DCAM Studios posted and Co-Produced the indie feature film, “Cry Murder,” that premiered during the Palm Springs Film Festival in 2012 and is now available on DVD. A second feature, “Albion Ave,” a 4.5 million dollar film to be shot on location in New Jersey, was written and will be directed by Miller. It is currently in pre-production, with final casting to be announced in the Fall 2013. Principal photography is slated for January 2014. Miller has produced, written, and/or directed several feature films and television movies, as well as developed and supervised numerous major studio productions, during his years with The Film Consortium, Harmony Pictures, Winmill Entertainment, and Red Hots Productions – all in Hollywood.
Other upcoming DCAM Studio projects include, the theatrical documentary film, “Bamboozled” scheduled for principal photography in Canada, March 2014, and financed by The Force Foundation and Film Canada; “The Glass Runner”, a political actioner, developed with actor Nicolas Cage set for late 2014; a western project, “Cassidy”, co-written by Miller (who will helm) and actor/friend, Liam Neeson (originally developed at Penny Marshall’s Parkway Productions, and later at Clint Eastwood’s Malpasso Productions). Miller’s film, “Loudmouth: The Journey of Morton Downey, Jr.”, originally developed by Miller who interviewed and became friends with Downey before his death, sold his script to the F/X Channel, who then moved it to Fox Television, who attached Steve Buscemi to play Morton, but the project sat on the shelf for five years. But finally, “Loudmouth” will see the light of day, scheduled to begin shooting in May 2014, with Bill Paxton to star as Downey. Miller will direct and Lori Downey will Exec Produce with Winmill Films and Fox TV President, David Madden.
Miller’s feature credits include a stint as Head of Development at The Film Consortium, an iconic production company that launched the very first music video production house at the advent of MTV, as well as the careers of many now famous directors and producers, from Haskell Wexler to William Tannen and Julian Temple. Miller oversaw several of the company’s feature films: “Flashpoint,” “Square Dance,” and “Roar.” Eventually Miller also headed up the groundbreaking music video production arm as well.
As an indie filmmaker, Miller has directed, written, edited, and produced a dozen features as well as mentored several other filmmakers, like Aaron Himelstein, Joel Goodman, Daniel Zirilli, Brett Ratner, Sebastian Gutierrez, and the late Tony Kunewalder. Amongst Miller’s feature films, are: “Mortuary Academy,” “Square Dance,” “Out of the Dark,” “Sugar Mountain,” “The Almighty Fred,” “Lana’s Rain,” “Swerve,” “Karma Kula (Path Of The Tiger),” “Four Day Shoot,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” and Paramount Pictures’ “Fire in the Sky.”
He also produced numerous TV Movies-of-the-Week, directed several TV pilots, and the successful weekly children’s series, “The Sun Show” for Disney Channel, about 20 hours of original programming content for Players Network Television in Las Vegas, and developed numerous TV film projects with actress Lindsay Wagner.
“Rhythm of the Dance,” Miller and DCAM’s current program has already been deemed a big hit by PBS, with both viewers and critics, after it premiered on March 17th, 2013 as a St. Patrick’s Day national special. It will now air annually on that holiday for the next 10 years, as well as air nationally again for several weeks in rotation on PBS, in August, November, and December 2013. The show features The National Dance Company of Ireland and The Young Irish Tenors, and was directed by Miller in over 38 exterior locations throughout Ireland, taking two production trips over a two-year period, to accomplish the ambitious and big budget special. He also shot multi-camera live performance footage as well, at a theater in Holland in front of a live audience. For the PBS show, Miller directed over 25 dancers and a dozen musicians, performing their stage act on remote exterior locations throughout Eire, and in post, creating seamless transitions to the stage production.
