Welcome to the Special Spring 2014 Edition of SHOOT’s Directors Series.

Our mix of profiles includes two helmers who made a major splash in this year’s Super Bowl ad derby—feature filmmaker John Hillcoat for his controversial “It’s Beautiful” anthem for Coca-Cola; and Jeff Tremaine of jackass fame for Bud Light’s “Epic Night.”

We also catch up with Martin De Thurah, this year’s DGA Award winner for Commercials on the basis of Hennessy’s “The Man Who Couldn’t Slow Down” and Acura MDX 2014’s “Human Race.”

SHOOT additionally connects with director Steve Ayson whose darkly comic yet somehow eerily endearing “Momsong” for Old Spice Re-Fresh Body Spray is already a frontrunner for top honors this upcoming awards season.

And in terms of longer form fare, consider directors Gabriela Cowperthwaite and Tim Piper. Cowperthwaite’s acclaimed documentary Blackfish earned BAFTA and International Documentary Association Award nominations as well as inclusion on this year’s Oscars shortlist. Cowperthwaite is bringing her human-based storytelling and documentary acumen to the ad arena. At press time she was working on branded content for Travelers Insurance out of Fallon Minneapolis.

Piper recently directed Chipotle’s original comedy series Farmed And Dangerous which debuted last month on Hulu and Hulu Plus. Largely on the strength of that show, MIPTV will bestow its Brand of the Year honor upon Chipotle in April.

Meanwhile our lineup of up-and-coming, emerging filmmakers includes: an Oscar-nominated production designer who’s made a deft transition to the director’s chair; a costume designer who has worked with Spike Jonze on spots, videos and features, and is now making headway as a director in his own right; a director whose recent inroads span branded content, a TV series pilot and a theatrical feature; an accomplished still photographer/artist who’s naturally diversified into directing; and a resident filmmaker at an ad agency who has just seen his documentary, Beginning With The End, become one of eight in competition at SXSW, selected from nearly 900 entries.

And then in our Cinematographers & Cameras Series, we meet three DPs. One earned a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination this year for Best Cinematography thanks to his work on the Robert Redford-starring All Is Lost. Another shot Frances Ha, nominated for Best Feature at the Spirit Awards. And our third cinematographer garnered the plum assignment of lensing season two of Netflix’s House of Cards.

So read on and enjoy. As always, we welcome your feedback.

–Robert Goldrich, Editor
rgoldrich@shootonline.com

MySHOOT Profiles