Joe Leih
Joe Leih
“marcandtom.com”
DP: Brian O’Carroll
Editorial: Earth 2 Mars, New York
Editor: Justin Quagliata
Affiliation: Sparks Productions, Toronto, for exclusive representation in Canada; currently in the market for US representation.
How did you get into directing? After graduating from Columbia University’s MFA Film program in New York, I worked as an on-set production assistant as well as an office manager at a theater and film production company while I made several spec commercials on the side.
Why do you want to direct commercials? It’s an amazing storytelling format. The brief time limit requires you to be so efficient and effective that you create stories unlike any other medium–it’s been said ad nauseam but it’s true. The brevity also means it’s possible to produce a lot of different projects in a reasonable amount of time. I could never be a novelist–I’d go insane if I had to spend three years working on a single book.
What’s your most recent spot project? The viral PSA “Marc and Tom” for copywriter Marc Guttesman and art director Tom Millar. There are a few possible spot projects in the near future. Keep your fingers crossed.
Do you have plans to work in other areas–e.g. shorts films or features or TV? Have you ever done any of that in the past? I love commercials as a storytelling format, but I’d also love to branch out to broader canvases–music videos, TV, feature films. Every format has its own challenges and rewards. Because of new technologies like TiVo and television on demand, hopefully the advertising community will come up with even more diverse types of storytelling formats for the future. I’m excited to see what happens, and hopefully be a part of it. I directed a short film, Dead Battery that was broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel, Canal + (France), and TV Tokyo.
What do you think is the best part about being a director? Getting all the credit.
What’s the worst part? Getting all the blame.
Who is (are) your mentor(s)? Janet Roach, screenwriter of Prizzi’s Honor, and one of my film professors at Columbia. She was the first one to encourage me to hone my craft for comedy.
Not counting your own work, what’s your favorite recent ad, and why? “Hello Tomorrow” for adidas, directed by Spike Jonze of bicoastal/international Morton Jankel Zander for TBWA/180, San Francisco. Since I’m a comedy director, I probably should have named something overtly funny, but I absolutely love this spot. Not only is it beautifully crafted and wonderfully atmospheric, but I think it’s a sign of the mixed media/multi-discipline branded content to come. It’s not only an entertaining story with eye-popping special effects but a great launching pad for an amazing song by Squeak E. Clean and Karen O, and a great way to promote adidas’ products.
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