The Shammasian Brothers
The Shammasian Brothers
Bang & Olufsen “Learn To Listen”
Agency: In-house
Production: Godman, London
DP: Karl Watkins
Editors: The Shammasian Brothers
Affiliation: Godman, London
How did you get into directing? Both graduated from film at University. Started making our own shorts/documentaries and writing scripts.
Why do you want to direct commercials? [Commercials are] a great discipline to tell stories in a short space of time.
What’s your most recent spot project? Bang & Olufsen, “Learn To Listen.”
Do you have plans to work in other areas–e.g. shorts films or features or TV? Yes, we are at the last stages of script development on our first feature film.
Have you ever done any of that in the past? No. This will be our first commercial feature film.
What do you think is the best part about being a director? Best part is the ability to earn a living doing a truly creative and unpredictable job. You are always learning and growing and realizing new dreams.
What’s the worst part? Worst part is the intense time some projects take to finally get off the ground.
Who is (are) your mentor(s)? Everything around us is an influence. From the man on the bus to a conversation we may have overheard. We tend to try and find ideas and inspiration from anything and everything and sometimes from the most unlikeliest of places. The trick is to always be open to your surroundings and see things from a slightly different angle.
Having such a love for cinema, a lot of our influences are drawn from movies and artists we respect. But it’s so varied, such as David Lynch, Frank Capra, Sidney Lumet, Roy Disney and Frank Miller, to name but a few.
Also music is a huge influence. Especially when writing. The right track can really place us in the right mood.
Not counting your own work, what’s your favorite recent ad? Why? Recently, we like the new adidas spot “Hello Tomorrow” from 180/TBWA San Francisco. Taps into the imagination and really takes you on a beautiful journey.
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More