Director/DP Andy Maser has joined the roster of Superlounge for exclusive U.S. spot representation. His work spans commercial, broadcast, documentary, non-profit and feature film production. Maser’s documentary films have won Northwest Regional Emmy Awards and numerous film festival honors, while his commercial projects have received trade mentions and Vimeo Staff Picks. Maser DP’d Adaptation Bangladesh: Sea Level Rise (Justin DeShields, director), a hopeful story about people facing and adapting to climate change, that was named Best Short Film at the 2017 New York WILD Film Festival.
“When you approach documentary work, you want to stay true to the characters and their stories,” said Maser. “In the branded arena, there’s value placed on an organic symbiosis between a brand and their truth. When a really appropriate story is paired with a brand, and not overly messaged, potential exists for a resonant connection with the consumer.” For example, The Farmer, which Maser helmed for Land O’ Lakes (Colle McVoy, Minneapolis), received industry accolades and afforded the director with the opportunity to immerse himself in the culture of farming. “There’s a lot of pride in growing the food that sustains a nation,” he said.
To appreciate the scope and dexterity of Maser’s work, one need only watch When Dogs Fly, a short branded film he directed for adidas, in which a man takes his best friend on a breathtaking skydive. Further evidence is abundant in Maser’s cinematography on Great Bear Rainforest, Ian McAllister and Jeff Turner’s remarkable giant screen IMAX journey into one of the planet’s most spectacular wildernesses–a land of wolves, grizzly bears, humpback whales, sea lions, sea otters and others–as it explores the secret world of the Spirit Bear.
“I am inspired by Andy’s unique ability to capture compelling, true stories with stunning visuals, in any environment on earth,” said Superlounge EP Vicki Williams. “His breathtaking work is consciously motivated toward change, be it global, national or personal.”
Maser first picked up a video camera at 15 years old and was immediately hooked. Throughout high school and college he was shooting, editing and distributing action sports films on VHS tape to anyone who he could convince to buy them. He got his first gig post-college with National Geographic at 23 and has since been traveling the globe capturing beautiful images and crafting memorable stories for brands and media outlets. A National Geographic Explorer, Maser is often tapped for difficult shoots in remote and dangerous parts of the world. He is comfortable shooting underwater, hanging out of helicopters and navigating logistics in politically unstable countries, all while chasing compelling stories and capturing stunning imagery. Whether he’s directing a :30 spot, or shooting an IMAX feature film, Maser strives to create rich sounding, visually stunning and compelling work that tells the best, most authentic story possible.
“It’s great to get recognition, more for the subject matter than the work,” Maser concluded. “The person I care most about is the person whose story I’m telling.”
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