Brothers Strause

Last updated
Colin Strause
Brothers Strause.jpg
Greg Strause and Colin Strause (left to right)
Born (1976-11-08) November 8, 1976 (age 41)
Waukegan, Illinois, U.S.
Other names Brothers Strause
Occupation Film director, producer
Greg Strause
Born (1975-01-16) January 16, 1975 (age 43)
Waukegan, Illinois, U.S.
Other names Brothers Strause
Occupation Film director, producer

Greg and Colin Strause (self-titled as the Brothers Strause) are a duo of American brother film directors, producers and special effects artists, most known for directing Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and Skyline, which were both commercially successful but critical failures. They are the founders of Hydraulx, a special effects company. [1] [2]

<i>Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem</i> 2007 film by Strause brothers

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is a 2007 American science fiction horror film directed by the Brothers Strause in their directorial debut, written by Shane Salerno, and starring Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, John Ortiz, Johnny Lewis, and Ariel Gade. It is a sequel to the 2004 film Alien vs. Predator and the second and latest installment in the Alien vs. Predator franchise, continuing the crossover of the Alien and Predator franchises.

<i>Skyline</i> (2010 film) 2010 American film

Skyline is a 2010 American science fiction disaster film produced and directed by Brothers Strause, directors of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. The film was released on November 12, 2010. It stars Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Crystal Reed, David Zayas and Donald Faison. Skyline was a box office success, grossing $68 million worldwide against its $10–20 million budget, despite being panned by critics. The brothers stated before the film's release that they were already working on a sequel, which was released in December 2017 as Beyond Skyline, with the pair acting as producers.

hy*drau"lx, alternatively spelled HYDRAULX and Hydraulx, is a visual effects (vfx) company based in Santa Monica, California.

Contents

Life and career

They began experimenting with visual effects in their early teens using Amiga computers. [3] In 1995, they moved to Los Angeles and started working on the special effects for The X-Files film. From there they moved on to big-budget films such as The Nutty Professor , Volcano and the iceberg sequence of James Cameron's Academy Award-winning Titanic . They then broke into the music video and commercial arena, handling the special effects for artists such as U2, Britney Spears, Godsmack, Tool, Powerman 5000 and Aerosmith as well as spots for Nike, Jeep and Pepsi.

Amiga family of personal computers sold by Commodore

The Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model was part of a wave of 16- and 32-bit computers that featured 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphics and audio over 8-bit systems. This wave included the Atari ST—released the same year—Apple's Macintosh, and later the Apple IIGS. Based on the Motorola 68000 microprocessor, the Amiga differed from its contemporaries through the inclusion of custom hardware to accelerate graphics and sound, including sprites and a blitter, and a pre-emptive multitasking operating system called AmigaOS.

Los Angeles City in California

Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in California and the second most populous city in the United States, after New York City. With an estimated population of four million, Los Angeles is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. The city is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, Hollywood and the entertainment industry, and its sprawling metropolis.

<i>The X-Files</i> (film) 1998 film by Rob Bowman

The X-Files is a 1998 American science fiction thriller film directed by Rob Bowman. Chris Carter wrote the screenplay. The story is by Carter and Frank Spotnitz. It is the first feature film based on Carter's television series The X-Files, which revolves around fictional unsolved cases called the X-Files and the characters solving them. Five main characters from the television series appear in the film: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, John Neville, and William B. Davis reprise their respective roles as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner, Well-Manicured Man, and the Cigarette-Smoking Man. The film was promoted with the tagline Fight the Future.

In 2000, Colin won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' video, "Californication." This led the brothers to start directing under the moniker "The Brothers Strause," and their Linkin Park clip "Crawling" was nominated for Best Direction and Best Rock Video at the 2001 VMA's. Other artists they have directed for include A Perfect Circle, Nickelback, the hit English/Spanish single "Don't Say Goodbye" & "Si Tú Te Vas" music video in 2002 by Paulina Rubio, Opeth, Flyleaf, Disturbed, Staind, Taproot and Abandoned Pools. Their music video for A Perfect Circle's "Passive" marked their second collaboration with the band. The video was shot almost entirely with thermal cameras [4] and featured on the Constantine soundtrack and DVD.

