Oscar-winning creative firm Framestore announced the opening of its L.A. color studio, spearheaded by Beau Leon in his new role as sr. colorist.
Framestore has maintained its VFX/creative studio in L.A. since the summer of 2013. Leon will use his new role to more closely integrate color with VFX and CG. He will also work closely with Framestore’s global grading department, based in London and under the leadership of head of color Steffan Perry.
“Over the past two decades, our grading department has transformed and developed an incredible ability to adapt to ever-changing pipelines,” said Perry. “As more and more interesting projects came into LA, we knew we needed that kind of firepower there as well. Their space is beautiful and equipped for the task, and Beau has just the background to make the most of it.”
James Razzall, sr. EP at Framestore, added, “As our presence in L.A. continues to grow rapidly, offering our clients a full range of services was a natural evolution for us. That’s why we wanted to launch the LA color studio with Beau. Our clients come into Framestore knowing that image quality is always consistent from conception to completion of a project; our VFX pipeline is second to none, and Beau’s talents will only complement it and push the look of our work to new heights.”
Leon’s recent projects include color grading for Selena Gomez’s latest video, “Same Old Love,” Nike’s “American Woman” ad launched during the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and Audi’s “Summer” spot. Leon was also lead colorist on “Wisdom,” an 80-second video marking Dodge’s 100th anniversary. It generated more than 5.7 million views within 24 hours of its posting on April 17 and scored him a nomination for an HPA award in the Outstanding Color Grading–Feature Film category.
Leon launched his career with the iconic R.E.M. music video, “Losing My Religion.” With subsequent work for Jane’s Addiction, Dave Matthews Band, Marilyn Manson, Rihanna, Eminem, and TOOL, Leon has since become one of the most expansive and influential colorists in music video history. He is the first non-director to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the MVPA. Prior to Framestore, Leon served at Company 3 in Los Angeles.
Leon also colors independent and documentary films, including Mark Pellington’s I Melt With You (Sundance Film Festival – 2011), Joseph Kahn’s Detention (SXSW – 2011), and Alma Har’el’s Bombay Beach (winner, Tribeca Film Festival Best Documentary Feature – 2011). Leon’s commercial credits include work for Chrysler, Xbox, Coke Zero, Nike, Chevrolet, Goodyear, Carl’s Jr., Cadillac, Comcast, GMC, Martini & Rossi, and Verizon.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More