Filmmaking

• 
  Filmmaker Magazine

• BEIJING TAXI: THE METER IS RUNNING

  Scott Macaulay

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:28 pm

  Filmmaker Miao Wang, a Beijing native now based in Brooklyn, is currently racing to finish her feature doc Beijing Taxi in time for SXSW, where it's scheduled to world premiere. She needs to raise $11,000 to cover post-production expenses and is just under half way there with five days left to go at Kickstarter. From the Kickstarter page: BEIJING TAXI is a feature length documentary that vividly portrays Beijing undergoing a profound transformational arch. Through a humanistic lens, the intimate lives of three taxi drivers connect a morphing city confronted with modern issues and changing…

• A DIFFERENT KIND OF CLIP REEL

  Scott Macaulay

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:02 pm

  Most movie-moment montages work an A-B-A structure in which "A" is sentimental uplift. This montage by Paul Proulx goes for something different. (Hat tip: Anne Thompson.) the films of the 2000s from Paul Proulx on Vimeo.

• DAVID LYNCH ON MAKING A GOOD MOVIE

  Scott Macaulay

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:35 pm

• HOW COOL IS INDIE FILM?

  Scott Macaulay

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:03 am

  Indie film champions are often fond of comparing what we do to indie music. If bands can tour, why can't we? If bands can sell merch, then we should too. If recording artists can form boutique labels, then why can't film distributors? Like, for example, Oscilloscope, the film label of Beastie Boy Adam Yauch. At Flavorwire, Judy Berman takes this assumption to task in a piece called "Why is Indie Film Dying While Indie Music Thrives?" She bases her assessment of indie film's slow-motion death on Edward Jay Epstein's "Can Indie Movies Survive?", which I found to be a pretty reductive piece. The…

• PAOLA MENDOZA ON BIG ART, LITTLE DEBT

  Scott Macaulay

  7 Feb 2010 | 6:40 am

  In the new issue of Filmmaker, Esther Robinson penned "The Big Art/Little Debt Plan," which discusses the relation of filmmakers to risk, their films, and their money. She reached out to several filmmakers by email, and their responses helped shape her article. We are running several of the responses Esther received here on the blog. Below is the one from Paola Mendoza, director of Entre Nos. What strategies did you employ to stay no/low debt during your production? My strategy was pretty simple: I refused to go into debt. While making art is the essence of who I am, I cannot make art at the…

• 
  The Wrap

• A Kentucky Station's Awesome Tribute to 'Press Your Luck' (video)

  Adalian

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:35 pm

  By Josef Adalian MoJoe loves game shows. MoJoe really likes "Press Your Luck." And apparently, so do the promo-meisters at WKYT, the CBS affiliate in Lexington, Kentucky. They aired a brilliant spot right before and after Sunday's Super Bowl that used the classic CBS quiz show to tout the station's mega doppler radar. It's quite awesome, and proof that there's plenty of talented folks toiling at stations across the country just ready to get the call to head to Hollywood or New York. CBS marketing chief George Schweitzer, take note! And by the way, since we're doing open memos ...

• Craig Ferguson's Cheeky Twitter Debut

  Adalian

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:14 pm

  By Josef Adalian Craig Ferguson is now on Twitter -- and he's just as cheeky online as he is on-air. "Can I say fuck on this thing?" the CBS "Late Late Show" host tweeted Monday evening around 9:45 p.m., less than 12 hours after first signing on to the mircoblogging service. Then, two minutes later: "Oh this is too awesome. Fuckity fuckity heck. (don't want to go too far)." Among the early highlights of the feed from @craigyferg (whose authenticity was confirmed by a CBS pr rep): -- "I follow no one. Except Dave I suppose. Or the local news. Or ...

• Seinfeld Sells Wedding Date for 'Marriage Ref' (video)

  Adalian

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:42 pm

  By Josef Adalian NBC has been giving its new Jerry Seinfeld - produced reality comedy "The Marriage Ref" a big - time sales offensive, even taking to movie theaters to promote the show. It's not unusual for networks, especially those of the cable variety, to tout their wares via pre-show featurettes now common at many big multiplexes. But in most cases, the show's being super-hyped are of the scripted variety. But "Marriage" has Seinfeld. On Thursday nights. No wonder, then, that NBC is sparing no coin in getting the word out about his series, which debuts March 4 right…

• NBC Turns Up the Hype for 'Minute' (video)

  Adalian

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:31 pm

  By Josef Adalian NBC has started promoting its new game show "Minute to Win It," the post-Olympics competition hosted by Food Network's Guy Fieri. Premiering Sunday, March 14 at 8 p.m., the series (originally titled "Perfect 10")  has regular folks trying to complete seemingly simple tasks involving household items. It's similar in some ways to "The Cube," a UK series being developed by CBS. But NBC's show seems to have a much lighter, comedic and family-friendly tone to it. At least that's our take after watching an extended promo reel and the two promos…

• 'Dear John' Had Last-Minute Ending Change of Heart

  Sharon Waxman

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:24 pm

  By Sharon WaxmanEXCLUSIVE "Dear John,” the surprise hit romance that opened over the weekend, might not have been as big a hit if it had the original ending. In a real-life twist, the movie until three weeks before its release featured an ending that was much more downbeat than the one that played in theaters this past weekend, according to executives who worked on the film. Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, the movie is about young soldier John (Channing Tatum) who...

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  indieWIRE

• cinemadaily | Zinn's "People Speak"

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:39 am

  "Proudly, unabashedly radical, with a mop of white hair and bushy eyebrows and an impish smile, Mr. Zinn, who retired from the history faculty at Boston University two decades ago, delighted in debating ideological foes, not the least his own college president, and in lancing what he considered platitudes, not the least that American history was a heroic march toward democracy." reads the two-week old New York Times obituary for legendary ...

