LOS ANGELES -- The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced the motion picture nominations for the 28th Annual Producers Guild Awards. The categories are The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures and The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures. Zanuck Award nominations have been earned by Arrival, Deadpool, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, La La Land, Lion, Manchester by the Sea and Moonlight . Scoring Animated... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- John Hillcoat--a feature filmmaker ( The Road, The Proposition ) who successfully extended his reach to commercials, making an auspicious ad debut back in 2010 with Levi’s “To Work” for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore.--has joined Serial Pictures for global representation in spots and branded content. He had previously been handled by production house Stink. “To Work” began a run of notable ad endeavors spanning such clients as Apple, Samsung, Volkswagen, Coca-Cola, Jameson and Guinness. In 2016... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Director Benji Weinstein has joined production company Smuggler. He had previously been handled by Tool of North America for commercials and branded content. Among Weinstein’s notable credits is REI’s “#OptOutside” campaign from Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco, produced by Tool and earning Cannes Lion Grand Prix distinction in both Promo & Activation and Titanium in 2016. Per the campaign, REI closed its retail stores on Black Friday so that their employees and customers could... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK -- Content agency Los York has signed director Jason Zada who over the years has demonstrated an affinity for breaking new ground across multiple screens. Zada’s body of wide ranging work includes the 2016 feature film The Forest (starring Game of Thrones ’ Natalie Dormer), the Emmy, D&AD, SXSW and AICP Next Award-winning interactive Facebook Connect experience “Take This Lollipop,” varied digital and technology-forward projects, music videos and dozens of traditional commercials, Zada made... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK -- Tabletop director Vittorio Sacco has joined bicoastal Station Film for commercial representation in the U.S. He was previously independently represented under the Vittorio Sacco Films banner. Sacco has worked extensively in the U.S., Europe and South America on hundreds of commercials for brands including Fage, Baskin Robbins, Dos Equis, Pizza Hut, Nestle, Intimissimi and Bulgari. After attending university in Milan, Italy, Sacco plotted his course as a visual artist and never looked back. His... Read More, Comment
CULVER CITY, Calif. -- Director Kiku Ohe has come aboard the roster of Superprime, marking his first representation in the U.S. for commercials and branded content. The Japanese-Australian filmmaker has established himself internationally across a range of film, spot and storytelling projects. He continues to be repped in France by Control Films and in Australia and New Zealand by Exit Films. At press time, Ohe was in the midst of his first project at Superprime--an assignment out of Campbell Ewald for Valero. Ohe’s... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- Instead of romantic proposals and engagement rings, the commercials trying to sell a new generation on diamonds show young couples rolling around on a bed, arguing in a car and even questioning whether they'll ever marry. The ads are one way the diamond industry is trying to reach millennials, the under-35-year-olds who may be more focused on paying off student loan debt than buying diamonds and getting hitched. De Beers, the company that helped pay for the new commercials, says millennials are... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK -- Catherine Locker, former group director, strategic marketing, for Coca-Cola North America, is joining DDB North America in the newly created role of chief of staff. Locker’s primary responsibilities will be to administratively lead the North American leadership team, as well as to accelerate and operationalize DDB Flex initiatives across 17 agencies as the agency further integrates the network to maximize effectiveness and efficiency for its clients. She will report directly to Wendy Clark, CEO... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- A new study finds that just 7 percent of the 250 highest-grossing films of 2016 were directed by women. The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University on Thursday issued the 19th annual edition of its report, titled "The Celluloid Ceiling," authored by the center's executive director, Martha M. Lauzen. The rate of female directors was down 2 percent from last year. Despite widespread attention in recent years to gender inequality in the film industry, the... