By A SHOOT Staff Report

SHOOT’s fall season ensemble of up-and-coming directors includes a duo whose shoestring budgeted feature film debut was selected for the Tribeca Film Festival; and a Cannes Gold Lion winner who’s a shining star in India and now looking to establish himself in the American ad market.

Also in the talent mix are: two siblings who are diversifying beyond their short and feature-length documentary fare into the commercialmaking and branded content arena; a VFX supervisor whose storytelling acumen has translated successfully into a budding directorial career; and a husband-and-wife team with an affinity for handling both the live action and still photography for campaigns across multiple platforms.

Here’s our fall collection of some promising directors to watch:

Moorhead & Benson
Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson—also known as the directorial duo Moorhead & Benson—first met as interns at RSA Films seven years ago. There they got an education in commercialmaking and in each other, discovering that they had a natural creative rapport as well as the common bond of extensive DIY filmmaking experience.

In their spare time, Benson and Moorhead put their DIY chops to work as a team, turning out their own spec commercials and some direct-to-client low-budget spots. From odd jobs and gigs in the industry, they cobbled together enough money to shoot their first feature, Resolution, a genre-defying horror/mystery which put the aspiring filmmakers on the proverbial map when the movie was selected for the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. The darkhorse film was sold the night of its Tribeca premiere and garnered various honors on the film fest circuit, including Most Innovative Film and Best Screenplay distinction at Toronto After Dark, and Best Directors at both the Macabro Film Festival and the Fantastic Planet Film Festival.

“We were completely taken by surprise,” recalled Benson in reference to the Tribeca selection. “We didn’t know anyone in the business and still our movie was chosen for a high-profile festival.”

While Resolution sparked offers for them to direct other movies, Benson and Moorhead resisted those overtures because the projects didn’t ignite their passion. Instead, they put their energies into their own passion project, Spring, an atypical romance picture which debuted at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival where it was acquired by Drafthouse Films. Spring too fared well on the festival circuit, garnering Best Film at the Paris International Fantastic Film Fest, Best Male Actor for Lou Taylor Pucci at Fantastic Fest (he portrays a man in personal crisis who leaves the U.S. for Italy where he becomes involved with a woman harboring a dark secret), Best Screenplay at the Ithaca International Fantastic Film Festival, and special jury mention at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival.

Benson affirmed that he and Moorhead made the right decision “not to take just anything from Hollywood that came our way” after the success of Resolution. “We waited to stick with something we believed in. Resolution and Spring were both passion projects for us. Both were very profitable for independent films and were well received critically. We had final cut on both of them. Our paws were all over those films. They established our vision and what we do.”

As for their working relationship relative to division of labor, Moorhead shared, “Justin and I are hands-on people in the filmmaking process. We both produce and direct. He writes and I develop—and I shoot. Also with our DIY experience, we both grew up editing as kids. We have the edit in our heads. When we’re shooting, we know when we have what we need and that it’s time to move on.”

The Toronto Festival debut of Spring also proved fortuitous on another front because it was there that Benson and Moorhead’s producer David Lawson introduced them to Rich Carter, executive producer/founding partner (with director Ted Melfi) of branded content and commercial production house brother, which was launched last year. The Moorhead & Benson duo is now on brother’s directorial roster.

“To have Rich, Ted and Monica [brother’s head of production Reimold] show their faith in us means a lot,” assessed Benson. “We have experience in commercials but brother is positioned to get us projects with bigger clients and agencies.”

Moorhead added, “We’re obsessed with being on set. We dislike not making movies. But if you’re lucky, you can make one good feature film every year and a half or so. There’s a lot of down time. And to have the opportunity to bring our voice—often slightly comedic, with memorable visuals—to commercials and branded content is ideal.”

Moorhead & Benson’s quirky humor is on display in the brother-produced “DSL-Arm” for Olympus and Boston ad agency The Fantastical. This mockumentary spot, as well as a mini tongue-in-cheek online documentary, chronicles the dangers of DSL-Arm, a “serious” condition in which the heavy weight of DSLR cameras cause users’ arms to grow significantly longer. Thus we see a man with one arm far more outstretched than the other—at a restaurant, for example, he tries to put his arm around his honey only to have it wrap around a woman at another table. And a beach volleyball teammate attempts to high five our DSL-Arm afflicted guy but to no avail; DSL gent’s hand is far higher than the volleyball net. These and other vignettes make the case for Olympus’ new OM-D E-MF Mark II DSLR light-weight camera alternative.

Also to Moorhead & Benson’s credit are the short film Wrecked (produced by Tribeca Enterprises and Maker Studios) and a segment for the horror anthology V/H/S: Viral.

