January 27
Honorary French ‘Cesar’ to be presented to Winslet
PARIS (AP) — British actress Kate Winslet is to receive an honorary award next month from organizers of the French equivalent of the Academy Awards.
The versatile 36-year-old now on French screens in Roman Polanski’s clashing-couples film “Carnage” will receive the honorary Cesar at the ceremony on February 24.
France’s Academy of Cinematic Arts and Techniques presented nominations for the 37th Cesar Awards ceremony on Friday.
Child-protection drama “Polisse” led with 13 nominations, while silent, black-and-white film “The Artist” garnered 11.
France’s National Cinematic Center has said French movie theaters sold 211 million tickets last year — a 45-year high, and a 4-percent increase from 2010.
The Visual Effects Society announces the 2012 Board of Directors officers
LOS ANGELES –The Visual Effects Society (VES) announced the 2012 Board of Director officers who were elected at the January 18th board meeting. The list of officials includes Jeffrey A. Okun, head of visual effects for Prana Studios, who was re-elected for a fourth one-year term as Board Chair. Okun has contributed visual effects design and execution to a wide-range of films including the award winning sci-fi hit Stargate (1994), Deep Blue Sea (1999), The Last Starfighter (1984), Sphere (1998), The Last Samurai (2003), Blood Diamond (2006) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008).
Okun is the creator of the revolutionary visual effects techniques dubbed the “PeriWinkle Effect” and the “Pencil Effect”, which have been used in many projects to help achieve more a sense of the fantastic, wonder and more accurate budgets. Okun is the author of breakdown, budgeting and tracking software currently being used by professionals throughout the industry.
The other officers of the VES Board of Directors are:
O First Vice Chair: Michael Fink, Visual Effects Supervisor. Fink began working in film on China Syndrome in 1977. He “cut his eye teeth” on films such as Star Trek the Motion Picture and Bladerunner, and became a Visual Effects Supervisor on War Games (BAFTA Nomination), in 1982. He has since worked on over 50 films, including Batman Returns (BAFTA and Academy Nominations), Braveheart, X-Men, X-Men 2, The Golden Compass (BAFTA Award, Academy Award), Avatar, Tron: Legacy, Sucker Punch, and Tree of Life.
Fink is a founding member of the VES. He is on the Advisory Board of SpaceCam Systems, Inc., and is a visiting professor at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, while continuing his visual effects career.
O Second Vice Chair: Pam Hogarth — Director of Marketing, Look Effects. Hogarth has spent over 26 years in the world of visual effects, 20 of which doing marketing and education. Before joining LOOK she spent 12 years helping to build Gnomon School of Visual Effects into a leading educational institution for careers in high-end cg. While doing that, she found time and energy to devote to the VES, serving multiple terms on the Board of Directors, including four years as Executive Secretary, is currently Chair of the Benefits Committee and has been one of the abiding Chairs of the Education Committee.
O Treasurer: Bob Coleman, President, Digital Artists Agency. Coleman founded Digital Artists Agency in Los Angeles to represent an international and award-winning portfolio of artists for work in feature, commercial and related fields. He uses his experience in top-level management positions to further the development of the visual effects craft.
O Secretary: Kim Lavery, VFX Producer. Lavery has experience from both the Production & Post Production sides of film making and visual effects producing for a total of over two decades, having worked for Universal Studios on film production then shifting to visual effects in 1994. Currently, Lavery is continuing to bridge the gap between New Zealand and the US film and post production markets. She has served on the VES Awards Committee since its inception in 2002; and has also served as a VES Board Member and Secretary for several terms: 2004 — present.
Film Independent announces panel for ‘Close-Up’ series
LOS ANGELES — Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced the guest speakers and program for the 11th annual Film Independent Directors Close-Up series, taking place every Wednesday from February 8 — March 7 at The Landmark, West Los Angeles.
Directors Jonathan Levine, (50/50), Mike Mills (Beginners), Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), writers Will Reiser (50/50), Phil Johnston (Cedar Rapids), sound designer Will Files (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Tree of Life, Take Shelter) and composer David Wingo (Take Shelter) will be this year’s series panelists, with more to be announced. Actor Harry Lennix (Man of Steel, Ray), writer/director Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and HitFix editor-in-chief Gregory Ellwood will be moderators.
Each night, over the course of five consecutive weeks, sessions will examine specific aspects of directing–sound, writing, cinematography, casting and eliciting compelling performances from actors.
“This series really pulls back the curtain on the collaborative process in an intimate setting, and allows our audience to ask those burning questions they have about independent filmmaking,” said Director of Education Maria Bozzi.
