Welcome to the Special Fall 2018 Edition of SHOOT’s Directors Series. Our mix of profiles includes several filmmakers whose work has entered this awards season’s Oscar conversation, including Paul Greengrass for 22 July, Yorgos Lanthimos for The Favourite, and Tamara Jenkins for Private Life. Lanthimos recently secured spot and branded content representation, joining the roster of Superprime.
Also attaining a high profile for their feature exploits are directors Sam Taylor-Johnson and Jake Scott whose work debuted at last month’s Toronto International Film Festival. Taylor-Johnson brought A Million Little Pieces to Toronto while Scott had his American Woman make the cut—with the performance of Sienna Miller generating some Academy Awards consideration buzz along the way. Scott too has a commercialmaking connection as part of the directorial lineup at RSA Films. Taylor-Johnson is with Hey Wonderful.
Meanwhile a noted ad biz artisan—Lance Acord of Park Pictures who is a four-time DGA Award nominee for best spot director of the year—is looking to make his feature directorial debut with the big-screen adaptation of Sally Jenkins’ book “The Real All Americans,” being produced by Park Picture Features.
Another profiled director, John Hillcoat, first established himself as a feature filmmaker (The Road, The Proposition) before successfully diversifying into commercials back in 2010 with Levi’s “Go Forth." Last year, he meshed the filmmaking and ad disciplines, helming Corazón, a 48-minute film for Montefiore hospital via NY agency JohnXHannes. Corazón won the Cannes Lions Health & Wellness Grand Prix as well as an Entertainment Gold Lion. Produced by Hillcoat’s spot/branded content roost Serial Pictures, Corazón depicts the real-life story of Elena Ramirez , a young Dominican woman who has a bad heart and has been given months to live. She meets a U.S.-based cardiologist, Dr. Mario Garcia, who is volunteering in his native hometown of Santo Domingo. Dr. Garcia gives her a fighting chance to live via mechanical heart surgery that he and his colleagues can only perform at Montefiore in the Bronx. Ramirez sets out on a journey from Santo Domingo to NYC. This is a story of chance, hope, courage, friendship, love and generosity.
And rounding out our profile lineup is Malik Vitthal of The Corner Shop who directed Procter & Gamble’s “The Talk” for BBDO NY. “The Talk” earned a Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix, an AICP Show honor for direction, and last month the coveted primetime commercial Emmy Award. BBDO gravitated to Vitthal for “The Talk” based largely on the emotionally moving and authentic storytelling in his dramatic feature, Imperial Dreams.
Meanwhile our ensemble of up-and-coming directors consists of: a feature filmmaker who recently wrapped her first commercial, an empowering piece for Nike; an artisan who’s meshing art and science to great effect, reflected in her work garnering a recent Grand Prix in VR at the Venice Film Festival; a talent who first established himself as a visual effects supervisor before showcasing his directing wherewithal with a whimsical music and dance short that’s scored on the fest circuit; and a still photographer who diversified into directing music videos and recently turned out her first spot, which poignantly tells the plight of a woman coping with mental illness.
And then in our Cinematographers & Cameras Series, we meet four DPs–one who got the opportunity to collaborate with a director he long admired, yielding a film which earned a six-minute standing ovation at this year's Cannes Film Festival; a two-time Oscar nominee who lensed an ad campaign for a director which translated into their again teaming on a feature that debuted at the recently concluded Toronto International Film Festival; a DP who shot two features which also made the cut at the Toronto Film Festival; and a cinematographer who lent his talents to one of Facebook's first original content series, which gained exposure in the TV portion of the Toronto fest.
So read and enjoy. And as always, we welcome your feedback.
Click below to read the Fall 2018 Director Profiles:
Lance Acord
Paul Greengrass
John Hillcoat
Tamara Jenkins
Sam Taylor-Johnson
Yorgos Lanthimos
Jake Scott
Malik Vitthal
