Drake Doremus (born March 29, 1983) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer best known for directing the films Like Crazy (2011), which won the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival , Douchebag (2010), which was in Dramatic competition at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival , and Equals (2015).
17-556: Doremus studied directing at the AFI Conservatory , being the youngest fellow ever accepted into the film school. Doremus' mother, Cherie Kerr , was a founding member of the legendary L.A. The Groundlings . Doremus grew up on Kerr's stage, performing with the Orange County Crazies , starting at the age of six as an improv comedy player. He went on to produce and direct for that organization, including his own original works. At
34-1170: A faculty of working professionals including Todd Cherniawsky (art director, Star Wars: The Last Jedi ), Stan Chervin (writer, Moneyball ), Destin Daniel Cretton , (director, Short Term 12 ), Matthew Friedman (editor, The Farewell ), Joe Garrity (production designer, Best in Show ), Susan Littenberg (editor Easy A ), Stephen Lighthill (recipient 2018 ASC President's Award), Elvis Mitchell (film critic), Michele Mulroney (writer, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows ), Martin Nicholson (editor, The Alienist ), Lauren Polizzi (art director, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 & The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 ), Louis Provost (VP Production, Walt Disney Studios ), Patricia Riggen (director The 33 ), Russell Schwartz (marketing executive on films including Chappaquiddick ), Anna Thomas (co-writer El Norte ), Jennie Tugend, (producer, Free Willy ), Janet Yang (producer, The Joy Luck Club ). The Harold Lloyd Master Seminar series, named after
51-692: A minimum of three short films in their first year and a thesis film in their second year. Production Design - Attracting artists from architecture, interior design, theater design and other related fields, the Production Design curriculum focuses on the creative process of visually and physically developing cinematic environments. Screenwriting - Screenwriting Fellows conceive and write multiple projects in features, short films, long and short-form TV drama and comedy as well as webisodes and other Internet innovations. Fellows learn to collaborate with Directing and Producing classmates. The AFI Conservatory has
68-666: A script. The film was shot in a month on only a $ 250,000 budget, and won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival . In 2012, Doremus directed a six-part social film for Intel and Toshiba called The Beauty Inside . It was written by Richard Greenberg, and stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Topher Grace . The series earned him a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding New Approaches - Original Daytime Program or Series. In June 2013, his film Breathe In starring Felicity Jones , Guy Pearce , Amy Ryan , and Mackenzie Davis opened
85-433: A thorough understanding of the production process, script to screen. Editing - Editing Fellows master the skills needed to be editors, assistant editors and post-production producers while learning the technical, aesthetic and collaborative aspects of post-production with a primary focus on storytelling. Producing - Producing Fellows study all aspects of creative, entrepreneurial production while developing and producing
102-489: A two-year deal with Paramount Television to develop new projects and direct existing projects. Doremus' film Like Crazy was inspired by his own long-distance relationship and marriage. In an interview with IndieWire , he said: I'm a divorcee. I got married to this woman to try and get her back, I went through the visa stuff, to try and get her back in the States ... I'd spent so much time here, visiting someone when I
119-713: Is a private non-profit graduate film school in the Hollywood Hills district of Los Angeles . Students (called "Fellows") learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on storytelling . The Conservatory is a program of the American Film Institute founded in 1969. The Center for Advanced Film Studies (later the AFI Conservatory) opened its doors at Greystone Mansion on September 23, 1969. Harold Lloyd screened his film The Freshman and spoke with AFI Fellows on
136-483: Is also a frequent collaborator with actor Matthew Gray Gubler, who has had roles in Newness , Zoe , and Endings, Beginnings . It was announced that Doremus is teaming with Amazon to co-executive produce and direct a television series based on Jardine Libaire 's book White Fur . Doremus is set to direct another romantic drama entitled Aurora, produced by CJ Entertainment . It was also announced that Doremus has signed