This year’s panels will cover the following topics:
February 8 — Sound Advice: Moving Beyond the Picture
February 15 — The Storytellers: Writers and Directors
February 22 — The Independent Spirit: A Directors Roundtable
February 29 — The Actors: Getting Great Performances
March 7 — The Creative Team: Executing the Vision
The 2012 Film Independent Directors Close-Up sponsors include Skywalker Sound, The Landmark Theatres, the Directors Guild of America, SAGIndie/Screen Actors Guild and HitFix.
Dick Tufeld, voice of ‘Lost in Space” robot, dies
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Dick Tufeld, a radio and TV announcer best known as the voice of the robot in the 1960s television show “Lost in Space,” has died. He was 85.
Mt. Sinai Memorial Parks says Tufeld died Sunday at home in the Studio City area of Los Angeles.
Tufeld’s career included announcing for the 1950s radio show “Space Patrol.” He also worked on hundreds of commercials, sports and news programs and TV shows ranging from “Zorro” to “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.”
However, Tufeld is perhaps best known for voicing the “Lost in Space” robot, whose warnings of “Danger, Will Robinson!” became a catchphrase.
An obituary released by his family says services will be held Friday at Mt. Sinai Hollywood Hills.
Glee’s Lea Michele fills closet with Candie’s
By Samantha Critchell, Fashion Writer
NEW YORK (AP) – Lea Michele is moving from a locker to a much bigger closet. She’s the star of the new Candie’s ad campaign, dubbed “Hanging at Home,” shot at a private mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif. The images show her poolside, in the kitchen, in a bed with satin sheets and in a walk-in closet, wearing a new outfit and pair of shoes in each one.
The multi-media campaign creative was developed by Iconix in-house marketing team and photographed at a private residence in Beverly Hills, CA by fashion photographer Yu Tsai.
The 25-year-old star of “Glee” is following in the high-heel footprints of former brand spokeswomen Britney Spears and Fergie, among others. Michele says she particularly liked Spears’ old ads. “I think they’re fun and flirty and show off her body great.”
Michele does a little showing off here, too, with some sexy poses, some silly poses and some glamorous ones.
Anyone who has seen Michele do a turn on the red carpet knows she’s got her moves down for the camera.
The campaign will debut in March issues of fashion and lifestyle magazines such as Seventeen, Teen Vogue and Cosmopolitan, as well as online, outdoor and in Kohl’s marketing vehicles. The Candie’s brand is available exclusively at Kohl’s Department Stores.
Sergio Mendes says ‘Rio’ sequel likely
By Mesfin Fekadu
NEW YORK (AP) – Sergio Mendes, who scored an Oscar nomination for his song “Real In Rio,” says the animated film will most likely have a sequel.
Mendes said “Rio” director Carlos Saldanha may want to tie the sequel to the 2014 World Cup, which will take place in Brazil.
“I think the plan is for the movie to come three or four months before the World Cup,” Mendes said Tuesday afternoon.
“Fox has been talking about (it) and it looks like it’s going to happen,” he continued. “We’re going to have a meeting I think next week and Carlos is coming to town to tell us the story, and it looks like it’s a go.”
Fox said in an email Wednesday that the “success of the first film was the start of a franchise,” but added that “no script or deals” are in place.
Mendes and Saldanha are from Brazil. Mendes said creating music for the film – about birds adventuring to Rio de Janeiro with the voices of Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway – was special “because that’s my hometown.”
Mendes shares his nomination with Siedah Garrettd and Carlinhos Brown. He said he’s not feeling pressure to create new music for the “Rio” sequel following his Oscar nod.
“I take one thing at a time,” he said. “Right now I’m celebrating.”
Aussie lawmaker accused of lifting movie speech
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – An Australian lawmaker is getting bad reviews for a speech that seemed to mirror a Hollywood movie.
Government minister Anthony Albanese told the National Press Club that Australia had serious challenges and that opposition leader Tony Abbott was uninterested in solving them.
He said Abbott “is only interested in two things: making Australians afraid of it and telling them who’s to blame for it.”
His remarks Wednesday were nearly identical to lines delivered by Michael Douglas in “The American President.” The 1995 movie was penned by Aaron Sorkin.
Liberal Party federal director Brian Loughnane released a YouTube video comparing the speeches and said it showed the Labor Party was “devoid of ideas.”
Albanese later tweeted a response: “D’oh! Stuff up,” which he attributed to Homer Simpson.
John Shaffner Elected Chair of Art Directors Council
LOS ANGELES–Production designer John Shaffner has been elected to a three-year term as chair of the Art Directors Council, replacing Thomas A. Walsh, who continues in the position of president of the overall Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800).
