Bicoastal Anonymous has signed director Stephane Sednaoui, who comes over from bicoastal/international Propaganda Films. Additionally,Anonymous has signed a deal to provide U.S. representation for directors Chris Palmer, Frank Budgen and Peter Thwaites of London-based production house Gorgeous….Executive producer Jim Evans, who for the past year-and-a-half was partnered in the former commercial/music video house Gas.Food & Lodging (GF&L), has signed on to head the newly formed spot division at Extension Films, a Santa Monica-based satellite of Propaganda. Extension’s music video operation was launched last year (SHOOT, 11/17/00, p.1). Extension’s spot director roster will be announced in the next few weeks….Director Jim Jenkins is coming aboard bicoastal/international hungry man…. Highway 61, New York, has signed director Mark Claywell, formerly of bicoastal Celsius Films….The board of directors of the Association of Imaging Technology and Sound (ITS) has decided to cancel the 2001 ITS Forum due to uncertainty caused by the possibly pending writers’ and actors’ strikes against TV/feature studios. The board of directors also opted to initiate a restructuring of the ITS board itself, and to pursue new alliances with like-minded industry associations….Jesse Dylan has stepped down as chairman and CEO of publicly traded Paradise Music and Entertainment (NASDAQ:PDSE) in order to concentrate on commercial production and feature film directorial projects. Dylan continues to serve on the board of directors for PDSE, which is parent to such spot production holdings as bicoastal Straw Dogs and Shelter Films, and Nashville-headquartered Picture Vision. He remains on Straw Dogs’ spot directorial roster. David Pritchard and Kelly Hickel succeed Dylan as CEO and chairman of PDSE, respectively. Pritchard is the former CEO and president of Film Roman, a North Hollywood-based animation studio. Hickel is chairman and CEO of iballMedia, a San Diego-headquartered firm servicing consumers with traditional and online delivery of music and music-driven events. This month, PDSE and iballMedia signed a memo of understanding that the latter would be merged into the former….Executive producer Matthew Marquis is exiting Santa Monica-based Fuel, a subsidiary of New York-headquartered Razorfish, and will launch Milk Bar, a live-action spot production company in Santa Monica. Three former Fuel directors will join Marquis at the new shop: Fuel founder Seth Epstein, Jarl Olsen and Lara Shapiro. Additionally, word is that director Brumby Boylston will be part of the Milk Bar roster. Janet Arlotta, who was most recently exec producer of Razorfish’s Santa Monica-based broadcast design division, has been named general manager and exec producer of Fuel….James Morris, Robin Shenfield and Pat Joseph, founders of spot visual effects/post facility The Mill and feature effects shop Mill Film—both based in London—have acquired the companies in a management buyout….New York-headquartered Shooting Gallery Inc. has named Joseph Tedeschi to serve as its president. He succeeds Stephen Carlis who recently departed….
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More