Oscar-winning creative studio Framestore has bolstered its Los Angeles team by appointing Michael Scarcella as head of operations, Dan Roberts and Pete King as executive producers, and Carla Attanasio as sr. VFX producer.
Reporting directly to Los Angeles managing director Duncan Burbidge, Scarcella will be responsible for overseeing teams across client services, facilities, engineering, scheduling, pipeline and support to ensure smooth operation across functions of the business. Prior to joining Framestore Scarcella spent seven years at The Mill, first in New York and then in Los Angeles as head of operations. Previously, he worked for the Olympic Broadcast Service assisting in the production of content for the London Olympic Games.
Roberts joins Framestore after more than 20 years at The Mill in New York and Los Angeles, most recently as executive producer. He has overseen an expansive portfolio of celebrated projects, including Nike’s award-winning “Write the Future” and multiple Old Spice campaigns. Roberts’ well-regarded reputation for effective project management, expertise in production processes and enthusiasm for identifying and nurturing next generation talent will build on the team’s strong foundation.
King also joins Framestore as executive producer from The Mill in Los Angeles after two decades in the industry. He brings experience creating world-class content for global automotive brands, notably overseeing the launch of “The Mill Blackbird”–the first all electric, fully adjustable car rig for CGI automotive content. While at Big Block, King produced the BMW M5 viral sensation “Bullet” as well as the Emmy-nominated opening title sequence for Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. He has collaborated on household brands alongside agencies including Team One, Mullen, David&Goliath, Digitas, and Doner.
Attanasio comes from Digital Domain where she was a sr. VFX producer working on game cinematics and trailers for titles such as Destiny, Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty. She also oversaw the creation of content for Walmart’s interactive KIDHQ website. Over the last two decades, she has worked on content for brands including BMW, Cadillac, Electronic Arts, the NFL, Intel, Target and Visa.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More