HOLLYWOOD ‘PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3’ ONLY SURVIVOR IN HOLLYWOOD HORROR FILM BLOODBATH Save for a few titles, the genre suffers as young people flee the multiplex. Only a few years ago, a new horror movie was considered as close to a sure thing as anything Hollywood produced. From 2005 to 2009, studios like Lionsgate, Screen Gems, New Line and Dimension made millions releasing hit after hit, grossing north of $50 million at the domestic box office on low-budget slasher pics and remakes of such genre classics as Friday the 13th and The Amityville Horror. But this summer and fall, title after title has disappointed, capped by a weak $8.5 million opening for Universal’s early Halloween entry The Thing, a prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 horror sci-fi pic of the same name. The likely culprit: The flight of younger moviegoers from the multiplex. Heading into the Oct. 14-16 weekend, The Thing was tracking to gross $11 million to $13 million, but the audience needed to achieve those numbers never materialized. Nearly 65 percent of those buying
tickets to the movie were over the age of 25, whereas it used to be that moviegoers under 25 powered the genre. Other recent titles that have underperformed include the Guillermo del Toro-produced Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, which has only grossed $23.9 million domestic, Shark Night 3D ($18.7 million), Dream House ($18.4 million) Fright Night ($18. 1 million) and Apollo 18 ($17.5 million). “ I don’t know what’s happening. The young people just aren’t there,” says Universal president of domestic distribution Nikki Rocco. Chris Aronson, senior vp domestic distribution at 20th Century Fox, was one of the first to notice the decline of younger moviegoers, a trend that began during Christmas 2010 and continues to worsen. “These are the kids who are the stable for this kind of fare¨. The Paranormal Activity franchise and Insidious are the only horror movies to do big
Tuesdary, October 25, 2011
DREAMWORKS ANIMATION RETAINS DISNEY VETERAN CHUCK VIANE AS DISTRIBUTION CONSULTANT
Chuck Viane, as the new distribution consultant.
He worked with DWA CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg during their time at Disney and will advise the company as it evaluates its distribution options. NEW YORK - As it continues to evaluate a possible future distributing its own movies, DreamWorks Animation said Tuesday it has hired Walt Disney veteran Chuck Viane as a distribution consultant. He will be working with company executives, effective immediately, and “will provide counsel on the implementation of the studio’s future distribution plans,” DWA said.
How Hollywood seduced and abandoned critic PAULINE KAEL (exclusive book excerpt) ASTRONAUTS’ PHOTO-
Brian Kellow’s new biography reveals how the New Yorker critic was lured to L.A. by Warren Beatty but soon sidelined at Paramount by Barry Diller and the late Don Simpson.
Pauline Kael, who died in 2001, was as vivid a film critic as any of the movies she wrote about – often more so. Her impressive body of work has been collected in The Age of Movies: Selected Writings of Pauline Kael, which the Library of America is publishing Oct. 27. Marking the occasion, the New York Film Festival recently remembered Kael with a special program that combined a panel discussion that included such critics as The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy and a screening of James Toback’s Fingers, one of the movies she championed. Kael didn’t just write about movies, though. In 1979, at the invitation of
2
Warren Beatty, she came to Hollywood to work in the movie business herself -- with both Toback and Beatty. Her Hollywood adventure proved to be short-lived. Filmmakers, even friends like Toback, didn’t always appreciate her opionated manner. And so she returned to her home at the New Yorker, wiser, she would say, about the ways of Hollywood. In this exclusive excerpt from his new biography, Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark, which Viking Adult publishes Oct. 27, author Brian Kellow recounts Kael’s tenure in Hollywood, from Beatty’s promises through a break with Toback and then the frustrating months she spent as a creative consultant at Paramount. - Gregg Kilday
In the picture, Pauline Kael.
ROME FILM FESTIVAL TO FEATURE
PIER PAOLO PASOLINI
PHOTO EXHIBIT...
business of late. Despite the genre’s overall weakness, many are counting on Paranormal Activity 3 to buck the trend when it opens Oct. 21, although last year’s Paranormal sequel topped out at $84.8 million domestically compared with the $107.9 million earned by the first film in 2009.
GRAPHS FROM SPACE FLIGHTS AND MOON LANDING GO ON SALE Vintage prints of pictures taken by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and others to be auctioned by Bloomsbury in London
They often used Hasselblad cameras from Sweden modified only by the addition of a bigger button to press, but then taking pictures when you are an astronaut in a bulky, pressurised suit is clearly tricky. Many of the astronauts’ early space photographs have become extremely famous, more for their otherworldly beauty than their scientific value. And now some are to appear in the UK’s first dedicated sale of vintage Nasa photographs. Bloomsbury Auctions in London has announced details of the first specialist sale of images showing how.
