Three animation cels from "She said so / I feel fine"
1966
An original drawing for the music video, 'I Feel Fine'
1969
photo
Sly Before Rocky
1972
Subway Girls B&W
1989
Taj Mahal Lovers
2000
Ed ruscha 2006
2010
They’re Off
Roy Lichtenstein
screenplay
Pipe Dreams
(The rugged world of those who built the Alaskan pipeline ...)
The rugged world of those who built the Alaskan pipeline provides the backdrop for this drama featuring the non-singing film debut of soul-singer Gladys Knight (she and her Pips do sing on the soundtrack though). The story centers on her attempts to regain the love of her estranged husband who works up there. She goes to the wild, wooly town where he is based. There women are hard to find, and those who are there make big bucks selling themselves to lonely workers. Knight is a pretty woman so it doesn't take long for the man who runs the town to try and convince her into becoming a high-priced whore. She refuses and eventually achieves her original goal.
Stephen Frederic Verona is an American film director, producer, writer and artist. He is the director of more than 300 television commercials, 50 of which have won various awards.
Background
Stephen Frederic Verona was born on September 11, 1940 in Springfield, Illinois, United States. His parents were Michael and Florence (Rosen) Verona.
Stephen Frederic Verona began painting at the age of two when he put his fingers in shoe polish and rubbed them on the wall.
Education
While in High School, Stephen Verona attended the Brooklyn Museum school. He also attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City from 1958 to 1962.
Stephen Frederic Verona began his career in advertising as an art director and producer.
Eventually, he became a co-creative director of Ogilvy & Mather. He left there to direct commercials. It was on location in England for Ford that he met John Lennon. Lennon gave him the rights to the Beatle tune "I Feel Fine", which Verona animated. When the film was finished John Lennon took Verona up to Columbia Records where he was offered anyone on the label to work with. He chose Barbra Streisand.
Stephen Frederic Verona began doing the film of "My Coloring Book" when Columbia announced that they didn’t know how much control they had over her and cancelled the film. But Verona went on to complete it anyway and it has been in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, Animation Festival and the Library of Congress.
These two shorts were considered by many as the first music videos. He went on from there to work with The Lovin Spoonfull, Boy George, Mick Fleetwood, Natalie Cole, Chicago, Streisand again, Simon & Garfunkel, and many more.
During this period Verona became intrigued with stories, both still and moving, and became Lee Strasberg’s directing protege in the Actor’s Studio. They did not get along, and after two years Verona left. He made a 17-minute film about his experience there. Three years later, "The Rehearsal" was nominated for an Academy Award. Lee Strasberg was the 3rd person to call and congratulate him.
Verona told Strasberg that he had written a movie that Strasberg would be great in. Strasberg read the script and accepted the role. It took Verona 7 years to raise the money to make his film "Boardwalk".
Between 1970-1972, before there was such a thing as music videos, Verona was the exclusive provider of musical promotional films for Columbia and Epic records. He also did videos for Atlantic, UA, and Buddah records, all the while painting and harboring that secret desire to make a movie.
One day he looked in his refrigerator and saw thousands of feet of 16 millimeter film. He had his own camera and sat down and wrote his first feature film "The Lords of Flatbush". It was the launching of Sylvester Stallone, Henry Winkler, Armand Assante, Perry King, and Richard Gere who was later replaced.
He later went on to direct his directing teacher and mentor Lee Strasberg. He wrote and directed Strasberg, Ruth Gordon and Janet Leigh in the highly acclaimed but little-seen film "Boardwalk". The distributor sadly went under. But his film career was launched.
All the while he painted, telling stories on canvas or the silver screen. When finishing a day of film meetings and lunches Verona would lock himself inside his Bel Air home studio and paint at night. It was his release from the outside world.
He began selling from the house. Important and noted film people would come by and see his work and ask if he would sell them. He finally did and has never looked back. He used to drop his paintbrush for a movie, now he would rather paint.
In addition, Verona was named Chairman of the UCLA Medical Arts Sculpture Committee, where he will oversee the donations and installations of all sculpture in the new UCLA hospital being designed by the great architect I. M. Pei.
He continues to live in Bel Air California and the south of France.
Stephen Frederic Verona has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Directors Guild, and Writers Guild of America.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
,
United States
Directors Guild
,
United States
Writers Guild of America
,
United States
Personality
Quotes from others about the person
Mitchell Fink: "Stephen Verona created the Music Video. He is responsible for discovering and giving Sylvester Stallone, Henry Winkler, Richard Gere, Armand Assante, Kyra Sedgewick and others their first acting roles. He was the legendary Lee Strasberg's protege at the Actor's Studio, directing unit. His numerous awards are a tribute to his talents. His art hangs in the most prestigious private and public collections throughout the world. He is truly a modern day renaissance man.
Interests
biking, bullfighting, hiking
Connections
Stephen Verona married Wendy Klein on June 20, 1965, but the couple divorced in November 1969. He then married Ann Copper on October 18, 1997.