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- The Cinema Audio Society has announced the nominees for the 53rd Annual CAS Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for 2016 in seven categories. Nominated in the Motion Picture-Live Action category are Doctor Strange, Hacksaw Ridge, La La Land, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story , and Sully . “We are blessed this year with a rich portfolio of Cinema Audio art applied. As the creative contributions of sound mixing to modern filmmaking becomes more obvious to the world at large, these... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Nominees for the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards (MUAHS, IATSE Local 706) in 23 categories honoring make-up artists and hair stylists outstanding achievements in motion pictures, television, commercials and live theater were announced by MUAHS president Sue Cabral-Ebert. Winners will be revealed during the black-tie annual MUAHS Guild Awards ceremony on Sunday, February 19, at The Novo by Microsoft at L.A. Live. Said Cabral-Ebert, “This year’s record entries for the Make-Up... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Nominees have been revealed for the 19th CDGA (Costume Designers Guild Awards) celebrating excellence in film, television, and short-form Costume Design. It was also announced that GRAMMY® and Golden Globe® nominated actress, singer, and songwriter Mandy Moore will host this year’s CDGA gala that will take place on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. As previously announced, three-time Academy Award® winning Actress Meryl Streep will receive the Distinguished Collaborator... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK -- KYLE Edit, a boutique editorial company founded in 2011 by editor Tina Mintus, has expanded to offer a range of integrated creative solutions including production, post, VFX and color grading. This diversification is underscored by a name change as the company has been renamed KYLE nyc. The studio has brought on a new EP with a strong background in live-action production and post. Sarah Farrand is a California native with an extensive resume of production and post production credentials,... Read More, Comment
TORONTO -- FCB Canada has hired Stefan Fabich to head up the integrated production department and boost the agency’s creative output. Fabich spent the last five years at Tribal Worldwide where he made invaluable contributions to the “Dadhood” campaign for Cheerios, and “Our Food. Your Questions” for McDonald’s—both of which were recognized at the One Show and in Cannes. Fabich got his start in the industry on the account team at TBWA more than a decade ago. His career path took him through Saatchi &... Read More, Comment
Bombs detonated in the center of Boston are disarmed by bonds of family and community in Peter Berg's "Patriots Day," a stirring ode to civic life in the age of terrorism. "Patriots Day," which recreates the 2013 Boston Marathon and the subsequent four-day manhunt, is the third in a string of docudramas for Berg, following the Navy SEAL drama "Lone Survivor" and the recent oil rig disaster film "Deepwater Horizon." In tales of real-life American heroes, Berg has found a potent balance of fact... Read More, Comment
Ben Affleck is no doubt an ambitious and tasteful filmmaker, but he's gotten himself in a bit of hot water with the bloated period gangster epic "Live by Night ." It looks and sounds right and all the elements are there: A conflicted anti-hero with a granite jaw, a fast-talkin', two-timin' moll, crooked cops, and a sweaty loyal partner. There's the one-last-job-gone-awry, some rum-running, a few epic shootouts and the big questions about whether or not our man has become everything he swore he... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Oscar® winner Denzel Washington will be named Motion Picture Showman of the Year at the 54th Annual International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) Publicists Awards in recognition of his remarkable career achievements, including producing, directing and starring in Fences, a major contender in this year’s Oscar race. The awards will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Friday, February 24. “Denzel continues to excel as a major creative force in filmmaking while also recognizing... Read More, Comment
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- The loud expletive coming from Christine Baranski's lips during the trailer for the upcoming spinoff of "The Good Wife" makes you immediately realize you're not on CBS anymore. The new show, "The Good Fight," will air starting Feb. 19 on the CBS All Access streaming service. CBS executives hope the 10-episode original series will entice more people to subscribe to CBS All Access, beyond the one million they currently have. The spinoff is centered on Baranski, the most high-profile actor to stay... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Television's enthusiastic attic-rummaging for old shows to resurrect isn't abating. With an increasing number of outlets in need of content, original ideas are augmented by reboots and sequels including "The X-Files," ''Fuller House," ''Gilmore Girls" and, debuting on Netflix, "One Day at a Time." But it may be unfair to put Netflix's sitcom in that company. Yes, it has original producer Norman Lear aboard. Yes, it's about a mom raising two children without benefit of their father. And yes, it'... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- With an ongoing taste for space, moviegoers propelled the NASA drama "Hidden Figures" past "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" at the box office. (Preliminary figures released yesterday had "Rogue One" in the top slot, edging "Hidden Figures" but with the release of updated info, rankings were switched for the two films.) "Hidden Figures," which tells the true story of three black female mathematicians integral to the early success of the American space program, sold $22.8 million in tickets over... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- NBC kicked off the new year with a winning week and a football clash that took the top spot. Nielsen says NBC’s telecast of the NFL playoff game between Detroit and Seattle was the week’s most-watched show with nearly 27 million viewers. That helped the network to an overall win in prime time with an average of 10.32 million viewers. Also helping: NBC’s Golden Globes telecast, seen by 20 million viewers. It all added up to NBC’s seventh straight weekly win, its longest in-season streak in 21... Read More, Comment
Viewing films on smartphones can be a moving experience as depicted in spots titled “Tears” and “Speed” from Havas Paris for Studio+ premium services, Vivendi and Canal+. Christophe Coffre, chief creative officer of Havas Paris, said, “We need to demonstrate that emotion and action are just as intense in the mini-series format (10 x10”). I’m very proud of these two little cinematic gems.” SHOOT selected “Tears” as this week’s Top Spot. In “Tears,” people board a train, smart phones in hand on... Read More, Comment
Lottery advertising often gravitates to the luxury items money can buy--the so-called good life replete with upscale cars, homes, diamonds and other extravagances. But McCann NY took a different turn for the New York Lottery’s Cash4Life game--showing that good fortune in the lotto can free people to spend time doing what makes them truly happy. In this launch film directed by Derek Cianfrance of RadicalMedia, we meet a man who spends the time he won volunteering with rescue dogs. Other films,... Read More, Comment
In this featurette for the film "Fences" (Paramount Pictures), cast members delve into the talent and contributions of Denzel Washington as both actor and director. Directed by Washington , Fences is based on August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same title. It’s the first work of the late Wilson to be brought to the big screen. Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, Fences introduces us to Troy Maxson (portrayed by Washington), a sanitation worker who once dreamed of a professional baseball... Read More, Comment
Argentinian agency Dhélet Y&R put people in a canine’s shoes, getting select folks to don a customized dog mask and walk about town. Unbeknownst to them, soon to be piped into the dog head mask were the sounds of a fireworks show as they would be heard through the ears of a pooch. The audio is unbearable and fear-inducing, raising awareness of the damage fireworks can wreak on dogs. Lujan Islas of production house Cronos directed this man/dog-in-the-street PSA--in which people listen to... Read More, Comment
Created by L.A. agency David&Goliath, this spot titled “Sir Lucky Pants” for the California Lottery’s SuperLotto Plus (SLP) game uses the three letter “SLP” abbreviation to highlight the endless possibilities that can be realized with lotto winnings. In the :30 from the directing duo Los Perez of production house Caviar, we see SLP winnings come to life in some outrageous ways. From Super Large Portraits and Saucy Lobster Platters to Swanky Little Pads, the possibilities of what you, “Sir... Read More, Comment
For many years, people have heard about the dire predictions related to climate change, including rising sea levels, melting snowcaps, superstorms, forest fires, drought and famine. The magnitude of the problem and the enormity of what we need to do as individuals can be overwhelming. It’s also hard to comprehend on a personal and individual level what this means. To make the impact more direct, individual and personal, Toronto agency Bensimon Byrne developed this campaign for the Government of... Read More, Comment
A voiceover relates, “I speed cures from laboratories to patients so you can re-become the person you were.” We soon learn this is the “voice” of the City of Hope Medical Center as we see a woman with cancer returning to her normal life. Her story, told in this spot titled “Patient,” underscores the healing power at City of Hope, a place which blends “The Miracle of Science With Soul.” “Patient” is part of an overall campaign from agency Interplanetary. Commercials in this package, including “... Read More, Comment