• "Life and Death"'s U.S. Release Delayed

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:19 am

  It has been a controversial path to theatrical release for Lu Chaun's "City of Life and Death." The film - which National Geographic picked up just prior to its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival - had been scheduled to make its theatrical debut at New York City's Film Forum on March 31, 2010. But late last week, the Film Forum announced the engagement had been cancelled, explaining that ...

• True/False Fest Announces Impressive Lineup of Docs

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:56 pm

  Fresh off the heels of Sundance, the 2010 True/False Film Festival opens Thursday, February 25, 2010 in Columbia, MO, loaded with an impressive number of sneak previews and recently debuted documentaries, including two Sundance favorites, US Documentary Grand Jury Prize winner "Restrepo," chronicling a year in Afghanistan's deadliest valley, with co-director Tim Hetherington, and US Documentary Special Jury Prize winner "GasLand," Josh Fox's natural gas expose of "a rapacious industry before ...

• Martina Egi Ventures into the Sahara in "Barefoot to Timbuktu"

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:13 am

  Martina Egi's debut documentary "Barefoot to Timbuktu" tells the story of Ernst Aebi, a Swiss-American artist, who in the 1980s set out on a journey in the Sahara where he stumbled upon Araouane, a historical settlement in the desert, where he settled and strove to improve living conditions for the people there before being forced to leave when war broke out in Mali in the early 90s. The film chronicles Aebi's ...

• cinemadaily | Bad Girls

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:14 am

  "This week Sony is releasing 'Bad Girls of Film Noir,' a two-volume collection that contains eight little-known titles from the Columbia Pictures archive," reports Dave Kehr in the New York Times. "As it turns out, not all of the girls in this set are bad, and not all the films noir. But given the barriers to bringing older films to market at a time when DVD sales are diminishing, it would ...

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  A Moon Brothers Film...

• Photos of a Funeral

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:18 am

  Film: Under Jakob's LadderName: Len CardinaleRole: Stills PhotographerQ: How did you find out about this movie?A: Actually my daughter had heard about the production and I simply followed along with my camera in hopes of capturing a few shots of her during the audition. One thing lead to another and I was asked if I would do some of the still photography.Q: You took the stills on the day that the funeral was shot. Did you find any special challenges in taking photos on the film shoot?A: Not really. The staff and all the extras were very accommodating and that made the shoot really easy. I…

• Shooting Photos on Set

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:04 am

  Film: Under Jakob's LadderName: Thomas VaillancourtRole: Stills Photographer Q: As a photographer, what does photography mean to you?A: Photography is one of my most creative outlets. I think most people have a deep need to create, and that creative need is often frustrated with the everyday requirements of modern life. I try to set aside time to do those creative things.Q: Are there any special challenges you found with taking photos on a film shoot?A: If there was a ‘pecking order’ on the set, I was at the bottom. I had to be behind all the cast and crew, and they kept shifting around.

• Creating a Storyboard

  1 Feb 2010 | 5:51 pm

  Film: Under Jakob's LadderName: Lizzie HupceyRole: Storyboard ArtistQ: How would you describe a storyboard?A: A storyboard is a sequence of drawings that show the main actions in a scene, along with the camera's position and movements.Q: Under Jakob's Ladder is set around the time of World War II. Is there anything special that you do when storyboarding for a historical movie?A: The clothes, the props, and in particular the car, had to be the right period. I was given reference pictures to work with. Some were historical photos, movie stills, or photographs of the actual items being used.

• Getting Film Updates...

  28 Jan 2010 | 12:47 pm

  Okay, JAKOB Fans!We're currently switching over to a new delivery system for our film updates... And if you're already on our email list to receive all the latest news about Under Jakob's Ladder, we don't want you to get lost in the shuffle!So... If you haven't done made the switch already, it's pretty easy. All you have to do is complete a two-step process for staying on our list. (Or joining our list if you're not on it already.)Step One: Simply type in your email address in the box below and click subscribe...Enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner(If you don't see the box,…

• Ideas for a Tagline

  25 Jan 2010 | 8:52 am

  Here is one of our poster ideas for our film, Under Jakob's Ladder. And if you look closely, you'll see there is no tagline... At least not yet.After our previous blog post, a few of you sent in some tagline ideas. We've added them to our list of possibilities. But we thought it might help if you actually saw the photo we're thinking of using on the poster. What tagline would make YOU want to see this movie?Got any ideas?

• 
  Topix: Film-making

• Matt Damon and Kate Winslet tipped for Steven Soderbergh thriller

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:28 am

  Steven Soderbergh is reportedly assembling a cast of stars including Matt Damon for an action thriller about a deadly disease Matt Damon in his last outing for Steven Soderbergh, 2009's The Informant! The Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh is assembling an all-star cast for his next film, an action thriller about a deadly disease, according ...

• Hundreds join campaign for statue in Leicester to honour Sir David

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:05 am

  A campaign has been launched for a city centre statue of Sir David Attenborough.

• Money talks: Utah draws production of a major film

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:31 am

  The strange geology of Arches National Park helped Walt Disney Studios decide on Moab as a site for filming "A Princess of Mars," based on a science- fiction story written in 1912.

• Berlinale's forum celebrates 40 years of new cinema - Feature

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:52 pm

  This week's Berlin Film Festival has two reasons for celebration: Not only is it the Berlinale's 60th birthday, but it is also the 40th anniversary of the festival's forum section showcasing new cinema.

• Portrait of the artist: Daryl Hannah, actor

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:47 pm

  'When I was a child, I looked up an agent in the Yellow Pages, called from the school payphone a ' and signed on' Monday, 08 February 2010 What got you started as an actor? I was a strange, antisocial child.

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  Yahoo! News: Film-making

• Karan Johar: Director’s Dilemma! (Entertainment and Showbiz!)

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:23 am

  Ask one of the top most directors of our country what problems he has and you are bound to get surprised with the kind of response you get. According to reports, this top director called Karan Johar has accepted the fact that there is a constant pressure on people like him to churn out the [...] SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Karan Johar: Director’s Dilemma!", url: "http://www ...

