Jonathan Messer
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Messer is an Australian director of theatre
and film
.
by Nicholas Wright
in 2005.
In 2005 Messer went to New York
where he was invited to The Sloan Film Summit at the Tribeca Film Institute, where he screened his short film Joshua Tree starring Taylor Dayne
. Jonathan also worked as the Assistant Director
to Jim Sharman
in the production of Three Furies at the Sydney Opera House
. He has also directed and co-produced music video
s for the bands Tiltmeter
, Nokturnal and 67 Special
.
Messer trained in Los Angeles
for three years, and developed his film making skills and experience studying film direction at the American Film Institute
He then worked as production assistant
for the Kennedy-Marshall Company producing feature films such as Seabiscuit
and The Bourne Supremacy
. Before graduation from the MFA program in directing at the American Film Institute
(AFI) in 2002, Messer underwent an internship at Killer Films in New York, working in pre-production on the Todd Haynes
film Far From Heaven
. Messer also received a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
(Australia) and an Ian Potter
Foundation Grant to pursue his MFA at the AFI.
Messer is a graduate director from the National Institute of Dramatic Art
, in Sydney
. He has also worked in London
at the BBC
as an Assistant Director and Floor Assistant in Drama
and Light Entertainment
on the shows Absolutely Fabulous
, Top of the Pops
, Blue Peter
, and The Hello Girls.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
.
Career
Jonathan Messer works as an Australian director of film, and theatre. He directed the theatre production Tejas Verdes by Fermin Cabal in 2006 with Red Stitch Actors Theatre following the successful run of Vincent in BrixtonVincent in Brixton
Vincent in Brixton is a 2003 play by Nicholas Wright. The play premiered at London's National Theatre. It transferred to the Playhouse Theatre and later to Broadway....
by Nicholas Wright
Nicholas Wright
Nicholas or Nick Wright may refer to:* Sir Nicholas Wright , English academic* Nick Wright , English footballer* Nick Wright , English footballer...
in 2005.
In 2005 Messer went to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where he was invited to The Sloan Film Summit at the Tribeca Film Institute, where he screened his short film Joshua Tree starring Taylor Dayne
Taylor Dayne
Taylor Dayne was born Leslie Wunderman on March 7, 1962 before later adopting her current stage name. She is an American pop vocalist, songwriter, and dance artist. Overall, she has had eighteen individual hit songs reach the top ten in Billboard magazine...
. Jonathan also worked as the Assistant Director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
to Jim Sharman
Jim Sharman
James "Jim" Sharman , the son of boxing tent entrepreneur Jimmy Sharman, is a director and writer for film and stage with over 70 productions to his credit...
in the production of Three Furies at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. He has also directed and co-produced music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s for the bands Tiltmeter
Tiltmeter
A tiltmeter is an instrument designed to measure very small changes from the horizontal level, either on the ground or in structures. A similar term, in less common usage, is the inclinometer...
, Nokturnal and 67 Special
67 Special
67 Special is a rock band based in Melbourne.-History:In 1994, Ash Santilla and Gavin Campbell met at high school in their hometown of Benalla, Victoria, and became good friends sharing their passion for rock music...
.
Messer trained in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for three years, and developed his film making skills and experience studying film direction at the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
He then worked as production assistant
Production assistant
A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production...
for the Kennedy-Marshall Company producing feature films such as Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit (film)
Seabiscuit is a 2003 American biographical film based on the best-selling non-fiction book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand...
and The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Supremacy (film)
The Bourne Supremacy is a 2004 American spy film very loosely based on Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name. The film was directed by Paul Greengrass, written by Tony Gilroy and Brian Helgeland, and produced by Frank Marshall and Pat Crowley. Universal Pictures released the film to theaters in...
. Before graduation from the MFA program in directing at the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
(AFI) in 2002, Messer underwent an internship at Killer Films in New York, working in pre-production on the Todd Haynes
Todd Haynes
Todd Haynes is an American independent film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his feature films Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, Poison, Velvet Goldmine, Safe, and the Academy Award-nominated Far from Heaven and I'm Not There.- Style and themes :The writes that "Haynes is...
film Far From Heaven
Far from Heaven
Far from Heaven is a 2002 drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes and starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, and Patricia Clarkson....
. Messer also received a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust is a British Institution which makes grants to individuals wishing to further their careers in the practical arts...
(Australia) and an Ian Potter
Ian Potter
Sir Ian Potter was an influential Australian businessman and philanthropist. The Ian Potter Foundation, which he established in 1964, has made large grants to dozens of research institutes, charities, universities and arts organisations...
Foundation Grant to pursue his MFA at the AFI.
Messer is a graduate director from the National Institute of Dramatic Art
National Institute of Dramatic Art
The National Institute of Dramatic Art is an Australian national training institute for students of theatre, film, and television, based in the Sydney suburb of Kensington. It is supported by the federal Office for the Arts, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. NIDA is located adjacent...
, in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. He has also worked in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as an Assistant Director and Floor Assistant in Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
and Light Entertainment
Light entertainment
Light entertainment is a term used to describe a broad range of usually televisual performances. These include comedies, variety shows, quiz/game shows, sketch shows and people/surprise shows.-Light entertainment in Britain:...
on the shows Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
, Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
, and The Hello Girls.
Sources
- http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:hEwpG6RSbCMJ:www.nida.edu.au/ArticleDocuments/26/2005%2520Nida%2520Newsletter%2520V2.pdf.aspx+jonathan+messer+queens+trust+for+young+australians&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=au
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330497/