Anonymous Content has added Ash Bolland to its roster. A self-taught film director, cinematographer, editor, 3D artist, compositor, concept designer, graphic designer, colorist and musician, Bolland specializes in the ad space with such credits as MTV campaigns (“Organic” and “Genetically Modified HD”), HP’s “Meet or Delete,” a Man vs. Wild spot for Discovery Channel, and Swatch’s “Playground.” Prior to joining Anonymous Content, Bolland acted as director/owner of Umeric for nine years–Nola Pictures has signed director and cinematographer John Osborne, formerly of Anonymous Content–Recently launched production house The Colony has secured director Eran Thomson for exclusive commercial representation in the U.S., European and Australian markets. He brings an agency creative pedigree to the director’s chair, including having served as a group creative director at TBWA Sydney….
Craig Henighan Sounds Off On “Deadpool & Wolverine”
Hollywood lore has it that character actor Edmund Gwenn--while on his deathbed--quipped, “Dying is easy, comedy is hard.”
The second part of that darkly witty utterance remains all too true today as Craig Henighan--a Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Oscar nominee in 2019 for Roma--can attest in that he had to grapple with the sonic of being comic for this year’s box office hit, Deadpool & Wolverine (20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios).
The degree of inherent difficulty was ramped up even further because Deadpool & Wolverine had to seamlessly bring together high action-adventure exploits with moments and dialogue that tickled the funny bone. There’s a mesh of humorous banter--a staple of the franchise--along with major spectacle replete with explosions, fights, an impactful score and off-the-wall musical numbers.
Henighan explained that among the prime challenges for him from a sound perspective was having to make sure every joke landed within the construct of a superhero film. The tendency for a tentpole movie of this variety, he noted, is to gravitate towards big, loud audio spanning music, dialogue and sound effects. But the unique comedic element of Deadpool & Wolverine necessitated that re-recording mixer and supervising sound editor Henighan strike a delicate balance. “You need to get out of the way for the comedy,” he related. The jokes in a superhero film become “a real dance” as Henighan had to establish a rhythm that did justice to both the comedy and the action as the narrative moves back and forth between them--and sometimes the funny and the high energy, high decibel superhero dynamic unfold simultaneously in a scene or sequence. The “sonic fabric” has to... Read More