Big Red Button, the directorial duo consisting of Johnny Burns and Pier van Tijn, has joined Biscuit Filmworks UK for commercial representation. Big Red Button is known throughout the UK for its award-winning commercial campaigns and short films that feature their esoteric comedic style. Big Red Button was formed shortly after Burns and van Tijn graduated from film school, when the pair met on the set of a feature film in Oxford and quickly bonded over a shared sense of humor. After a successful run creating viral short films, animations, and music videos, the duo gained acclaim within the commercial world in 2009 with their British Arrow Award win for an anti-drug campaign for FRANK. The humorous campaign featured Pablo the Drug Mule Dog and presented the dangers of cocaine through the eyes of an eviscerated canine, establishing Big Red Button’s talent for pushing the envelope with uncensored comedy. They quickly followed up with prominent spots for Go Compare (starring Prof. Stephen Hawking), Virgin Media, Carlsberg, and the award-winning “Chav Tranquiliser” for Paddy Power….
Patrick Biesemans, an independent filmmaker who is represented for commercial productions by Los Angeles-based StunSpots, has been awarded the top prize of the Musicbed Film Initiative for his proposed film project Embers & Dust. The award totals $40k in cash and credits for music licensing, sound design and gear. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Musicbed licenses music for film and television. Embers & Dust focuses on the perspective of a young farm boy and his family, and how the night of Orson Welles’ dramatic broadcast of War of The Worlds unfolded for them. It highlights the power and influence of mass media, and how this moment in broadcast history shaped how we ingest information to this day. The Musicbed Film Initiative competition launched on March 15, 2016 and drew nearly 7,500 submissions that were narrowed down to a pool of 78 finalists. After more than 200 hours of reviewing, Musicbed arrived at a final three – the top prize and two runner-up selections that will receive a $5,000 gear package. Runners-up are Skip It submitted by Little Wonderful (Jonathan Cohen and Lorne Hilts) and Skinny submitted by Los Angeles filmmaker Luke Randall…..
