New York-headquartered postproduction boutique The Well has signed Jolie Miller of New York-based Jolie Miller and Company for national representation. Miller has also added New York production shop Free Market Films and music house Duotone Audio Group to her roster….Santa Monica-based music/sound design shop Ear to Ear has signed Drew Miller for representation on the East Coast….Marci Miles of Reelize, Chicago, and Liz Laine of Chicago-based Liz Laine Reps have combined their rosters and will work under the latter company’s banner. The duo’s first signing is Midwest representation for Pacific Rim Films, Venice, Calif….Santa Monica-based Fuel has signed Marianne McCarley of McCarley Reps, New York, for East Coast representation….Chicago-based independent rep Dawn Rao is handling national sales for the newly formed Foundation Post, West Los Angeles and Chicago…. Rob Russo Productions, New York, is handling Midwest sales for Southwest Productions, Albuquerque, N.M….Partos, Santa Monica, has signed DPs Ryan Gaw, Pat Notaro and Gary Shaw for representation….
Steve McQueen Shows Wartime London Through A Child’s Eyes In “Blitz”
It was a single photograph that started Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen on the journey to make "Blitz." As a Londoner, the German bombing raids on the city during World War II are never all that far from his mind. Reminders of it are everywhere. But the spark of inspiration came from an image of a small boy on a train platform with a large suitcase. Stories inspired by the evacuation are not rare, but this child was Black. Who was he, McQueen wondered, and what was his story? The film, in theaters Friday and streaming on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22, tells the tale of George, a 9-year-old biracial child in East London whose life with his mother, Rita ( Saoirse Ronan ), and grandfather is upended by the war. Like many children at the time, he's put on a train to the countryside for his safety. But he hops off and starts a long, dangerous journey back to his mom, encountering all sorts of people and situations that paint a revelatory and emotional picture of that moment. SEARCHING FOR GEORGE AND FINDING A STAR When McQueen finished the screenplay, he thought to himself: "Not bad." Then he started to worry: Does George exist? Is there a person out there who can play this role? Through an open casting call they found Elliott Heffernan, a 9-year-old living just outside of London whose only experience was a school play. He was the genie in "Aladdin." "There was a stillness about him, a real silent movie star quality," McQueen said. "You wanted to know what he was thinking, and you leant in. That's a movie star quality: A presence in his absence." Elliott is now 11. When he was cast, he'd not yet heard about the evacuation and imagined that a film set would be made up of "about 100 people." But he soon found his footing, cycling in and out of... Read More