Director Joe Murray has come aboard the roster of Rhythm + Hues Commercial Studios. He was most recently handled by Boxer Films for commercials.
In that he is adept at live action and effects–and in meshing the two disciplines without losing the human element in his storytelling–Murray dovetails nicely with R+H, a digital studio encompassing live-action and animation directors, visual effects, design and postproduction services.
On the ad front, Murray has directed beauty, sports, and music talent including Jane Seymour, Cindy Crawford, Greg Norman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Richard Petty, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, and Randy Travis, while his client list spans Acura, Budweiser, Calloway Golf, Ford, Gatorade, General Motors, General Mills, MacGregor Sports, Lexus, Polaris, and Procter & Gamble. He has also diversified into long-form with projects for Warner Bros., Lucasfilm and HBO over the years.
Murray said he was attracted to R+H’s creative talent, technical resources and expertise, and track record for problem solving and collaboration. But he cited as a prime draw R+H’s penchant for human-based storytelling.
“My point of view, no matter the project, has always been to emphasize the humanity and emotion and story elements in front of the lens,” related Murray. “In the past few years, we’ve experienced a highly accelerated evolvement in all of the technology we utilize to tell our stories from the point where the back of that lens ends; from the camera body all the way through the postproduction and delivery process. When Paul [Babb, R+H’s exec producer] called and offered me the opportunity to work with him and the many talented people at Rhythm and Hues I couldn’t resist as they have been at the forefront of this revolution without losing sight of the human story and the emotions and responsive chord we speak to in creating our images.”
Recent commercial projects at R+H include Activision, Budweiser, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, Crayola, Electronic Arts, Hartford, Kellogg’s, Mattel, Microsoft X-Box, Miller Beer, Nasonex, Quaker State, Tide, and Ubisoft. Film Division credits include an Oscar® for Achievement in Visual Effects for Golden Compass in 2008. Recently produced theatrical movie projects include Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and The Wolfman. Films currently in production include The A Team, The Cabin In The Woods, Little Fockers, Marmaduke, and Yogi Bear.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More