He’s been in the commercial business for a single year, but already Avion Film’s John Fawcett is joining the ranks of The Partners’ Film Company’s Bronwen Hughes and Zoo TV’s Kelly Makin, two spot directors breaking into feature films (Harriet the Spy and Kids in the Hall, respectively.)

Fawcett, part of the triad of young directors being brought up by Avion, started preproduction in June for his first feature, The Boys Club, budgeted at $1.5 million and produced by Alliance Communications.

For the third time, Fawcett’s self-confessed horror freak status combined with a way with kids (okay, it’s a strange combination) has served him well. It’s his third film – the first two were shorts – starring young kids and teens in scary plots. The Boys Club stars Chris Penn as a gun-toting hoodlum or cop (that’s the mystery) on the run who enlists the help of three teenage boys, and, according to an Alliance release, ‘What begins as an exhilarating adventure spirals into a harrowing, deadly ordeal.’

Horror films, done well, allow an incredibly visceral reaction, and ‘I love that,’ says Fawcett. Favorite film: Black Christmas. Favorite scene: Olivia Hussey walks into the dark bedroom. Eyes adjust to the light and focus in on the cut-up bodies of Margot Kidder and Andrea Martin on the bed. Staring in horror, Hussey hears a voice whisper, ‘Don’t tell what Billy did.’ She turns towards the voice, coming from the closet. The closet door is open a crack – one eye peers through. ‘I didn’t sleep unless the closet doors were shut tight for years,’ says Fawcett.

According to a draft of the production information report on The Boys Club issued by Alliance, the 27-year-old Fawcett is ‘undeniably talentedamazingly mature and groundedyoung and full of fresh ideas.’

A first-time filmmaker with the support of the biggest film and television production and distribution company in the country in his courthmmm, does it get any better?

‘It’s not so bad,’ Fawcett admits, a little tamer than he would be if he weren’t in mid-edit with a rough cut due in the morning.

Ideally, The Boys Club will wrap for a Christmas release. Editing won’t occupy him full-time, so he’s back to bidding with Avion after working on spots this year that include one for Labatt Genuine Draft (the second of the spots that got yanked off the air because Joel looks too young to drink).

In the long term, Fawcett suspects the film will make a showing in the American market because of the pull of Penn’s name. Working with him was ‘definitely a learning experience,’ says Fawcett. ‘He’s very opinionated, which forces you to be very clear about why you think you’re right and talk about it. In the end, his input was important to the film.’

Propaganda’s Gold-en boy

Execs at L.T.B. Productions are wondering if there’s a little muckraking going on after hearing a rumor that director Greg Gold is no longer on the Propaganda roster.

It seems Gold created a bit of a stir after turning down the opportunity to be represented by Radke Films along with the rest of u.s.-based Propaganda last year. Gold, based in l.a., has been represented by ltb since June ’94 and continues to operate out of Propaganda.

In other Radke-related news, no word yet on who’s replacing former Radke executive producer Ron Grittani, who started at Kessler Irish Films this month.

Make that Wvinner

The director formally known as James Weiner is part of a crowd of new faces at Sparks Productions, which is bringing eight American directors into the house this month.

Weiner, who changed his name this year after a little research into his ancestors, is now known as James Wvinner (ryhmes with ‘minor’). Originally, the family name was Wvinnitski, Ukrainian and Jewish in origin, but was changed ‘by someone on Ellis Island, and I wanted to bring it closer to that history,’ says Wvinner.

The l.a.-based director has been working in commercial production for the past five years and spent the last 18 months with Tim Turner and Karen Tameanko at Circle Productions working on spots for Hyundai and Chicklets through Bates Canada, among others.

Circle was an ‘amazing’ experience, but Wvinner is looking to tap more work in the Toronto market. ‘Sparks has more directors, and therefore more activity with a wider breadth of clients and increasing opportunity to develop contacts,’ he says, explaining the move.

Some may consider a name change risky, but Wvinner is unfazed. It’s taken years for him to ‘get comfortable’ with his voice as an artist and a director and his approach to filmmaking.

The signature qualities to his work – what he calls ‘a kind of ultra realism to the light and texture, a lot of shadow to define the image, the use of flash frame and wide angles’ – don’t change, he says. That stability and a strong yoga practice are making transition a little easier.

But admittedly, the new moniker takes a little getting used to for friends and coworkers.

With Sparks, Wvinner is looking to expand into more dialogue-focused spots. ‘Up here, there’s more breathing space for directors and a real desire on the agency side to go back to the client with better work.’

Other u.s. directors lured into the Sparks web are Todd Burrows (Canada-born, l.a.-based), Brent McCowan, Michael Shapiro, Tricia Caruso, Gordon Willis Jr., Neil Tardio and David McNamara.

Cactus, The Movie

It’s getting crowded at the Cactus Productions office. The Vancouver commercial house is sharing space with Scott Kennedy’s new company, Cactus Pictures, a long-form prodco currently in production on the cbs tv movie A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story, one of a number of projects it will undertake with Fireworks Entertainment. Executive producer is Stan Brooks, producer is Ron French and director is Bill Corcoran (21 Jump Street, Wiseguy).

It’s been a busy year for Kennedy, who heads up both Cactus companies. In addition to the Funicello story, Cactus Pictures is reworking the script for Channel 92, a series pilot written by Ian Boothby, Dean Haglund and Christine Lippa, which is set to launch in January on Vancouver’s u.tv. The company also has four original scripts in development, says Kennedy.

Cactus Productions has staffed up with three new permanent positions, and absolutely no attention is being taken away from making commercials, says Kennedy, whose only role in the Funicello production is ‘watching.’

From boards to boards

In the Strange Ways Directors Get Started categoryStanley Larsen, the talent behind the Eaton’s pool airing mid-month, began his career as a competitive and stunt skier.

According to Larsen, skiing competitively let him study ballet and the movement and form of which it’s made, which translates into his work as a director in his eye for natural, fluid movement, and timing.

Ski filmmaker Warren Miller, for whom he performed, gave him his first shot behind the camera in the early ’80s, and after working on ski films with Miller for a couple of years, Larsen moved into commercial production as director/cameraman.

Based out of Seattle, Larsen signed up with Apple Box for his first Canadian representation 10 months ago after meeting Greg Bosworth, executive producer in the Vancouver office.

The last of his three spots for Eaton’s wrapped in August, the end of a campaign which began in the spring. It’s been a blissfully clean execution of the concept (which involves a wedding, a front lawn, indoor furniture, and leaping and dancing), in part because the creative came from Eaton’s in-house. ‘There were less layers to go through and the compressed decision-making process let us work fast,’ says Larsen.

Next on the agenda is more work in Canada as well as in Seattle through his u.s. house, dxtrs. No great mystery as to why Canadian representation now, says Larsen. ‘Good people, building my reel, opportunities to go to bat.’

New and moved

New at Sessler and Company is John Bailey, director of photography on blockbusters like Groundhog Day, Accidental Tourist, The Big Chill, In The Line of Fire, and most recently, Nobody’s Fool.

– Moving about on the post-production side is Paul Seeley, formerly of McClear Pathe Recording and Post Production Studios, who has brought his skills to Producers’ Choice, joining president Steve Hurej and Mark Siversky, executive producer.

– Brian Noon, former assistant editor at the Daily Post, has gone to Flashcut.