Jeymes Samuel, a singer-songwriter also known as The Bullitts, makes his feature directorial debut with The Harder They Fall (Netflix), a Western with the time-honored staples–gunfights, a train robbery, saloons with character, and an eagerly anticipated marquee reckoning–but also major departures from the norm, breathing new life into the genre with an inspired atypical soundtrack, unique at times painterly visuals, and most notably putting Black protagonists front and center. The movie opens with a title card noting that it’s a fictional story but based on an overlooked reality. The supered message simply reads: “These. People. Existed.”
Jonathan Majors stars as Nat Love, a formidable gunslinger who seeks revenge for a horrific crime he suffered in childhood at the hands of Rufus Buck (Idris Elba). When Buck is released from prison, the countdown towards a showdown begins. Among those riding with Love to bring Buck to justice are Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz), Bill Picket (Edi Gathegi) and Jim Beckwourth (R.J. Cyler). They’re going up against Buck’s menacing crew which includes “Treacherous” Trudy Smith (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield).
In this video, Samuel–who not only directed but also served as writer and composer on The Harder They Fall–shares insights into the audio for the breakthrough Western, along with supervising sound editor/sound designer Richard King and production sound mixer Anthony Ortiz.
King is a six-time Best Sound Editing Oscar nominee–winning four times as a team member on Master and Commander; The Far Side of the World in 2004, The Dark Knight in 2009, Inception in 2011 and Dunkirk in 2018. His other two Academy Award nominations were for War of the Worlds in 2006 and Interstellar in 2015.
King said of The Harder They Fall, “Every single shot has a sonic reason for being there.”
CreditsJeymes Samuel, director/writer/composer; Richard King, supervising sound editor/sound designer; Anthony Ortiz, production sound mixer.
Director Gia Coppola Teams With Mejuri For “A New York Minute”; 1st Episode Takes Us To The Grocery Store
Mejuri, known for turning fine jewelry into an everyday luxury, has partnered with director Gia Coppola (The Last Show Girl, Palo Alto) and The Directors Bureau in Los Angeles, for the first time reimagining the brand’s story as episodic content. In a series of microfilms, co-created by Coppola and premiering following New York Fashion Week, Mejuri eschewed a typical celebrity campaign and cast us as voyeurs to a group of aspiring young women--real people, not actors--at the crossroads of their adult lives against the backdrop of New York City.
Titled “A New York Minute,” the series features five real-life friends, who include one perfectly imperfect heroine named Emma. The women celebrate ordinary moments and interactions which reveal, sometimes retrospectively, the extraordinary within the mundane. Adjacent to the brand’s own community, the 30-something year old cast includes Laura Love (Emma), Rebecca Ressler, Natalie Vall-Freed and Rozzi Crane. Mejuri’s jewelry makes an appearance as the best supporting actor.
“When I met with Gia and The Directors Bureau team, there was instant creative and personal chemistry and a natural alignment on the desire to push and blur the lines between marketing, storytelling, and the construct of what a ‘campaign’ could be,” said Jacob Jordan, chief brand officer, Mejuri. “Gia was able to push that idea into something that truly feels new and artful, with a realism and relatability that almost feels jarring. Gia was such a perfect collaborator and partner, someone I had complete trust in to be a catalyst for Mejuri’s values of celebrating women as their truest selves. I can’t wait for us to continue to tell the next chapters of this story.”
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