Bert and Bertie

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Bert and Bertie
Bert and Bertie premiering their short film Phobias (cropped).jpg
Bert (left) and Bertie premiering their short film Phobias in 2006
Born
Bert: Amber Templemore-Finlayson
Bertie: Katie Ellwood
Occupation(s)Directors, writers, producers
Years active2002–present
Notable work Troop Zero , Hawkeye

Amber Templemore-Finlayson and Katie Ellwood, collectively known as Bert and Bertie, respectively, [1] [2] [3] are British film and television directors. They are best known for directing the film Troop Zero . They also directed a block of episodes for the Disney+ series Hawkeye and Our Flag Means Death . Ellwood is also known individually as the co-creator of The Getaway franchise, the basis for the crime drama series Gangs of London .

Contents

Career

Templemore-Finlayson and Ellwood met in 2005 in London when Templemore-Finlayson was making a short film series to go along with The Getaway video game, and Ellwood was the game's writer. [2] [4] Ellwood had previously worked for Sony Computer Entertainment as an assistant producer and script consultant. [5] Their first project was the short film Phobias. [4] The two have also directed commercials for McDonald's. [6] [7]

In 2019, they directed the comedy-drama film Troop Zero . They were inspired to create it after realizing the social and cultural impact it could have on young girls, saying that they felt "there had never been a film about a group of young girls that go on an adventure to achieve something by working together and succeeding". [8] [4] They convinced producer Todd Black at Escape Artists to help, and after being approved by Escape Artists, producer Ted Hope and his Amazon Originals team let them pitch the film. [8] For the pitch, they created Birdie Scout manuals filled with ideas on how to create the film. They also made a "rip-o-matic" of reference movies to give Amazon Studios a sense of "the comic yet emotional tone of the movie", and chose 20 images defining the film they wanted to create. [8] After its completion, the duo were hired again by Amazon to rewrite and direct Eurydice, a retelling of the Greek myth described as " Terminator meets Thelma & Louise ." [2]

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the duo were actively developing the biopic feature A Special Relationship written by Simon Beaufoy and set to star Rachel Weisz as Elizabeth Taylor. The heavily-researched film was set to chronicle Taylor's journey from actress to activist through her friendship with her assistant Roger Wall. [9]

In July 2020, it was announced they would direct a block of episodes for the Disney+ series Hawkeye , which premiered in November 2021. [10] [11]

In February 2021, it was announced that the two would direct Queen Bitch & The High Horse, a film about the largest municipal fraud in American history. [12] Cate Blanchett and her production company Dirty Films will produce, along with New Republic Pictures. [13] [12]

In August 2022, it was announced that the duo has signed to direct a feature film adaptation of the Disneyland attraction Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. [14]

In November 2022, Templemore-Finlayson was set to solo-direct Keke Palmer in the action-comedy Moxie, [15] while Ellwood was announced in May 2023 to be directing the cybercrime action thriller Gargoyle, as well as her own script about Esther Williams' LSD trip. [16]

Templemore-Finlayson and Ellwood directed two episodes of the first season of the Apple TV+ series Silo . Templemore-Finlayson will direct four episodes of Silo's second season. [17] They directed two episodes of the 2023 Apple TV+ series Lessons in Chemistry .

Personal lives

Templemore-Finlayson and Ellwood are from London, [8] and are based in Los Angeles and London as of January 2019. [2] Templemore-Finlayson grew up in Johannesburg, [8] and Ellwood grew up in Leicester, England. [8] They like to call themselves "the Berts" [18] [2] and have not revealed why they chose the names Bert and Bertie. [18]

Their influences include the Coen brothers, Guillermo del Toro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro and Tim Burton. [2]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleDirectorsWritersProducersNotes
2006PhobiasYesYesNoShort film
Antonio's Breakfast NoNoBertShort film, credited as Amber Templemore-Finlayson
Glue NoNoBertCo-producer, credited as Amber Templemore-Finlayson
2009The TaxidermistYesYesNoShort films
2012WormYesNoNo
2016 Dance Camp YesNoNo
2019 Troop Zero YesNoNo
TBABig Thunder MountainYesNoNo [16]
MoxieBertNoNo [17]
GargoyleBertieNoNo [16]
EstherBertieBertieNo [16]

Television

YearTitleNotes
2020 Kidding "The Acceptance Speech", "A Seat on the Rocket"
The Great "And You Sir, Are No Peter the Great", "Moscow Mule"
2021 Hawkeye "Echoes", "Partners, Am I Right?", "Ronin"
2022 Our Flag Means Death "We Gull Way Back", "Act of Grace"
2023–25 Silo Both: "The Relic", "The Flamekeepers"
Bert: Four episodes; credited as Amber Templemore
2023 Lessons in Chemistry "Living Dead Things", "Primitive Instinct"
2024 The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live "Years", "Gone"
2025 Twisted Metal Bertie: Two episodes; credited as Bertie Ellwood