MTV Video Music Award music video award

An MTV Video Music Award is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards, the annual MTV Video Music Awards ceremony has often been called the "Super Bowl for youth", an acknowledgment of the VMA ceremony's ability to draw millions of youth from teens to 20-somethings each year. By 2001, the VMA had become a coveted award. The statue given to winners is an astronaut on the moon, one of the earliest representations of MTV, and was colloquially called a "moonman". However, in 2017 Chris McCarthy, the President of MTV, stated that the statue would be called a "Moon Person" from then on. The statue was conceived by Manhattan Design—also designers of the original MTV logo—based on the 1981 "Top of the Hour" animation created by Fred Seibert, produced by Alan Goodman, and produced by Buzz Potamkin at Buzzco Associates. The statue is now made by New York firm, Society Awards. Since the 2006 ceremony, viewers are able to vote for their favorite videos in all general categories by visiting MTV's website.

Red Hot Chili Peppers American rock band

Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk rock and psychedelic rock. When played live, their music incorporates elements of jam band due to the improvised nature of many of their performances. Currently, the band consists of founding members vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea, longtime drummer Chad Smith, and former touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the best-selling bands of all time with over 80 million records sold worldwide, have been nominated for sixteen Grammy Awards, of which they have won six, and are the most successful band in alternative rock radio history, currently holding the records for most number-one singles (13), most cumulative weeks at number one (85) and most top-ten songs (25) on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. In 2012, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Californication (song) song by the band Red Hot Chili Peppers

"Californication" is the Red Hot Chili Peppers' fourth single and sixth track from their 1999 seventh studio album, Californication. Released as a single in May 2000, the song reached #69 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, #16 on the UK Singles Chart, and hit number 1 on both the US Mainstream Rock Tracks for two weeks, and US Modern Rock Tracks for one week.

The Strause's have performed special effects work on such films as 300 , X-Men: The Last Stand , Fantastic Four , Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines , and The Day After Tomorrow , for which Greg won a British Academy Award (BAFTA).

<i>300</i> (film) 2007 American film by Zack Snyder

300 is a 2006 American period action film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. Both are fictionalized retellings of the Battle of Thermopylae within the Persian Wars. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant. It was filmed mostly with a super-imposition chroma key technique, to help replicate the imagery of the original comic book.

<i>X-Men: The Last Stand</i> 2006 superhero film directed by Brett Ratner

X-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film based on the X-Men superhero team introduced in Marvel Comics. It is the sequel to 2003's X2, as well as the third installment in the X-Men film series, and was directed by Brett Ratner and written by Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn. It features an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones, and Patrick Stewart. The film's script is loosely based on two X-Men comic book story arcs: "The Dark Phoenix Saga" by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, and "Gifted" by writer Joss Whedon and artist John Cassaday, with a plot that revolves around a "mutant cure" that causes serious repercussions among mutants and humans, and on the resurrection of Jean Grey.

<i>Fantastic Four</i> (2005 film) 2005 film directed by Tim Story

Fantastic Four is a 2005 superhero film based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name. It was directed by Tim Story, and released by 20th Century Fox. The film stars Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon and Kerry Washington.

The Brothers have directed spots for Coca-Cola, World of Warcraft , Gatorade, Ford Motor Company, the United States Marine Corps, Toyota, Fresca, Universal Studios and Sony PlayStation's God of War .

Coca-Cola Carbonated soft drink

Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by The Coca-Cola Company. Originally intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton and was bought out by businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing tactics led Coca-Cola to its dominance of the world soft-drink market throughout the 20th century. The drink's name refers to two of its original ingredients: coca leaves, and kola nuts. The current formula of Coca-Cola remains a trade secret, although a variety of reported recipes and experimental recreations have been published.

<i>World of Warcraft</i> video game by Blizzard Entertainment

World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the Warcraft fantasy universe. World of Warcraft takes place within the Warcraft world of Azeroth, approximately four years after the events at the conclusion of Blizzard's previous Warcraft release, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. The game was announced in 2001, and was released for the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise on November 23, 2004. Since launch, World of Warcraft has had seven major expansion packs released for it: The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, Legion, and Battle for Azeroth.

Gatorade manufacturer of sports-themed beverage and food products

The Gatorade Company, Inc. is an American manufacturer of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first developed in 1965 by a team of researchers led by Robert Cade. It was originally made for the Gators at the University of Florida to replenish the carbohydrates that the school's student-athletes burned and the combination of water and electrolytes that they lost in sweat during rigorous sports activities.