• Ajay Devgn - The new King of Comedy (Glamsham.com)

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:28 am

  Think about comedy flicks and the first name that comes to your mind is Ajay Devgn. The talented actor who started his career with the superhit PHOOL AUR KAANTE was best known for his action movies for a long time. But, action is certainly not what he seems to be doing these days. The two-time National Award winner has now become the King of comedy, with his recent hattrick of GOLMAAL, GOLMAAL ...

• Money talks: Utah draws production of a major film (Denver Post)

  9 Feb 2010 | 12:20 am

  Thanks to a century-old sci-fi novel and a modern-day rebate, Utah is looking forward to an out-of-this-world economic boost of $60 million and about 400 temporary jobs this spring.

• Berlinale's forum celebrates 40 years of new cinema - Feature (EARTHtimes.org)

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:18 pm

  Berlin - This week's Berlin Film Festival has two reasons for celebration: Not only is it the Berlinale's 60th birthday, but it is also the 40th anniversary of the festival's forum section showcasing new cinema. F...

• Around the Tri-State Area this weekend (Keokuk Daily Gate City)

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:48 am

  Fairfield 1st Fridays Art Walk sixth annual Film Expo will recognize and honor film making Friday through Sunday. The Film Expo will feature more than 45 feature, documentary, shorts, super shorts and youth/student and sustainability films at various venues throughout Fairfield.

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  Indy Mogul

• Movie Buzz 206: Superbowl Ads, George Lucas, Cop Out & More!

  Indy Mogul

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:16 am

  The Last Airbender (Super Bowl):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT2UbiEwKRQRobin Hood (Super Bowl):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwcfegNqqAYShutter Island (Super Bowl):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84lzb4OwtJMAvatar DVD:http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i9ee4b481143e87d7b5b3b1e5a69864a9Enchanted 2:http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118014677.html?categoryid=13&cs=1The People VS George Lucas:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hAkwcHEAo8A.D.:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_MG8R7pjiw'Cop Out' Red Band…

• 'Dear John' Movie Review

  Indy Mogul

  5 Feb 2010 | 4:47 pm

  Can Nicholas Sparks’ latest book to screen top his classic, The Notebook?  Host Grace Randolph finds out if audiences if Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried have chemistry!

• 'From Paris With Love' Movie Review

  Indy Mogul

  5 Feb 2010 | 2:28 pm

  John Travolta fights terrorists in France! Seriously! Host Grace Randolph finds out what audiences think of this old fashioned action movie!

• Bobby Miller Sundance 2010 TUB Video Diary

  Indy Mogul

  4 Feb 2010 | 7:28 am

  In this week's very special episode, Bobby Miller takes you behind the scenes of his time at the Sundance Film Festival 2010.   Watch him answer Q&A from the crowd about his short film TUB, party, and of course: have brunch with Robert Redford.More "TUB" at:  http://www.TubMovie.comFollow "TUB" at:  http://www.twitter.com/TubMovieFriend "TUB" at: http://www.facebook.com/TubMovieIndy Mogul on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/indymogulBobby Miller on twitter - http://www.twitter.com/bobbymillerFacebook Fan Page:  http://www.indymogul.com/RGSFanSubmit:  http://www.indymogul.com/submit

• Movie Buzz 205: The Losers, Oscars, Green Lantern & More!

  Indy Mogul

  3 Feb 2010 | 5:46 am

  The Losers:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHvzsFSdxqkShe's Out Of My League:http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/shes-out-of-my-league/red-band-trailerGreen Lantern Concept Art:http://io9.com/5461089/green-lanterns-new-concept-art-has-blue-aliens-were-actually-scared-of/gallery/Ong Bak 3:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KktXsK8PjR4Clash Of The Titans:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZkD0B_X3QoRazzies (Left of the page has other categories):http://www.razzies.com/history/09nomPICT.aspOscar Nominations:http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nomineesAvatar Review Part…

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  Fest21.com: Editor's Blog

• DocPoint draws an audience of nearly 30 000 in Helsinki

  Editor

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:28 am

  Finnish films filled theatres to the brim The 9th DocPoint - Helsinki Documentary Film Festival closed on Sunday 31st, its films and events drawing an audience of 27,000, of which 22,000 in the theaters alone. The first ever DocPoint Tallinn was also a success with its 2100 visitors. What attracted the visitors of DocPoint Helsinki most were the premier screenings of Finnish documentary films.   The opening film, Joonas Berghäll's and Mika Hotakainen's Steam of Life, filled the 700-seater Bio Rex with documentary fans. Afterwards the film that has already become a phenomenon, received a…

• Spanish film Yo, Tambien, audience award in Rotterdam

  Editor

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:32 am

  On Saturday evening, 6 February, the audience awards were announced in the Grand Auditorium of the Doelen in Rotterdam. The IFFR 2010 Audience Award of € 7,500 went to Spanish film Yo, Tambien by Alvaro Pastor & Antonio Naharro. The Dioraphte Award for Hubert Bals Fund film held in highest regard went to the film Soul Boy by the Kenyan film maker Hawa Essuman, produced by Tom Tykwer. The IFFR counted 353,000 visitors to the films, exhibitions, live shows and events, including the 8,000 film lovers who attend the fully booked Volkskrant day on Sunday 7 February. The 40th International…

• Smogdance wrapped

  Editor

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:09 am

  The 2010 festival was hands down the best year yet with respect to quality and content, and a wonderful way to end my eight-year directorship of Smogdance. Over 450 patrons were gifted with an eclectic mix of Drama, Documentaries, Comedy, and Animation. Special appreciation is extended to Marlene Dermer of the LA Latino International Film Festival as she coordinated the provision of 3 feature-length festival winners and a night of short films: Anita (Winner Best Film and Audience Award) Cinco Dias Sin Nora (Winner Opera Prima and Best Director) MORENITA (Winner Best Screenplay) Many thanks to…

