Directing Team Saboteur Stamps its Passport

Passport Films Signs Live Action/Visual FX Collective Saboteur

Director Steve Beck and his fellow Saboteurs are now with Passport Films.

EP/Owners Patti Coulter and David Coulter of Santa Monica-based Passport Films have signed the live-action/VFX collective known as Saboteur. The team includes Directors Steve Beck and Peter Gornstein, VFX/CG Supervisor Ivo Horvat and Line Producer/Head of New Business Kathy Tishler. He brings more than 25 years of experience as a feature film and commercial director and visual effects designer to the team. Formerly with  Rhythm and Hues, he's a 12-time Clio winner whose work has been recognized by the Cannes Lions, AICP, Mobius and other festivals.

On the feature film front, Beck has directed two pictures for Warner Brothers, "Ghost Ship" and "13 Ghosts," which made over a hundred million dollars in box office receipts.  He was also the Visual Effects Art Director on "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," "The Abyss" and "The Hunt For Red October." He currently has three feature films in development.

Gornstein, who's based in Denmark and is planning a move to the US, earned his Master of Fine Arts from the American Film Institute. He's worked as a concept artist on numerous feature films, including "Contact," "Stuart Little," "Anaconda," "DieHard 3," "Snow Falling on Cedars," and "James And the Giant Peach" for Sony Pictures Imageworks, and has been lead concept developer on a number of videogame titles.

His short film, titled "Sunrise," won numerous awards, including the Fuji Film international short film award, as well as honors from Fotokem and Panavision. His most current short film, "Peaceforce," was honored at the International Short Film Festival at Clermont-Ferrand with the Canal+ award, and is currently making its way through the festival circuit. He recently directed a Danish TVC for Aalborg Airport and is currently in development on two feature film projects.

The rest of the Saboteur quartet: Director Peter Gornstein, VFX/CG Supervisor Ivo Horvat and Producer Kathy Tishler.

Horvat is a visual effects expert who's worked at a variety of industry stalwarts such as ILM, Sony Imageworks, Imaginary Forces, Uncharted Territory, Zoic and others. His work in conceptual design, matte painting and visual effect supervision is on display in over 60 feature films and commercials, as well as in Gornstein's "Peaceforce."

His handiwork can also be seen in "2012," "Star Wars: Episode One," "The Mummy Returns," "Galaxy Quest," "Superman Returns," "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Spiderman" and the "Chronicles of Narnia" among others.

In addition to his work as an effects artist, Horvat is also an inventor of visual effects solutions.  While heading up the matte painting department at Sony Imageworks, he devised a camera projection system created by Maxon for Cinema 4D, which has since become the standard in today's visual effects industry.

Tishler has nearly 20 years of experience in production and has spent the better part of the last 10 years working alongside Beck. She's worked in a wide range of TV commercial genres, categories and disciplines, including visual effects, automotive, comedy, beauty, table-top, kids and celebrities. She continues to maintain a client list of production companies and directors with whom she produces.

Published 21 July, 2011