The Brothers Strause made their film directing debut by directing Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem , a sequel to Paul W. S. Anderson's Alien vs. Predator . The film was released on Christmas 2007 to extremely negative reviews.

Paul W. S. Anderson British film director, producer and screenwriter

Paul William Scott Anderson is an English film director, producer, and screenwriter who regularly works in science fiction films and video game adaptations.

<i>Alien vs. Predator</i> (film) 2004 science fiction film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson

Alien vs. Predator is a 2004 science fiction action film written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, and starring Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen and Ewen Bremner. It is the first installment of the Alien vs. Predator franchise, adapting a crossover bringing together the eponymous creatures of the Alien and Predator series, a concept which originated in a 1989 comic book written by Randy Stradley and Chris Warner. Anderson, together with Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, wrote the story, and Anderson and Shane Salerno adapted the story into a screenplay. Their writing was influenced by Aztec mythology, the comic book series, and the writings of Erich von Däniken.

In the fall of 2008, the Brothers directed 50 Cent's music video "Get Up" as well as commercials for Pennzoil and Shell, in addition to supplying some visual effects for Avatar . [5]

In 2010, the Brothers directed and produced the science fiction thriller Skyline , written by Joshua Cordes and Liam O'Donnell, starring Scottie Thompson, Eric Balfour, Donald Faison and David Zayas. The film was met with fairly universally poor reviews [6] but given its budget was US$10–$20 million, it performed fairly well commercially, grossing a total of nearly US$79 million worldwide. Sony Pictures Entertainment filed a lawsuit against the Brothers and Hydralux, who had been hired to provide visual effects for Battle: Los Angeles. Sony alleged that they had used time and resources meant for Battle: Los Angeles, and instead using them on Skyline, which was suspiciously similar. However, Sony dropped the lawsuit in 2011, shortly before Skyline's home video debut, satisfied that their concerns about the competing film proved to be unfounded. [7]

Filmography

Videography

Related Research Articles

<i>Predator</i> (film) 1987 science fiction film directed by John McTiernan

Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action horror film directed by John McTiernan and written by brothers Jim and John Thomas. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the leader of an elite military rescue team on a mission to save hostages in guerrilla-held territory in Central America. Kevin Peter Hall co-stars as the Predator who is a technologically advanced space alien monster spying, stalking, and hunting the main characters. Predator was written in 1984, under the working title of Hunter. Filming ran from March-June 1986 and creature effects were devised by Stan Winston.

<i>Alien vs. Predator</i> (franchise) Science-fiction horror franchise

Alien vs. Predator is a science-fiction horror/action media franchise created by comic book writers Randy Stradley and Chris Warner. The series is a crossover between the Alien and Predator franchises, depicting the two species as being in conflict with one another. It began as a comic series in 1989, before being adapted into a video game series in the 1990s. Produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film series began with Alien vs. Predator (2004), directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, and was followed by Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), directed by the Brothers Strause, and the development of a third film has been long rumoured. The series has led to numerous novels, comics, and video game spin-offs such as Aliens vs. Predator released in 2010 to generally positive reviews.

Alien (creature in <i>Alien</i> franchise) fictional extraterrestrial species from the Alien film series

The Alien is a fictional endoparasitoid extraterrestrial species that is the eponymous antagonist of the Alien film series. The species made its debut in the film Alien (1979) and reappeared in the sequels Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), and Alien Resurrection (1997). It also featured in the crossover films Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), with cameos appearing in Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010), and The Predator (2018). Similar creatures of slightly different designs such as the "Deacon" make a brief appearance in the Ridley Scott film Prometheus (2012) along with the "Neomorph" and a variation of the Xenomorph which appear in the sequel Alien: Covenant (2017). In addition, the Alien appears in various literature and video game spin-offs from the franchises.

Crawling (song) 2000 song by Linkin Park

"Crawling" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It is the second single from their debut album Hybrid Theory and is the fifth track on the album. It was released in 2001 as their second single and won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2002. In January 2011, "Crawling" was released in a Linkin Park DLC pack for Rock Band 3.

X-Fest is an annual music festival held each year in various venues throughout the U.S. by Clear Channel Communications radio stations. It features alternative rock, hard rock, heavy metal, grunge, and industrial rock bands.

