Francis Lawrence
| Francis Lawrence | |
|---|---|
 Lawrence in July 2015. | |
| Born |
March 26, 1971 Vienna, Austria |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Film director, film producer, television producer, television director, music video director |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Francis Lawrence (born March 26, 1971)[1] is an Austrian-born American film director, film producer, television producer, television director, and music video director. He is best known for directing three of the four films in the Hunger Games film series.
Life and career
Lawrence was born to American parents in Vienna, Austria. His father is a Theoretical Physicist who taught at California State University, Northridge and his mother is V.P. Technology at a PR agency.[2][3] He moved to Los Angeles at the age of three.[2] Lawrence worked as 2nd assistant camera on the feature Pump Up the Volume directed by Allan Moyle prior to earning his bachelor's degree in film production at Loyola Marymount University Film School. He went on to work as first AD on the feature Marching out of Time directed by Anton Vassil in 1993. Francis Lawrence then joined ex-classmate Michael Jason Rosen in co-directing music videos. Lawrence directed his first music videos for the San Jose band, A Western Front. Rosen and Lawrence made the two videos for a total of $3,000 with DP Jeffrey Michael Cutter, another ex-classmate, shooting for them. Lawrence, Rosen and Cutter also made a video for Michael Blakey, president of Atico Records and Tidal Force drummer for that band's single, A Man Rides Through. Soon, Lawrence became known for his original and imaginative music video scripts and visual directing style.
He eventually joined a major new production company and his successful career as music video director, having worked with stars like Rihanna, Green Day, Britney Spears, The Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, Avril Lavigne, Aerosmith, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Fastball, Lisa Marie Presley, Destiny's Child, Garbage, Gwen Stefani, Pink, Shakira, En Vogue and Missy Elliott. He has also directed numerous commercials for clients such as Coca-Cola, L'Oréal, Calvin Klein, Pepsi-Cola, Maybelline, Kid's Footlocker, Bacardi, McDonald's, GAP, Bud Light, CoverGirl, Oldsmobile and Disneyland. In 2005, his feature film debut was Constantine based on the Hellblazer comic book, starring Keanu Reeves.
In 2007, he directed I Am Legend (based on the Richard Matheson novel), with Will Smith. In 2011, he directed Water for Elephants. In 2012, Lawrence directed and executive produced the pilot episode of the Fox paranormal series, Touch.[4] He is currently signed to DNA Inc. In 2011, he won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form for directing Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" music video.
In April 2012, Lionsgate Films announced that Lawrence had been selected to direct the film adaptation of the novel Catching Fire.[5][6] The book and film were the sequel to the blockbuster hit, The Hunger Games, starring Jennifer Lawrence. This film adaptation of The Hunger Games was directed by Gary Ross, and both novels were written by Suzanne Collins. Lawrence was officially confirmed as the director for the film on May 3, 2012.[7] He returned to direct the two final parts of the series, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) and Part 2 (2015).[8] Lawrence is currently working on a film adaptation of the novel Survivor by Chuck Palahnuik.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Marching Out of Time | Assistant director |
| 2005 | Constantine | Director |
| 2007 | I Am Legend | Director Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Movie |
| 2011 | Water for Elephants | Director |
| 2012 | Gotham | Director; Fox television film |
| 2013 | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | Director Nominated — Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Action Movie Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Director Nominated — Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation Nominated — Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form MTV Movie Award for Best Movie |
| 2014 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 | Director Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Movie |
| 2015 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 | Director |
Television
| Year | Title | Producer | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Kings | All episodes | "Pilot: Goliath: Part 1" (Season 1, Episode 1) "Prosperity" (Season 1, Episode 3) "First Night" (Season 1, Episode 4) |
| 2012–13 | Touch | All episodes | "Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1) |
Music videos
References
- ↑ Biografie of Francis Lawrence on nytimes.com
- 1 2 Lee, Chris (February 19, 2005). "From MTV to wrestling with Satan". LATimes.com. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
- ↑ Brownfield, Paul (December 13, 2007). "Finding hope in dystopia". LATimes.com. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
- ↑ "TOUCH Attracts A Lethal Weapon – Danny Glover Joins FOX Pilot". Seriable.
- ↑ Dershowitz, Jessica (April 20, 2012). "Francis Lawrence to direct "The Hunger Games" sequel "Catching Fire"". CBSNews.com. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
- ↑ "Director Francis Lawrence Chosen For ‘Catching Fire’ Sequel To ‘Hunger Games’". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
- ↑ Staskiewicz, Keith (May 3, 2012). "Francis Lawrence confirmed as 'Catching Fire' director". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
- ↑ "'Exclusive: Francis Lawrence to Direct Remainder of THE HUNGER GAMES Franchise with Two-Part Adaptation of MOCKINGJAY′". Collider.com. November 1, 2012.
- ↑ "For the Record: Quick News on Lindsay Lohan, Usher, White Stripes, Gwen Stefani, Jesse McCartney, Pink and More".
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Francis Lawrence. |
- Francis Lawrence at the Internet Movie Database
- Francis Lawrence at the mvdbase.com
- Biografie of Francis Lawrence at The New York Times