Chapman and Maclain Way–the director siblings behind the Netflix docuseries Wild Wild Country, which is nominated for five primetime Emmy Awards–have joined forces with Mark and Jay Duplass’ creative shop DBP Donut to helm commercial and branded entertainment work.
The Way Brothers teamed as directors/producers on Wild Wild Country, collaborating with exec producers Mark and Jay Duplass. The acclaimed Wild Wild Country tells the story of the Rajneeshee community and its conflict with the Oregon government and residents in the 1980s. Wild Wild Country is currently up for Emmys in these categories: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series, Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program (for the Way brothers), Outstanding Picture Editing For A Nonfiction Program, Outstanding Sound Editing For A Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera), and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera).
The Way Brothers’ debut film, The Battered Bastards of Baseball, premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival where it was acquired by Netflix and released as one of its earliest original documentary films.
Charlie Leahy, co-founder and creative director at DBP Donut, said, “Mac and Chap are not only phenomenal directors but 100 percent natural storytellers. As soon as we met, we realized they would be a perfect fit for our team. We’re buzzing to get making stuff together.”
DBP Donut was launched in May 2017 by the Duplass brothers, Leahy and engagement director Nigel Lopez-McBean. The creative shop focuses on entertainment-led content creation for brands and short-form original content creation for platforms. DBP Donut has worked with the likes of Amazon, Lyft and Levi’s and is credited with being the first company to be commissioned by Snap/NBCU to create scripted original series for the platform. The Duplass brothers meanwhile are also known for their work spanning other varied disciplines, including TV and feature filmmaking.
Maclain Way said, “While we were editing Wild Wild Country, we met the DBP Donut team and immediately connected with their innovative approach to working with brands. We’re so excited to continue to find some awesome partners and projects to work on together.”
Review: Writer-Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood’s “Heretic”
"Heretic" opens with an unusual table setter: Two young missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are discussing condoms and why some are labeled as large even though they're all pretty much a standard size. "What else do we believe because of marketing?" one asks the other.
That line will echo through the movie, a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper. Despite a second-half slide and feeling unbalanced, this is the rare movie that combines lots of squirting blood and elevated discussion of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Our two church members — played fiercely by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East — are wandering around trying to covert souls when they knock on the door of a sweet-looking cottage. Its owner, Mr. Reed, offers a hearty "Good afternoon!" He welcomes them in, brings them drinks and promises a blueberry pie. He's also interested in learning more about the church. So far, so good.
Mr. Reed is, of course, if you've seen the poster, the baddie and he's played by Hugh Grant, who doesn't go the snarling, dead-eyed Hannibal Lecter route in "Heretic." Grant is the slightly bumbling, bashful and self-mocking character we fell in love with in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but with a smear of menace. He gradually reveals that he actually knows quite a bit about the Mormon religion — and all religions.
"It's good to be religious," he says jauntily and promises his wife will join them soon, a requirement for the church. Homey touches in his home include a framed "Bless This Mess" needlepoint on a wall, but there are also oddities, like his lights are on a timer and there's metal in the walls and ceilings.
Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood — who also... Read More