Shaffner was formerly vice-chair of the Council, a position now filled by Corey Kaplan. Also elected to the Art Directors Council was Jack Fisk. The ADG has four craft councils: Art Directors; Scenic, Title & Graphic Artists; Set Designers & Model Makers; and Illustrators & Matte Artists.
Shaffner has just completed four years as chairman/CEO of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He presently works as production designer on Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory and Mike & Molly.
Fisk was nominated for an Oscar® and a BAFTA Award for his work as production designer on There Will be Blood. He was production designer on Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life and on Malick’s next film, as yet untitled.
New members recently elected to the other craft councils include Ben Nowicki of the Scenic, Title & Graphic Artists Council, and James Hewitt of the Set Designers and Model Makers Council.
Big Spaceship hires Mark Pollard for newly created position
BROOKLYN, NY — Mark Pollard has joined Brooklyn-based creative agency Big Spaceship as VP of brand strategy. He comes to Big Spaceship from Saatchi + Saatchi NY and will report to COO Alasdair Lloyd-Jones. In this newly created position, Pollard will work with the agency leadership team to oversee new business growth, enhance current client relationships and branch out the agency’s IP practice.
“Mark will work across our teams as an expert in brand narratives and ensuring our clients’ brand actions are building equity behind these narratives,” said Lloyd-Jones.
Pollard most recently was sr. VP, director of planning innovation at Saatchi + Saatchi NY. An Australia native, he moved to New York from McCann Sydney and previously held positions at Leo Burnett, Tribal DDB and Ogilvy. At 20 years old, Pollard founded the first full-color hip hop magazine in the Southern Hemisphere, Stealth, which went on to be distributed by Tower Records worldwide.
Across his career, Pollard has worked with leading brands including Amstel, Audi, Cannon, Dove, Heineken, Kleenex, MasterCard and Levis.
Eletronic voting system to be used for 85th annual Academy Awards
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Potential Oscar winners will now be a click away from winning a trophy.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that it has partnered with a company to develop an electronic voting system for next year’s 85th annual Academy Awards.
The motion picture academy says it entered into an agreement with Everyone Counts Inc. to exclusively to work with longtime accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers to create the new system.
Oscar voting in the past has been compiled through paper ballots sent through the mail.
Ric Robertson, the Academy’s chief operating officer, said in a statement that it’s the first step the Academy is taking “toward developing a secure and convenient electronic voting system.”
The 84th annual Academy Awards are set for February 26.
Juries announced for the 6th Dubai Lynx AwardsDUBAI — The Dubai International Advertising Festival announced the members of the juries responsible for judging and awarding entries into the 6th Dubai Lynx Awards.
A total of 35 international, industry experts will come together in Dubai to judge and debate over the best of the region’s work. Divided into six juries, each led by their own jury president, jury members will this year see entries from 14 categories: Film, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Media, Direct, Promo & Activation, Interactive, Print & Poster Craft, Film Craft, Design, Integrated and new for this year, PR and Mobile.
The 2012 jury members are:
Film, Print, Outdoor, Radio and Craft Jury
Ted Royer, Partner, Executive Creative Director, Droga5, USA — Jury President
Scott Lambert, Creative Director, Innocean, Australia
Doerte Spengler-Ahrens, Chief Creative Officer, Jung von Matt/Fleet, Germany
Abhijit Avasthi, National Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather, India
Ivan Johnson, Executive Creative Director, 140 BBDO, South Africa
Carla Romeu, Creative Director, El Laboratorio, Spain
John Pallant, Regional Creative Director, EMEA, Saatchi & Saatchi, UK
Direct, Promo & Activation, Interactive and Mobile
Gastón Bigio, Regional Creative Director, Ogilvy Latina and Founder, David, Argentina — Jury President
Nancy Hartley, Executive Creative Director, SapientNitro, Australia
Erik Backes, Executive Creative Director, Wunderman, Germany
Odile Crézé, Executive Creative Director, DraftFCB, France
Chris Baylis, Executive Creative Director, Tribal DDB, The Netherlands
Theo Ferreira, Executive Creative Director/Co-Founder, Hello World, South Africa
Nick Darken, Partner | Executive Creative Director, Albion, UK
Media Jury
Jacki Kelley, Global Chief Executive Officer, UM, Global — Jury President
John Sintras, Chief Executive Officer, Starcom MediaVest, Australia
Gino Baeck, Chief Executive Officer, Mindshare, Belgium
