THIS FRIDAY NIGHT late and very early Saturday morning, a crew will be shooting aerials and plate shots in Chicago for DC Comics’ sci-fi thriller “Suicide Squad.” Helicopters will be flying low over the Chicago River, from Michigan Ave. to Lake St. and downtown, the Chicago Film Office reports.
The special visual effects scenes do not signal the Warner Bros. blockbuster will be coming to Chicago. It has been filming in Toronto since April and will wrap there in September.
Directed by David Ayer, its huge cast includes Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Ben Affleck, Jared Leto and Viola Davis. The story is about a secret government agency that recruits improved super villains to executive dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency.
THE HANCOCK CENTER PLAZA is the open air venue for Thursday’s concert presented by Eric Sheinkop’s Music Dealers, a music licensing and custom company, from 5-7 p.m.
This week’s artists are solo artist Raura, at 6 p.m., who sings songs from her upcoming album and the 5-member Way Down Wanderers, a Midwestern Americana band with blue grass roots and lively vocals, at 7 p.m.
The Hancock Building’s owners, real estate company Hearn co-sponsors the Summer Concert Series, fittingly, because among the Hancock tenants are creative companies FCB Chicago, Weber Shandwick, Big Shoulders Visual Productions, Golin public relations and Tyler Jay’s Tandem.
The Thursday concert series will continue through Sept. 10.
FEATURE PRODUCER GIGI PRITZGER will receive a special industry tribute from Cinema Chicago and the 51st Chicago International Film Festival Oct. 22, during the festival.
Chicago native Pritzger is the producer of such noted films as Jon Stewart’s directorial debut “Rosewater,” the Oscar-nominated “Rabbit Hole,” “The Way Way Back,” “Drive,” starring Ryan Gosling and “Ender’s Game.”
A BIG COMMERCIAL SHOOT is underway for six days. Production company Altered LA is filming an anti-tobacco PSA campaign, wrapping Aug. 8 … Then, ironically, Chelsea Pictures’ shoot for Opdivo, an advanced lung cancer drug from Bristol-Myers Squibb, starts Wednesday for five days …
Title LLC of LA was here for a quick one day shoot for Samsung at Lollapalooza … And Bruton Stroube Studios of St. Louis was here for Amazon.
BRANDON ROCHON, who served as SVP/global creative director on the Samsung account at Leo Burnett, has left the agency tmove to LA to become managing CCO at Kastner & Partners.
Rochon and Leo Burnett declined to comment on the reasons for the GCD’s departure, though a source close to the matter claims it was a voluntary move that followed a disagreement with the client regarding the creative direction of a campaign, Ad Age reports.
“GLEE” STAR JANE LYNCH will be part of Lyric Opera’s upcoming season of four prformances of what Lyric describes as the Evergreen Park native’s “uproarious cabsret show.” In the Dec. 12-18 performances, Lynch’s show, “See Jane Sing” is a music journey of songs from Broadway to cabaret, backed by a five-piece band.
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