Blink has added directorial duo Jungle to its roster. Based in Berlin and Sao Paulo, Jungle has a body of work that is filled with remarkable imagery and art direction, often applying visual effects in a unique and naturalistic way that creates striking heightened realities for commercials, music videos and film. Earning the Gold Arrow at the recent British Arrows Craft awards for new director. Jungle has credits that span Jagermeister and Nike. Their work has gone on to debut, win, and be nominated at international film and advertising festivals including, NYC independent film festival, EL Ojo der Iberoamérica, and the Brazilian Cinema GrandPrix…..
Industry and agency vets Yates Holley and John Kim have launched Los Angeles-based hybrid company Rideview, which is billed as a one-stop shop for automotive art direction and visualization. Rideview offers services including visual effects, production, virtual production, experience design, development, retouching, and strategy. Holley is Rideview’s executive producer/partner while Kim serves as creative director/partner. While their creative partnership spans nearly a decade, beginning with interactive projects for Toyota at Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles, Holley and Kim have each showcased their individual talents and versatility for three decades. During his lengthy career, Holley has not only worked with automotive clients, but for brands like Disney, Nike, Coca-Cola, Google, Apple, and Samsung, Holley has also contributed to award-winning projects such as Where Cards Fall, Unity Awards’ 2019 Mobile Game of the Year. He has earned multiple Cannes Gold Lions and AICP Show distinctions. Kim has established his technical prowess and creative expertise as a sought after CG artist, with projects including the first teaser for Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War. Transitioning to the agency side of the industry he has built extensive production skills. In the process, Kim has worked with industry leaders like Toyota, focusing on car configurators and other interactive content. Eventually he was entrusted with overseeing creative direction on running footage. Rideview is already going full speed ahead with multiple projects for automotive brands including Toyota and Ford. Just as importantly, the content company has reinforced its commitment to being eco-friendly. First, Rideview has joined sustainability-focused organization Green the Bid to help reduce carbon footprints on and off set. Second, the company is continuing its fruitful working relationship with Faraday Future, a pioneering, sustainability-driven EV brand. To celebrate the carmaker’s recent IPO launch, Rideview collaborated with prolific photographer Richard Thompson to craft a mood film. Rideview has also developed a car configurator used in the Faraday Future app….
Toronto’s Westside Studio has added director Jesse Hunt to its roster for representation in Canada. Hunt has produced commercial work for clients including Welch’s, Chevrolet, Google, Taco Bell and Casper. His recent work includes the emotionally charged Meet Me at the Stairs, an autobiographical film telling the story of the pandemic’s impact on his relationship with his wife, an emergency services worker. Because Hunt is a kidney transplant recipient, he was at risk for contracting COVID, meaning the couple had to maintain physical distance during the pandemic’s early days. The four-minute short was selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick, while also placing third out of 1,080 submissions in the Musicbed Reopen Challenge, the theme of which was films capable of inspiring hope. It also premiered at the 2021 Brooklyn Film Festival. Prior to joining Westside Studio, director Hunt was handled in the Canadian market by Sequoia. Hunt currently does not have U.S. representation…..
Review: Director-Writer Megan Park’s “My Old Ass”
They say tripping on psychedelic mushrooms triggers hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia and nervousness. In the case of Elliott, an 18-year-old restless Canadian, they prompt a visitor.
"Dude, I'm you," says the guest, as she nonchalantly burns a 'smores on a campfire next to a very high and stunned Elliott. "Well, I'm a 39-year-old you. What's up?"
What's up, indeed: Director-writer Megan Park has crafted a wistful coming-of-age tale using this comedic device for "My Old Ass" and the results are uneven even though she nails the landing.
After the older Elliott proves who she is — they share a particular scar, childhood memories and a smaller left boob — the time-travel advice begins: Be nice to your brothers and mom, and stay away from a guy named Chad.
"Can we hug?" asks the older Elliott. They do. "This is so weird," says the younger Elliott, who then makes things even weirder when she asks for a kiss — to know what it's like kissing yourself. The older Elliott soon puts her number into the younger's phone under the name "My Old Ass." Then they keep in touch, long after the effects of the 'shrooms have gone.
Part of the movie's problem that can't be ignored is that the two Elliotts look nothing alike. Maisy Stella plays the coltish young version and a wry Aubrey Plaza the older. Both turn in fine performances but the visuals are slowly grating.
The arrival of the older Elliott coincides with her younger self counting down the days until she can flee from her small town of 300 in the Muskoka Lakes region to college in Toronto, where "my life is about to start." She's sick of life on a cranberry farm.
Park's scenes and dialogue are unrushed and honest as Elliott takes her older self's advice and tries to repair... Read More