Los Angeles-headquartered Top Dog Films, a division of bicoastal RSA USA and London-based RSA Films, has signed filmmaker Martin Scorsese for exclusive commercial representation…. At press time, director Tenney Fairchild of bicoastal M-80 Films and his producer, Glenn Rudoloph, were recuperating at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles, after a car accident that occurred last Saturday (8/4). Both are expected to make a full recovery, according to M-80 executive producer Gregg Stern. Fairchild was scheduled to embark on a Hyundai job at the time of the accident; filling in for him on the assignment is director Thom Higgins….Bicoastal production house Here And Now has opened with a directorial roster that includes Keva Rosenfeld, Brian Ades, Nick Quested and Danny Weisberg. The shop also handles director Louis Ng on the East Coast. Here And Now is part of the Stoney Road family of companies….Director Clark Anderson, formerly of Rhythm & Hues, Los Angeles, has joined Ka-Chew!, the recently launched live-action commercial division of Hollywood animation studio Klasky Csupo. Also jumping aboard Ka-Chew! is director Bil White, who shifts over from sister spot animation shop Class-Key Chew-Po Commercials….Itemus, the Toronto-based parent company to the recently shuttered Shooting Gallery Inc., has filed for bankruptcy protection in Canada….Lee Garfinkel is joining D’Arcy as president/chief creative officer, worldwide. Based in New York, he becomes part of a trio serving in the agency’s newly configured office of the president, joining president/CEO John Farrell and president/chief branding officer Susan Gianinno. Garfinkel most recently served as chairman, chief creative officer at Lowe Lintas & Partners…. John Butler, co-founder of Sausalito, Calif., agency Butler Shine & Stern, has been elected president of the board of directors of the One Club for Art and Copy, the New York-headquartered nonprofit group that promotes creativity in advertising….Gary Ward, former executive producer/partner of the recently closed Crash Films, has been named executive producer of Mad River Post/Santa Monica….Thom Sidoti, a well-known line producer, has become executive producer at Copper Media, the West Hollywood-based production house headed by president Mel Gragido….Composer Klaus Badelt has joined Santa Monica-based music and sound design company Primal Scream…. Seattle-headquartered design house Theorem has added designer Ludovic Schorno, and expanded into Southern California with the launch of a studio in Culver City….
Damien Chazelle, Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons On The Return Of “Whiplash” To Theaters After 10 Years
Ten years after " Whiplash " took the film world by storm, Damien Chazelle's breakthrough feature is returning to theaters nationwide Friday.
In 2014, "Whiplash" was the ultimate indie movie Cinderella story — a Sundance discovery made by a 20-something that that would go on to become both a box office hit and an awards darling: It won three Oscars, including for J.K. Simmons ' portrayal of a semi-sadistic and ever quotable jazz ensemble instructor; launched Chazelle's directing career into the A-list stratosphere; and established Miles Teller as a next generation movie star. Now, audiences will get another chance to experience it on the big screen.
Chazelle, Teller and Simmons spoke recently about the re-release, their memories of the 20-day shoot (including when Teller accidentally broke his co-star's rib) and making something with staying power. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: What has it been like watching "Whiplash" settle into the culture in the past decade?
CHAZELLE: It's very cool, a little surreal. It doesn't feel like 10 years. It's fun to have a moment like this to relive it a little bit.
SIMMONS: It's sobering to know that I'm 10 years older. It's kind of shocking and kind of awesome that the movie actually holds up. I just saw it a few days ago in Toronto: That's a good piece of cinema.
TELLER: This is the first time I've ever had a movie re-released. I'm still fairly young into my career, but it's an incredible movie. The one thing that's frustrating for me is that people just yell out at me all the time, " not my tempo." So that's stuck around well.
SIMMONS: Maybe if you get the tempo... Read More