Smoke & Mirrors in New York has signed noted colorist Ben Eagleton, bringing aboard not only the artist but also the methods and processes he pioneered at Sydney-based BEAN, billed as being the first purely data-centric commercial grading facility.
BEAN was launched in 2007 by colorists Eagleton and Andrew Clarkson who eventually sold their ownership of BEAN, its equipment and proprietary software to TAG, the parent company to Smoke & Mirrors. Eagleton stayed on as part of Smoke & Mirrors and the TAG group of companies. Eagleton now takes on the title of head of telecine and color grading for the entire TAG group.
Eagleton was a prime shaper of BEAN, which utilized the best DI tools available and applied them to the commercials market. The conventional color grading process was flipped around at BEAN, so that footage was conformed and then graded. Eagleton’s process allows the artists in the grading suite access to every single frame of a shoot, instantly. The approach virtually eliminates dirt and scratches, creates huge time and cost savings, and can be applied regardless of the format a client shot on–film, HD tape, or data.
“As the architect of BEAN, Ben will be bringing all the advantages of his knowledge and methods to Smoke & Mirrors,” noted Sean Broughton, co-founder/creative director of Smoke & Mirrors. “On top of that, he’ll be developing new and better workflows to give more freedom and flexibility to the creative process. We’re extremely fortunate to have such an innovative talent on the team, one that really pushes our stature within the industry.”
Eagleton enjoys strong relationships with leading creatives in both London and Australia. He has worked on a broad spectrum of music clips and TV commercials for the automotive, fashion and alcoholic beverage industries, among many others.
Smoke & Mirrors maintains visual effects/animation/design studios in London and New York.
Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey Launch Production House 34North
Executive producers Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey have teamed to launch 34North. The shop opens with a roster which includes accomplished directors Jan Wentz, Ben Nakamura Whitehouse, David Edwards and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles. Nakamura Whitehouse, Edwards, Feil and Fowles come over from CoMPANY Films, the production company for which Cicero served as an EP for the past nearly five years. Director Wentz had most recently been with production house Skunk while Stewart now gains his first U.S. representation. EP Clancey was freelance producing prior to the formation of 34North. He and Cicero have known each other for some 25 years, recently reconnecting on a job directed by Fowles. Cicero said that he and Clancey “want to keep a highly focused roster where talent management can be one on one--where we all share in the directors’ success together.” Clancey also brings an agency pedigree to the new venture. “I started at Campbell Ewald in accounts, no less,” said Clancey. “I saw firsthand how much work agencies put in before we even see a script. You have to respect that investment. These agency experiences really shaped my approach to production--it’s about empathy, listening between the lines, and ultimately making the process seamless.” 34North represents a meeting point--both literally and creatively. Named after the latitude of Malibu, Calif., where the idea for the company was born, it also embraces the power of storytelling. “34North118West was the first GPS-enabled narrative,” Cicero explained. “That blend of art and technology, to captivate an audience, mirrors what we do here--create compelling work, with talented people, harnessing state-of-the-art... Read More