Tracie Norfleet has stepped into the managing director/executive producer role at Invisible Collective, a production company and creative studio founded by directors Mel Jones and Justin Polk, and EP Stephen Love.
Norfleet brings to Invisible the relationships and expertise gained throughout a distinguished career exec producing at long-established studios. Expert at providing top-drawer production support, she got her start answering the phones for legendary director Joe Pytka–an association that spanned over a decade–before moving onto HSI, and RSA Films for the last 16 years. Having worked alongside many of the most highly regarded directors in the business, Norfleet has produced over 50 Super Bowl commercials, with several reaching the top-ranked slot on USA Today’s Ad Meter.
Norfleet was drawn to her new roost on multiple levels. “Everyone talks about supporting underrepresented and overlooked talent–but Invisible has it embedded into their manifesto,” Norfleet said. “They have never been about signing one or two female or BIPOC directors just to have that box checked. They don’t preach or promote diversity and inclusion; they live it. It reveals boldness, and complete commitment–two ideals I inherently gravitate to but unfortunately are in short supply these days.”
She added that Invisible affords her the opportunity to keep doing what she has embraced throughout her career. “Not only do I get to continue my first love of guiding directors’ careers and figuring out the best executional approach to projects, I get to spend more time creating interesting opportunities and developing a supportive working environment for everyone involved in the process. Every single day, the trust the founders have shown in me motivates and inspires me to bring all I have to the party.”
Invisible’s Jones noted, “Tracie will always be a crewmember at heart. She knows how to support the director and creative work, and equally as important, how to establish an inclusive environment for all those behind the camera as well. That’s how great work gets made.”
Review: Director James Watkins’ “Speak No Evil”
Quick. Has there ever been a horror film set in a country home with a decent cell signal?
Nope, and there's no signal at Paddy and Ciara's house, either, deep in the English countryside. Soon, that land line will be cut, too, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Paddy and Ciara are that fun-but-somewhat-odd British couple whom Louise and Ben, early in "Speak No Evil," meet on their idyllic Tuscan family holiday. Americans based in London, Louise and Ben are at loose ends, with both job and relationship issues. And so, when the new acquaintances write to invite them for a country weekend, they decide to go.
After all, how bad could it be?
Don't answer that. There are many such moments in the first two-thirds of "Speak No Evil," a Hollywood remake of the 2022 Danish film, here starring a deeply menacing James McAvoy. Moments where Louise and Ben, out of mere politeness and social convention, act against their instincts, which tell them something is wrong – very wrong.
Director James Watkins and especially his excellent troupe of actors, adult and children alike, do a nice job of building the tension, slowly but surely. Until all bloody hell breaks loose, of course. And then, in its third act, "Speak No Evil" becomes an entertaining but routine horror flick, with predictable results.
But for a while, it's a way more intelligent film. And the jumpy moments work — I'll confess to literally springing out of my seat when someone uneventfully turned on a power drill.
We begin in stunning Tuscany, where Louise (Mackenzie Davis, in the film's most accessible and empathetic performance) and Ben (Scoot McNairy, all nerves and insecurity) are vacationing with 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler). At the pool, they... Read More