• NYIIFVF LA Festival: highlights of the next edition...you are invited

  Editor

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:55 am

  THE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL RETURNS TO LOS ANGELES FOR 8 DAYS OF SCREENINGS, PREMIERES, PARTIES, PANELS AND AWARDS CEREMONY Next edition will feature the talents of Danny Trejo; Taryn Manning (Hustle & Flow); Eric Roberts; Hal Ozsan (Kyle XY, Dawson's Creek, Californication); Roland Kickinger (Terminator Salvation);Dee Wallace (ET); Steven Bauer (Scarface, Traffic); Rudolf Martin (Swordfish, Mad Men); Jim Beaver (Deadwood, Supernatural); Glenn Plummer (ER, Showgirls); Garry Pastore; Vincent Pastore; Al Sapienza (The Sopranos); Robert Funaro (The…

• Goteborg wrappped with Dragon Awards and a fun fest Closing Party – 'Efterfest' – At Storan

  Editor

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:39 am

  OFFICIAL SECTION: NORDIC FILM AWARD Eight new feature films battled it out in the festival's Nordic Competition. The Nordic Film Award consists of SEK 100 000 from Region Västra Götaland. Jury: Johan Jonason, director, Sweden, Erlend Loe, author, Norway, Ásdís Thoroddsen, director, Iceland, Kirsi Tykkyläinen, Export Manager, Finland and Vibeke Windeløv, producer, Denmark. NOMINEES > Winner 2010: "R" THE INGMAR BERGMAN INTERNATIONAL DEBUT AWARD Will be awarded for the fourth time during the festival. An international jury selects the winner from eight nominated first or…

• 
  Fest21.com: Blog

• Add icon to your profile

  fest21

  21 Jan 2010 | 5:35 am

  The majority of you have opted for our default icon or do not realize that you can upload a photo Logo or poster or other image to your profile that will appear in the Directory and on homepage active members. To upload a photo/image or choose an icon, simply visit Profile Update link and select Upload Picture

• Search film festivals by genre, theme and format

  fest21

  6 Jan 2010 | 1:50 am

  You can now search film festivals by genre, theme, category and format on our international film festival directory. Click here to register your film in the film database (free registration and promotion) Click here to register your festival for free in the Festival Directory, join 4.000 festivals. Take a moment to review our free film submission manager FestivalExpress. The Festival and Filmmaker back-office allows you to submit and manage film entries online.

• Save and share your fest21's favourite articles

  fest21

  29 Dec 2009 | 1:54 am

  You can now easily save fest21's articles on Delicious, Stumbleupon, or share it on Twitter, Facebook and many  more sites with "Share" button from "Add this" just below each article. Enjoy!

• Film festivals in Morocco

  fest21

  12 Nov 2009 | 2:49 am

  Are you looking for film festivals in Morocco? Use our country festival search engine to search by Call for entry, Date and Submission Fee. http://www.fest21.com/en/festivals?filter0=&filter1=&filter2=Morocco&fil... You can also search festivals accepting film submission on fest21.com If your festival is not yet listed in our festivals directory, please click here.

• Film festivals in Netherlands

  fest21

  12 Nov 2009 | 2:48 am

  Are you looking for film festivals in Netherlands? Use our country festival search engine to search by Call for entry, Date and Submission Fee. http://www.fest21.com/en/festivals?filter0=&filter1=&filter2=Netherlands... You can also search festivals accepting film submission on fest21.com If your festival is not yet listed in our festivals directory, please click here.

• 
  DVXuser Online Community

• FS: Sound Devices 302 Mixer & Access.

  Cameron Trejo

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:37 am

  For Sale: Like new Sound Devices 302 Mixer - Petrol Case - and Sound Devices Breakout Cable . . . . . . $699 Mic or Line Level Input and Output +48V, +12V and +12V-T Phantom Channels 1 and 2 are Stereo Linkable Low-cut Filter Switches Powered by 3 AA Batteries That is almost a quarter of the price you'll pay for the kit. In LIKE NEW condition. Email me at cameron@camerontrejofilms.com.

• iMovie rearranging audio files to iDVD

  Xerolux

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:09 am

  I have a project that I needed to put together quickly and decided to use iMovie and iDVD for a quickie. The movie plays perfectly in iMovie but when I "share" to iDVD, one of the audio files gets a second audio "layer" from another scene. When the scene is played in iDVD, it has two audio tracks layered. I have tried this several times with the same result on the same clip, but with different audio from other scenes. Any help? iMovie 9 and the latest iDVD on Snow Leopard, Macbook Pro. Also, why does iMovie look noisy (artifacts and a clipping of the blacks) in the black…

• Vimeo contest entry

  bumkicho

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:08 am

  Here is my video entry for The Story Beyond the Still vimeo contest. First time ever to work with script, acting, and story line. I have learned a great deal of the importance of pro-production preparation. Not everything went smoothly and not everything turned out great. But we all had fun. I had a blast getting this video ready. If you have not yet, you still have a couple days to submit one. Hope to see many entries done with GH1.

• Avc-intra to Premiere to After Effects on PC

  WesTheYeti

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:01 am

  I have a wad of green screen footage that I need to work on in After Effects. All the mac guys are saying transcode it to Prores HD but what do you do with a windows PC? What Codec should I export it out using the latest Premiere??

• HPX 170 - samples of achromat footage?

  Butcher

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:54 am

  I have the HPX170 and would love to see some examples of footage with an HD achromat on it. If I understand it right, you can get great macro shots with it, but I can't seem to find any examples on the web. I shoot a lot of jewelry and being able to get extreme close ups would be very beneficial, so if anyone had an achromat and the 170 (or 200 or 200a), can you shoot something with it (preferably some jewelry) and send me a sample video/still or post it here? Eventually I'd like to get a 35mm adapter but it will be a tough sell to the boss, but I know I can get them to buy the achromat if we…

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  Motion Served

• Plugin test - Trapcode Form

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:15 am

• Food For Thought

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:15 pm

• SANTAMAN - Animated short film

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:15 pm

  So you think You know all about good old Santa? Think again!!! The truth will be revealed, now it’s time for Santaman! The whole world claims to know him, but only few people have actually ever seen him �" and even fewer would admit this! It turns out the time-honoured gentleman with his big bushy beard is actually a punchy superhero �" talk about “Silent Night”! Under the red hood we find a grim patron saint, who takes on the baddies of this world. The hour of Santaman has come!

