Directing collective Special Problems has joined The Sweet Shop for commercial and branded content work worldwide. Led by Campbell Hooper and Joel Kefali, Special Problems made a major splash in the advertising world for the animated visuals behind the Cannes Lions-winning work for Yellow Chocolate.
Special Problems, whose work combines live-action, motion graphics and animation, first started working in the commercial realm with established brands and agencies on projects such as HP with Alicia Keys, Vodafone, Burger King and Yellow Chocolate.
Kefali and Hooper’s aesthetic style evolved from a fine arts background where they developed their signature elements of graphic design, filmmaking and music, melding them into freshly innovative visuals.
“Moving into client work was very organic for us,” Kefali explained. “When HP did a spot with Alicia Keys it was natural to use a director who had high standards aesthetically and had done music videos.”
Hooper describes their working process as unconventional for a directing collective: “We don’t necessarily split up the work; we tend to work in segments and meet in the middle. Sometimes Joel will tackle the ending of a project, and I’ll start at the beginning. That way of working has always made sense for us; it fits our style.”
The Sweet Shop becomes the first commercial production company roost for Special Problems. The collective had done some music videos through Pulse Films. For their spotmaking endeavors, Special Problems maintains their own studio in New Zealand, through which they collaborate with agencies and now work via The Sweet Shop.
Stars Among Those Who Lost Their Homes In L.A. Area Fires; Jamie Lee Curtis Pledges $1M To Relief Effort
Fires burning in and around Los Angeles have claimed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Jeff Bridges, and R&B star Jhené Aiko, and led to sweeping disruptions of entertainment events. Three awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed. Next week's Oscar nominations have been delayed. And tens of thousands of Angelenos are displaced and awaiting word Thursday on whether their homes survived the flames — some of them the city's most famous denizens. Thousands of structures have been destroyed but damage assessments are just beginning. More than 180,000 people are also under evacuation orders in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, a number that continues to shift as new fires erupt. Late Wednesday, a fire in the Hollywood Hills was scorching the hills near the famed Hollywood Bowl and Dolby Theatre, which is the home of the Academy Awards. That fire had been largely contained without damage to Hollywood landmarks. Here are how the fires are impacting celebrities and the Los Angeles entertainment industry: Stars whose homes have burned in the fires Celebrities like Crystal and his wife, Janice, were sharing memories of the homes they lost. The Crystals lost the home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that they lived in for 45 years. "Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can't be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this," the Crystals wrote in the statement. After her learning her Pacific Palisades home was lost in the fires, Melissa Rivers says she was... Read More