Jens Erichsen, Managing Director, Carat, Germany
Jasmin Sohrabji, Chief Executive Officer, Omnicom Media Group, India
Niclas FrÜberg, Chief Executive Officer/Founder, Tre Kronor Media & Advertising, Sweden
Hugh Cameron, Chief Strategy Officer, PHD Media, UK
Design Jury
Jonathan Ford, Creative Partner, Pearlfisher, UK — Jury President
Tristan Macherel, Executive Creative Director, The Brand Union, France
Alok Nanda, Chief Executive Officer, Alok Nanda & Company, India
Bruno Stucchi, Owner/Creative Director, Dinamomilano, Italy
Rita Baltazar, Partner, Co-Founder and Creative Director, By, Portugal
Jennifer Ehlers, Creative Director, King James RSVP, South Africa
Catrin Vagnemark, Creative Director, BVD Design Bureau, Sweden
PR Jury
Richard Millar, Chief Executive Officer, Hill & Knowlton, UK — Jury President
Cyrille Arcamone, Senior Vice President & Senior Partner, Fleishman-Hillard, France
Tobias Schlösser, Chief Operating Officer, EMEA, Ledavi, Germany
Sunil Gautam, Director, Hanmer MSL Communications, India
Giorgio Cattaneo, President, Chief Executive Officer, MY PR, Italy
Catarina Vasconcelos, Managing Director, LPM, Portugal
Christina Saliba, Chief Executive Officer, Weber Shandwick, Sweden
Integrated Jury
Ted Royer, Partner, Executive Creative Director, Droga5, USA — Jury President
Gastón Bigio, Regional Creative Director, Ogilvy Latina and Founder, David, Argentina
Jonathan Ford, Creative Partner, Pearlfisher, UK
Ivan Johnson, Executive Creative Director, 140BBDO, South Africa
Jacki Kelley, Global CEO, UM, Global
Richard Millar, Chief Executive Officer, Hill & Knowlton, UK
John Pallant, Regional Creative Director, EMEA, Saatchi & Saatchi, UK
The Dubai International Advertising Festival takes place from March 4-6 with the Dubai Lynx Awards drawing the Festival to a close on March 7. Anyone wishing to attend should visit http://www.dubailynx.com/registration/ for details of delegate packages and to take advantage of the special Early Bird Discount, available until February 2.
Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos dies in accidentATHENS, Greece (AP) – Theo Angelopoulos, an award-winning Greek filmmaker known for his slow and dreamlike style as a director, was killed in a road accident Tuesday while working on his latest movie. He was 76.
Police and hospital officials said Angelopoulos suffered serious head injuries and died at a hospital after being hit by a motorcycle while walking across a road close to a movie set near Athens’ main port of Piraeus.
The driver, also injured and hospitalized, was later identified as an off-duty police officer.
The accident occurred while Angelopoulos was working on his upcoming movie “The Other Sea.”
Angelopoulos had won numerous awards for his movies, mostly at European film festivals, during a career that spanned more than 40 years.
In 1995, he won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for “Ulysses’ Gaze,” starring American actor Harvey Keitel.
Born in Athens in 1935, Angelopoulos lived through the Nazi occupation of Greece during World War II and the ensuing 1946-49 Greek Civil War – recurring themes in his early films.
He studied law at Athens University, but eventually lost interest and moved to France where he studied film at the Institute of Advanced Cinematographic Studies in Paris.
After returning to Greece, he worked as a film critic for a small, left-wing newspaper and started to make films during the 1967-74 dictatorship.
Described as mild-mannered but uncompromising, Angelopoulos’ often sad and slow-moving films mostly dealt with issues from Greece’s turbulent recent history: war, exile, immigration and political division.
It was not until 1984 with “Voyage to Kythera” that his scripts were written in collaboration with others.
Angelopoulos mostly attracted art-house audiences, using established actors including Marcello Mastroianni and Jeanne Moreau in two of his most widely acclaimed films, “The Bee Keeper” and “The Suspended Stride of the Stalk.”
His films included: “Forminx Story,” 1965 – Unfinished; “The Broadcast,” 1968; “Reconstruction,” 1970; “Days of ’36”, 1972; “The Travelling Players,” 1974-75; “The Hunters,” 1977; “Megalexandros,” 1980; “One Village, One Villager,” 1981; “Athens, Return to the Acropolis,” 1983; “Voyage to Cythera,” 1983; “the Bee-Keeper,” 1986; “Landscape in the Mist,” 1988; “the Suspended Step of the Stork,” 1991; “Ulysse’s Gaze,” 1995; “Eternity and a Day,” 1998; “Trilogy 1 : The Weeping Meadow,” 2003; “Trilogy II : Dust of Time,” 2008.
Oswalt returns to host the 10th Annual VES Awards
LOS ANGELES — The Visual Effects Society (VES) is pleased to announce that Patton Oswalt (Young Adult, Ratatouille) will host the 10th Annual VES Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Tuesday, February 7, 2012. This will be the popular comedian and actor’s third appearance at the VES Awards, which recognize the most outstanding visual effects work of the year and honor the artists who created it.
