The Goetz Brothers are back together after several independent projects and have joined Seed Media Arts for commercial representation as a directorial team. Kevin and Michael Goetz have been active in varied disciplines, from spots to branded content and music videos. The duo also recently finished their first feature film, Scenic Route, starring Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler, which was well received during its world premiere at this year's SXSW Festival and subsequently picked up and released worldwide by Vertical Entertainment.
Just prior to the debut of Scenic Route at SXSW, Kevin Goetz told SHOOT about the film in which Duhamel and Fogler portray two life-long friends who find themselves stranded on an isolated desert road. Kevin Goetz described Kyle Killen, who penned the script, as being "an extraordinary writer who has a way of having characters say things we all think and never figure out a way to say. His script is about two friends who have gone in opposite directions in their lives. They push each other about the choices they made, should have made or not have made. It's been said that 'no one can pick a man apart like his best friend' and in this movie, you see that both characters have valid points. One has gone on to become successful, selling out with a bank job instead of a music career. The other followed his dream instead of a paycheck. He's living in a car and homeless. Now stranded without food, water, with nothing, they are pushed to the limit physically and things get ugly."
Scenic Route was selected for SXSW's Narrative Spotlight section. At that time, Kevin Goetz had gone solo as a commercials director and was being handled by Traveling Picture Show Company. He has since rejoined his brother Michael for commercial directing and they have come aboard the Seed roster.
The Goetz Brothers' work has won a primetime Emmy Award (for the opening main titles design and direction with Michael Goode on ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney) and been shortlisted at Cannes and the AICP Show.
The Goetz Brothers signing with Seed coincides with the company's moving its headquarters from Chicago to Santa Monica and with exec producer Tim Ward partnering with Seed EP Roy Skillicorn.
The brothers' focus on capturing performances is a trait passed down to them from their father and well-known actor, Peter Michael Goetz. Throughout their father's stage and film career, the two brothers could be found, behind the scenes, absorbing the process of production. Michael went on to earn a masters degree in film while attending USC's School of Cinema while Kevin graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Both live with their families in Los Angeles.
Meet Honorary Oscar Recipient Juliet Taylor, Casting Director With A Filmography Spanning 40+ Years
Juliet Taylor does not give herself credit for Meryl Streep.
In her over 40 years as top casting director behind so many classics, "Annie Hall," "Heartburn" and "Sleepless in Seattle" to name just a few, she did, technically give Streep her first film role. She gave many stars their big breaks. But Streep, she said, was always going to happen — the young stage actor was the talk of the town in New York as soon as she came on the scene. Taylor was simply the lucky one who happened to be casting for "Julia," which didn't conflict with a play.
Modesty is not antithetical to being a great casting director, though, a profession of observation, negotiation and nuance that operates mostly out of the public eye. It's why Taylor's a little nervous about Sunday, when she'll be presented with an honorary Oscar at the film academy's annual Governors Awards in a room full of Hollywood greats.
Recognition is long overdue for Taylor and her peers. Earlier this year, the film academy announced that it would add a new competitive Oscar for casting directors starting with films released in 2025.
"There's so much people don't know about casting actors," Taylor said. "One thing is we negotiate all the contracts and we cast a movie within a budget."
Casting wasn't always the art that it is today. In the studio system, it was more of cattle call, an organizational rather than creative job. But Taylor began her career in 1968 at time of change, mentored by one of the pioneers behind the movement: Marion Dougherty, who scouted talent in off-Broadway plays and turned casting into a more selective, humane process. It was also a profession led by a lot of women. Dougherty used to joke that it's because they didn't get paid much.
The first movie... Read More