Synthetic Pictures has added a pair of filmmakers to its lineup–director Jako and director/cameraman Mike Angelo Torres.
The former specializes in automotive and music-driven content while Torres is known for his visual storytelling in both the general and Latin markets.
Raised in Italy, Jako originally moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music, but shifted his career toward filmmaking after crafting a music video for his band, Socadia. While he brings his skills in commercials and branded content to Synthetic, his music video collaborations with artists like Gnarls Barkley, Eric Benet, and Fatboy Slim have been featured at SXSW, Raindance, and the LA Film Festival. National Geographic recently featured his photographs, “Lovers Night” and “Love Train.” Jako won the AFI & Levi’s short film competition with “More Than Words.” Jako’s clients include Fiat, Yamaha, Lincoln, and John Deere, most recently teaming up with Synthetic on a project for Honda Motorcycles.
Torres’ previous clients include Reebok, Budweiser, Nissan, and SafeLink. He’s also directed and shot music videos for leading recording labels and well-known artists like Lil Wayne, Ben Kweller, Dizzee Rascal, and Rick Ross. Torres’ background also includes extensive work as a DP for commercials, music videos, and branded content. Torres had been previously repped by production house Action Figure.
Founded in 2002, Synthetic Pictures has offices in Los Angeles, Austin, and New York City. Jako and Torres join Synthetic’s diverse roster of live action directors, accompanied by visual effects division SP/FX.
“Venom: The Last Dance” Tops Box Office For 2nd Straight Weekend
"Venom: The Last Dance" enjoyed another weekend at the top of the box office. The Sony release starring Tom Hardy added $26.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. It was a relatively quiet weekend for North American movie theaters leading up to the presidential election. Charts were dominated by big studio holdovers, like "Venom 3," "The Wild Robot" and "Smile 2," while audiences roundly rejected the Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Robert Zemeckis reunion "Here." Thirty years after "Forrest Gump," "Here" opened to only $5 million from 2,647 locations. "Venom 3" only fell 49% in its second weekend, which is a notably small drop for a superhero film, though it didn't exactly open like one either. In two weeks, the movie has made over $90 million domestically; The first two opened to over $80 million. Globally, the picture is brighter given that it has already crossed the $300 million threshold. Meanwhile, Universal and Illumination's "The Wild Robot" continues to attract moviegoers even six weeks in (and when it's available by video on demand), placing second with $7.6 million. That's up 11% from last weekend. The animated charmer has made over $121 million in North America and $269 million worldwide. "'The Wild Robot' has quietly been this absolute juggernaut for the fall season," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. "For that film to see an increase after six weeks is astounding." "Smile 2" landed in third place with $6.8 million, helping to push its worldwide total to $109.7 million. The time-hopping "Here," a graphic novel that was adapted by "Forrest Gump" screenwriter Eric Roth, was financed by Miramax and distributed by Sony's TriStar. With a fixed position camera, it takes audiences through the... Read More