Mundo Sisters
The Mundo Sisters, who made their initial major mark in the documentary arena—first with the feature American Commune (2013), and last year with the ESPN short Rowdy Ronda Rousey—recently joined Biscuit Filmworks, their first roost for commercials and branded content. The sisters, Nadine Mundo and Rena Mundo Croshere, thus embark on a new career chapter by diversifying into the ad discipline; just prior to connecting with Biscuit, they helmed a branded short for fashion designer Rachel Roy to promote her spring 2015 collection.

The siblings got their industry start together at MTV where they created and directed My Life (Translated), a documentary series centered on the bicultural teen who straddles heritage, with pressures from immigrant parents, and the desire to assimilate into American society. The Mundo Sisters also were directors on MTV’s True Life documentary show.

American Commune then established the sisters in long-form documentary fare. The feature-length film centered on the Mundo Sisters childhood on a rural Tennessee commune and their culture shock upon leaving it. American Commune premiered to critical acclaim at the HotDocs International Film Festival, was later shown on Al Jazeera America, and is now available on Amazon and Hulu. While on the festival circuit for the documentary, the Mundo Sisters connected with a filmmaker working with ESPN Films, which opened up an opportunity to pitch story ideas to the network.

“We pitched a ton of stuff, the project on [UFC mixed martial artist] Ronda Rousey being something we thought they’d never go for,” recalled Rena Mundo Croshere.

But ESPN gave it a greenlight, yielding immediate dividends. Within 24 hours of its release, it became the second most-viewed short film in ESPN history. Rowdy Ronda Rousey was even screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

“In our research for the Rousey film,” said Nadine Mundo, “we felt there were many more like Ronda—young female athletes who were incredible but whose stories weren’t being told.” The success of Rowdy Ronda Rousey cleared the way for the Mundo Sisters to develop and direct What Makes Us, a series of ESPN shorts profiling women athletes, including soccer stars Megan Rapinoe and Sydney Leroux, surfing champ Carissa Moore and hockey player Hilary Knight.

The profiles also reflected the Mundo Sisters’ affinity for creating visually beautiful and poetic work. The Mundo Sisters deployed a RED camera with anamorphic lenses, used natural lighting whenever possible, reflecting a stylish bent not normally associated with docu shorts—and an element they will carry over to their commercialmaking and branded content endeavors whenever appropriate for the project and story being told.

Beyond the visual, the Mundo Sisters also feel their documentary sensibilities will translate well into the ad discipline. “We are able to work with real people and there’s an art to capturing that in an organic way that doesn’t feel contrived,” related Rena Mundo Croshere. “Whatever work we’re doing—whether its narrative or documentary—we’re trying to get to the emotional heart of the story.”

Rowdy Ronda Rousey not only served as a catalyst for What Makes Us but also the alluded to branded short for fashion designer Rachel Roy. According to Rena Mundo Croshere, a consultant who worked with the Rachel Roy brand was favorably impressed by the Rousey short. “They wanted us to do something that showed real people and their style but not like a documentary. We shot and directed it in the middle of our doing one of our ESPN films. Working with the Rachel Roy brand and crafting that short was a rewarding experience.” The Mundo Sisters did the direct-to-client branded short assignment independently.

The Mundo Sisters’ ESPN work also led to their landing at Biscuit Filmworks. “We were editing out of Rock Paper Scissors where Angus Wall told sales rep Dana Balkin about us,” recollected Rena Mundo Croshere. “We met Dana and she ultimately connected us with Biscuit which is a great fit for us in terms of vision, caliber of work and personalities.”

Dan Marsh
Much of the mainstream commercialmaking community first got to know Dan Marsh as a visual effects and CG supervisor at MPC LA, which he joined in 2010. In those capacities, he collaborated with such A-list directors as Adam Berg, Carl Erik Rinsch and Traktor, as well as leading creatives from agencies including TBWAChiatDay, Wieden+Kennedy and BBDO. “It was a great learning experience in that I tended to get involved in the creative with directors, agencies, exceptional DPs and production designers very early on to help them solve complex problems,” related Marsh. This invaluable education complemented Marsh’s formal education in digital arts, tech, computers, VFX and design.

Marsh then moved over to MPC Creative, the studio’s content production division, where he serves as creative director. There, opportunities emerged for him to direct select projects, to the point now where his primary career focus is as a director, though he continues his creative director duties on certain assignments for the MPC division. Marsh’s most notable directing endeavors include: a TV and cinema commercial which was part of the Fiat promotional tie-in to the feature film Godzilla; and The Grammy Awards’ integrated “We Are Music” campaign featuring poetic works based on the musical DNA of artists Adele and Bon Iver.

Marsh’s directorial reel dispels a popular misnomer that, as he described, “an MPC person must be a visual effects guy first and a storyteller second. I believe the opposite is the truth. The reason I was a good visual effects person was that I understood the story that the director wanted to tell—so I made sure the effects fit that goal and advanced the story. That has helped me as a director in that storytelling always came first.”

