Bicoastal sound studio One Thousand Birds has secured its first representation on the East Coast, signing with indie firm Fox-Mills Inc. Founded by Andrew Tracy and Laura Dopp, One Thousand Birds is a design studio for audio with operations in Los Angeles and New York while slated to open in Bogota in early 2020. Projects span commercials, film, radio, podcasts, AR/VR/XR, games, products, events, and installations for brands including Sonos, Squarespace, MoMA, Netflix, HBO, Oculus, Peloton and Glossier….
Lindsay Elizabeth Donovan has joined Encore Vancouver, a Deluxe subsidiary, in the role of VP, sales. Reporting to Mark Smirnoff, EVP, global postproduction sales for Deluxe, she joins the company from Technicolor where she served as director of sales since 2014. Donovan previously served as a sales team leader at Fusion Cine where she spent more than four years connecting cinematographers and directors with the desired cameras and lenses for each project. Her understanding of these vital and nuanced tools equips her with a unique production expertise that informs her collaborations with clients. She has also worked in various production capacities for projects including The Colbert Report and The L Word. Donovan is a member of the Vancouver Post Alliance where she has served on the board of directors and played an integral role in the creation and stewardship of the non-profit’s mentorship program. She is also an active member of the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of BC, and has served as a judge for the Whistler Film Festival….
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More