• Balls

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:15 am

• KOPEK (music video)

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:15 pm

  A lonesome character loses his mind

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  Projector Films

• Games: Getting work

  6 Feb 2010 | 3:29 am

  Okay, so you're looking at the sources of games writing work and you've thought about the skills you have and what you need to develop.But what do you actually do to apply?Here are my three tips.One: Know your job terms.This is a potential nightmare. Not all jobs for writers say 'writer' or 'scriptwriter'. Worse still, I can't even tell you what the adverts may say instead. In film and TV we have more than our fair share of crazy job titles (Best Boy etc), but at least these are standard across the biz. There is no such uniformity or consistency in games. My current title is "Senior Creative…

• Games: Finding work

  2 Feb 2010 | 5:05 am

  Everyone loves a list, so here is a list of online resources to find work as a writer in games...These are recruitment companies that specialise in the field.Games RecruitOPMInteractive Selection - who found me my current position.These websites collect together jobs from elsewhere so you can search more easily.Games Job BoardEdge Magazine OnlineGames Industry.BizGamasutraHere are just a few of the UK based games companies where you can apply directly.RockstarBlitzSumoBizarre CreationsKujuCodemastersBlack Rock Studios (Disney)EA (Electronic Arts)Realtime Worlds - where I am now.Sidelines is…

• Games: Resources

  30 Jan 2010 | 12:24 pm

  Following on from my recent post on writing for games here is a list of a few online resources that I use during the day - not including wikipedia obviously as that is a given!The challenge during a working day is to keep on pumping ideas into the brain as well as to find new words, new phrases and to check your text-based work for spelling errors.Thesaurus - because your brain just freezes up when you write a lot of similar material continously.Urban Dictionary - because the MS Word dictionary don't do slang dawg.Digg - because it is news, as chosen by nerds.Lastly, I tend to watch clips…

• Mr Vista is a millionaire

  27 Jan 2010 | 1:01 pm

  Just a quick note to say that Mr Vista has now exceeded 1 million views on Dailymotion alone. YouTube is going well also. We were on www.youtube.com/itsmrvista but they kicked off whoever was on www.youtube.com/mrvista so we could have that too!One of my faves...

• 50 best blogs for movie makers

  26 Jan 2010 | 5:33 am

  This blog has been deemed to be one of the top 50 for filmmakers - by Moviemaker Magazine.Check out the full list for some other great blogs too.Ironically, more on games soon!

• 
  Making The Movie

• Why are there so many movie ads during the Superbowl?

  J. Ott

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:11 am

  Supposedly the trend started in 1996, when Independence Day successfully used the Superbowl as a springboard.Cinematical has a rundown of which movies played this year, and which ones played last year. Some had more springboard success than others:It's interesting to look at last year's spots, because some of the films advertised, specifically Year One and Land of the Lost were big

• Sound for DSLRs

  J. Ott

  7 Feb 2010 | 8:59 am

  I know a couple of people who are going to start shooting web series with the Canon 7D and the Canon 5Dmk II and I've been talking to them about sound. One of the big questions when shooting with these cameras is what to do about sound, since neither of them are really built to do great sound like they are built to do great video.Of course, DSLR champion Philip Bloom has already considered

• Best Movie Posters of 2009

  J. Ott

  6 Feb 2010 | 8:32 am

  The Limits of Control, Objectified, Where the Wild Things Are... Some good choices from The Auteurs.[via @TedHope]

• Stull on DVD: Buy it Now!

  J. Ott

  3 Feb 2010 | 7:45 am

  Great news! The nearly three-year process of making the short film "Stull" is finally coming to a big finish. The e-store to purchase a DVD just went live. Check it out!I realize the current price is a bit steep for just a short film so 1) I've done my best to lard up the disc with 30+ minutes of bonus features and, 2) I'm limited in how much I can discount it under Amazon CreateSpace's

• Academy Award Nominations 2010

  J. Ott

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:11 am

  They're here! Some news outlets are going with the narrative that Avatar didn't get as many nominations as Titanic. (The Hurt Locker tied Avatar with 9 noms.) Others are noting the surprise of District 9 getting nominated for Best Picture.I, for one, hoped that Inglourious Basterds and Up would get nominated, but doubted they would. The Academy has proved me wrong. Of course, there's still

• 
  Kino-Eye.com

• 20th Annual Pro Video Show

  David Tames

  7 Feb 2010 | 11:24 am

  If you live in or around the Boston area, it’s time to make plans to attend the 20th Annual Pro Video Show, brought to you by The Camera Company, which will take place March 12-13, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Dedham, Massachusetts. Admission to the show is free. Vendors showing gear at the [...] Visit the Kino-Eye.com web site for the full article and more.

• Transcriva 2

  David Tames

  13 Jan 2010 | 3:43 pm

  Back in August of 2005 I wrote a post, Transcriva makes transcribing (almost) fun, in which I reviewed the first version of Transcriva from Bartas Technologies, a delightful Macintosh application I’ve been using since then for transcribing audio and video interviews. Last year Bartas released the long awaited Transcriva 2 upgrade ($29.99 per license, free [...] Visit the Kino-Eye.com web site for the full article and more.

• Will the Internet remain in the hands of the people?

  David Tames

  12 Jan 2010 | 9:23 pm

  The struggle for Net Neutrality has reached a critical moment. The FCC Chairman has called for new Net Neutrality rules, and he is being supported by President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and many congressional leaders. Will the Internet remain in the hands of the people? Or will a few phone and cable companies decide which Web [...] Visit the Kino-Eye.com web site for the full article and more.

