Bicoastal ONE TWENTY NINE FILMS is now representing acclaimed tabletop director Irv Blitz for commercials and other advertising projects. Blitz is one of the industry’s iconic tabletop cinematographers. His list of clients includes Anheuser Busch, Burger King, Bacardi, Diamond Nuts, Coca Cola, Nature Valley, Miller Coors, Taco Bell, KFC, Knorr, Olive Garden, Simply Juices, Popeyes, SPAM, and Pizza Hut. Blitz has also recently done work for Samsung and Moen–via production house MJZ which like ONE TWENTY NINE FILMS reps him non-exclusively. Blitz is thus taking a page from Europe where select directors have relationships with more than a single production company.
“Irv is an incredibly skilled craftsman who uses impeccable design, exquisite lighting and graceful choreography to turn food photography into works of art,” said ONE TWENTY NINE FILMS executive producer Nicholas Seuser.
Blitz practices a hand-crafted approach to tabletop. He insists on working with authentic materials, capturing everything in-camera. “My approach is that everything has to be real,” he said.
A native of Baltimore, Blitz began his career in New York City as a still life photographer before transitioning to film. Blitz recently established a studio in the Los Angeles Arts District. Blitz continues to expand his visual style as he incorporates new technologies and camera techniques. His macro camerawork transforms the familiar into objects of fascination and desire. Blitz frequently incorporates hand-held camera work to capture imagery in an intimate, unrehearsed style.
“Great advertising has a broad appeal,” Blitz observed. “When I take on a project, I begin by asking, ‘What can I do to make the visuals emotionally relatable?’ I see art in everything and it’s important to create imagery that’s full of life.”
Blitz sees his relationship with ONE TWENTY NINE FILMS as an opportunity to form relationships with new agencies and brands.
Review: Director Nora Fingscheidt’s “The Outrun”
At some point during "The Outrun," it occurred to me that watching Saoirse Ronan act is a bit like looking into a magnifying glass: Everything somehow feels a bit clearer, sharper, more precise.
This singular actor gives one of her finest performances in a two-hour study of addiction that is poignant, sometimes beautiful but always painful to watch — and would likely be too draining if not for the luminous presence at its core. Would it even work — at all — if Ronan, who also makes her producing debut here, weren't onscreen virtually every second?
Luckily, we don't need to imagine that. Ronan, who plays a 29-year-old biology student named Rona (the name comes from a tiny island off Scotland) serves as both star and narrator, speaking the words — sometimes poetic — of the addiction memoir by Amy Liptrot. The script, adapted by Liptrot and director Nora Fingscheidt, makes frequent use of fantasy and whimsy, even veering into animation. Some may find these deviations a distraction from the plot, but they are frequently mesmerizing.
Besides, plot is a loosely defined thing here. We go back and forth in time so frequently that sometimes only the changing color of Rona's hair indicates where we are on the timeline. It takes a while to get used to this, but the uncertainty starts to make sense. We are, in a way, inside Rona's mind, experiencing the fits and starts of her journey. And recovery is hardly a linear process.
There's a fine supporting cast, but the true second star is nature itself. The film is based mainly in the Orkney Islands off Scotland, a windswept landscape that can be both punishing and restorative. It can also be stunning, especially the sea. And the sea is where we start, learning that Orkney lore holds that when... Read More