“These are the people who build worlds. Hell yeah, do I want to see ’em get their own night,” said Oswalt.
“Patton was a presenter at our 6th Annual Awards show in 2008 and he brought the house down, so we were thrilled when he came on board to host the event last year,” said Eric Roth, Executive Director of the Visual Effects Society. “He has often said that he feels like one of us. While he deeply appreciates the critical role visual effects plays in creating entertainment, he can also get a thousand people in tuxedos to laugh their butts off, so that truly makes him one of our stars.”
As previously announced, Stan Lee will be honored with the VES 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award and Douglas Trumbull with the Georges Méliès Award. The 10th Annual VES Awards will take place on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and will air exclusively on ReelzChannel.
LOS ANGELES — Actor® recipients Kevin Bacon, Kenneth Branagh, Jean Dujardin, Tina Fey, John Krasinski, Kyra Sedgwick, Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams will be presenters at the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, Executive Producer Jeff Margolis announced today.
They join a growing roster of actors who will honor their colleagues at the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards that already includes Kyle Chandler, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Judy Greer, Larry Hagman, Armie Hammer, Ed Helms, SAG President Ken Howard, Regina King, Julianna Margulies, Natalie Portman, Maya Rudolph, Octavia Spencer and Dick Van Dyke.
Two-time Actor recipient and five-time nominee Bacon received SAG Awards for his ensemble performance in “Apollo 13” and his lead role in the television film “Taking Chance.” Bacon recently appeared in the film “Crazy, Stupid, Love” opposite Steve Carell and Julianne Moore. He will next be seen in the upcoming feature “Jayne Mansfield’s Car,” directed by Billy Bob Thornton.
Three-time SAG Award nominee Branagh is nominated again this year for his supporting role as Sir Laurence Olivier in “My Week with Marilyn.” His previous nominations were for his supporting performance in “Othello” and his lead performance as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in television movie “Warm Springs.”
French film star and first-time Actor nominee Jean Dujardin is nominated for his current lead role in “The Artist.” Dujardin will next be seen in “Little White Lies” and “The Players.”
Fey is a ten-time SAG Award nominee who has earned four Actors for her portrayal of Liz Lemon on comedy series “30 Rock.” Fey earned two nominations this year for her lead performance on “30 Rock” and as a member of the show’s ensemble. Fey was most recently seen in the film “Date Night” opposite Steve Carell and as the voice of Roxanne Ritchie in the animated feature “Megamind.”
Six-time Actor nominee and two-time recipient Krasinski is nominated again this year in the ensemble category for his performance as Jim Halpert on “The Office.” Krasinski’s recent film credits include “It’s Complicated,” “Something Borrowed” and the upcoming films “Big Miracle” and “Nobody Walks.”
Eleven-time SAG Award nominee Sedgwick is nominated again this year for her portrayal of Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson on TNT’s blockbuster series, “The Closer.” Sedgwick can next be seen in the upcoming thriller, “Man on a Ledge” and the feature film “Possession.”
Thirteen-time Actor nominee and two-time recipient Streep is nominated this year for her lead performance as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the film “The Iron Lady.” She has earned previous SAG Awards for her lead role as Sister Aloysius Beauvier in “Doubt” and her portrayals of Hannah Pitt/Ethel Rosenberg in television film “Angels In America.” Streep will be starring in “Great Hope Springs” alongside Steve Carell and Tommy Lee Jones, due out later this year.
Four-time Actor nominee Williams is currently nominated for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in “My Week with Marilyn” opposite Kenneth Branaugh and Judi Dench. She was previously nominated for her supporting and cast performances in “Brokeback Mountain” as well as for her cast performance in “The Station Agent.” Williams will next be seen in Sarah Polley’s “Take This Waltz” with Seth Rogen, and Sam Raimi’s “Oz: The Great and Powerful” opposite James Franco.
The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® will be simulcast live coast-to-coast on TNT and TBS on Sunday, January 29, 2012, at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT) from the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles. An encore primetime telecast will begin immediately following on TNT at 10 p.m. (ET) / 7 p.m. (PT). The ceremony will also be telecast internationally.
Elevator maintenance may have caused NY accident that claimed life of Y&R’s Hart
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s Buildings Department commissioner says maintenance work may have contributed to an elevator accident in which an advertising executive was crushed to death.
Robert LiMandri tells The New York Times that a maintenance company did repair work on the elevator just before the December 14 accident.
He says that based on the investigation thus far, the repair work was believed to be a contributing cause, or the cause, of the accident.
Suzanne Hart was killed at the 26-story Manhattan office tower. She worked for Y&R, the advertising agency formerly known as Young & Rubicam.
