Lauren Greenfield Shoots "Bye Bye, Dubai" for Fast Company

The ever-prolific Lauren Greenfield has just published a monograph of Dubai in Fast Company magazine. Unlike the typical glossy spread focussed on the supercharged capitalism and the heady, ultra-rich atmosphere that defines modern Dubai, Greenfield shows a nation humbled by the current financial crisis and reeling from the global downturn. The article begins:

Deserts have a way of reclaiming whatever is built upon them. In the case of Dubai, on the Persian Gulf, the global financial implosion has sent that process into overdrive. After six years of frenzied expansion, during which the emirate's population grew at 7% annually and nearly $600 billion went into construction (the world's tallest building! the world's largest shopping mall! the biggest man-made island! an indoor ski resort!), reality has come rushing into view.

"They have no oil, no culture, no history," says Peter Harradine, a prominent landscape architect in Dubai and manager of Harradine Golf. "So what they have been able to produce is a miracle." Or was it a mirage? Today, an estimated 50% of the slated developments are frozen or canceled. Banks have stopped lending. Housing prices fell 41% in the first quarter of 2009 and are expected to drop to preboom levels. The stock market has plunged 70% from its peak.

Check out the examples below and find the rest of the article and photos here:

A Little Apartment Therapy With Allison...

Though both our fearless leaders have lovely homes, only one is currently being featured on a major blog. Allison Amon, head of the West Coast branch of Chelsea, has a photo tour of home tour posted on Apartment Therapy! Check it out here, and feel free to leave nice comments. Eagle-eyed readers should keep an eye out for Allison and Chelsea favorite Frankie.

Chris Wilcha Nominated For Emmy! Again!

It's time to build a longer shelf...Chris Wilcha has been nominated for another Emmy in Outstanding Directing For Non-Fiction Programming!  Wilcha won this award last year, so here's hoping for a repeat.

The nomination, for the "John Smith" episode of the second season of This American Life, also completes a hat trick for Wilcha, who was nominated for the same award in 2007 and 2008.  The show was nominated for four Emmys this year, including Outstanding Cinematography, Picture Editing, Directing (shared between Adam Beckman and Wilcha), and Outstanding Non-Fiction Series.

Congratulations to everyone!  We'll all be crossing our fingers on September 20th! 

Alex Gibney's Lance Armstrong Documentary - Los Angeles Times Article

Alex Gibney is currently in France, following Lance Armstrong for a documentary produced by Sony Pictures.  Gibney wrote about it on his blog for the Atlantic, and the LA Times recently picked up the story:

Hollywood loves beat-the-odds stories, and Sony hopes that Armstrong's return to racing after a 3 1/2 -year absence could prove as enthralling as any make-believe film. The studio...is currently financing a feature documentary chronicling Armstrong's attempt to win the world's most prestigious bike race.

"What interested me was the story of his comeback -- his will," said the documentary's director, Alex Gibney, the filmmaker behind "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" and the Oscar-winning "Taxi to the Dark Side." "I wanted to understand Lance and what makes him tick. And the more I know, the more compelling the story gets."

As of press time, Armstrong was in third place, so no matter the outcome of the Tour, he is definitely giving Gibney something major to film.

Check out Gibney's blog post about it here and see the full LA Times article here.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Kreutz

The Rick LeMoine Experience: Now at Chelsea

It's official, Rick LeMoine is the newest member of the Chelsea roster.  An industry veteran, LeMoine started as a copywriter and founding partner at Cliff Freeman, and began directing in '96 as one half of the duo LeMoine/Miller.  After a very successful run, LeMoine went solo in 2003 and has racked up major work for clients including Heineken, Fed Ex, Toyota, IKEA, Pepsi, Intel, Mastercard, Xbox, and McDonald's.

And on joining Chelsea, LeMoine very kindly wrote:

Lisa and Allison are genuinely interested in producing smart, thought-provoking work. And despite all this, they still manage to be decent, caring, funny humans. I’m really excited about joining forces with them.

Check out the Shoot coverage here and the Creativity coverage here.

Chris Wilcha's Music Video for Indie Band Fol Chen

One of the busier guys around, Chris Wilcha managed to squeeze in a slick music video for LA-based indie band Fol Chen.  The band describes themselves as, "You know that mysterious black object that the creepy family is staring at on the cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Presence' album?  Fol Chen sound like that."  And it seems fair to say the video captures that weirdness, but judge for yourself.

"Cable TV" was shot using a Canon 5D, the same camera employed by Neil Tardio in his Volkswagen spots earlier this year.  The video was a featured video on Youtube and recently mentioned on Sasha Frere-Jones' blog at The New Yorker.

