By Robert Goldrich
Welcome to the Special Spring 2017 Edition of SHOOT’s Directors Series. Our mix of profiles includes: James Mangold who made a superhero film, Logan, that has broken all the conventions of that genre; Niki Caro who directed the soon-to-be-released The Zookeeper’s Wife based on the best-selling book of the same title; and Marc Forster, a feature filmmaker (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland) who made his latest Oscars mark during the ceremony telecast with an ambitious Walmart commercial out of Saatchi NY. All three feature helmers have commercialmaking affiliations—Mangold with Aero Film, Caro with Flying Fish in New Zealand, and Forster’s being Tool of North America.
Also in the SHOOT Series lineup of profiles are: Derek Cianfrance of RadicalMedia who recently won the DGA Award for best commercial director of the year; Jim Jenkins of O Positive who reflects on his live Snickers spot on the Super Bowl; Cole Webley of Sanctuary who shares insights into his thought-provoking Super Bowl commercial and online film for 84 Lumber; Reed Morano who’s made a major splash in the ad sector via Pulse Films, indie features with Meadowland, and TV with the upcoming Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale starring Elizabeth Moss; and Henrik Hansen of RSA who’s branched out beyond his visual, visceral automotive fare with people-based shorts that delve into the work, philosophy and lives of notable artists.
Meanwhile our ensemble of up-and-coming talent consists of two duos and three individual directors. One duo recently scored the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival while securing commercialmaking and branded content representation. Then we have a pair of siblings whose spec work landed them representation within the RSA family of companies. Another director helmed and co-created an online branded series that has propelled his ad/filmmaking career. And then we have two solo directors who made the Commercial Directors Diversity Program grade; the CDDP being the joint AICP/DGA initiative promoting inclusiveness for female and minority directors.
Our Festival Circuit coverage provides directorial perspectives on the SXSW and Tribeca film festivals.
And then in our Cinematographers & Cameras Series, we meet three DPs—a two-time Best Cinematography Oscar nominee who lensed Logan for director Mangold; a two-time Emmy nominee who shot Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Bette and Joan for FX; and the eye behind the lauded cinematic documentary The Eagle Huntress, directed by Otto Bell.
So read on and enjoy. As always, we welcome your feedback.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More