The Manhattan district attorney also is investigating. No charges have been filed.
Study shows percentage of women working behind the camera in top 250 films in 2011
By Joshua L. Weinstein
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Women remained vastly underrepresented behind the camera in the movie business in 2011, a study to be released Tuesday shows.
Last year, women comprised 18 percent of directors, executive producers, writers, cinematographers and editors working on the 250 top-grossing domestic films, according to “The Celluloid Ceiling: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women on the Top 250 Films of 2011.”
The study, by Martha M. Lauzen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, shows that 38 percent of the top 250 films employed either no women or only one as director, executive producer, producer, writer, cinematographer or editor.
That’s an increase of 2 percent over 2010, but still a dismal number, said Lauzen.
“Women accounted for just 5 percent of directors last year,” Lauzen said. “At one point back in 1998, we were up to 9 percent, and so 5 percent — that’s almost half of the percentage, and that .. is really troubling.”
She explained that the percentage of women in high-ranking behind-the-camera movie jobs has hovered between 16 percent and 19 percent since she started her annual study in 1997.
“This impoverishes our culture,” she said. “We have a huge gap between the demographic profile of the group that is creating our culture” and the culture in general. Women make up roughly 51 percent of the U.S. population.
Lauzen’s study analyzed 2,636 people working on the 250 top-grossing films of 2011.
It found:
* The percentage of women directors has declined since 1998 while the percentages of women writers and producers have increased slightly. The percentage of women executive producers, editors and cinematographers has remained the same.
* 94 percent of the top films of 2011 were directed by men.
* Women made up 14 percent of writers in the top films.
* 77 percent of the major films of 2011 had no female writers.
* Women made up 25 percent of all producers on the top 250 films of 2011.
* Women made up 20 percent of editors in the biggest films of 2011, but 76 percent of those films had no female editors.
* There were fewer female cinematographers than directors on the top films of 2011: only 4 percent of cinematographers were women.
* Women were most likely to work in documentaries, dramas and comedies and least likely to work in horror, action and animated films.
Lauzen said that in 2010, when Kathryn Bigelow won the Academy Award for directing “The Hurt Locker,” “there were a lot of people saying, ‘Gosh, there is going to be this ‘Bigelow Effect.’ Her win will change peoples’ ideas or notions or stereotypes about women who direct, and this is a watershed moment.'”
That didn’t happen.
Lauzen said that “if women in film schools see that there aren’t many women directing out there, they may choose not to pursue that as a career option.”
And movies suffer, she said.
Lauzen said that the lack of women as directors is a problem for the industry — but it’s a problem few people acknowledge.
“How many people in the community view women’s really dramatic underrepresentation in the film business as a problem?” she asked. “In order to fix something, you have to perceive it as broken. If those in the community do not perceive this as a problem, then it will never be addressed.”
Sundance, Women In Film promote female filmmakersBy Sandy Cohen, Entertainment Writer
PARK CITY, UT (AP) – The Sundance Institute and Women In Film are working together to track female filmmakers who are showing their work at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
They plan to use the data to develop programs to increase women’s presence in all areas of filmmaking.
The executive director of the Sundance Institute and the president of Women In Film announced the initiative Monday at a private reception in Park City, Utah.
Keri Putnam and Cathy Shulman say the organizations were motivated by statistics that show that only 5 percent of the top 250 films were directed by women. That hasn’t changed since 1998.
Female filmmakers are better represented at Sundance, where 27 percent of the films presented were made by women.
Razzies worst-movie awards shift to April Fool’sLOS ANGELES (AP) – Hollywood’s award season is going to linger on through April Fool’s Day this year.
Organizers of the Razzies have changed the schedule for their nominations and prize ceremony. The spoof on the Academy Awards picks the year’s worst films.
The Razzies used to announce contenders the night before the Oscar nominations, which are coming Tuesday.
Razzies founder John Wilson announced Sunday that nominations this season will be released Feb. 25, the eve of the Oscar ceremony. Winners of the Razzies will be announced on April 1.
Wilson says Razzies organizers have long wanted to have their awards coincide with April Fool’s Day.
A news release announcing the change also notes that it will give the 600 Razzies voters “additional time to see the dreck they will eventually nominate.”
Mary J. Blige to pen song for Sundance documentary
By Sandy Cohen, Entertainment Writer
PARK CITY, UT (AP) – Mary J. Blige is lending her support – and her voice – to a documentary showing at the Sundance Film Festival about sexual assault in the U.S. military.
Blige attended the Friday world premiere of “The Invisible War.” Producer Amy Ziering says the multiple Grammy winner would write an original song for the film after the Sundance festival.
Blige’s song, “Need Someone,” plays over the closing credits of the film.