Buzzfest is the name of two unrelated music festivals held in Houston and Nashville. The Buzzfest in Houston is a bi-annual show hosted by the radio station 94.5 The Buzz while the Buzzfest in Nashville is an annual show hosted by the radio station 102.9 The Buzz.

Predator (fictional species) fictional race of aliens from a series of films

The Predator is a fictional extraterrestrial species featured in the Predator science-fiction franchise, characterized by its trophy hunting of other species for sport. First introduced in 1987 as the main antagonist of the film Predator, the Predator creatures returned in the sequels Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010) and The Predator (2018), as well as the crossover films Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007).

Giantsteps is a visual effects studio located in Venice Beach, California. The company was founded in 2004 by Ryan Thompson and Michael Vaglienty, a visual effects producer and artist who began their careers working with the Brothers Strause of Hydraulx in 1996. The company recently produced effects work on national television commercials for major advertisers including Clorox, Cadillac and Cingular Wireless; and on feature films including Underworld: Evolution and The Covenant.

<i>Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem</i> (video game) video game

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is an action game exclusive to the PlayStation Portable, developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Vivendi Games. It was released in November 2007 in North America and Europe, and December 2007 in Australia. It is part of the Alien vs. Predator franchise, an amalgamation of the Alien and Predator franchises. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is a tie-in to the film of the same title, which was released shortly after the game.

Predator is a science-fiction action media franchise centered on the film series depicting mankind's encounters with a race of extraterrestrial hunter known as "the Predator". Produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the series began with Predator (1987), directed by John McTiernan, and was followed by three sequels, Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010), and The Predator (2018), directed by Stephen Hopkins, Nimród Antal, and Shane Black, respectively. The series has led to numerous novels, comics, and video game spin-offs such as Predator: Concrete Jungle released in 2005 to generally mixed reviews. The Alien vs. Predator franchise combines the continuities of the Alien franchise with the Predator franchise and consists of two films as well as varying series of comics, books, and video games.

Poem (song) song by nu metal band Taproot

"Poem" is a song by the band Taproot and the lead single from their second major label album, Welcome. It was released in 2002 and met with the highest success of any Taproot single, reaching #5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks. The track, as well as its music video, were heavily played throughout the several months following its release.

<i>Battle: Los Angeles</i> 2011 film by Jonathan Liebesman

Battle: Los Angeles is a 2011 American military science fiction action film directed by Jonathan Liebesman. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Chris Bertolini, based in part on a World War II incident dubbed the "Battle of Los Angeles". The film is set in modern-day Los Angeles and follows a Marine Staff Sergeant played by Aaron Eckhart who leads a platoon of U.S. Marines, joined by other stranded military personnel, during a global alien invasion. The ensemble cast includes Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo, and Michael Peña.

Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc. (ADI) is an American special effects company specializing in animatronics and prosthetic make-up, headquartered in Chatsworth, California. It was founded in 1988 by Stan Winston alumni Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis. Notable work includes Death Becomes Her, for which they won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, Starship Troopers, which was also nominated for an Oscar, and the practical creature effects seen in the Alien franchise from Alien 3 onward. Woodruff also portrays creatures in the films ADI works on, such as the Alien.

<i>Beyond Skyline</i> 2017 American post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Liam ODonnell

Beyond Skyline is a 2017 American post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Liam O'Donnell and stars Frank Grillo, Bojana Novakovic, Iko Uwais, Callan Mulvey, Yayan Ruhian, Betty Gabriel and Antonio Fargas. It is a sequel to the 2010 film Skyline. It was released on December 15, 2017 in the United States by Vertical Entertainment. Unlike its critically panned predecessor, Beyond Skyline received mixed reviews, with several critics calling it an improvement over the original.

Adam Lisagor American director and businessman

Adam David Lisagor is an American commercial director and the founder of Sandwich Video, an Internet and television commercial production company. He has also made on-camera appearances as a pitchman for various tech companies and products.

References

  1. ↑ The New York Times
  2. ↑ The New York Times
  3. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/global/1998/0921/0112062b.html#4a1270fc2ec7
  4. ↑ "A Perfect Circle in Hell". MVWire. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  5. ↑ "Two More See Terrifying Bright Light in 'Skyline'". Bloody-disgusting.com. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
  6. ↑ "Skyline". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  7. ↑ http://movieline.com/2011/03/18/after-35m-battle-los-angeles-opening-sony-drops-skyline/
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.