Bicoastal/inter-national Propaganda Films has formally relaunched Propaganda Independent (also known as Independent), the Hollywood-based division representing feature filmmakers for spot projects.
To that end, Independent has signed film director Bryan Singer (Apt Pupil, X-Men). Executive producer Marshall Rawlings, a line producer for the last five years, has been brought aboard to head the division. Singer recently wrapped his first project under the renewed Independent banner: a three-spot international 7-Up package out of BBDO New York, shot on location in Australia.
Besides Singer, the other feature directors now under the Independent banner are: Frank Coraci (The Waterboy), Jon Turteltaub (The Kid), Shekhar Kepur (Elizabeth) and Jonathan Mostow (U-571). In addition, indie directors Greg Harrison (Groove) and Jamie Babbit (But I’m a Cheerleader!), whom Propaganda signed to its roster following the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, are now at Independent—as is director Luis Mandoki (Amazing Grace), whose Hollywood-based Mandolin Entertainment entered into a first-look pact with Propaganda last fall (SHOOT, 9/15/00, p. 1).
Executive producer Susanne Preissler first launched Propaganda Independent in early 1998 and ran the division until she exited the company a year and a half later (SHOOT, 8/13/99, p. 1). During her tenure, Preissler secured spotwork for a group of directors including Singer—who helmed a three-spot ESPN package for Ground Zero, Santa Monica; a Philips Watches ad for McCann-Erickson, Rome and Milan, Italy; and an MTV promo for FCB San Francisco. The latter, the :45 "Busta’s License" (SHOOT, 9/25/98, p. 1). featured rapper Busta Rhymes in a scenario set in a DMV office, and represented the agency’s first TV work for the client. (Preissler continues to maintain her own ensemble of feature directors for spot representation via Los Angeles-based Independent Media.)
Observing that the ad community has long been interested in feature directors helming spots, Propaganda president Rick Hess contended that the company is uniquely positioned to facilitate such collaborations due to its track record as a leader in the commercial and independent film arenas.
"We understand what [feature directors’] lives are like and can really help navigate the process for them," said Hess, who formerly was head of production at Phoenix Pictures, the Culver City, Calif.-based feature company, and, before that, headed William Morris Agency’s independent film group with Cassian Elwes. "We understand what it’s like to answer to a studio, and we know what directors’ time constraints are and how to work around their schedules," Hess continued.
Propaganda VP of sales Dana Balkin added that Independent complements Propaganda and its sister shops, bicoastal/international Satellite and music video arm Extension Films. "We want to continue to be a resource for our agency clients," Balkin said, "by being able to offer them [a variety of talent], from people just out of Art Center, to music video directors, to directors of multi-million dollar features."
Independent is not a "glamour division" bolstered by top name directors who have no real interest in spots, emphasized Rawlings, whose producing credits include commercials helmed by Satellite directors in addition to several filmmakers under the previous Propaganda Independent aegis, such as Doug Liman and Alfonso Cuaron. "The directors we’ve signed are very interested in shooting commercials," said Rawlings.
Hess and Singer have had a friendly relationship that dates back to the making of Apt Pupil, which Phoenix Pictures produced. Having Propaganda Independent affords him the opportunity to work again with Singer, noted Hess, who assesses the director as a "brilliant filmmaker."
Singer told SHOOT that his regard for Hess led to his decision to sign with Independent. "Rick and I really get along," Singer related. "He sees advertising not just as selling, but also as a little bit of storytelling, and we see eye-to-eye on that. And Marshall is a good producer, and a good guy to work with."
Noting that the commercial process is more collaborative than that of feature making, Singer said that the shorter time commitment required of spots and the opportunity to work with different crews are appealing to him. Among his DP collaborators on spots are feature cinematographers Russell Carpenter (Charlie’s Angels, Titanic) and Allen Daviau (E.T., Empire of the Sun), who recently DPed the aforementioned 7-Up spots.
"Recently, I was prepping a movie [to have been DPed by Daviau] that ultimately did not happen," Singer related, "so it was a nice consolation for us to work together in Australia on the 7-Up ads. He doesn’t do a great many of these [commercials], either. Because I come from film, I can very often attract technicians who ordinarily don’t delve into commercials. It’s a unique opportunity for a lot of people to get together for a short amount of time. It’s a way to try each other out."
The director’s first feature was the low-budget Public Access, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the ’93 Sundance Film Festival. He made his mark on Hollywood with his ’95 breakout hit The Usual Suspects, a labyrinthine crime drama centering on five master criminals, which earned Academy Awards for best supporting actor Kevin Spacey, and best original screenplay for screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie.
Singer then directed Apt Pupil, a ’97 thriller adapted from a Stephen King novella depicting the power struggle between a teen boy and the aged Nazi war criminal he has ferreted out. Singer’s latest directorial effort, last summer’s X-Men, is based on the Marvel Comic book series about a team of mutant superheroes.
Born in New Jersey, Singer began shooting 8mm films in his teens before studying briefly at the School of Visual Arts, New York. He moved to Los Angeles, where he attended and graduated from the University of Southern California cinema program in ’89. He subsequently enlisted childhood pal Ethan Hawke to appear in Lion’s Den, a short he wrote and directed that features five high school friends. Singer followed that project with Public Access.
Observing that his films run the gamut regarding genre, Singer said his commercial interests are similarly diverse. The director added that he would like to further explore certain types of visual effects in order to broaden the effects knowledge he garnered from directing X-Men (which included around 530 effects shots). "I hope to try out things that I will ultimately bring to future movies, whether they be sequels to X-Men or other visual effects related things."
But he will ultimately choose commercial projects based on one criterion: "The only thing that’s important to me is that I understand and believe the story," affirmed Singer. "Then it’s worth doing."
In addition to Balkin, Propaganda Independent’s sales force includes New York-based Matt Factor and Tara Ford on the East Coast, Chicago-based Dawn Rao in the Midwest, and Hollywood-based Mal Ward on the West Coast. Internationally, the shop is repped by London-based Jani Guest.
