By Millie Takaki
HOLLYWOOD—Michael Crapser has been named executive producer at Motel Films, Hollywood, succeeding Kathryn Turk whose plans weren’t known at press time. Crapser’s last staff position was as partner/executive producer at CGI/visual effects house Moving Pixels, Santa Monica. But he’s best known for his long tenure at Rhythm & Hues Studios, Los Angeles, where he served as exec producer and head of its commercial division.
At Rhythm & Hues, Crapser worked on numerous notable campaigns, including Coca-Cola’s "Polar Bears" for Creative Artists Agency, Beverly Hills, Calif., and Mazda’s "Cool World," out of Doner, Southfield, Mich. He spent 10 years at Rhythm & Hues before leaving last year and coming aboard Moving Pixels (SHOOT, 5/10/02, p. 7), where he oversaw spots, music videos and other projects. After Moving Pixels, he freelanced briefly, serving as executive producer/producer on the animation portion of "Warrior," a :60 for HP Compaq via Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco. He worked on that design/animation project through Allied Art & Science, Santa Monica. Live action was directed by Baker Smith of harvest, Santa Monica.
Director Rick Dublin, president of Motel Films, said that Crapser helps diversify the shop beyond its established comedy niche. Motel’s roster includes Dublin, Todd Korgan and Eric Young. The company also handles helmer Jarl Olsen for select projects.
Prior to Rhythm & Hues, Crapser was line producer and first assistant director for director Randy Roberts at Smillie Films, Venice, Calif. Crapser later joined Roberts at Rhythm & Hues. A DGA member, Crapser served on the board of directors for the Association of Independent Commercial Producers’ West Coast chapter.
Motel was launched in ’00 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Dublin Productions. Motel’s spot sales force consists of independent reps John Naitove on the East Coast, Tim Harwood in the Midwest, Dan Reichard in the Southeast and Sandra Riley on the West Coast.
Steve McQueen Shows Wartime London Through A Child’s Eyes In “Blitz”
It was a single photograph that started Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen on the journey to make "Blitz." As a Londoner, the German bombing raids on the city during World War II are never all that far from his mind. Reminders of it are everywhere. But the spark of inspiration came from an image of a small boy on a train platform with a large suitcase. Stories inspired by the evacuation are not rare, but this child was Black. Who was he, McQueen wondered, and what was his story? The film, in theaters Friday and streaming on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22, tells the tale of George, a 9-year-old biracial child in East London whose life with his mother, Rita ( Saoirse Ronan ), and grandfather is upended by the war. Like many children at the time, he's put on a train to the countryside for his safety. But he hops off and starts a long, dangerous journey back to his mom, encountering all sorts of people and situations that paint a revelatory and emotional picture of that moment. SEARCHING FOR GEORGE AND FINDING A STAR When McQueen finished the screenplay, he thought to himself: "Not bad." Then he started to worry: Does George exist? Is there a person out there who can play this role? Through an open casting call they found Elliott Heffernan, a 9-year-old living just outside of London whose only experience was a school play. He was the genie in "Aladdin." "There was a stillness about him, a real silent movie star quality," McQueen said. "You wanted to know what he was thinking, and you leant in. That's a movie star quality: A presence in his absence." Elliott is now 11. When he was cast, he'd not yet heard about the evacuation and imagined that a film set would be made up of "about 100 people." But he soon found his footing, cycling in and out of... Read More