The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

Background:

English director Peter Care first made a name for himself in his native country by directing music videos for Cabaret Voltaire, Depeche Mode, Killing Joke, Thomas Dolby, ABC, Bananarama, and Fine Young Cannibals, among others. He has since broadened his popularity to the U.S. thanks to his work with R.E.M., Simply Red, Robbie Nevil, Belinda Carlisle, Tina Turner, Suzanne Vega and Bruce Springsteen. In 2005, Care was handed the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Music Video Production Association (MVPA) for his contribution to music videos. He has also directed commercials for Coca-Cola, Toyota, Mitsubishi, VW, Nintendo, Levi's, Microsoft and Nikon. Care entered the film industry in 2002 when he directed the independent drama “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys.” He took home an Independent Spirit Award and a Boston Society of Film Critics Award for the film.

Sheffield School of Art

Childhood and Family:

Peter Care was born in 1953. He studied film at the Sheffield School of Art in England, where he began directing. He later moved to Los Angeles to further pursue his career.

Music Videos

Career:

With financial support from the Arts Council and Channel 4, Peter Care established the Sheffield Independent Film Company right after he completed his film studies at the Sheffield School of Art. He made a number of documentaries and two short films. The 1983 short “Johnny Yesno,” which he directed and co-wrote, contained a soundtrack by the British group Cabaret Voltaire. Care continued his partnership with the band by directing their music videos “Crackdown” (1983), “Just Fascination” (1983), “I Want You” (1985), “Don't Argue” (1987) and “Hypnotized” (1989). However, it was “Sensoria” that brought Care important notice. The video became one of the most successful underground videos of all time and was named “Best Video of the Year” (1985) by the LA Times. It also received heavy playing time on MTV and was obtained by the New York Museum of Modern Art. Care also directed music videos for the group Clock DVA (“Resistance,” 1983), the British group Scritti Politti (“Hypnotize,” 1984), the band ABC (“Vanity Kills” and “Be Near Me,” 1985), Killing Joke (“Love like Blood,” 1985), the group Pookah Makes Three (“Waving a Flame,” 1985), Thomas Dolby & George Clinton (“May the Cube Be with You,” 1985), Peter Murphy (“Final Solution,” 1986) and The Robert Cray Band (“Smoking Gun,” 1986), among other artists.

Care began working with the popular electronic band Depeche Mode in 1985 when he directed their music video for the single “Shake the Disease,” featuring an innovative camera trick to make it appear as if band members were falling. He went on to direct the group's videos for the singles “It's Called a Heart” (1985) and “Stripped” (1986). He also directed two music videos for the British female pop group Bananarama (“Venus” and “More Than Physical,” 1986) and Fine Young Cannibals' (“Good Thing” and “I'm Not the Man I Used to Be,” 1989).

After his move to the U.S., Care, who at the time worked with Limelight Films, directed videos of American singers and groups like Robbie Nevil (“C'est La Vie,” 1986 and “Back on Holiday,” 1988), Tina Turner (“What You Get is What You See,” 1987), Simply Red (“Maybe Someday...,” 1987), Paul Carrack (“Don't Shed a Tear,” 1987), Belinda Carlisle (“Belinda Carlisle,” 1988 and “Leave a Light On,” 1989), Los Lobos (“One Time, One Night,” 1988) and Richard Marx (“Keep Coming Back,” 1991). In 1992, he directed the episode “The Bounty Hunter” of the series “Red Shoe Diaries,” a drama starring David Duchovny as Jake Winters.

Care's career gained momentum with Satellite, a division of Propaganda Films that he helped launch in 1992. He directed videos of Suzanne Vega, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and R.E.M., among other artists. With the American rock group R.E.M., Care directed the videos “Radio Song” (1991), “Drive” (1992), “Man on the Moon” (1992), “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” (1993), “What's the Frequency, Kenneth” (1994) and “Electrolite” (1996, shared the directing credit with Spike Jonze) as well as the concert film “RoadMovie” (1996). It was also with Satellite that Care enjoyed success as a commercial director. He worked for many clients, including Coca-Cola, Levi's, Microsoft, Nintendo, Lee Jeans, H.I.S. Jeans, Phillips, Polaroid, ESPN, MCI, MTV, Southwestern Bell, Mastercard and Saturn.

In 2002, Care joined the bi-coastal Bob Industries and went on to direct commercials for Mitsubishi, T-Mobile, Discover Card, Ameritrade, VW, Southwest Airlines and American Express, to name a few. It was also in 2002 that Care branched out to feature film directing with “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys,” which was co-produced by Jodie Foster and Jay Shapiro. Adapted from the semi autobiographical coming-of-age novel of the same name by American writer Chris Fuhrman, the independent movie earned moderately good reviews from critics. It won the director a 2002 Boston Society of Film Critics for Best New Filmmaker and a 2003 Independent Spirit for Best First Feature. The cast included Emile Hirsch, Kieran Culkin and Jena Malone.

In 2004, Care returned to television to helm an episode of HBO's “Six Feet Under” called “The Black Forest.” The same year, he was also reunited with R.E.M. to direct the music videos “Leaving New York” and “Aftermath.” In the world of commercials, he worked for Nikon, Toyota, Allstate and Ameritrade.

In 2008, Care wrote and directed “Johnny Yesno Redux,” a video project in conjunction with Cabaret Voltaire and Mute Records.

Awards:

• Music Video Production Association (MVPA): Lifetime Achievement Award, 2005

• Independent Spirit: Best First Feature, “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys,” 2003

• Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC): Best New Filmmaker, “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys,” 2002