Dame Shirley Bassey opened the 2022 BAFTA show with a performance of Diamonds Are Forever, as part of the night’s James Bond’s 60th anniversary celebrations. Watch here.
Photography: Greg Williams
Mix With The Masters Music Production Series
Music production tutorial series, Mix With The Masters, presents a 90 minute special on the creation of No Time To Die’s Oscar and Grammy-winning title song.
Cameras take you on a journey through every step of the music production process with interviews and demonstrations from Finneas O’Connell, Hans Zimmer, Stephen Lipson and Rob Kinelski. Filmed in London and Los Angeles, the film gives an inside look into the studios of all four members of the music production team behind No Time To Die as they discuss the technical and creative decisions that brought the song to life.
Finneas tells the story of how he and Billie were given 20 pages of the script and asked to pitch a song for the fifth and final Daniel Craig 007 adventure back in 2019. Finneas demonstrates how it all started with a simple piano motif and how the duo worked around the clock to record the song whilst on the road.
Hans Zimmer, the film’s score composer, shares his initial reaction to the song and how it evolved during the production process. He recounts how the song inspired him and introduces the all-star team that contributed to the final production. In London, Stephen Lipson walks through his approach to producing the record with Finneas, showing how he used time-stretching, tempo shifts and focussed rearrangements to finesse the track, as well as one drastic last-minute change that won over Daniel Craig. Rob Kinelskiwe gives a final inside look at the mixing process where he reveals the final arrangement that brought the song over the finish line and out into the world.
Watch HERE.
60th Anniversary 007 Defender Wins Rally
James Bond stunt driver Mark Higgins and co-driver Claire Williams won the North Wales leg of the 2022 Defender Bowler Challenge in Dolgellau in a time of 55 minutes and 12 seconds. The duo finished one minute and 41 seconds ahead of their nearest rival.
The duo drove a Bowler Defender 90, with unique livery inspired by 60 years of James Bond films and its lasting partnership with Land Rover. Higgins has been at the wheel in the last four James Bond films, including No Time To Die (2021).
The one-off Bowler Defender 90 featured a special 007 60th logo on its roof and sides in a trademark satin black and gold finish, with a host of performance and competition upgrades by the team at Bowler.
Billie Eilish and FINNEAS win Oscar for Best Song
The 94th Academy Awards took place on Sunday at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California. It was a night to remember for Billie Eilish and FINNEAS as they collected the award for Original Song from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In accepting the Oscar, Billie Eilish said “Oh my gosh this is so unbelievable. I could scream. Thank you to our 007 family Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson, MGM, Cary Fukunaga, Daniel Craig.”
Eilish thanked their musical partners including Hans Zimmer. “To Hans Zimmer, who’s not here but is so amazing, Steven Lipson, Johnny Marr for taking our song and making it worthy of James Bond.”
FINNEAS added “We want to thank our parents who have always been our biggest inspirations and our heroes, and we love you as parents and we love you as real people too. Thank you so much. To the Academy. We promise not to lose these.”
No Time To Die is the most streamed Bond song ever with over 1 billion global streams. The song has gone platinum in US, UK, Australia and Canada. It’s also the third consecutive Academy Award for 007 films for Best Song following on from Adele’s win for 2012’s “Skyfall” and Sam Smith’s success for “Writing’s on the Wall” in 2015 from Spectre.
Billie Eilish and FINNEAS add the Oscar statue to their continued success with No Time To Die. The brother and sister duo have also won a Grammy, Golden Globe, Critics Choice and Society of Composers & Lyricists awards for No Time to Die.
Become A Contestant In A 007 Adventure
007’s Road to a Million will see contestants competing to win the ultimate prize of up to £1million. Filmed in many of the historic locations featured throughout the James Bond films, this cinematic format will be a true test of intelligence and endurance. In addition to conquering physical obstacles, the contestants, who will compete in two-person teams, must correctly answer questions hidden in different locations around the world to advance to the next challenge.
Filming will start later this year and the new series will launch exclusively on Prime Video.
Apply here. The deadline for applications is 22nd April 2022. Contestants need to be 18+ and you must be a UK resident to take part. For full terms and conditions please click here.
2022 Pioneers Of The Year Award
The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation (WRMPPF) announced today that Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli will receive the 2022 Pioneer of the Year Award on 21 September at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
A tradition for more than 70 years, the Pioneer of the Year Award honours leaders in the motion picture industry whose career achievements and commitment to philanthropy is exemplary. It is one of the most prestigious honors in the US entertainment industry and within the philanthropic community. The event benefits WRMPPF’s Pioneers Assistance Fund which provides financial assistance to individuals in the motion picture distribution and exhibition community who are encountering an illness, injury, or life-changing event.
“We are thrilled that Michael and Barbara will be receiving this well-deserved honour,” said Jim Orr, Chairman, Pioneers Assistance Fund Committee and President, Domestic Theatrical Distribution at Universal Pictures. “Their contributions to the film industry as producers, including their outstanding support of the exhibition community and cinematic experience, have made them true pioneers in the field. We look forward to celebrating Michael and Barbara’s achievements at the Pioneer of the Year Dinner and raising much-needed funds for the Pioneers Assistance Fund.”