HOLLYWOOD
Tuesdary, October 25, 2011
Project will be curated by Dante Ferretti and Francesca Loschiavo, who worked with the director on “The Canterbury Tales” and “The Decameron.” ROME -- The International Rome Film Festival will pay a special honor this year to Pier Paolo Pasolini with a special photo exhibit produced under the auspices of two production designers who worked with him on multiple films. The exhibit, which will include scores of photos from award-winning cinema photographer Angelo Novi, was produced by the Rome festival in conjunction with the Bologna Film Archive. It will be curated by designers Dante Ferretti and Francesca Loschiavo, who worked with Pasolini on Medea, I racconti di Canterbury (The Canterbury Tales), and Il Decameron (The Decameron). The same pair helped curate the Fellini exhibit last year. The festival gets underway Thursday and runs through Nov. 4.
Paolo Pasolin useing his profesional cam.
‘CASINO ROYALE’ STAR MADS MIKKELSEN TO RECEIVE EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA AWARD Danish actor also starred in “The Three Musketeers” and “The Clash of the Titans.” COLOGNE, Germany – Mads Mikkelsen, who has made a career both with Hollywood action films such as Casino Royale and The Clash of the Titans and in European arthouse including Open Hearts and After The Wedding, will be honored this year with the European Film Academy’s European Achievement in World Cinema Award. Mikkelsen, who currently appears as the evil Rochefort in Paul W.S. Anderson’s The Three Musketeers, said he accepted the honor “with great humbleness and a big smile.” The actor, who turns 50 this year, made his debut in the Copenhagen
crime film Pusher (1996) from Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn. He hasn’t taken a break since, appearing in such award-winning Danish dramas as Open Hearts and Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself before his star-making turn in Susanne Bier’s Oscar-nominated After the Wedding put Mikkelsen on the international map. Playing the Bond villain in Casino Royale made him a bankable name worldwide. But Mikkelsen has stayed true to his Danish roots, acting in Ole Christian Madsen’s WWII drama Flame and Citron and the upcoming A Royal Affair from Nikolaj Arcel, the screenwriter of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Mikkelsen is currently shooting the French period drama Michael
Kohlhaas from director Arnaud des Palleres, in which Bruno Ganz and Sergi Lopez also star. Among his upcoming projects are the western horror film Cut Throat Nine from director Rodrigo Gudino costarring Harvey Keitel and the mystery thriller Voice from the Stone with Maggie Gyllenhaal. Mads Mikkelsen will accept his prize at the 24th European Film Awards ceremony in Berlin on December 3. as the evil Rochefort in Paul W.S. Anderson’s The Three Musketeers, said he accepted the honor “with great humbleness and a big smile.” as the evil Rochefort in Paul W.S. Anderson’s The Three Musketeers, said he accepted the honor “with great humbleness and a big smile.”
Mads Mikkelsen during a scene filming.
AWARDS
GOLD, SILVER, BRONZE FOR SOUTH AFRICA AT ONE SHOW DESIGN
COCA-COLA BOTTLE RECEIVES SPECIAL PENTAWARD
NEW YORK, US: Last night, Monday, 9 May 2011, South Africa won one Gold, one Silver and three Bronzes at the 11th annual One Show Design Awards at the IAC Building in New York City.
received a special Pentaward for its adaptable packaging design during the trophy ceremony, recently held in New York City.
NEW YORK: The Coca-Cola bottle
-Daniela Amador
3
PEOPLE TO KNOW...
THE DESIGN INSIDER
Tuesdary, October 25, 2011
NEW CREATIVE FACES HAVE ARISED! Last week, the following people were recognized as new faces of design and creativity in different aspects according to their specialty.
Benjamin Palmer Matt Dimmer PRESIDENT, ART DIRECTORS CLUB, NEW YORK NY Benjamin Palmer, CEO of The Barbarian Group, has been elected to serve a three-year term as the 58th president of the Art Directors Club. Palmer co-founded the interactive agency and has served as its head since company inception in 2001. He has quickly risen as one of the most recognized and respected voices in the interactive advertising community, and The Barbarian Group was most recently named as one of the world’s 50 most innovative companies by Fast Company. Palmer joined the ADC board in 2008, and has played an active role in club direction and programming. Palmer succeeds Doug Jaeger, president, JaegerSloan, Inc., who when appointed at age 33 was the youngest president in ADC’s 91-year history. “Benjamin Palmer is absolutely the right person to lead ADC,” says Jaeger.
