Production company Slim, based in Venice, is adding director Daryl Wein to its roster for spots and branded content.
Alongside his brand work for clients such as AT&T and NRDC, is Wein’s latest dramatic comedy, White Rabbit, in which he directs Vivian Bang playing a young Korean American performance artist who struggles to be heard and seen authentically. The film premiered last year at Sundance Film Festival to acclaim by film critics, including the Los Angeles Times, that called it, “a fast-moving, funny film that’s as alive as the city of Los Angeles itself.” Wein’s next project, Pay No Attention, is a series for Refinery29.
Wein’s style combines a bit of visual panache with unique performances that feel subtle and effortless, giving the audience an earnest and deeply invested look into the onscreen characters. Wein, well known for his comedic expertise, has partnered with such industry notables as Silicon Valley’s lead Thomas Middleditch, actress and producer Zoe Lister-Jones, and Academy Award Winner Greta Gerwig. Prior to joining Slim, Wein was represented by Cap Gun Collective.
Tom Weissferdt, executive producer and president of Slim Pictures, said about Wein, “It was immediately clear to us that even though Daryl’s focus is comedy, he is able to tackle serious matters such as gender or LGBTQ issues and find the humor without diminishing these themes. This is a timely and especially welcome skill in the current advertising climate.”
Wein said he was drawn to Slim “because they are focused and interested in producing meaningful and quality content.”
Review: Director Morgan Neville’s “Piece by Piece”
A movie documentary that uses only Lego pieces might seem an unconventional choice. When that documentary is about renowned musician-producer Pharrell Williams, it's actually sort of on-brand.
"Piece by Piece" is a bright, clever song-filled biopic that pretends it's a behind-the-scenes documentary using small plastic bricks, angles and curves to celebrate an artist known for his quirky soul. It is deep and surreal and often adorable. Is it high concept or low? Like Williams, it's a bit of both.
Director Morgan Neville — who has gotten more and more experimental exploring other celebrity lives like Fred Rogers in "Won't You Be My Neighbor?,""Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain" and "Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in Two Pieces" — this time uses real interviews but masks them under little Lego figurines with animated faces. Call this one a documentary in a million pieces.
The filmmakers try to explain their device — "What if nothing is real? What if life is like a Lego set?" Williams says at the beginning — but it's very tenuous. Just submit and enjoy the ride of a poor kid from Virginia Beach, Virginia, who rose to dominate music and become a creative director at Louis Vuitton.
Williams, by his own admission, is a little detached, a little odd. Music triggers colors in his brain — he has synesthesia, beautifully portrayed here — and it's his forward-looking musical brain that will make him a star, first as part of the producing team The Neptunes and then as an in-demand solo producer and songwriter.
There are highs and lows and then highs again. A verse Williams wrote for "Rump Shaker" by Wreckx-N-Effect when he was making a living selling beats would lead to superstars demanding to work with him and partner... Read More