Written and directed by Kirby Dick, “The Invisible War” examines the trauma suffered by female and male victims of rape at the hands of their military colleagues and the difficulty they have in prosecuting their attackers.
Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio also attended the premiere.
Indie film executive Bingham Ray has died
By Brent Lang
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Respected independent film veteran Bingham Ray has died, the Sundance Film Festival announced on Monday.
Ray suffered a stroke while at the festival on Friday. He had been in serious, but stable condition since then and was surrounded by family.
“It is with great sadness that the Sundance Institute acknowledges the passing of Bingham Ray, cherished independent film executive and most recently Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Society,” the festival said in a statement. “On behalf of the independent film community here in Park City for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and elsewhere, we offer our support and condolences to his family. Bingham’s many contributions to this community and business are indelible, and his legacy will not be soon forgotten.”
In October, Ray was named the executive director of the San Francisco Film Society (SFFS).
“We at the Film Society and the entire film community have lost far too early an energetic and visionary impact player who has helped shape the independent film industry for decades in so many important and valuable ways,” Pat McBaine, SFFS board president, said in a statement.
Before heading the film society, Ray served as programming consultant to the Film Society of Lincoln Center and consultant to the digital distribution company SnagFilms. He is also an adjunct professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Ray was a co-founder of one of the leading independent film companies of the 1990s, October Films. In recent years he has become a vocal proponent for pushing indie film into the digital age.
Hearst Castle to host showing of ‘Citizen Kane’
SAN SIMEON, CA. (AP) — The 1941 film “Citizen Kane” will be shown at Hearst Castle, the elaborate California estate built by the newspaper magnate who inspired Orson Welles’ cinema classic.
The Los Angeles Times says “Citizen Kane” will be shown March 9 at the visitor center theater as part of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, with the blessing of the late William Randolph Hearst’s family.
Hearst sought to derail the movie, which portrayed the rise and fall of an obsessively controlling character, and festival director Wendy Eidson says it has probably never been seen at the estate, which is now a state park.
Great-grandson Steve Hearst says it will be presented as a work of fiction rather than as a documentary about the media tycoon.
ADC 91st Annual Awards Advertising and Integrated juries announcedNEW YORK — The Art Directors Club has announced the full juries for the Advertising and Integrated categories of the global ADC 91st Annual Awards, which is open for entries at www.adcawards.org.
Previously a sub-category within Advertising, Integrated has for the first time this year been elevated to its own separate category. Entry deadline for both categories is February 10, 2012. Deadlines for other categories have been extended: Design, Photography, Illustration and Motion entries are now due by January 27, 2012; Interactive deadline is now February 3, 2012.
The complete list of ADC 91st Annual Awards jurors for the Advertising and Integrated categories is as follows:
Advertising:
— John Boiler (jury chair), president, founding partner, 72andSunny, Los Angeles, CA, USA
— Andy Blood, executive creative director, WHYBIN BWA EQUILA, Auckland, New Zealand
— Matt Eastwood, chief creative officer, DDB, New York, NY, USA
— Hunter Fine, art director, associate creative director, BBDO, New York, NY, USA
— Vanessa Fortier, senior vice president, creative director, The Martin Agency, Richmond, VA, USA
— Kara Goodrich, senior creative director, BBDO, New York, NY, USA
— Frank Hahn, creative director, 72andSunny, Los Angeles, CA, USA
— Keith Ho, vice chairman, HK4As Creative Committee, Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of Hong Kong, executive creative director, Grey, Hong Kong
— Colin Jeffery, executive creative director, managing partner, David & Goliath, El Segundo, CA, USA
— Joe Johnson, executive creative director, Publicis, New York, NY, USA
— Michael Kadin, executive vice president, creative director, Deutsch, Los Angeles, CA, USA
— Akira Kagami, global executive creative advisor, Dentsu, Tokyo, Japan
— Jack Mariucci, faculty member, BFA Advertising and Graphic Design Department, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, USA
— Santosh Padhi, chief creative officer, co-founder, Taproot, Mumbai, India
— Martin Ringqvist, copywriter, Forsman & Bodenfors, Stockholm, Sweden
— Darren Spiller, chief creative officer, Fallon, Minneapolis, MN, USA
— Todd Waterbury, creative director, Uniqlo, New York, NY, USA
— Mark Wenneker, chief creative officer, Mullen, Boston, MA, USA
— Ari Weiss, executive creative director, BBH, New York, NY, USA
— Bob Winter, chief creative officer, Y&R, Chicago, IL, USA
Integrated:
— Brian DiLorenzo (jury chair), chief production officer, McCann Erickson, New York, NY
— Bobby Hershfield, creative director, Mother, New York, NY, USA
— Aaron Padin, head of art, JWT, New York, NY, USA
— Ian Reichenthal, chief creative officer, Wieden+Kennedy, New York, NY, USA
— Scott Vitrone, chief creative officer, Wieden+Kennedy, New York, NY, USA
— Conway Williamson, chief creative officer, Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, NY, USA
— Steve Wax, partner, Campfire, New York, NY, USA
— Faris Yakob, chief interactive officer, MDC Partners, New York, NY, USA
The complete list of deadlines for entering the global ADC 91st Annual Awards are as follows:
— Design, Motion, Photography, Illustration: extended to January 27, 2012
— Student: January 27, 2012
— Interactive: February 3, 2012
— Advertising, Integrated: February 10, 2012
For more information about the ADC 91st Annual Awards or to enter, please visit www.adcawards.org.