Video games

YearTitleNotes
2002 The Getaway Bertie only, credited as Katie Ellwood
2015 Just Cause 3

Awards

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2006 British Academy Film Awards Best Short Film Antonio's Breakfast Won [19] [20]
2009 Rhode Island International Film Festival First Place: Best CinematographyThe TaxidermistWon [21]
2009 Palm Springs International ShortFest Best Live Action Over 15 MinutesWon [22]
2012 Leeds International Film Festival Special Mention: Best British ShortWormWon [23]

They were also named one of Variety 's 2019 Directors to Watch. [24] [2]

References

  1. ↑ Serba, John (20 January 2020). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Troop Zero' on Amazon Prime, an Indie Comedy That'll Test Your Twee Tolerance". Decider . Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Morfoot, Addie (4 January 2019). "10 Directors to Watch: Bert and Bertie Combine Forces on Underdog Comedy 'Troop Zero'". Variety . Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  3. ↑ Kit, Borys (17 July 2020). "Marvel's 'Hawkeye' Disney+ Series Lands 'Troop Zero,' 'Comrade Detective' Directors (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Bert and Bertie (17 January 2020). "Bert&Bertie's Great Girl Adventure". Talkhouse . Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  5. ↑ Lambie, Ryan (26 February 2008). "Katie Ellwood interview". Den of Geek . Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  6. ↑ Gariano, Francesca (14 November 2021). "McDonald's new emotional Christmas ad 'Imaginary Iggy' is seriously a tearjerker". TODAY.com . Archived from the original on 15 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  7. ↑ Kiefer, Brittaney (12 November 2021). "McDonald's Sweet Christmas Ad Reminds Adults to Embrace Their Childlike Imagination". Adweek . Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stewart, Sophia (28 January 2019). "Sundance 2019 Women Directors: Meet Bert & Bertie – "Troop Zero"". womenandhollywood.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  9. ↑ Ritman, Alex (10 November 2019). "British Film Duo on Capturing Zeitgeist With Elizabeth Taylor Biopic". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  10. ↑ Kit, Borys (17 July 2020). "Marvel's 'Hawkeye' Disney+ Series Lands 'Troop Zero,' 'Comrade Detective' Directors (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  11. ↑ Boone, John (10 December 2020). "Marvel Debuts New Trailers for 'Loki' and 'Falcon and Winter Soldier,' Announces 'Fantastic Four' Movie". Entertainment Tonight . Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  12. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (5 February 2021). "Bert And Bertie To Direct 'Queen Bitch & The High Horse' For New Republic Pictures & Cate Blanchett's Dirty Films". Deadline . Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  13. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (5 February 2021). "Cate Blanchett to Produce Embezzlement Drama 'Queen Bitch and the High Horse'". Variety . Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  14. ↑ Kroll, Justin (16 August 2022). "'Hawkeye' Directors Bert & Bertie To Direct Big Thunder Mountain Movie For Disney, LuckyChap and Scott Free". Deadline. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  15. ↑ Kroll, Justin (18 November 2022). "Hot Package: Keke Palmer And 'Hawkeye' Director Bert Team On Action Comedy 'Moxie'". Deadline. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Grobar, Matt (17 May 2023). "'Hawkeye' And 'Troop Zero' Director Bertie Signs With Range". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  17. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (16 August 2023). "Range Signs 'Silo' & 'Hawkeye' Director Bert". Deadline. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  18. 1 2 Ritman, Alex (10 November 2019). "British Film Duo on Capturing Zeitgeist With Elizabeth Taylor Biopic". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  19. ↑ Wilkes, Neil (19 February 2006). "In Full: BAFTA 2006 Winners". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  20. ↑ Hernandez, Eugene (20 February 2006). ""Brokeback Mountain" Wins 4 BAFTA Awards, Including Best Picture". IndieWire . Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  21. ↑ "2009 Film Festival Award Winners Announced". Rhode Island International Film Festival . 9 August 2009. Archived from the original on 12 August 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  22. ↑ Admin (29 June 2009). "2009 Palm Springs International SHORTFEST Announces WINNERS". cinemawithoutborders.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  23. ↑ "Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt and Other Winners of 2012 Leeds International Film Festival". VIMOOZ. 25 November 2012. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  24. ↑ Debruge, Peter (27 November 2018). "Variety Names 10 Directors to Watch for 2019". Variety . Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
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