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, HIGH WIDE & HANDSOME, LOS ANGELES CA Matt Dimmer, recently an associate creative director at Euro Chicago, joins Los Angeles independent shop HIGH WIDE & HANDSOME. During his more than three years at Euro, Dimmer contributed to a variety of notable business wins including Canadian Club Whisky, Cracker Barrel and Reynolds/Hefty. This move marks a return to Southern California for Dimmer, who served as a senior art director at Vitrorobertson in San Diego prior to moving to the Midwest. At HIGH WIDE & HANDSOME, he assumes the role of associate creative director and spearheads efforts on the agency’s multiple wine, spirits and video game accounts. Says HW&H co-founder and chief creative officer Mike Wolfsohn.
Steff Geissbuhler Tom Tekulve TRANSITION TO INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT, NEW YORK NY
,
Steff Geissbuhler a partner for 30 years at Chermayeff & Geismar and then co-founder of C&G Partners, has transitioned from partner of the firm to continue his career as an independent consultant. His focus continues to be on brand identities and visual communications. According to an official announcement, he will continue to be involved in ongoing projects with the firm and select future projects, as well as working with clients of his own. Geissbuhler is among America’s most celebrated designers of integrated brand and corporate identity programs. His work has been honored with the AIGA Medal, the U.S. Federal Achievement Design Award and awards from the Art Director’s Clubs and the International Posters.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, MARSH, INC., CINCINNATI OH Tom Tekulve is now providing design oversight on Marsh, Inc.’s consumer packaged goods business, including current brands Sherwin-Williams, Heater Meals, Robeks, as well as new business initiatives. Tekulve has spent two decades in the business, working on packaging, advertising and promotional work at LPK and Interbrand, among others. He was most recently Design Director at LPK. Tom Tekulve is now providing design oversight on Marsh, Inc.’s consumer packaged goods business, including current brands Sherwin-Williams, Heater Meals, Robeks, as well as new business initiatives.
United States - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - ISSN 0122-9283 - Num. 394023
‘Casino Royale’ Star Mads Mikkelsen to Receive European Achievement in World Cinema Award. pg 2 HOLLYWOOD
TO REMEMBER... 'Paranormal Activity 3' Only How Hollywood Seduced and then Abandoned Critic PAULINE KAEL
Survivor in Hollywood Horror Film Bloodbath
pg. 3
PEOPLE TO KNOW... BENJAMIN PALMER
President, art directors club, new york ny
TOM TEKULVE
Creative director, marsh, inc., Cincinnati oh Benjamin Palmer, 35 years.
TOP RANKING DESIGN SCHOOLS IN USA 1.The Rhode Island School of Design 2.Cranbrook Academy of Art 3.Yale University School of Art 4.Virginia Commonwealth University 5. Carnegie Mellon University 6.Maryland Institute College of Art 7.California Institute of the Arts 8.Pratt Institute 9.School of Visual Arts 10.California College of the Arts
4
Matt Dimmer, 32 years
COMMON LAYOUT TERMS 1. Layout 2. Numbering 3. Typography 4. Reticle 5. Headings 6. Titles 7. Subtitles 8. Margins 9. Tie-in 10. Columns
Steff Geissbuhler, 60 years
Tom Tekulve, 45 yaers
Seven Minutes In Heaven For Type Lovers NEW YORK NY Iconic type designers Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones set the tone for this brief but exceedingly popular PBS Arts mini-documentary on typography. Part of the Off Book series of short online videos exploring the creative process — Episode Two to be exact — the segment manages in a brief seven minutes to explore the nature and value of type. Viewers are guided by Hoefler and Frere-Jones (on selecting the right font to convey a particular feeling), as well as by Pentagram partners Paula Scher and Eddie Opara (on typography and identity) and by Hyperakt principals Julia Vakser and Deroy Peraza (on the challenges of data visualization). Filmmakers Kornhaber Brown wrap up the segment with helpful hints on how to talk-the-talk like an expert; they manage, once and for all, to clarify the “type” versus “font” conundrum. In the picture, designers Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones
STEFF GEISSBUHLER Transition to independent consultant, new york ny
MATT DIMMER
Associate creative director, high wide & handsome, los angeles ca. pg 4
Save for a few titles, the genre suffers as young people flee the multiplex. pg. 2
AWARDS
CINEMATOGRAPHY
GOLD, SILVER, BRONZE FOR SOUTH AFRICA AT ONE SHOW DESIGN. pg 3
ASTRONAUTS’ PHOTOGRAPHS FROM SPACE
COCA-COLA
BOTTLE RECEIVES SPECIAL PENTAWARD. pg.3
TOP RANKING DESIGN SCHOOLS IN USA. pg 4 The winners with the pentaward.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Vintage prints of pictures taken by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and others to be In the picture, Chuck Viane.
pg 2
auctioned by Bloomsbury in London. pg 2
CHUCK VIANE ,
the new Distribution Consultant at DreamWorks Animation
Photograph: Nasa/AFP/Getty Images