Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (the Oscar-nominated Super Size Me) has teamed his New York-based production company Warrior Poets with producer Keith Calder’s L.A.-headquartered Snoot Entertainment and spot production veteran Shannon Lords to create Warpaint, a commercial production house with bases of operation in N.Y., L.A. and London.
The new venture opens with a roster of nine directors: Spurlock (The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Comic-Con: Episode IV-A Fan’s Hope, Mansome, spots for JetBlue, Hunt’s); Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes); Gary Hustwit (Helvetica, Objectified, Apple): Adam Wingard (You’re Next); Liz Garbus (Bobby Fischer Against the World); Adam Lisegar (LonelySandwich.com); Michael Tucker (Fightville, Gunner Palace, Mastercard); Maggie Choo (Nike) and Damien Toogood (Olympus, Target, Pepsi).
Furthermore Warpaint has wrapped its first project, a Revlon campaign directed by Darren Aronofsky and featuring Emma Stone and Halle Berry. Aronofsky, a Best Director Oscar nominee last year for Black Swan, is no stranger to spotmaking. Via production house Wild Plum, he helmed a Meth Project public service campaign for digital marketing agency Organic (SHOOTonline, 11/8/11).
For Spurlock, starting a commercial production company only seemed a logical, natural extension of his recent pursuits, “After working directly with brands and advertising agencies in the placement exposé The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, as well as directing multiple commercial spots for other production companies, I saw an opportunity to create a much more director-driven entity. Within Warpaint, our directors will have the freedom to not only experiment with new technologies and formats, but they will also own a larger stake in their work moving forward,” said Spurlock.
As for his alluded to commercial directing experience, Spurlock while making The Greatest Movie Ever Sold took a quick break to helm spots for Hunt’s Tomato Sauce out of New York agency Nitro via Saville Productions. The spots featured chef George Duran dropping in on the Glen Cove (NY) Volunteer Fire Department with Hunt’s to help make lasagna for the firefighters. Spurlock’s other ad credits include such clients as Ally and JetBlue.
Calder, who produced Greatest Movie alongside Warrior Poets and Spurlock’s producing partner, Jeremy Chilnick, loved the idea of forming a commercial production company from the beginning. “At Snoot, we have dipped our toes in advertising and branded content before, but we were waiting for the right partners before diving in headfirst. After a fantastic experience on The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, we’re delighted to be establishing Warpaint with Morgan and Shannon,” said Calder.
Commercial veteran Shannon Lords has been pursued by multiple production companies over the years to become a full time executive, but never felt that the timing was right. After working with Spurlock, that all changed. “I had considered other staff positions, but after working with Morgan and his unique approach to commercials, the decision to get involved with Warpaint was an easy one,” said Lords. “Opportunities to work with directors who are true filmmakers don’t come along often, so when the opportunity arose I jumped at it.” Over the years, Lords has worked with such directors as Bryan Singer, Barry Levinson, Spike Lee, Wim Wenders, Zack Snyder, Michael Bay, Noam Murro, Joe Pytka, Samuel Bayer and Steve Miller.
Directing and Editing “Conclave”; Insights From Edward Berger and Nick Emerson
It’s been a bruising election year but this time we’re referring to a ballot box struggle that’s more adult than the one you’d typically first think of in 2024. Rather, on the industry awards front, the election being cited is that of the Pope which takes front and center stage in director Edward Berger’s Conclave (Focus Features), based on the 2016 novel of the same title by Robert Harris. Adapted by screenwriter Peter Straugham, Conclave stars Ralph Fiennes as the cardinal leading the conclave that has convened to select the next Pope. While part political thriller, full of backstabbing and behind-closed-door machinations, Conclave also registers as a thoughtful adult drama dealing with themes such as a crisis of faith, weighing the greater good, and engaging in a struggle that’s as much about spirituality as the attainment of power.
Conclave is Berger’s first feature after his heralded All Quiet on the Western Front, winner of four Oscars in 2023, including for Best International Feature Film. And while Conclave would on the surface seem to be quite a departure from that World War I drama, there’s a shared bond of humanity which courses through both films.
For Berger, the heightened awareness of humanity hit home for him by virtue of where he was--in Rome, primarily at the famed Cinecittà studio--to shoot Conclave, sans any involvement from the Vatican. He recalled waking up in Rome to “soak up” the city. While having his morning espresso, Berger recollected looking out a window and seeing a priest walking about with a cigarette in his mouth, a nun having a cup of coffee, an archbishop carrying a briefcase. It dawned on Berger that these were just people going to... Read More