James Ward Byrkit Explained

James Ward Byrkit (also known as James Byrkit or Jim Byrkit) is an American filmmaker. He is perhaps best known for his many collaborations with director Gore Verbinski. Byrkit was the conceptual consultant and storyboard artist on the first three films of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, having helped create several props and designed some of the most iconic sequences of Gore Verbinski's trilogy. Byrkit also directed Tales of the Code: Wedlocked (2011), a short film and an immediate prequel to (2003).^[1]

Byrkit is also known for directing the science fiction thriller Coherence and co-writing the script for Rango, also directed by Gore Verbinski.^[2] For Rango, Byrkit starred as several characters, most notably Waffles, a horned lizard.

Byrkit's debut feature Coherence earned critical and audience praise^{[3] [4] [5] [6]} and garnered attention for his unconventional approach in the making of the film as "proof that inventive filmmakers can do a lot with a little",^{[7] [8] [9]} and identifying him as a groundbreaking talent.^[10] Since its release, Coherence has become an international sensation and regularly appears on ranking lists of best films.^{[11] [12] [13]}

Byrkit's follow-up project, Shatter Belt, is an episodic series in the tradition of Twilight Zone. Production on the first four episodes was completed in 2022, with the world premiere scheduled for 2023 at the SXSW Film & TV Festival.

Awards

• Breakthrough Director (nominated) at the Gotham Independent Film Awards 2014^[14]
• Next Wave Best Screenplay at the Austin Fantastic Fest for Coherence (2013)^[15]
• Maria Award for Best Screenplay at the Sitges Film Festival for Coherence (2013)
• Carnet Jove Jury Award for Best In Competition at the Sitges Film Festival for Coherence (2013)^[16]
• Black Tulip Award for Best Feature Debut at the Imagine Film Festival for Coherence (2014)
• Imagine Movie Zone Award, Special Mention at the Imagine Film Festival for Coherence (2014)
• Annie Award for Writing in a Feature Production for Rango (2011, won, shared with John Logan and Gore Verbinski)^[17]

Filmography

Short film

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
2005	Yes, and...
	Fractalus
2011	Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code: Wedlocked

Feature film

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
2011	Rango
2013	Coherence
2016	The Forest

Television

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Notes
2001	Stop at Nothing			TV movie
	Special Unit 2			Episode "The Rocks"
2023	Shatter Belt			4 episodes

Video game

Notes and References

1. Web site: Wedlocked. jimbyrkit.com. 2018-04-13.
2. News: Cavna. Michael. As a creative renaissance man, writer-director James Ward Byrkit brings 'RANGO' and 'PIRATES' film to your screen. The Washington Post. 8 June 2014.
3. Web site: The 40 Best Movies of 2014. www.yahoo.com. 2016-06-10.
4. Coherence :: Regie: James Ward Byrkit. 2015-01-09. Rolling Stone. de-DE. 2016-06-10.
5. Web site: Age Gate. Canvas by Grolsch. 2016-06-10.
6. Web site: EIFF 2014: Coherence Review - Film Reviews & Features - Seensome. Adam. www.seensome.com. 2016-06-10.
7. Web site: Coherence Movie Review & Film Summary (2014) Roger Ebert. Seitz. Matt Zoller. www.rogerebert.com. 2016-06-10.
8. Web site: A Super-Spoilery Interview With the Director of 'Coherence,' the Twistiest Movie of the Year. www.yahoo.com. 2016-06-10.
9. Web site: THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF 'COHERENCE' – why this micro budget film is a treat for science fiction movie fans. stubarr70. 2015-01-22. maxrennblog. 2016-06-10.
10. Web site: Best Of 2014: The 20 Breakthrough Directors Of The Year. . 2014-12-02. Indiewire. en-US. 2016-06-10.
11. Web site: 150 Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time - 150 Best Science-Fiction Movies to Watch Now . 2023-01-30 . en-US.
12. Web site: Simmons . Jacob . 2023-01-10 . 10 Best "Everything You Know Is A Lie" Moments In Sci-Fi Movies . 2023-01-30 . WhatCulture.com . en.
13. Web site: Amadi . Grace . 2022-12-28 . 10 Underrated Movies That Had Iconic Plot Twists . 2023-01-30 . Collider . en.
14. Web site: How Gotham Nominee James Ward Byrkit Made 'Coherence' in 5 Days with No Script or Budget. Lattanzio. Ryan. 2014-10-23. Indiewire. en-US. 2016-06-10.
15. Web site: 'Coherence' Trailer Introduces Psychological Puzzle. 6 May 2014 . Bloody Disgusting. 8 June 2014.
16. Web site: Sitges - 46ed. Festival Internacional de Catalunya (11/10 - 20/10). Sitges Film Festival. 8 June 2014. 7 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160307000709/http://sitgesfilmfestival.com/eng/arxiu/2013/palmares#01. dead.
17. News: 'Rango' wins the Annie Award for animated feature. LA Times. 5 February 2012 . 8 June 2014.