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Basically, there are two ways to score a spot: commission a composer or music house to write an original track, or license existing material. Examples of the latter would include branding a car with a hit tune or using an up-and-coming band to imbue a soft drink with a sense of edge. Then there'...
PORTLAND, Ore.—The state of Oregon has suspended funding for the Portland-based Oregon Film & Video Office for the remainder of the biennium (March 1 through June 30), according to Robin LaMonte, a principal analyst in the state's Legislative Fiscal Office, Salem, Ore.
According to...
NEW YORK—Bicoastal/international hungry man has launched a music video division. Dubbed HM music videos, the new venture opens with director Marcos Siega, who was formerly repped for music clips by Los Angeles-based Palomar Pictures. (Palomar is winding down operations and going out of business...
In the fall of 2002, director Lara Shapiro was awarded a package of NFL spots featuring actor Don Cheadle (Ocean's Eleven, Traffic, Boogie Nights) out of Young & Rubicam (Y&R), New York. The fact that a woman won the job is notable, given the fact that high-profile, sports-themed...
Director Noam Murro doesn't hesitate when asked what's missing from his reel: "A ninety-minute feature." Fortunately, he says, that endeavor is "right around the corner." It'll probably be a dramatic piece—hopefully a good one, he adds, and by good, he means a film that doesn't follow Hollywood...
When Luca Maroni sees two things that traditionally don't—but could—go well together, he wants to marry them. If he were a chef, he would have seen lobster and melted butter coming from a mile away. If he were a matchmaker to the stars, you would have found him whispering encouraging words into...
When creatives at Cliff Freeman and Partners, New York, needed someone to helm a campaign for all-American discount store Value City, they chose Neil Harris—a British director who had only recently begun working in the stateside market. "I think they actually wanted [the spots] to have a bit of...
Unlike most spot directors, Leslie Dektor seldom talks about "spots" or "ads" or "commercials." From his point of view, he directs "pictures."
Three of Dektor's pictures—"Crazy Love" for American Express, out of Ogilvy & Mather (O&M), New York; "Rent or Food," for America's Second...
Audio mixer Jamie Santos, most recently of Complete Post, Hollywood, has come aboard Santa Monica-based audio post/sound design shop AudioBanks. He rounds out a company roster of mixers that also includes Mark Meyuhas, Tony Pepper and Dona Richardson. AudioBanks is a sister company to music/...
The up-and-coming spot helmers in the Spring 2003 Directors issue bring a lot to the table. Although they are new to directing spots, all seven directors—five individuals and a two-person team—have something beyond the basic skill set going for them. Whether it's agency or production company...