Burnett’s Trad wins the Dubai Lynx Advertising Person 2012 Award
DUBAI, UAE — The Dubai International Advertising Festival, an awards show recognizing creative excellence in advertising and communications in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), has announced that Raja Trad, CEO of Leo Burnett Group MENA and member of the Leo Burnett Wordwide Global Leadership Council (GLC), will be presented with the Dubai Lynx Advertising Person 2012 Award.
The Dubai Lynx Advertising Person Award is presented to an individual who has made significant contributions to advancing the reputation and profile of the communications industry in the MENA region. The organizers of the Dubai International Advertising Festival select the recipient of the award.
Trad is the CEO of the Leo Burnett Group of Companies, MENA, an integrated communications network (Brand Agency, Cross Channel Brand Building Experts, Digital and New Media Activation and Public Relations) headquartered in Dubai with offices in Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait, Qatar, Beirut, Amman, Cairo and Casablanca.
Trad began his career in advertising in 1978 as an account executive with Young & Rubicam on the Procter & Gamble account in Beirut and Athens. In 1981, he joined H&C Leo Burnett Beirut as an account director, and in 1984 he was named regional account director on the Philip Morris account. He moved to Bahrain in 1987 as sub-regional managing director for the Bahrain, UAE and Kuwait operations. In 1991, Trad became the CEO of Leo Burnett Middle East. North Africa was added to his geographic scope in 2000. A year later, in 2001, his responsibilities as CEO of Leo Burnett MENA were expanded to cover all non-media operating units in the region.
Trad will be honored and presented with the Dubai Lynx Advertising Person 2012 trophy during the awards ceremony and dinner to be held on Wednesday 7 March at the Madinat Jumeirah Arena in Dubai, venue of the festival.
Angelo wins first annual ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment contestNEW YORK– The ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment named Megan Angelo the winner of its first annual writers contest. The Alliance, comprised of 40 national advertisers, gave aspiring unrepresented writers the opportunity to write original, half-hour comedy scripts depicting modern family life.
Angelo’s script, O’Connell for Congress, was one of more than 234 script submissions to the ANA’s national contest. The contest website drew in 10,000 aspiring writers in the one month of competition. Angelo won the top prize of $5,000 plus the opportunity to be mentored by John Wells and supported by Alliance advertiser members.
O’Connell for Congress features Tim O’Connell, a self-described “high school screw up” turned failed businessman. Still, he has a party emporium millionaire wife, two rambunctious teenage sons, a child detective daughter and a new plan: to run for public office. But when Tim attracts the sudden interest of some powerful political strategists with their own motives, the O’Connell family is thrown into a world that they are not prepared to handle.
Angelo, a journalist and aspiring screenwriter, has written for publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Glamour, Business Insider, Philadelphia Magazine and BRIDES. She is originally from Quakertown, Pennsylvania, she currently is based out of New York City.
The ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment has helped find, support and bring to broadcast primetime TV more than 20 hits, including Gilmore Girls, Everybody Hates Chris and Friday Night Lights.
Bob Liodice, president and CEO of the ANA, was happy with response to the inaugural contest. He said that the research of AFE has shown that viewers “support brands that support quality family TV, and are actively searching for choices that reflect that kind of storytelling.”
Wells who has executive produced hit television shows such as ER, Third Watch, The West Wing, and currently executive produces Shameless and Southland reveals that he wanted to be part of this contest because he knows the difficulty of “breaking into this business” as a new writer. He feels that O’Connell for Congress is on the right track. “Megan’s story has all the components for a successful show — a great premise, captivating characters and most of all, good writing. I am looking forward to working with her.”
The contest was executed under the leadership of Alliance co-chairs Pat Gentile, national TV programming manager at Procter & Gamble, and Ben Simon, director of brand marketing at Walmart. Once the script is fully mentored by Wells, it will be shopped to media outlets with the Alliance members’ support.
