Paul Stone, an editor-turned-indie filmmaker-turned commercial director, has come aboard the roster of Spears & Arrows, the three-year-old spot production company led by founder/executive producer Jason Wolk. Stone joins a company directorial lineup that includes Arni Thor Jonsson, Phil Brown, Ago Panini, John Grammatico, Don Broida and Josh Miller.
“Paul’s work as an editor provided him a unique filmmaking education that he uses to great effect as a director,” Wolk said. “Whether on his acclaimed indie films or commercials and branded content for AirBnB, Instagram, NyQuil, Fidelity Investments, Casper Mattresses or DeWalt Tools, Paul effortlessly blends striking visuals with a strong sense of character and story to craft spots that instantly grab viewers’ attention.”
Most recently repped in the U.S. briefly by Superlounge and prior to that documentarian Morgan Spurlock’s production company, Warpaint Films, Brooklyn native Stone began his professional career as an editor at production company RSA and Red Car, New York, before transitioning to director. His first short film, Tales of Times Square, premiered at the LA Shorts Film Festival where it took home the top prize for Best Documentary and went on to screen at 30 film festivals worldwide. His short films Man Under and Mulberry (premiered at the 2015 and 2016 Tribeca Film Festival respectively). Another short film, The Boombox Project, was selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick and is currently being developed into a feature film. He also recently wrapped a new short film titled The King Thing.
Stone’s current ad credits include a new spot for PNC Bank out of Deutsch, New York; a multi-spot campaign for New Orleans-based Community Coffee via TM Advertising, Dallas; three branded content VR films for American Family Insurance through Huff Post/Ryot Media, Los Angeles; spots for Procter & Gamble’s NyQuil via Publicis, New York; and a lifestyle spot for Fidelity Investments.
“As a filmmaker my background springs from cinematography, documentary filmmaking and postproduction,” Stone said. “My experience in all of these realms has informed my process and allowed me to find those ‘perfectly imperfect’ moments that engage an audience and allow them to connect with the story on a human level.”
Stone adds that before joining Spears & Arrows he collaborated with Wolk and the company as a freelancer. Those projects, according to Stone, went exceedingly well and led to his decision to join the company full time.
Spears & Arrows is repped by Hello Tomorrow on the East Coast, Goodrebel on the West Coast and in Texas, and by Nikki Weiss & Co. in the Midwest.
In addition to Spears & Arrows, Stone is represented in Europe by Bakery Films, Hamburg, Germany, and by Spy Films, Toronto.
Review: Writer-Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood’s “Heretic”
"Heretic" opens with an unusual table setter: Two young missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are discussing condoms and why some are labeled as large even though they're all pretty much a standard size. "What else do we believe because of marketing?" one asks the other.
That line will echo through the movie, a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper. Despite a second-half slide and feeling unbalanced, this is the rare movie that combines lots of squirting blood and elevated discussion of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Our two church members — played fiercely by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East — are wandering around trying to covert souls when they knock on the door of a sweet-looking cottage. Its owner, Mr. Reed, offers a hearty "Good afternoon!" He welcomes them in, brings them drinks and promises a blueberry pie. He's also interested in learning more about the church. So far, so good.
Mr. Reed is, of course, if you've seen the poster, the baddie and he's played by Hugh Grant, who doesn't go the snarling, dead-eyed Hannibal Lecter route in "Heretic." Grant is the slightly bumbling, bashful and self-mocking character we fell in love with in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but with a smear of menace. He gradually reveals that he actually knows quite a bit about the Mormon religion — and all religions.
"It's good to be religious," he says jauntily and promises his wife will join them soon, a requirement for the church. Homey touches in his home include a framed "Bless This Mess" needlepoint on a wall, but there are also oddities, like his lights are on a timer and there's metal in the walls and ceilings.
Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood — who also... Read More