flint, Michigan, and things on the home front were volatile and lacking. Food was sometimes scarce... Read More