The Directors Network, the talent agency for commercial freelance directors, directors of photography, and director/DPs, has brought Los Angeles-based Woodwalk aboard its roster for commercial representation. Woodwalk is a director/DP duo consisting of Will Anderson and David Gwynn, North Carolina natives. They met as college roommates and have worked together ever since, shooting short documentaries and commercials for Bank of America, Prego, and MTV, among others. Their most recent campaign for Elon University took them to Shanghai, Florence, Copenhagen, and North Carolina. They specialize in what they call “relational filmmaking,” connecting with their subjects and shooting in an intimate, emotional style….
DP Bill Pope, ASC has joined Dattner Dispoto and Associates (DDA) for representation in commercials….
Cinematographer Eigil Bryld has wrapped principal photography on Torture Report directed by Scott Burns, starring Adam Driver, Billy Bob Thornton, Annette Bening, and John Hamm. Bryld is now available for commercials and feature films exclusively through ICM Partners….
Also currently available for spots and features via ICM are cinematographer Peter Deming and production designer Keith Cunningham. The latter wrapped principal design on Wine Country directed by Amy Poehler and starring Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Emily Spivey, Paula Pell, and Rachel Dratch. DP Deming has wrapped principal photography on Fonzo directed by Josh Trank and starring Tom Hardy…
Riedel Communications–which designs, manufactures and distributes real-time video, audio, data and communications networks for broadcast, pro audio, live event sports and theater–has appointed Kevin Broce to spearhead business development for the company's U.S. West Coast operation. Broce comes over from Meyer Sound….
Music Biopics Get Creative At Toronto Film Festival
Many of the expected conventions of music biopics are present in "Piece by Piece," about the producer-turned-pop star Pharrell Williams, and "Better Man," about the British singer Robbie Williams. There's the young artist's urge to break through, fallow creative periods and regrettable chapters of fame-addled excess. But there are a few, little differences. In "Piece by Piece," Pharrell is a Lego. And in "Better Man," Williams is played by a CGI monkey. If the music biopic can sometimes feel a little stale in format, these two movies, both premiering this week at the Toronto International Film Festival, attempt novel remixes. In each film, each Williams recounts his life story as a narrator. But their on-screen selves aren't movie stars who studied to get a part just right, but computer-generated animations living out real superstar fantasies. While neither Williams has much in common as a musician, neither has had a very traditional career. Their films became reflections of their individuality, and, maybe, a way to distinguish themselves in the crowded field of music biopics like "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Rocketman." "This is about being who you are, even if it's not something that can be put in a box," Pharrell said in an interview Tuesday alongside director Morgan Neville. Also next to Pharrell: A two-foot-tall Lego sculpture of himself, which was later in the day brought to the film's premiere and given its own seat in the crowd. The experience watching the crowd-pleasing "Piece by Piece," which Focus Features will release Oct. 11, can be pleasantly discombobulating. A wide spectrum of things you never expected to see in Lego form are animated. Virginia Beach (where Pharrell grew up). An album of Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life."... Read More