Chris Wilcha and the Helicopter

Please enjoy Wilcha's helicopter ride, from what is shaping up to be one of the more fun Chelsea jobs in recent memory. Details, product shots, and the whole nine yards coming soon!

Nicolas Barker's Latest Work for the BBC

A series of four broadcast spots promoting BBC Radio 3, Barker's visions of daily life meeting classical music are rather charming, and since they're only set to air on the BBC, we thought we'd share them here with you!  Barker is a serious enthusiast of classical music, so the project was the best kind of challenge, forcing him to choose between classical favorites. 

Here are two of Chelsea's favorites, the first featuring a man meeting Purcell in the subway, and the second illustrating how Mendelssohn can inspire movement.

Lauren Greenfield Lecture at the Annenberg, Thursday, May 21st

Lauren Greenfield will be speaking at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles tomorrow, May 21st.  The lecture is part of the IRIS Nights lecture series, and Lauren's talk is titled Youth Culture, Gender, And Media Influence.  From the Annenberg website:

Greenfield will lecture about these long-term, multi-platform projects and how they developed and evolved creatively and professionally. Greenfield will also delve into the sociological aspect of her photography, and the media's influence on the behavior of children, teenagers and adults.

Lauren's lectures are always excellent and often hard to get in to, so be sure to check http://www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org/events/iris_nights.asp for ticket availability.

Alex Gibney Blogging for The Atlantic

Add "blogger" to the long list of credits by Alex Gibney's name.  The director has added to his considerable workload and accepted a correspondent position at The Atlantic, the venerable politics and culture magazine.  Check out his blog at:

http://correspondents.theatlantic.com/alex_gibney/

He began the blog a mere two weeks ago, but has already managed to write plenty about the state of US politics, particularly as it relates to torture of military prisoners and the latest news about Abu Ghraib.  And, on a lighter note, he mentions his current project with Lance Armstrong, filming Armstrong's return to the world of competitive cycling.

Behind the Scenes With Chris Wilcha

Enjoy the following on-set photos from Chris Wilcha's latest shoot. He's the one pointing at the camera. Directing the camera, if you will.

We can't talk about the product just yet, but can say it was a cross-country adventure and the webisodes will hit the Interwebs in May. All photos courtesy of David Morrison, DP extraordinaire.

Scenic Scenery.

Just another day at the office.

Not Chris Wilcha.

But too delicious looking not to post.

Eastbound & Down Renewed for 2nd Season

David Gordon Green and star Danny McBride on set.  Mcbride also featured in Green's Pineapple Express.

Kenny Powers and co. will be back for a 2nd season of HBO's dark comedy.  A number of the first season episodes were directed, of course, by David Gordon Green.  The Variety announcement is here and the NY Times interview with DGG collaborator and show creator Jody Hill is here. Look for the DVD in late June!

Picture credit to Fred Norris / HBO

The Next Feature from David Gordon Green - Your Highness

After having a number of projects in the air, it looks like “Your Highness” will be the next David Gordon Green feature film, starring James Franco and Danny McBride and shooting in Ireland this summer.  Variety writes:

Scripted by McBride and Ben Best, the comedy follows two spoiled and arrogant princes in a medieval fantasy setting. When an evil wizard casts a spell on their father and kidnaps the older prince's fiancé, they're forced to go on a quest to save their family and the kingdom.

James Franco got a Golden Globe nod for his role in Pineapple Express, so we’re just going to call it now; Academy Award for Best Actor, 2010.  The rest of the Variety article is here 

Lauren Greenfield Shoots Amy Poehler For New York Magazine

Adding to her celebrity portfolio, here's Lauren's latest work for New York magazine, Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope from her new show Parks and Recreation.  Check out the full article here

State of Play Interview with Kevin MacDonald in The New York Times

As we all know, MacDonald's State of Play is coming to theaters on April 17th, and the New York Times interviewed the director about the film and adapting this cult TV series to the big screen. Here's an excerpt, and catch the full interview here.

"I loved the series, but it never crossed my mind you could make it into a film,” the movie’s director, Kevin Macdonald, said in late March, talking on his cellphone from the back of a London taxicab. And even when he was shown a script, he added, he had a lot of reservations. “It’s sort of like what they say about books,” he said. “You know, good books make bad movies, and it’s better to make a movie from a bad book. This was a very good series, and I worried that we would just let down all the people who loved the original.” What changed his mind, he added, was his realization that the emotional core of “State of Play” involved themes of friendship and loyalty that could be translated anywhere.