The last time I saw legendary creative director Hal Riney was in November 2002. He had come down from the Bay Area to Los Angeles to pay tribute to editor Jacques Dury who was being inducted into the Association of Creative Editors’ (AICE) Hall of Fame.
Riney’s admiration of Dury’s artistry came from their collaborations over the years, which included such notable fare as the classic image commercial for Perrier, which brought a figurative sparkle to sparkling water by taking us to Perrier’s roots in France. Then there was the deadpan humor of Henry Weinhard Private Reserve’s “Chuck Wagon,” in which a western cowhand/cook recites the dinner menu specials of the day to a group of bewildered, hungry cowboys. (Both spots were directed by Joe Pytka of PYTKA.)
Sadly Riney died on March 24 of cancer at his home in San Francisco. He was 75. I thought it somehow fitting to seek out Dury to reflect on Riney whose career began at BBDO San Francisco, followed by Riney opening Ogilvy & Mather’s San Francisco office and then the venerable Hal Riney & Partners which is now Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco.
“Having Hal come out for my induction into the AICE Hall of Fame was as great an honor as being inducted,” related Dury. “Hal was a true artist and he made me a better artist. His writing was exquisite. A large part of what got me into the Hall of Fame was the work I did for Hal. He was a major force in creating my brand and image in the industry.”
Acknowledging that some have referenced a gruff manner in describing Riney, Dury said his experience completely differed. “He was brilliant, supportive and never made me feel pressured or intimidated…Having someone looking over your shoulder when you’re editing can be intimidating. But I was glad to have him in the room. We got to the point where we communicated in shorthand. If I heard a grunt at a certain point, I’d know that I needed to rethink something. He never got annoyed if the work wasn’t coming together. He trusted me to make it work. And to have his trust was a great gift.”
Riney was a mentor to many, including Rich Silverstein, Andy Berlin and Jeff Goodby. Similarly Dury Associates and its successor shop Decoupage opened up opportunities for talented artisans who went on to their own successes such as editor/director Larry Bridges, director Marcus Stevens, editors Hal Honigsberg and Tom Schachte. Though his was not on as grand a scale as that of Riney, Dury said he found it gratifying “to be on this parallel track with Hal of helping others to grow.”
Dury could recollect only one time that Riney got angry at him–when Dury refused to work for the Tuesday Team on the 1984 Ronald Reagan re-election campaign.
“I couldn’t bring myself to do that,” related Dury. “I remember thinking that I probably had just done a foolish thing. At the time Hal represented about seventy-five percent of my business. At first I was scared about the possible impact of my decision. But Hal continued working with me. He didn’t like my decision but he knew that’s how I felt. To me, that was a reflection of his integrity as a person.”
“Se7en” Turns 30, Gets A Special Restoration From David Fincher For Its Re-Release
For David Fincher, seeing “Se7en” in 4K was an experience he can only describe as harrowing. That or a high school reunion.
“There are definitely moments that you go, ‘What was I thinking?’ Or ‘Why did I let this person have that hairdo’?” Fincher said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
He’s OK with the film being a product of its time in most respects. But some things just could not stand in high-definition resolution.
“It was a little decrepit, to be honest,” said Fincher. “We needed to resuscitate it. There are things you can see in 4K HDR that you cannot see on a film print.”
Ever the perfectionist, he and a team got to work on a new restoration of the film for its 30th anniversary re-release. This weekend the restored “Se7en” will play on IMAX screens for the first time in the U.S. and Canada, and on Jan. 7, the 4K UHD home video version will be available as well.
The dark crime thriller written by Andrew Kevin Walker and starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as a pair of detectives looking for a serial killer was somewhat of a career-reviver for Fincher, whose directorial debut “Alien 3” had not gone well. “Se7en” was not a sure thing: It was made for only $34 million (and only got that when Fincher managed to persuade studio execs to give up $3 million more). But it went on to earn more than $327 million, not accounting for inflation, and continues to influence the genre.
Fincher has over the years overseen several restorations of the film (including one for laser disc) but decided this needed to be the last. It’s why he insisted on an 8K scan that they could derive the 4K from. He wanted to ensure that it wouldn’t have to be repeated when screens get more... Read More