BeachHouse Films, a Santa Monica-based house under the aegis of executive producers Dave and Patti Coulter, has signed director Noel Castley-Wright for spot representation in the U.S. Prior to branching out into directing commercials four years ago, Castley-Wright was best known as a leading visual effects artisan, primarily on the strength of his work at Company 3, Santa Monica.
During his Company 3 tenure, Castley-Wright was visual effects supervisor/artist on assorted notable commercials, including Nike’s “The Morning After” directed by Spike Jonze of now defunct Satellite (he is now with bicoastal/international MJZ) for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., and Apple’s “Think Different” directed by Jennifer Golub of TBWA/Chiat/Day, San Francisco. Both spots won the coveted primetime commercial Emmy Award; “The Morning After” also copped a Gold Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Festival.
After departing Company 3, Castley-Wright set up his own visual effects boutique, Platypus, in 2002. That venture was on the Company 3 premises. During his year at Platypus he not only contributed effects to varied jobs, but also started to direct with a couple of spec projects.
In ’03, Castley-Wright moved his family back to Australia, where he opened his own production house, Oxygen Pictures, through which he helmed visual effects/live-action spots. At Oxygen, with offices in Sydney and Perth, Castley-Wright also diversified into people and dialogue-driven commercials. Though he and his family recently came back to live in Southern California, Castley-Wright will continue to be repped Down Under via Oxygen. His latest assignment at Oxygen was a three-spot package for Ikea.
Castley-Wright comes aboard a BeachHouse directorial roster that includes Larry Carroll, Jeff Gordon, Brandon Kraines, Domenic Mastrippolito, Des Mullan and director/DP Gordon Willis Jr.
The End of The “Rust” Criminal Case Against Alec Baldwin May Unlock A Civil Lawsuit
The conclusion of a criminal case against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer clears the way for a related civil lawsuit by relatives of the deceased woman and efforts to depose the actor under oath, attorneys for plaintiffs in the civil suit said Tuesday.
At a news conference in Los Angeles, victims' rights attorney Gloria Allred said that the parents and younger sister of deceased cinematographer Halyna Hutchins were disappointed that prosecutors won't appeal the dismissal of an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin. The criminal charge against Baldwin was dismissed halfway through trial in July on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense.
Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during a rehearsal in the movie "Rust" in October 2021 at a film-set ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Baldwin, the lead actor and coproducer, was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when it discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
Allred said Hutchins' relatives are determined to pursue damages and compensation from Baldwin and "Rust" producers in New Mexico civil court, and want Baldwin to answer questions under oath in the proceedings. Hutchins' widower and son previously reached a separate legal settlement.
"With the withdrawal that was made public yesterday, we are now able to proceed with our civil case," Allred said. "Clearly, the rights of Alec Baldwin were protected, but the due process rights of the victims — Halyna Hutchins and her parents and her sister — were violated."
Allred said she's ready to prove that Hutchins had a close relationship... Read More