LIZ HINLEIN WRAPS SICHUAN UNIVERSITY SHOOT
Director/DP Liz Hinlein brings compelling stories to life. She’s a veteran of feature films (Other People's Children), commercials (Maybelline, A&E, Dove, Lifetime, Gillette), web series, music videos and virtual reality. But the hurdles she faced recently on a shoot for Sichuan Film and Television University in China were unlike any she’d encountered in her 20-plus year career.
“I had limited equipment, no script and no money,” she said. “I basically made these short films with a piece of tape and an apple box.” While using mostly student volunteers, WeChat for on-set translation and borrowed cameras, Hinlein also was able to tap into a well of local talent, including Jackie Chan’s fight choreographer and visual effects specialists in the area.
The result is a series of eight commercials that put Sichuan’s best foot forward, highlighting the wealth of creative energy at the school, including their photography, VFX, directing, dance and eSports departments. The vignettes stand apart from typical docu-style marketing videos, often aimed at parents, to give potential students a peek into the fields of study available at the college in southern China…
WHITE SCORES FELLOWSHIP FOR AFI CONSERVATORY
Cinematographer Meg White will be the inaugural recipient of the Screen Australia Onbass Fellowship, the newly established full-tuition scholarship for emerging Australian filmmakers to attend the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory in L.A. Created in partnership with Screen Australia (an Aussie federal government agency) and the Onbass Family Trust, formed by Gentle Giant Media Group CEO Greg Basser and his wife Kiera O’Neill, the Fellowships will provide full tuition and fees, as well as some support for living expenses and flights from Australia (courtesy of G’Day USA and Qantas), to one Australian filmmaker entering the AFI Conservatory in the fall of 2019 and one in the fall of 2020 — to join the graduating classes of 2021 and 2022, respectively.
White is an Australian cinematographer with experience shooting features, television and commercials. Originally from Newcastle, Australia, she received a degree in Media Arts and Production at the University of Technology, Sydney. Since graduating, she has worked in Australia and overseas across a diverse range of projects both large and small, digital and film. She was the cinematographer on “Remedy,” a music video directed by Russell Crowe, which won the Australian Cinematographers Society Silver (ACS) Silver Award. In 2017, White received the ACS Drew Llewelyn Camerimage Scholarship. Her ongoing interest in still photography, primarily of animals and the natural world, informs her approach to cinematography….
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS…
Marco Venturelli has been appointed co-president overseeing creativity at Publicis Conseil. Venturelli will work alongside Agathe Bousquet, president, Publicis Conseil and Publicis Groupe France, and Anne de Maupeou, chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe France. Venturelli was most recently executive creative director at Publicis Milan, a role he held from 2015. While at Publicis Milan, he was the global creative lead for Heineken business where he led the creation of several well-known, highly-awarded campaigns. Venturelli is also the recipient of a hundred awards which includes 30 Cannes Lions….
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