Blink has added chef, filmmaker, and photographer DeadHungry, aka Alex Paganelli, to its directorial roster for representation in the U.K. and the Netherlands. DeadHungry has taken on commercial photography and directing for a selection of international food and drink clients, top London restaurants, and luxury fashion brands like Bottega Veneta and Skims. Recently, DeadHungry has collaborated with Selfridges, creating visually stunning work for their food hall and in-store pop-up events….
London-based production house KODE has signed director Marek Partyš. Just a year after Partyš jumped into the world of advertising, he won a Bronze Cannes Lion and a Gold at YDA in 2018 for his work Jágrláma shot in the Himalayas. Since then, he has added awards from the D&AD, Clio, Epica and Golden Drum festivals. He also garnered gold for directing at the Ciclope Festival in 2020. Over the six years he’s been in the industry, Partyš has collaborated with such brands as Ikea, Telekom, Zalando and McDonald’s…..
U.K.’s Odelay Films has brought the duo of Lavender and Ravenscroft (Kaia Lavender and Gary Ravenscroft) aboard its directing roster. The directing team’s work spans fashion, car and lifestyle brands. Both directors are multi-award winning in their own right and since joining forces have been recognized with further accolades. Lavender’s career began in her native South Africa, while Ravenscroft was raised in Australia. Later both settled in the U.S. and Odelay now becomes the first production company to represent the duo in the U.K. Brand clients include Merrell, Chanel, Ram Trucks, Mac, Ford, Wrangler, Hyundai, Yamaha Motorcycles, Wix, Microsoft, Target, PepsiCo/Mountain Dew, Skullcandy, Vans, DC Shoes, Cisco, Axe, and Scion–as well as campaigns for ESPN, NBC, Discovery, BET, and GAC networks….
Indianapolis-based Scofield Digital Storytelling has brought Lindsay D. Mitchell on board as video director, cinematographer, and editor. Mitchell brings 15 years of experience to her new roost. She has worked with leading Midwest marketing agencies and production companies, with projects that include feature films, and a nationally televised entertainment project for Discovery Channel….
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