Tool has added director Julian Marshall to its roster. Marshall’s most recent project, We Are George Floyd, has helped him emerge as an important new industry voice. The powerful short film uses audio of Killer Mike and Cornel West over sweeping close-up and overhead footage of recent New York City protests. The result is an incredible portrait of this moment and the resonance of the social justice movement. Marshall brings to Tool his content-making experience for brands including Google, Amazon, Under Armour, BMW, BET and Verizon. Marshall found his love for filmmaking growing up skateboarding in Washington, D.C. His work stems from an affinity for art/design, athletics, emerging technology, and political activism. While studying film at Rhode Island School of Design, Marshall honed his craft working for Shepard Fairey at Obey Giant, Shilo NYC, and Wes Anderson on Moonrise Kingdom. A graduate of RISD, Marshall saw his tenure there culminate in directing an award-winning narrative film, entitled Obey The Giant, about the early life of Shepard Fairey and the origin of his Obey Giant street art campaign….
The Shark Awards Kinsale is now open for entries in advertising, digital, design, short film and music video. There are a few changes this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there will be no program of talks and panels over three days, but the Sharks team is hopeful that the festival will be held as originally planned in person from Sept. 30-Oct. 2. This is all subject to change and plans will be announced as current conditions allow. Currently the judging of advertising, digital and design will take place in Kinsale from Sept. 30-Oct. 2 with the winners announced on Saturday, Oct. 3. Short Film and Music Video categories will be judged in January 2021 with a new dedicated festival held in Brighton in March 2021 (more information to come at a later date). Entries finalized before July 10 will get a 30% entry fee concession; a 15% concession applies after July 10 and before July 31. Final close of entries is Sept. 4. Enter Shark Awards Kinsale 2020 here.
Sony Electronics Inc. announced that Sony Corporation will be making several donations to leading organizations in the production industry. These donations are designed to help mitigate disruption of the creative community as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding for this worldwide program will be provided by the Sony Global Relief Fund for COVID-19, which was established in April 2020 to help those affected by the pandemic. Funds will be contributed globally to various organizations in North America, Europe and Japan and will also be used at a regional level to support Sony’s Imaging PRO Support program. The donations will be used by recipient organizations to help ease the financial hardships affecting industry creators, including cinematographers, camera operators, camera assistants, digital imaging technicians and many others who create media for sports, movies and episodic content. The organizations that will be receiving financial support in North America include:
- The Sports Video Group, founded in 2006, is an international association for sports-television professionals with the mission to advance the creation, production and distribution of sports content. As producer of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame and 12 other industry events, as well as numerous media properties and industry initiatives, the organization represents a membership of more than 4,000 active participants in the creation of sports content for TV, the Internet, mobile devices and in-venue distribution. In 2012, Sports Video Group created the SVG Sports Broadcasting Fund, the sports industry’s first charity fund dedicated to providing assistance to industry professionals and their families in need. Since its inception, the Fund has assisted hundreds of sports production professionals who have found themselves unable to work due to injury, illness or disaster. The money Sony is contributing to the SVG Sports Broadcasting Fund will help offset medical expenses for members of the community who have been impacted by COVID-19.
- International Cinematographers Guild – I.A.T.S.E. (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) Local 600 represents approximately 9,000 members who work in film, television and commercials as directors of photography, camera operators, digital imaging technicians, visual effects supervisors, still photographers, camera assistants, film loaders, all members of camera crews and publicists. The first cinematographers’ union was established in New York in 1926, followed by unions in Los Angeles and Chicago, but it wasn’t until 1996 that Local 600 was born as a national guild. ICG’s ongoing activities include the Emerging Cinematographer Awards and the Publicists Awards Luncheon.
- International Cinematographers Guild – I.A.T.S.E. Local 667, Local 669 and Local 671 in Canada represent camera professionals and unit publicists who work in all phases of motion picture productions filmed or electronically recorded for theatrical feature films, films for television, television series, commercials, documentaries, Internet productions and corporate video productions, as well as working at live events.
- The American Society of Cinematographers was founded in Hollywood in 1919 with the purpose of advancing the art and science of cinematography and bringing cinematographers together to exchange ideas, discuss techniques and promote the motion picture as an art form.
- The Canadian Society of Cinematographers is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1957. Its purpose is to foster the art and craft of cinematography and imaging professionals at all levels. CSC members are involved in the production of feature films, documentaries, television series, specials and commercials. The Society is administered by volunteers and strives to reflect the diverse character of its membership. Its mandate supports a full agenda of training, education, mentorship and the dissemination of the latest in technical and product information.
- Globally, Sony will also invest in financial assistance for Sports Video Group Europe, IMAGO and Japan Society of Cinematographers.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More