Stockland Martel » Iron Man

Michael Muller’s “Avengers” portraits in EW

Kristina Feliciano — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:39:47 +0000

The current issue of Entertainment Weekly offers an exclusive preview of the superheroes in the highly anticipated movie The Avengers, which is headed to theaters in May. Michael Muller shot the Marvel-ous portraits—of Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Evans, and Robert Downey Jr.—published with the story. Here’s a look.

Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow. Photo by Michael Muller.

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Incredible Hulk. Photo by Michael Muller.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Photo by Michael Muller.

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. Photo by Michael Muller.

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. Photo by Michael Muller.

Chris Evans as Captain America. Photo by Michael Muller.

Gallery: People’s Choice Awards winners

Kristina Feliciano — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:54:45 +0000

The Coen Brothers’ True Grit may be generating serious Oscar buzz, but if you ask moviegoers, it’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse that reigns supreme. At last night’s People’s Choice Awards, the vampire flick won the Favorite Movie statue, and its star Kristen Stewart was named Favorite Movie Actress. The fans have spoken. And apparently they’re all 13 years old.

Kidding. Here’s a look at some of last night’s other PCA winners:

Favorite Movie Star Under 25: Zac Efron

Zac Efron. Photos by Matthew Rolston.

Favorite Action Movie: Iron Man 2

Photo by Michael Muller.

Favorite New TV Drama: Hawaii Five-0

Photos by Art Streiber.

Favorite TV Comedy: Glee

Photo by Matthias Clamer.

Favorite TV Comedy Actor: Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris. Photo by Art Streiber.

Favorite TV Comedy Actress: Jane Lynch

Photo by Jeff Lipsky.

Favorite Country Artist: Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift. Photos by Matthew Rolston.

Favorite TV Obsession: Dexter

Photo by Jim Fiscus.

Favorite Talk Show Host: Conan O’Brien

Photo by Art Streiber.

For the complete list of People’s Choice Awards winners and nominees, click here.

More International Photography Awards: the Honorable Mentions

Kristina Feliciano — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:24:05 +0000

Last week, I wrote about the Stockland Martel photographers who took 1st Place at this year’s IPAs. This week, let’s take a look at the photographers from our roster who received Honorable Mentions: Fulvio Bonavia, David Drebin, Jim Fiscus, Rolph Gobits, Lauren Greenfield, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Nadav Kander, John Midgley, Michael Muller, John Offenbach, Martin Sigal, and Luca Zordan.

FULVIO BONAVIA

Category: Automotive. Client: Pirelli.

Category: Advertising. Client: Enel.

Category: Feature Story. Client: Le Figaro.

Category: Advertising. Client: Illy Cafe.

Category: Advertising. Client: React gum.

DAVID DREBIN

Category: Landscape. Title: "Monte Carlo."

JIM FISCUS

Category: Special Effects. Title: "Shot No. 10," from the digital novella "The Unfortunate Moment of Misunderstanding."

ROLPH GOBITS

Category: Portrait. Title: "Katya."

Category: Portrait. Title: "Fire Eaters."

LAUREN GREENFIELD

Category: Feature Story. Title: "VIP Host." (Click image to see all 5 photos.)

Category: Photo Essay. Title: "Dubai Crash." (Click image to see all 5 photos.)

Category: Deeper Perspective. Title: "Fashion Show." (Click image to see all 5 photos.)

Category: Personality. Title: "Billionaire Suzanne Rogers."

TIMOTHY GREENFIELD-SANDERS

Category: Fine-Art Portrait. Title: "Supermodels." (Click image to see all 5 photos.)

NADAV KANDER

Category: Personality. Title: "Spike Jonze (with Fennel)."

Category: Political. Title: "Tories." (Click image to see all 3 photos.)

Category: Advertising. Client: St. John Ambulance. (Click image to see all 5 photos.)

Category: Portrait. Title: "Johannesburg." (Click image to see all 3 photos.)

Category: Nudes. Title: "Elizabeth Lying I."

JOHN MIDGLEY

Category: Professional: Other. Title: "America." (Click image to see all 5 photos.)

Category: Portrait. Title: "Ben Kingsley."

MICHAEL MULLER

Category: Advertising. Title: "Movie and TV Posters." (Click image to see all 5 photos.)

Category: Advertising. Client: Von Zipper. (Click image to see all 5 photos.)

