Welcome to the Special Fall 2016 Edition of SHOOT’s Directors Series. Our mix of profiles includes two women who are breaking new ground: Alma Har’el whose Free The Bid initiative is gaining momentum as it seeks to help open up new commercialmaking/branded content opportunities for women filmmakers; and Kirsten Johnson whose innovative feature documentary Cameraperson provides viewers with a taste of what a cinematographer grapples with, which often entails a delicate balancing act–observing, capturing intensely personal, intimate feelings yet staying professionally detached.
Also in the mix are several directors whose movies are in the early Oscar season conversation; three of these helmers also have commercialmaking ties. Garth Davis, for example, makes his feature directorial debut with the highly regarded Lion; he is a past DGA Commercial Director of the Year nominee and continues to make RESET his U.S. ad roost. Ted Melfi, whose first major feature splash was St. Vincent, now returns with Hidden Figures; he continues to be a partner in and co-founder of commercial/branded content production house brother. And Jeff Nichols, a lauded feature filmmaker whose Loving sheds light on an important, often overlooked chapter in our civil rights history by focusing not on the big picture but rather a couple’s love story. Nichols also recently made his spot directing debut via Rattling Stick with the latest installment of P&G’s “Thank you, Mom” Olympics campaign.
And rounding out our profile lineup are: Luke Scott, an established commercialmaker who broke into the feature directing ranks with the sci-fi thriller Morgan; and David Mackenzie whose Hell or High Water gained critical acclaim this summer along with a measure of Oscar buzz.
Meanwhile our ensemble of up-and-coming talent consists of four directors who have recently landed at their first formal commercial production house roosts. These helmers are: a darling at this year’s festival circuit on both the documentary and narrative feature fronts; an audio artisan whose solo feature documentary directing debut was well received at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and went on to gain airtime on HBO; another director whose Sundance exposure and espnW.com online series have garnered attention from the ad community; and an episodic TV helmer poised to make a mark in spots and branded fare.
And then in our Cinematographers & Cameras Series, we meet three DPs–one who’s blended sci-fi and the rough-and-tumble Wild West for a high-profile HBO series; another who lensed the aforementioned Hell or High Water; and a third who continues his fruitful collaboration with director Nichols.
So read on and enjoy. As always, we welcome your feedback.
Directors Profiles:
Garth Davis
Alma Har'el
Kirsten Johnson
David Mackenzie
Ted Melfi
Jeff Nichols
Luke Scott
