The Directors Guild of America (DGA) named its nominees for best commercial director of 2005–and the number four figured prominently in the mix. For the first time, four of the five nominees came from a single production company: bicoastal/international MJZ. The DGA-nominated MJZ helmers are: Craig Gillespie, Spike Jonze, Rocky Morton and Rupert Sanders. The latter was nominated on the strength of work he did while at MJZ and earlier at now defunct Omaha Pictures.
The other bit of “four-play” in this year’s competition concerns the remaining director–Noam Murro of Los Angeles-headquartered Biscuit Filmworks–who’s now been nominated for the spot honor each of the past four years. Murro is the only one in this year’s field to actually have ever won the DGA Award for commercials. He earned the award last year as the top director of ’04.
Gillespie is a three-time nominee, the previous two coming for his work in ’01 and ’02. Morton too has been nominated three times, the prior pair in recognition of his spot endeavors in ’98 and ’99.
This is the first DGA spot nomination for Jonze–but not his first DGA nomination. He was a nominee for the DGA Feature Film Award in ’99 for Being John Malkovich.
Sanders is a first-time DGA nominee. He earned the honor on the basis of adidas’ “Made To Perfection,” which was produced by Omaha Pictures for TBWA/Chiat/Day, San Francisco; and the MJZ-produced “Joy” for Xbox via McCann Erickson, San Francisco.
Jonze’s commercialmaking nomination came for adidas’ “Hello Tomorrow,” also from TBWA/Chiat/Day, Miller Beer’s “Penguin” from Young & Rubicam, Chicago, and The Gap’s “Pardon Our Dust,” out of Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami.
Morton’s latest nomination was for a pair of Bell South spots–“Kung Fu Clowns” and “Dance Fight Plumbers”–for WestWayne, Atlanta, Cheese Nips’ “Office” via J. Walter Thompson, New York, and a CSI promo spot, “Take Me Home” out of The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.
Gillespie earned his third nomination on the strength of two Ameriquest ads that debuted on the ’05 Super Bowl telecast, “Surprise Dinner” and “Mini-Mart,” for DDB, Los Angeles, and a couple of Altoids ads, “People of Pain” and “Fable of the Fruit Bat,” out of Leo Burnett USA, Chicago.
And Murro’s fourth career nomination came for Hummer H3’s “Monsters” from Modernista!, Boston, Nike’s “Run Barefoot” for Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore., and Orange’s “Black Out” for Mother, London.
FEATURE FIRST
Another commercialmaker also made this year’s field of DGA nominees–but in the feature film category. For his theatrical motion picture directing debut–the critically acclaimed Capote–Bennett Miller, who helms spots via bicoastal/international Hungry Man, earned his first career DGA nomination.
Also nominated for the DGA Feature Film Award are: George Clooney for Good Night, And Good Luck, Paul Haggis for Crash, Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain, and Steven Spielberg for Munich.
SUPPORTING CAST
The DGA also continues to recognize and credit the first and/or second assistant directors, as well as the unit production managers, who worked on the nominated commercials.
Mike Dignum was first assistant director on the Murro-helmed “Monsters” for Hummer H3, with Michael Saffie serving as second assistant director. For Orange’s “Black Out,” Robert Jackson was first assistant director, C. Duncan Sutherland the second assistant director, and Doug Webster, Watori Nishida and Gary Rake the 2nd second assistant directors. And for the Murro-directed “Run Barefoot” for Nike, James Giovannetti Jr., was the first assistant director and Trey Batchelor the second assistant director.
For adidas’ “Made To Perfection,” directed by Sanders, the first assistant director was Gary Marcus and the second assistant director was Peter Hollocker. On Xbox’s “Joy,” Haze Bergeron III was first assistant director.
For all three Jonze-helmed spots–adidas’ “Hello Tomorrow,” Miller’s “Penguin” and Gap’s “Pardon Our Dust”–Vince Landay was the unit production manager, Thomas Smith the first assistant director and Greg Smith the second assistant director. Additionally, Erv Gentry served as second assistant director on “Pardon Our Dust.”
Chris Blanch was first assistant director on all the Morton-directed ads, Bell South’s “Kung Fu Clowns” and “Dance Fight Plumbers,” Cheese Nips’ “Office,” and CSI‘s “Take Me Home.” Ryan Lippert was second assistant director on both Bell South commercials, as well as the Cheese Nips spot. Robert Torres was second assistant director on the CSI promo, and 2nd second assistant director on the two Bell South spots.
Deborah Tietjen was unit production manager and Christian Van Fleet was second assistant director on all the Gillespie-helmed commercials: Ameriquest’s “Surprise Dinner” and “Mini-Mart,” and Altoids’ “People of Pain” and “Fable of the Fruit Bat.” Ken Gilbert was first assistant director on the two Ameriquest ads, and Steven Fernandez was first assistant director on the pair of Altoid spots.
And for Miller’s feature nomination on the strength of Capote, Ellen Rutter and Caroline Baron were unit production managers, Ronaldo Nacionales and Richard O’Brien Moran were first assistant directors, and Charles Crossin was second assistant director.
The DGA Awards are in their 58th year. The DGA opened the annual competition to commercial directors in 1980. This year’s DGA Award winners–spanning theatrical features, TV, documentaries and commercials–will be announced and honored during a gala ceremony in Los Angeles on Jan. 28.