• A one-case lighting kit ready for travel

  David Tames

  8 Jan 2010 | 9:53 am

  I’m often asked by students, “what’s a good light kit for starting out” and I find it a very hard question to answer, because it really depends on what you want to do. There really is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all lighting kit. I find that most of the commercially available light kits I’ve [...] Visit the Kino-Eye.com web site for the full article and more.

• Notables of the Noughties: 35 documentary films, 2000-2009

  David Tames

  4 Jan 2010 | 12:13 am

  It’s a special time that comes around every ten years in which we take a moment to reflect back on the past decade and make our “favorite” and “best-of” lists. It was a good decade for documentary films, here’s my own idiosyncratic list of thirty five notable documentaries released between 2000 and 2009 (in [...] Visit the Kino-Eye.com web site for the full article and more.

• 
  Film Directing Tips

• Floating in the Digital Experience

  Peter D. Marshall

  9 Feb 2010 | 4:45 am

  This article was written by Manohla Dargis. “How much our world of moving-image entertainment has changed in the past decade! We now live in a world of the 24-Hour Movie, one that plays anytime and anywhere you want (and sometimes whether you want it to or not). It’s a movie we can access at home by pressing a few buttons on the remote (and agreeing to pay more for it than you might at the local video store) or with a few clicks of the mouse. The 24-Hour Movie now streams instead of unspools, filling our screens with images that, more and more, have been created algorithmically rather…

• Watch out Avatar: These movies have stood the test of time

  Peter D. Marshall

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:44 am

  This article was written by David Theis. “Time and technology march on. About 100 years ago, the movies came along to kill the novel, the theater, the opera and almost every other art form besides popular music, which itself killed the symphony. So now it’s time for the cinema’s dirt nap. The movies are dead—long live the tweet. By dead, of course, I really mean completely fractured. Good and great films are still produced, but mostly outside the United States (I just Googled “death of American independent film” and got more than 21 million hits.) The major studios have shed…

• How Do You Get Your Indie Film Listed on ITunes

  Peter D. Marshall

  7 Feb 2010 | 5:43 am

  This article was written by Angelo Bell. That question has come up a lot lately on Twitteramong indie filmmakers enduring the plight of self distribution. I decided to do some quick research on the matter and figure out for myself how one might go about getting their film on iTunes. I know the filmmakers of Inkdid it, but then again their film has a huge following and has been around for a few years. I wondered if the little known indie filmmaker, with the little known film has the same access to iTunes that a more well-known film has.The sad fact is, Apple and iTunes has little to no…

• Minister of Information Is Ill-informed About Nollywood

  Peter D. Marshall

  6 Feb 2010 | 5:42 am

  This article is from NGR Guardian News. VICTOR Okhai is an independent producer and one of the few intellectuals in Nollywood, who feels saddened with the failings of the movie industry. Yet he maintains a positive posture with the belief that Nollywood will soon get out its dark tunnel with the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers. However, he is embittered that government agencies saddled with keeping the industry alive have turned out its greatest enemy as they roll out unworkable and self-serving theories while ignoring the real problems of the industry. But to cap it all, a recent…

• Film vs. Digital Cameras – a Comparison in Filmmaking

  Peter D. Marshall

  5 Feb 2010 | 5:42 am

  This article was written by Ron King. “When I was a child my dad got a supper eight camera and shot our family movies. The family would sit at night, in the living room, while my dad put up the projector that screened our home movies. The quality of the films was poor and the audio sounded as if it came from far far away. Nostalgic as it may appear to some of us, there is not much to miss by the loss of the film format.” Read the rest of this article from Cameras Lover. The Ten Commandments of Filmmaking How to Work (and Survive) in the Film and Television Industry by Peter D.

• 
  Cinema Advanced: Filmmaking Tips

• Do you want your video to look like film?

  I'm sure you've been poking about on the internet and come across many differnent forums.  Have you noticed that everyone is talking about this mysterious thing called "film look"?  I'm sure you have. The way people talk about it, it seems like making your video look like film is the holy ...

• Don’t let lack of experience stop you from achieving your goals

  Just like everything else in life worth doing, there is a steep learning curve to becoming a great film maker.  This is true whether or not you are trying to break in using the traditional route or the entrepreneurial route. The traditional route is to start out as a production ...

• 30 seconds to a successful film: How to make a compelling movie trailer

  The other day I wrote about The 9 things you need to do if you really want to be a film maker. The very last item, Making a Bad Ass Trailer, may be most important item on the list.  In fact, despite my continuing mantra of finish the film that ...

• Cinema Advanced now on Twitter

  Want another easy way to keep up with all the new stuff here at Cinema Advanced?  Follow me on twitter

• Looking for an easy way to make a successful horror film franchise? Why not try a ‘mask’ movie.

  Have you ever noticed the one thing that all of the biggest horror movie franchises have in common?  I'm talking about the big ones:  Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm street, and so on. It just so happens that this weekend we shot our first episode of killerfilm tv.  In ...

• 
  Bringing Brands to Life!

