As a follow-up to last month’s (SHOOT, 2/23) remembrance of the late Walter (“Wally”) Tannenbaum–penned by Matt Miller, president/CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP)–some fond recollections from director George Gage were relayed to us. In that Tannenbaum loved to share his stories about the business, it’s apropos that Gage get the chance to relate his tales about Tannenbaum, the colorful head of production at Ted Bates “back in the day.”
“During my commercial directing career, Walter quickly became my favorite client,” wrote Gage in a faxed memoir. “But more than that, he quickly became one of my favorite friends.”
Gage recalled an Orient Express-takeoff commercial for Panasonic that he directed for Tannenbaum. “Once on the set….Walter and I realized that a period piece parlor car should have smoke,” shared Gage. “But neither of us had budgeted a smoke machine. Simultaneously we hit on an idea. We had the assistant director John Zane light up a huge stogie and in between takes walk up and down the train puffing and exhaling as much smoke as humanly possible. We got our effect. John got green.”
The kinship between the director and Tannenbaum extended to long-form fare as well. “When I shot my first feature film, Skateboard, Walter was there,” noted Gage. “During the climactic scene, I looked down from the crane and right in the middle of the action I saw Walter with my then three-year-old son on his shoulders. After I yelled ‘cut,’ I heard Walter tell the producer, ‘I know he’ll never cut me out of this scene.'”
However, cutting remarks that were at the same time good natured and said in good humor were also part of the Tannenbaum repertoire. “I always loved to take the agency out for great lunches,” shared Gage. “Walter wasn’t impressed. He’d always say, ‘You can’t put a steak on a sample reel.’ He always had a way with words,” continued Gage. “I’ll always remember his apt description of me: ‘More luck than brains.'”
Gage’s observations dovetail well with those of Miller, which appeared in SHOOT in February. Miller wrote that “this is an industry of great people. The people we meet every day in this industry set apart those who simply have ‘colleagues,’ from those who work together to achieve miraculous feats that spawn real friendships. It may not be rocket science, but the ingenuity, creativity and perfectionism it takes to make great ads takes a certain chromosome, or maybe just a certain strain of passion. I’m sure we each have our own ‘Walter’–someone who didn’t just mentor us, but inspired us. Someone whose keen eye could spot those who weren’t cut out for this business versus those who were intrigued enough to pursue it. These people make for a great story.
Part of the collective lore of our industry comes from the stories that are handed down and shared. Remember to share yours and stop a moment in your busy day to listen to others’.
You’ll see that you’re part of a unique tribe, a ‘Band of Brothers,’ if you will.”
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More