He has benefited from a blend of practical on-the-job education and academic enrichment. At the age of 17 he was interning at a postproduction facility, gaining experience in editorial and assorted back-room operations, heightening his interest in animation, stop motion and more traditional filmmmaking. He became active as an animator and technical specialist while studying at the University of Maryland back when digital video was just emerging. He switched his major from film to digital arts.

Marsh went on to earn a Master’s of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He then became a teacher in such disciplines as film, sculpture, digital media, furniture design and architecture at RISD, bringing together people and technology, deploying computers in collaboration with furniture makers and architects to create exhibits and design products. Marsh shared insights into and helped colleagues and students to bridge the physical and digital worlds in creative practice. This led to his being recruited by Michigan State University which wanted to tap into his interdisciplinary thinking and expertise. After several years as an academic and artist, he returned to his first love, moving to Los Angeles to pursue filmmaking projects, initially freelancing and then joining MPC.

As a director Marsh hopes to get creatively worthwhile opportunities, connecting with agencies and clients “who are bold enough to try new things, giving me a chance to grow. Directors like Dougal Wilson, Spike Jonze and Mark Romanek are among those I idolize for their ability to do unique things. There are directors and agencies who have done amazing work in commercials—and whom I look up to and respect. I’ve been fortunate over the years to work with some of them. I long to make those kinds of projects.”

Sea Chant
A husband-and-wife directing team consisting of Andrew and Carissa Gallo, Sea Chant recently joined the roster of Little Minx, the production house headed by founder/executive producer Rhea Scott. This marks their first formal representation in the U.S.

Carissa has a background in still photography while Andrew’s industry foundation is in TV production, dating back to his internship as a teenager at the Discovery Channel. They brought their sensibilities together as a team, turning out varied projects, making their mark in the Vimeo community with postings that helped to open doors for them by generating attention in the music video, ad agency and client sectors.

Sea Chant via its studio in Portland, Ore., began to garner assignments, including client-direct work for Nike, which often entailed the directing team handling both the live action and still photography for campaigns, providing a creative, visual and storytelling continuity across different platforms. “We became increasingly involved in color palette, art direction, mood and music as our content played on multiple platforms,” said Carissa Gallo. But beyond the aesthetic, she cited a deeply rooted connection to human relations in stories as integral to their work.

Sea Chant’s credits span such other clients as Levi’s, Toyota, Intel, San Francisco startup Aether Cone (billed as a thinking man’s music player) and the Lincoln Motor Company. For the latter, Sea Chant helmed a short film which got heavy Vimeo play.

Andrew Gallo noted that as Sea Chant continues to create more ambitious content, additional production support and resources are needed in order to take their work to the next level. Little Minx provides that support, the expertise and resources. Sea Chant gravitated to Little Minx based on the company’s body of work, track record and the high caliber of its directorial roster. “We also liked the smaller boutique and arty feel of Little Minx. It instantly felt like home,” he affirmed.

Little Minx’s Scott described Sea Chant’s work as “inspirational.” The directors were introduced by a mutual friend to Holly Ross and Jeremy Hodges of indie rep firm Red, which handles the West Coast for Little Minx. The Gallo tandem said that Red expressed a confidence in them that they found gratifying. “They said we’d be in their family,” recalled Andrew Gallo. “They just didn’t know which part of their family. It turned out to be Little Minx.”

Abhinay Deo
It may seem incongruous to peg a two-time Cannes Lions winner as a new talent—but Abhinay Deo is just that in the American ad marketplace, having recently signed with TWC Films for exclusive U.S representation.

A well-established filmmaker in India, Deo has a body of work that includes commercials for Nike, Tata Safari, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Nestle, HSBC, Pepsi, The Times of India and the Mumbai Mirror newspaper. For the latter, he directed a soul-stirring “I am Mumbai” spot which earned a Cannes Gold Lion for Direction in 2012, chronicling four real citizens as they boldly and publicly vocalize personal accounts of headlines that broke in the Mirror. Their courageous stories in the face of adversity reflect the significance of what the Mirror brings to its readership.

Deo has also branched out to direct two features: a Hinglish film titled Delhi Belly for Aamir Khan Productions; and Game for Excel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

He has earned assorted awards beyond the Gold Lion for Direction at Cannes, including a Cannes Bronze Lion in 2013 and honors at the London International Awards, Spikes Asia, D&AD Awards, One Show, and The Asia Pacific Advertising Awards. His feature Delhi Belly was the most successful movie in India in 2011, and Deo was awarded the Filmfare Award 2012 as Debutant Director of the Year, which is considered one of India’s top most awards in the film industry.

Originally an architect, Deo began in the world of advertising at Ogilvy & Mather in the 1990’s. He then broke into the directorial ranks.

Mark Thomas, TWC’s managing director, observed, “It is clear to me that we are headed into a period where a significant amount of creative will have a large emotional component at its core. Abhinay is one of the most compelling, emotional storytellers anywhere in the world and we are excited to be able to introduce him to U.S. agencies.”

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