Newhouse Films, a satellite division of Crossroads, bicoastal, Chicago and London, has signed director Enno Jacobsen, formerly of Right Brain Media, Los Angeles. His latest spot work includes Dupont’s “The Lab” for Cramer-Krasselt, Milwaukee, a Suzuki campaign for Germany, and a Volkswagen Jetta ad for Europe.
Jacobsen first established himself as a director in Europe, after coming up the ranks at Neue Sentimental Film in Frankfurt, Germany. Working in postproduction during the day and editing documentaries at night for the German house, Jacobsen got his directing opportunity on a pitch video for Debitel, a major phone provider in Germany. He not only won the pitch, but Debitel chose the director to exclusively work on subsequent packages totaling some 30-plus commercials over the next three years.
He then moved stateside in 2002, directing for American and European clients. Among his early successes was an offbeat Right Brain-produced campaign for Wherehouse Music retail stores via agency Colby & Partners, Santa Monica. In fact, one of the spots, “Little Stalkers–CDs,” earned inclusion in SHOOT’s The Best Work You May Never See gallery in ’03.
The spot opens on what appears to be the POV of a would-be robber approaching a home. A potted plant gets knocked over as the camera moves in on the backdoor of the residence. The door opens and the intruder enters the house. We find ourselves in the kitchen, where the clumsy burglar knocks over a container of spices. Meanwhile an unsuspecting man slumbers deeply in the bedroom. The bedroom door opens and the camera moves in on him. Sensing that something his amiss, he awakens. The man opens his eyes to find the interloper standing on his chest–the break-in artist is a lawn gnome.
Understandably, the unexpected sight throws the man off guard. The gnome also has company–dozens of other gnomes who stand around the bed. The main gnome, still planted on the man’s chest, suddenly speaks, “Free CD.” The spot cuts to a graphic promoting a CD sale at Wherehouse. A voiceover touts the sale–“But 3, get the 4th free”–and then we’re returned to the bedroom where the man is attempting to take the gnome off his chest. The gnome says, “Uh-uh,” and the man pulls his hand away.
Jacobsen’s credits include spots for such clients as Volkswagen, Bandai/PlayStation, Suzuki and BMW. He’s taken on a wide range of work, making him hard to pigeonhole, though he’s partial to the description of “elegant storytelling with a smirk.”
Newhouse’s directorial roster includes Jacobsen, Steve Ramser and Patrick Solomon. Heidi Nolting is executive producer of the company, which is handled by an independent sales force consisting of Stacey Altman of Stacey & Co. on the West Coast, Robin Pickett in the Midwest, and Maria Stenz of Stenz & Co. on the East Coast.
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More