Photography: Greg Williams
Bond At The BAFTA Awards
The 75th British Academy Film Awards took place in London last night and started with a celebration of Bond’s 60th Anniversary. After an action-packed highlights montage of the 25 films, Dame Shirley Bassey took to the stage with a glittering rendition of Diamonds Are Forever, which concluded with a standing ovation from the audience. Cue host Rebel Wilson, who appeared in classic Bond silhouette, before showing off her Daniel Craig leg tattoo. It was then onto the awards.
Congratulations to Lashana Lynch who was presented the EE Rising Star Award by Lady GaGa and Bukky Bakray. It is the only BAFTA award voted for by the public, honouring actors who have shown outstanding talent on screen over the past year and captured the attention of the film industry. In her speech Lashana thanked Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Cary Joji Fukunaga and everyone involved in No Time To Die before saying “I would like to thank the women of this country who taught me what it is to be in this industry as a dark-skinned woman,” she told the ceremony. “I thank you for laying the foundation for people like me.”
Tom Cross and Elliot Graham collected the BAFTA for Editing on No Time To Die in a competitive category which included Dune and Belfast. They thanked their team of assistant editors including Elise Anderson and Martin Corbett, Director Cary Joji Fukunaga, Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig. Tom Cross said working on a James Bond film had always been a dream and dedicated his award to legendary editor Peter Hunt who worked on Dr. No 60 years ago.
Art Directors Guild Win For Bond
Congratulations to No Time To Die Production Designer, Mark Tildesley, on his award for Best Production Design: Contemporary Feature Film at the Art Directors Guild Awards.
The ceremony took place in LA and is dedicated to the work of art directors and production design, celebrating excellence across 13 categories of film, television, commercials, music videos and animation features.
Mark and his team were responsible for bringing the visual world of No Time To Die alive, taking us from Bond’s beach house in Jamaica, to the streets of Cuba and Safin’s poison garden. Discover more about the film’s award winning production design here.
Billie Eilish And FINNEAS Appearances And Awards
As the Academy Awards approach we round-up the latest awards and appearances by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, writers of the Oscar-nominated theme song for No Time To Die.
The pair have just received the award for Outstanding Original Song for a Drama/Documentary from the Society of Composers & Lyricists. This is the third annual awards, which recognises composers and songwriters in all visual media – from commercials to films.
“It was a lifelong dream of ours to write a Bond theme,” said Billie when she and Finneas attended the Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon in LA. The annual event is a key part of the Oscars build-up and is attended by all nominees.
Watch Billie on Late Night With Seth Meyers chatting about the Oscars, Daniel Craig and No Time To Die.
Find out more about the theme from No Time To Die here.
Bond Is Back In Cinemas
Daniel Craig’s fifth and final outing as James Bond has returned to cinemas. No Time To Die has been nominated for five BAFTA’s and three Academy Awards and has returned to cinemas around the UK for a limited time. Don’t miss this opportunity to see it again on a big screen. Tickets are on sale now.
No Time To Die Academy Award Nominations
No Time To Die has been nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Visual Effects – the first time in over 40 years that a Bond film has received such recognition. The other nominations are Best Sound and Best Original Song.
“It is over 40 years since James Bond got nominated for a Visual Effects Academy Award so it is a tribute to Daniel Craig, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Mara Bryan and the 1000+ No Time To Die special and visual effects crews who produced such beautiful work,” said Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould and Visual Effects Supervisor Charlie Noble. “We applaud the filmmakers for holding out and allowing our work to be showcased as was intended, on the big screen.”
Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor were nominated for Best Sound. They said: “We are honoured that the Academy has nominated No Time To Die for Best Sound. Thank you to Cary, Michael and Barbara for giving us such an amazing opportunity, on what is a truly magnificent Bond film. Thanks also to the hugely talented sound team that collaborated with us.”
It is the third 007 film in a row to receive a nomination for Best Original Song for Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell.
“Words cannot describe how honoured and excited we are to have been nominated for an Academy Award for our song ‘No Time To Die’,” said Billie and Finneas. “It was a lifelong dream of ours to write a Bond theme, and one we never thought would ever come true. It’s completely unbelievable that we are here being recognised for this song, and this is a peak life experience for us as songwriters and artists. To be recognised today among these other incredible nominees is something we most certainly do not take for granted. Thank you to the Academy, from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you to Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson for allowing us this incredible opportunity, and to be part of Daniel Craig’s unparalleled legacy as James Bond. Thank you to Cary Joji Fukunaga, and last but not least, thank you to Hans Zimmer, Stephen Lipson and Johnny Marr for being an absolute joy to work with on this song.”
The 2022 Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday 27 March.
No Time To Die BAFTA Awards Nominations
From Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli: On behalf of our fellow producers Daniel Craig, David Pope, Andrew Noakes, Chris Brigham and Gregg Wilson, we congratulate our director Cary Joji Fukunaga and our tremendous No Time To Die cast and crew on the BAFTA nomination for Outstanding British Film. We are honoured to be nominated alongside so many of our friends and colleagues who represent the excellence and diversity of the British Film Industry. We are thrilled to congratulate Lashana Lynch for the EE Rising Star nomination and the following nominees:
Tom Cross and Elliot Graham for Editing,
Linus Sandgren for Cinematography,
Chris Corbould, Charlie Noble, Mark Bakowski and Joel Green for Special Visual Effects,
James Harrison, Simon Hayes, Paul Massey, Oliver Tarney and Mark Taylor for Sound.