• Strategic Incubator Interviews Me

  Thomas R. Clifford

  31 Jan 2010 | 4:58 pm

  I recently had a fun and interesting interview with Matthew Ray Scott, Managing Director of The Strategic Incubator, about using documentary storytelling for businesses. The interview is 43 minutes long and takes a different angle (no pun intended!) than previous interviews I've given. Here are a few things we covered: How I discovered filmmaking from a busted rock 'n' roll dream. What is the most important thing about creating believable video stories? What is the greatest challenge facing companies in sharing their marketing stories? How has social media changed how companies share their…

• What is Our Company’s Purpose? The R-O-I Method

  Thomas R. Clifford

  27 Jan 2010 | 6:05 am

  Have you read Daniel Pink’s new book, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us?” If you haven’t picked it up yet, don’t wait too long; this book will forever change how you think about motivating individuals (hint: it’s usually not carrots and sticks). Pink definitely motivated me to rethink how organizations might use multimedia in ways beyond traditional corporate communication methods. Let’s look at one idea from the book and adapt it for our purposes. Closing the gap One of the exercises included at the end of Pink’s book is…

• Tom's SpeedLink #16

  Thomas R. Clifford

  26 Jan 2010 | 5:23 am

  Enjoy today's roundup... 1. In between frames Absolutely brilliant little riff from Seth Godin. "Consumers are too smart for the frames. It's the in-between frame stuff that matters. And yet marketers spend 103% of our time on the frames." 2. Why write a book? And speaking of Seth, his new book, Linchpin, launches today. I finished my advance copy yesterday and it's Seth's finest, IMHO. 3. The basic principles of nonverbal communication -1 Communications master Nick Morgan has a great series on nonverbal communications. 4. 10 Documentaries to look out for in 2010 The Documentary Blog has a…

• Impersonal Communications: 7 Costly Glitches

  Thomas R. Clifford

  20 Jan 2010 | 6:13 am

  1. They can appear unbelievable. 2. They can feel distant. 3. They can feel unemotional. 4. They can appear uncaring. 5. They can feel meaningless. 6. They can appear wasteful. 7. They can feel uninspiring. Why not consider humanizing communications so it connects us to something beyond ourselves? Something to think about. --Tom P.S. Inspired by Daniel Pink's new book "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us."

• Engagement in 4 Minutes

  Thomas R. Clifford

  14 Jan 2010 | 6:56 pm

  The narrative "sweet spot." --Tom P.S. Inspired by Indexed.

• 
  IFC.com

• Watching movies from inside books.

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:20 am

  Don DeLillo's new novel "Point Omega" is narrated by a documentarian and begins and ends with a description of Douglas Gordon's "24 Hour Psycho," a 2006 MoMA installation in which Hitchcock's film was slowed down to stretch over a day and night. Maybe that's why everyone writing about the book seems more focused on DeLillo's obsession with movies than with how it ranks in his canon. At the New York Times, Geoff Dyer, who knows more than most about art criticism (check out his own recent novel "Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi," set during the 2006 Venice Biennale) sees DeLillo's take on "24…

• Watching your younger self on screen.

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:38 am

  In an interview with the Independent, Shirley MacLaine reveals what might possibly be the only interesting thing about the big, bloated "Valentine's Day" monster coming our way. During an argument with her husband (played by director Garry Marshall's good-luck charm Hector Elizondo), the 1958 film "Hot Spell" screens in the background -- representing the couple's on-screen marriage, sure, but also showing us how much/little MacLaine's changed in fiftysomething years of acting. It's an effect that's not nearly as common as you'd suspect -- using the camera to show us icons changing and aging…

• Kevin Smith's next movie might land you in the "Red."

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:37 am

  Kevin Smith's first studio-backed comedy "Cop Out" (there's a red band trailer here), hasn't yet hit theaters, but the director is already talking about a return to the independent world. As in really independent, with his long-rumored horror script "Red State." Smith once told MTV the proposed film was "not a commercial movie by any stretch of the imagination." So instead of shopping the script around to studios, Smith spilled the beans during a roundtable interview that he's in the process of setting up a site where fans will be able to donate money to the film's budget and he'll match them…

• What's up with all those Wes Anderson spoofs?

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:57 am

  Super Bowl Sunday is coming up fast, so Slate has a video called "If Filmmakers Directed The Super Bowl." Here you can find by-the-numbers appropriations of various filmmakers: football footage intercut with anime and "Kill Bill" font and songs spell "Tarantino." For Lynch, run the footage backwards. For Wes Anderson, by all means play "This Time Tomorrow" while running a random shot in slo-mo. It's odd how many Anderson parodies there are out in the world. This week also saw the arrival of "Wes Anderson Spider-Man." I also found "Ramsey's First Grade Journal by Wes Anderson", "wes anderson's…

• Heirs to the box-office throne.

  4 Feb 2010 | 5:00 pm

  The LA Times has good news for us: this weekend, "Dear John" could knock "Avatar" from its number one spot on the top of the box office charts! If not, "Valentine's Day" the weekend after will certainly do the trick. As an afterthought, they note that "If it is indeed the movie that pushes 'Avatar' out of first place, 'Valentine's Day' will be the second straight New Line film to unseat a Cameron-directed smash -- 12 years ago, 'Titanic' was finally dethroned by New Line's 'Lost in Space.' " This made me laugh. It has to be as useless a piece of seemingly significant trivia as all that NBA…

• 
  HD for Indies

• bitchin' high speed photography

  4 Feb 2010 | 3:08 pm

  Make Your Own Rig for Ultra-High Speed Photography - Photo Grandpa - GizmodoOn the go so can't "properly" blog this, but it caught my eye -check out the galleries.I've been getting more into photography for the last year some-odd.-mike

• More thoughts on iPad - v1.5 software, v2 hardware

  29 Jan 2010 | 12:26 pm

  ProVideo Coalition.com: HD For Indies by Mike Curtis | FounderMore thoughts on the iPad - who it'll work for and who it won't. Will it be as massively successful as the iPhone? Give it time - this'll be a slower burn than iPhone was, which was markedly better than a regular "smart" phone at the time. iPad isn't always arguably better than a netbook. anyway, read on for more thoughts and a buncha

• My pre-game analysis of iPad

  27 Jan 2010 | 2:30 pm

  ProVideo Coalition.com: HD For Indies by Mike Curtis | FounderWrote this one last night before the stuff today - and I gotta say, most of it holds up as written. Problems with any tablet, and specifically with some of the rumored plays Apple had in mind.Holds up pretty well, covers some things not addressed in the post-announcement article. Read the linked article over at PVC.-mike

