GO has added award-winning director Jeff Chan to its roster for his first U.S. commercial representation. Chan first earned widespread attention for his work through spec commercials for Call Of Duty, which drew viral buzz. Activision then hired Chan to helm their first live action Call Of Duty short film that debuted at the Call Of Duty XP Conference, for which he wrote, directed, and crafted the VFX. He has also directed a number of commercials for such brands as Doritos, KPMC and the Canadian Film Center. In addition to directing the shorts “Dandy Lions” and “The Apostles,” he made his feature directorial debut with the horror thriller Grace: The Possession, which premiered at Sundance and was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions. He is currently in production on 19, a feature film with QED International and an untitled firefighter-themed feature project with Lionsgate.
Chan began honing his craft in high school in Vancouver, writing, shooting and producing shorts with an enthusiastic group of friends. He further finessed his skills while studying film at Ryerson University in Toronto before securing a grant for his humorous short, “The Apostles,” which won various accolades at film festivals throughout Canada. As a gamer himself and a fan of the Call of Duty franchise, he crafted the high octane live action spec “Find Makarov,” which garnered over 8 million views on YouTube as well as the attention of Activision. In addition to helming the live action “Call of Duty: Operation Kingfish” short, he has also worked on a number of spots including a zombie horror re-imagining of the viral “Charlie Bit My Finger” video for the Canadian Film Centre, which won Gold honors at the Atomic Awards and Digital Marketing Awards.
Gary Rose, GO managing director, said, “Jeff has a very unique first person sensibility that touches all his work. He brings the viewer along for the ride, immersing us in his dramatic style of storytelling. I love his ability to communicate why he makes the decisions and choices that he does in his films and commercials. I believe he will be very successful in any medium he chooses to attack.”
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More