Annabel Jankel facts for kids

Annabel Jankel (born 1 June 1955), also known as AJ Jankel, is a British film and TV director. She first became well-known for directing music videos. She also helped create the famous computer character Max Headroom. Annabel Jankel also co-directed the movie Super Mario Bros.. Her brother is musician Chaz Jankel, who was in the band Ian Dury & The Blockheads. Her nephew is DJ and producer Lewis Jankel, known as Shift K3Y.

Early Creative Work

Annabel Jankel started her career in the late 1970s. She co-founded a film company called Cucumber Studios in the UK with Rocky Morton. They focused on making music videos, TV commercials, and TV show openings. They used a mix of live action, animation, and early computer graphics.

During this time, they directed many music videos. Some of these were for bands like Rush and Talking Heads. They also worked with artists like Elvis Costello and Donald Fagen.

In 1985, Jankel and Morton won an Emmy Award. This was for the opening sequence of the TV show Friday Night Videos. That same year, their creative TV commercial for the drink Quatro won an award. It was recognized at the British Television Advertising Awards.

Their 1978 music video for Elvis Costello's "Accidents Will Happen" was very special. In 2003, it was one of only 35 videos chosen for a special exhibition. This exhibition was called "Golden Oldies of Music Video" at the Museum of Modern Art. Their music videos are also kept in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. You can also find them at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

In 1984, Jankel and Morton wrote a book together. It was called Creative Computer Graphics. The book talked about the history of computer graphics. It also looked at what the future might hold for this art form.

Big Successes

Annabel Jankel helped create Max Headroom. This was a popular computer-generated character. Max Headroom became very famous and appeared in many TV shows. He had a big impact on science fiction TV in the 1980s.

Jankel and Morton first created and directed The Max Talking Headroom Show. This show had funny parts, interviews by Max Headroom, and music videos. It was shown on Channel 4 in the UK and HBO in the US. This led to a TV movie called Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future, which they also directed. The TV movie then inspired the ABC Max Headroom TV series in the US.

After Max Headroom became a hit, Jankel and Morton moved to Los Angeles. They directed the film D.O.A. This movie was a remake of an older film from 1949. It starred Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid. Film critics like Roger Ebert praised the movie. He called it "a witty and literate thriller."

After D.O.A., Jankel and Morton directed the film Super Mario Bros.. This movie was based on the video game. It starred Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper. The film showed the Mushroom Kingdom as a dark, post-apocalyptic place. This was very different from the colorful game world.

Many critics did not like the film. On Rotten Tomatoes, only 29% of critics gave it good reviews. The website said the film was "too light on story and substance." Film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave the film two thumbs down. They even put it on their list of the worst films of 1993. However, Hal Hinson of The Washington Post gave it a positive review. He praised the film's energy and called it "a blast."

Later Career

Annabel Jankel became a director for TV commercials. She worked for big companies like Sealy, Coca-Cola, and Hallmark. She won many awards for her advertising work. Her "Kiss" commercial for Hallmark won several top awards. These included "World’s Best-Humor Commercial" and "Best Directed Commercial." She also won a Gold Award for "Best TV Commercial Campaign."

In 2006, Jankel directed a 24-episode TV series. It was called Live from Abbey Road. This show was seen on Channel 4 in the UK and on the Sundance Channel in the US. She worked with over 72 major music artists on the show. Some of these artists included Paul Simon, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Norah Jones.

Jankel also directed the 2009 film Skellig. This movie was based on a popular novel by David Almond. It was a feature-length production for television. The film starred Tim Roth in the main role.

In 2011, Jankel directed a 52-minute 3D show called "Live on Air." It featured the band Elbow. The show captured them rehearsing and performing at the O2 center.

See also

• List of female film and television directors