153-759: Is author of the novel White Fur . Jardine is a graduate of Skidmore College and a 1997 graduate of the University of Michigan Creative Writing MFA Program, where she was a winner of the Hopwood Award . Jardine has been the recipient of residency fellowships from the Edward F. Albee Foundation, the Ucross Foundation, the Saltonstall Foundation, Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, and OMI International Arts Center. She
170-563: The #1 film school in the United States. AFI Conservatory is a five-term Master of Fine Arts program in six disciplines: Cinematography - Encompasses training from pre-visualization to advanced image manipulation and control, Cinematography Fellows develop their storytelling skills using formats ranging from digital video to 16mm and 35mm film cameras. Directing - With a focus on narrative filmmaking, Directing Fellows learn diverse directing styles, techniques and strategies as they gain
187-977: The AFI Conservatory as Artistic Director, where he provides leadership for the film program. Brooks' artistic role at the AFI Conservatory has a rich legacy that includes Daniel Petrie, Jr. , Robert Wise and Frank Pierson . Former Deans of the AFI Conservatory include Robert Mandel , Jan Schuette and Richard Gladstein . Susan Ruskin is the current Dean of the AFI Conservatory and Executive Vice President of AFI. Among those AFI has bestowed Honorary Degrees upon during its annual Commencement ceremony are Maya Angelou , John Williams , Ken Burns , Sherry Lansing , Sydney Pollack , Clint Eastwood , Jeffrey Katzenberg , Kathleen Kennedy , Spike Lee , Rita Moreno , and Quentin Tarantino . AFI Conservatory thesis films have been nominated for 10 Academy Awards and earned 2 wins. In 2023, The Hollywood Reporter ranked AFI as
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#1732898793590204-958: The Edinburgh International Film Festival EIFF. Doremus directed the 2015 science-fiction romantic drama film Equals , written by Nathan Parker based on a story by Doremus and starring Kristen Stewart , Nicholas Hoult , Guy Pearce , and Jacki Weaver . In 2017, Doremus directed and produced the romantic drama Newness , which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival . The film reunites Doremus with Nicholas Hoult , who starred in his previous film Equals . It also stars Laia Costa . He again forayed into science-fiction romance with Zoe , written by Richard Greenberg and released by Amazon Studios on July 20, 2018. It stars Léa Seydoux , Ewan McGregor , Theo James , Rashida Jones , Matthew Gray Gubler , Miranda Otto , and Christina Aguilera . Doremus directed
221-494: The advertisement for Hugo Boss ' "The Scent Private Accord" perfume, starring Jamie Dornan . Doremus frequently collaborates with Ben York Jones , who co-wrote Like Crazy and Breathe In with Doremus , and wrote Newness . York Jones produced Douchebag and Newness , and appeared as an actor in Spooner, Douchebag , Like Crazy , and The Beauty Inside . In addition, he received special thanks on Equals . Doremus
238-404: The recommendation of a talent agent in 2008, Doremus was introduced to producer Jonathan Schwartz , who would produce his subsequent four films. His 2011 film Like Crazy has been described as loosely inspired by his real life experiences. It stars Anton Yelchin , Felicity Jones , and Jennifer Lawrence . Most of the dialogue in the film was improvised, with only a 50-page detailed outline as
255-759: The school's first day. The first class included Terrence Malick , Caleb Deschanel , and Paul Schrader . In 1973, filmmaker John Cassavetes was the first filmmaker-in-residence while editing A Woman Under the Influence . In 1975, filmmaker Ján Kadár , director of the Oscar -winning film The Shop on Main Street , became the Conservatory's second filmmaker-in-residence. In 2013, Emmy and Oscar -winning director, producer and screenwriter James L. Brooks ( As Good as It Gets , Broadcast News , Terms of Endearment ) joined
272-457: The silent film star who gave the first seminar, takes place on campus and runs throughout the academic year. It brings AFI Conservatory Fellows together with artists to share their work and experiences in an informal setting. The program has graduated more than 5,000 Fellows. AFI Conservatory alumni include: Jardine Libaire Jardine Libaire is an American writer based in Austin, Texas . She
289-676: Was in a long-distance relationship, so I was so familiar with what it feels like to be jet-lagged, and only be here for 5 days, and try to be romantic, and try to fit in the love, and try to relive what we were going through, while taking in a new city, and being nine hours ahead. That relationship was from 2001 to 2008. she was in the US from 2001-2004, so from 04-08 it was back and forth, four years of long distance. Doremus lives in London and Los Angeles with his wife, artist Triana de Lamo Terry and daughter Tallulah. AFI Conservatory The AFI Conservatory
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