Director Rob Devor–whose controversial, critically acclaimed documentary Zoo created a major stir at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival–has just made his spotmaking debut with a campaign produced by bicoastal commercial house Nonfiction Unlimited (formerly Nonfiction Spots) for Florida-headquartered restaurant chain Bonefish Grill out of Cliff Freeman and Partners, New York. Devor is one of the select helmers in this year’s SHOOT New Directors Showcase (see separate story and profiles in this issue).
Headed by executive producer Loretta Jeneski, Nonfiction brought Devor on board its roster following Zoo’s premiere at Sundance and recently procured the Bonefish assignment for him.
After research and securing locations in Grenada, Malta, Iceland and Buenos Aires for the “Taste The Pursuit”-themed Bonefish campaign, Devor shot with his crew over the course of three months, capturing footage for spots and the web in his signature visual, documentary style. The task was to explore the people, the food and the sensuality of exotic cultures and in doing so invite the viewer to see Bonefish Grill in that same light–a place that is exciting to visit, where a good meal and good time go hand in hand. The campaign also depicted the lengths that Bonefish goes to in order to find great seafood, spices and recipes from around the world.
“Visiting a new culture and seeing it for the first time is fantastic,” Devor related. “I wanted to capture the sense of being exposed to a totally new environment for the first time and I think we did.”
The spots are about experiencing something new and include everything from stunning Mediterranean exteriors to locals on the street (or in the lava heated waters of Iceland), impromptu festivals, exciting nightlife, friends sharing meals and local fishermen bringing in the day’s catch from the sea.
Along the way Devor and crew had a few adventures of their own. On a short flight to a remote part of Iceland, one of the windows on the six passenger plane they were aboard blew out at 10,000 feet, concerning the crew that they were going to freeze or the flight would go down. The pilot finally landed with a polite “Sorry about the inconvenience” and the story showed up in the local paper the next day. In Malta, the crew’s arrival was greeted by one of the worst storms the country had seen in 50 years. Throughout it all, Devor and crew kept shooting, resulting in such spots as “Spices/Grenada” and “Recipes/Malta,” with more commercials from more cities on the way.
Besides his documentary exploits, Devor also has experience in narrative features, prime examples being Police Beat and The Woman Chaser, which had both been previously screened at Sundance.
Nonfiction Unlimited specializes in handling noted documentary filmmakers for commercials and new media advertising. The shop’s spot directorial roster consists of Devor, Rob Bindler, Paul Crowder, Steve James, Robby Kenner, Barbara Kopple, Stacy Peralta, Jessica Sanders, Ondi Timoner, Peyton Wilson and Jessica Yu.
Visionary Filmmaker David Lynch Dies At 78
David Lynch, the filmmaker celebrated for his uniquely dark and dreamlike vision in such movies as "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive" and the TV series "Twin Peaks," has died just days before his 79th birthday. His family announced the death in a Facebook post on Thursday. The cause of death and location was not immediately available, but Lynch had been public about his emphysema. "We would appreciate some privacy at this time. There's a big hole in the world now that he's no longer with us. But, as he would say, 'Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole,'" the post read. "It's a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way." Last summer, Lynch had revealed to Sight and Sound that he was diagnosed with emphysema and would not be leaving his home because of fears of contracting the coronavirus or "even a cold." "I've gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I'm homebound whether I like it or not," Lynch said, adding he didn't expect to make another film. "I would try to do it remotely, if it comes to it," Lynch said. "I wouldn't like that so much." Lynch was a onetime painter who broke through in the 1970s with the surreal "Eraserhead" and rarely failed to startle and inspire audiences, peers and critics in the following decades. His notable releases ranged from the neo-noir "Mulholland Drive" to the skewed Gothic of "Blue Velvet" to the eclectic and eccentric "Twin Peaks," which won three Golden Globes, two Emmys and even a Grammy for its theme music. "'Blue Velvet,' 'Mulholland Drive' and 'Elephant Man' defined him as a singular, visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade," Steven Spielberg said in a statement. Spielberg noted that he had cast Lynch as director John Ford in the 2022 film "The... Read More