In late 2012, Miller took DCAM to Puerto Rico, to capture a huge outdoor concert designed to be a television event, and shot at the historic San Cristobel Castle. “Encanto Del Caribe” starred international singing superstar, Marc Anthony, pianist Arthur Hanlon, Laura Pausini, Ana Isabelle, Natalia Jimenez, Cheo Feliciano, and former NY Yankee slugger and jazz guitarist, Bernie Williams. It premiered on PBS to rave reviews and is still in broadcast rotation.
Other PBS concert specials, directed or produced by Miller and DCAM Studios are: “Songcatchers: The Santa Fe Gathering”, a Native American musical tribute starring Grammy winners Mary Youngblood and Thirza DeFoe, as well as Jana Mashonee, Tony Redhouse, Sana Christianson, and Buffy St. Marie (a second “Songcatchers” special is being planned for the Fall of 2013, to be shot in the Dakotas). In 2010, Miller and team directed “Diahann Carroll: Live From Palm Springs” at the Annenberg Theater, with a 48-piece orchestra, working in collaboration with Palm Springs producers Kim Waltrip and Jim Casey. And in 2009, he oversaw and Co-Produced 60’s folk rock icon, Donovan, joined on stage by Beach Boys’ Mike Love, and Irish pop star, Astrella-Celeste, taped for PBS at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.
Future PBS specials in the works, besides a second Native American “Songcatchers” concert, are The Young Irish Tenors to be shot in LA and Ireland, and all-star tribute to the late Earl Scruggs to be shot in Nashville, and another, for The Kingston Trio, working with sole surviving member, Bob Shane, as well as a two-part concert special and mini-doc, on the impact of Jewish songwriters over the last 75 years, projected to be shot in NYC and Israel in late 2014.
Miller has also directed MTV, VH-1, HBO and Showtime concerts for Brian Wilson and his “Live Pet Sounds” tour; The Black Crowes Live in Atlanta; Pia Zadora Live in Florida; Paul Simon in South Africa for his “Graceland” tour; The Commodores from Atlantic City, Italian rock star, Umberto Marzotto, live in Santa Fe and in Rome, The Rolling Stones at NY’s Madison Square Garden, rocker Tyrone Wells live at the El Rey in Hollywood, Red Hot chili Peppers lived tour DVD, Danzig live in New Orleans, and the KJJZ (KJAZZ) Radio annual Smooth Jazz Festival hosted by Palm Springs radio personality, Jim “Fitz” Fitzgerald.
He has also directed national commercial spots for Kellogg’s, Bob’s Big Boy, Jergen’s Lotion, Wrangler, Pizza Hut, IBM, and the former California Desert Tourism Bureau. In October 2013, Miller and team will shoot a national television commercial for Organex Global Inc and Regal Ware cookware, to be shot in China in October 2013.
Miller recently directed his 165th music video in Ireland, for The Young Irish Tenors, having helmed every genre of music for MTV 1&2, VH-1 &2, BET, and CMT, working with major recording artists like Sheryl Crow, Jerry Douglas, Alison Krauss, Linkin Park, Holly Robinson, Faith Evans, Shaquille O’Neal, Gerald Levert, Charlie Wilson, The Gap Band, Mitsou, Tonya, First Love, David Josias, The Curve, Fancy, The Little River Band, Peter Murphy, LL Cool J, Squeeze, MC Lyte, Jeffrey Osborne, The Flirts, Eddie Murphy, Danzig, OMD, Night Ranger, The Beastie Boys, Denny Laine (Wings), Spencer Davis Group, The Knack, Toto, The Eagles, Randy Meisner, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Randy Scruggs, to name some.
Upcoming music video shoots include, two back to back videos for country star, John McLeod, to be shot in LA and in Ontario, Canada. Also two music videos for alt rock band, Old Sand Mill, which will feature cameos from guests on the song, like Brian Wilson, Deniece Williams, Darryl Jones of The Rolling Stones, and Jerry Douglas from Alison Krauss & Union Station. The clips will be shot in September 2013 at Salvation Mountain near the Salton Sea, and in Santa Monica To see full clips and film samples, from classics to recent productions, please go to our Youtube Channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/chipdaniel2
