Director/cameraman Eric Saarinen has signed with production house greatguns for representation in the U.S. and internationally. He will be able to tap into the company’s Venice, Calif., London and Bangkok operations. Furthermore, greatguns plans to expand in the Asian theater with the launch of a Singapore office by late summer and a Shanghai shop further down the road.
Saarinen comes over to greatguns from TWC Films, Santa Monica, where he spent a couple of years. During his TWC tenure, Saarinen helmed work for such clients as John Deere, the U.S. Air Force, Atlanta Tourism, and Chevy. For the latter he directed “Disappear,” an eight-decade stop-action, time lapse history of automobiles and gas stations, culminating in the forthcoming hybrid electric vehicle, the Chevy Volt.
Saarinen is well known in the automotive advertising arena with work that goes far beyond sheet metal. In fact, Saarinen’s exploits over the years have helped to redefine the car ad discipline, key examples being Jeep’s “Snow Covered” (with visual effects by Digital Domain) for the then Bozell Worldwide, which won the Grand Prix at the 1994 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival; the lauded documentary series of “Road To Rio” spots for Nissan Pathfinder via TBWAChiatDay, Los Angeles; the Land Rover “Discovery” spot from GSD&M in which a 180-degree orbiting camera seemingly takes us around the world to depict Land Rover as the most well-traveled vehicle on Earth; and a whimsical Fiat commercial for Italy that thrusts us into a harried, heavily trafficked city commute featuring people who are riding aboard animals.
Saarinen’s automotive track record was but one of the elements that drew greatguns to the director, according to Tom Korsan, managing partner of greatguns:USA. “Eric is a great problem solver and artist, has his hands in all kinds of technology trying to find new ways to tell stories, and is just a straight-up, nice guy,” said Korsan. “He’s been doing some guerilla filmmaking work, shooting with the Canon 5D Mark II [a hybrid HDSLR that shoots still work and HD video] that is taking him into new directions.”
For example, Saarinen is deploying the Canon 5D Mark II digital camera on some additional shooting in Los Angeles for Mitsubishi Air Conditioning and Heating. This imagery is being meshed with some film footage he captured in New Zealand during the course of his directing a TWC-produced package of spots for Mitsubishi. Based on the New Zealand footage, the client saw potential to evolve the spot campaign into a five-minute film for multiple platforms. Now under the greatguns banner, Saarinen’s work on the 5D is playing a part in bringing that short film, titled The Airhunter, to fruition.
Prior to TWC, Saarinen enjoyed a lengthy run at the since closed Plum Productions, a venerable mainstay house that he and partner/executive producer Chuck Sloan had co-founded.
The End of The “Rust” Criminal Case Against Alec Baldwin May Unlock A Civil Lawsuit
The conclusion of a criminal case against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer clears the way for a related civil lawsuit by relatives of the deceased woman and efforts to depose the actor under oath, attorneys for plaintiffs in the civil suit said Tuesday.
At a news conference in Los Angeles, victims' rights attorney Gloria Allred said that the parents and younger sister of deceased cinematographer Halyna Hutchins were disappointed that prosecutors won't appeal the dismissal of an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin. The criminal charge against Baldwin was dismissed halfway through trial in July on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense.
Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during a rehearsal in the movie "Rust" in October 2021 at a film-set ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Baldwin, the lead actor and coproducer, was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when it discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
Allred said Hutchins' relatives are determined to pursue damages and compensation from Baldwin and "Rust" producers in New Mexico civil court, and want Baldwin to answer questions under oath in the proceedings. Hutchins' widower and son previously reached a separate legal settlement.
"With the withdrawal that was made public yesterday, we are now able to proceed with our civil case," Allred said. "Clearly, the rights of Alec Baldwin were protected, but the due process rights of the victims — Halyna Hutchins and her parents and her sister — were violated."
Allred said she's ready to prove that Hutchins had a close relationship... Read More