5 & 10 Years Ago This Week
Feb. 14, 2003
The directing team Logan–comprising Ben Conrad and Alexei Tylevich–has signed with bicoastal Anonymous Content. The production company will represent Logan for commercials and music videos exclusively in the United States and Europe, with the exception of France, where La Pac, Paris handles the duo….Director Mat Humphrey, who continues to be a mainstay at Filmgraphics, Sydney, has secured U.S. spot representation via bicoastal Reactor Films….For the second consecutive year, there will be an international category in the Association of Independent Commercial Producers Show.
Feb. 13, 1998
Bicoastal A Band Apart Commercials has launched A Band Apart 35mm, a spot division for feature directors, and A Band Apart Music Videos….The Directors Guild of America named its nominees for best commercial director of 1997: Robert Black of bicoastal Headquarters; Bruce Dowad of Bruce Dowad Associates in Hollywood; Thom Higgins of Hollywood-based Dektor Higgins & Associates; Erich Joiner from Santa Monica-based Tool of North America; and David Wild of Wild Scientific in Santa Monica.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More