Category: Underwater. Title: "Sharks." (Click image to see all 5 photos.)

JOHN OFFENBACH

Category: Automotive. Title: "Car on Rooftop."

Category: Automotive. Title: "Car on Tracks."

Category: Advertising. Client: Travelers Insurance. (Click image to see all 4 photos.)

Category: Landscape. Title: "Perito Moreno."

Category: Nudes. Title: "70s Nudes." (Click image to see all 4 photos.)

Category: Nudes. Title: "Blue Nudes." (Click image to see all 3 photos.)

.LUCA ZORDAN

Category: Children. Title: "Children of China." (Click image to see all 5 photos.)

To view the entire IPA Honorable Mentions Gallery, click here.

Michael Muller: “Shoot every day, listen to your gut, and have fun”

Kristina Feliciano — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:36:48 +0000

In the current issue of American Photo, Michael talks to writer Lindsay Sakraida about the making of the Wolverine movie posters and press photos—specifically, about understanding and capturing the “dark side” of the title character, played by Hugh Jackman.

Photos by Michael Muller.

A couple of excerpts:

“I always read the script beforehand, because I want to really know the characters I’m shooting,” Muller explains of this unique challenge. “And Wolverine’s got this dark side to him, this troubled beginning, so I tried to tap into that and convey it in a subconscious way.”

And…

“The bone-claw image was a serious contender for a long time, because it indicated the early evolution of Wolverine,” a rep [from the movie studio] says. “Being a prequel, that made sense. But ultimately, the straight-on single was chosen because it’s iconic of that character. Plus, print generally comes down to gut instinct, and that piercing stare was hard to beat.”

There’s also a nifty info box on Michael:

You can read the complete text of Lindsay’s article here.

For more on Michael’s Wolverine work, see “Michael Muller takes on the ‘Wolverine’ cast.”

For more on his movie posters, check out this 2008 American Photo feature, “Michael Muller, Photographic Superhero.”

And to see more of Michael’s movie and TV posters and promotional photos, such as…

…go here.

New work: Iron Man 2, Spartacus, Crazy Heart, and more by Michael Muller

Kristina Feliciano — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:14:33 +0000

A fresh selection of hot new work by Michael Muller:

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. Photo by Michael Muller.

Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko, a.k.a. Whiplash. Photo by Michael Muller.

"Nip/Tuck." Photo by Michael Muller.

"Spartacus." Photo by Michael Muller.

"Dog, the Bounty Hunter." Photo by Michael Muller.

Jeff Bridges, for the movie "Crazy Heart." Photo by Michael Muller.

And there’s more, including ads for Speedo, Crash, and Von Zipper. Just click here.

Michael Muller takes on the “Wolverine” cast

Kristina Feliciano — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:45:36 +0000

Even before the movie opened, bloggers at xmenfilms.net were buzzing about Michael Muller’s portrait of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine cast. Here’s a quick Q&A with Muller about the shoot and why Hugh Jackman—who jump-started the publicity machine when he personally emailed Muller’s photo to the movie website Ain’t It Cool News—is a rare breed of movie star in addition to a big-screen Wolverine.

How does it feel to know you’ve connected with X-Men fans?
Feels great. They are a very picky crew, those Comicon peeps. I love that genre of movie, so I always throw myself into the scripts, etc.

The cast of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, as photographed by Michael Muller

How long did you have with the actors for this shot? And what kind of direction did you give them?
First shoot was on day one of shooting, with Hugh only on the top of a mountain in New Zealand. We shot for, like, two hours straight. I have to say, I have photographed so many gifted people, but Hugh is really a rare specimen. He is so genuine and giving. I know it sounds a little cheesy, but whatever—he really is there to deliver what is needed of him. It is so rare to find people that committed these days.

Expectations are so high for a film like this. How did you approach the shoot, and when did you feel that you had captured “it”?
My working relationship with Fox is really abnormal. Tony Sella, the head of marketing at the studio, just tells me to go “nail it.” I know what’s riding on a movie like this, so is there pressure. But do I LOVE THE CHALLENGE? YES!

You’re also the man behind the posters for Iron Man, which was a big hit last year, Fantastic 4, and Spider-Man. Does it take a certain sensibility to shoot for these comics-inspired action films?
You need to go into these movie shoots thinking outside of the box. I think the days of the “formula” are over. I also think being a fan and kid at heart helps a lot!