• Apple iPad - what I REALLY think

  27 Jan 2010 | 2:29 pm

  ProVideo Coalition.com: HD For Indies by Mike Curtis | FounderiPad! Long heralded JesusPad! Is it magically delicious? Now that is has been announced, here's my analysis, device unseen.Delicious yes, magical no, buying one probably not. Read on for why over at PVC

• Hey! I'm in on 50 Best Blogs for Moviemakers

  25 Jan 2010 | 4:37 pm

  50 Best Blogs for Moviemakers | MovieMaker MagazineWoo Hoo!...but I do virtually all of my writing over here now, at ProVideoCoalition.com

• 
  Directors Notes

• DN EP 155: The VICE Guide to Liberia – Shane Smith & Andy Capper

  directorsnotes@googlemail.com (MarBelle)

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:53 pm

  I’m very pleased to welcome Andy Capper back to the show, to discuss the journey he and VICE founder, Shane Smith, took into the dangerous heart of Liberia for the latest revelatory film in The VICE Guide to… series. Showlinks VBS CNN Presents VBS.TV Liberia Lariam William Bennett / Cut Hands Jihad Milkshake Related Posts The VICE Guide to Liberia – Shane Smith & Andy Capper The Vice Guide to Liberia DN EP 150: Swansea Love Story – Andy Capper & Leo Leigh Time Piece – Kat Mansoor Swansea Love Story – Andy Capper & Leo Leigh

• The VICE Guide to Liberia – Shane Smith & Andy Capper

  directorsnotes@googlemail.com (MarBelle)

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:40 am

  The VICE Guide to Liberia (2010) VBS travels to West Africa to rummage through the messy remains of a country ravaged by 14 years of civil war. Despite the United Nation’s eventual intervention, most of Liberia’s young people continue to live in abject poverty, surrounded by filth, drug addiction, and teenage prostitution. The former child soldiers who were forced into war have been left to fend for themselves, the murderous warlords who once led them in cannibalistic rampages have taken up as so-called community leaders, and new militias are lying in wait for the opportunity to reclaim…

• DN EP 154: Panic Attack! – Fede Alvarez

  directorsnotes@googlemail.com (MarBelle)

  28 Jan 2010 | 10:24 am

  It’s an oft quoted phrase that ‘Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity’, well this week’s guest Fede Alvarez is certainly living proof of that. After working away on his pet ‘robots attack’ SFX project for a couple of years, Fede cashed in on the Facebook built, viral hype surrounding his short Panic Attack (Ataque de Pánico!) by hopping on a plane to LA and ultimately penning a $30m feature deal with Ghost House Pictures, under the mentorship of director Sam Rami. Fede joins us to discuss the journey from $300 short to the much talked…

• Panic Attack! – Fede Alvarez

  directorsnotes@googlemail.com (MarBelle)

  27 Jan 2010 | 5:44 am

  Panic Attack! (2009) Giant robots invade Montevideo! Related Posts DN EP 154: Panic Attack! – Fede Alvarez White Red Panic – Ayz Waraich The West Side – Ryan Bilsborrow-Koo & Zachary Lieberman The Shovel – Nick Childs The Patterns Trilogy – Jamie Travis

• DN EP 153: The Cat Piano – Eddie White & Ari Gibson

  directorsnotes@googlemail.com (MarBelle)

  21 Jan 2010 | 10:13 am

  Eddie White, co-director of the beat poetry meets Arabic Jazz, kidnapped felines short The Cat Piano, joins us to discuss the film’s creation and the tricky journey through film festival submissions, wins and eligibility rules to make it to the pre Oscar nomination short list. Showlinks The People’s Republic of Animation The Cat Piano The Cat Piano Facebook Page Adobe Photoshop Katzenklavier Michaël Dudok de Wit Nick Cave Oscar Rules & Eligibility Oscar Animated Shorts Short List Related Posts The Cat Piano – Eddie White & Ari Gibson The Wonder Of Wes Filmstock #8…

• 
  Cinematical

• Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?

  Erik Davis

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:18 am

  It's a bird, it's a plane ... it's Warner Bros. asking Christopher Nolan to pretty please resurrect their Superman franchise and do something cool with it! According to Deadline Hollywood, Nolan has been asked to come in and sort of "mentor" the next Superman movie, and it won't be a sequel to Superman Returns, but instead the beginning of a brand new franchise. Furthermore, DH says Nolan probably won't direct -- especially since David Goyer, Jonah Nolan and Chris Nolan are all busy planning and writing the next Batman installment as we speak -- so what will he do, exactly, when it comes to…

• Tim Robbins Joins 'The Green Lantern'

  Elisabeth Rappe

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:45 am

  As you may have realized by now, the main villain of The Green Lantern isn't going to be Sinestro, but will be Peter Sarsgaard's Dr. Hector Hammond. Sinestro will be there, lurking in the wings, but it's all about Hammond and his big, bad, psychic powers this time around. But like all bad boys, Hammond has turned to the dark side because of deep seated issues in his childhood. So, you need a father figure to menace our poor doctor, and THR's Heat Vision reports that Tim Robbins has volunteered for the job. Robbins will play Senator Hammond, the disapproving father of Hector. Despite that…

• 'Terminator' Rights Sell, But Not To A Studio

  Elisabeth Rappe

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:03 am

  Everyone has been mildly interested to see who would win the Terminator franchise rights after Halcyon Holding Corp. went into bankruptcy. (Come on, we all wanted Joss Whedon to get it.) Last we knew, Lionsgate was the leading contender to win the rights to making more chronicles of John Connor. But according to Deadline Hollywood Daily, the bidding has ended, and the winner? Pacificor, the Santa Barbara hedge fund that had loaned Halcyon the money to buy Terminator in the first place. Halcyon failed in their loan payments, forcing Pacificor to come after them, which they tried to head off by…

• My Movie Crush: Michael Treanor in '3 Ninjas'

  Jen Yamato

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:15 pm

  This is the first entry in a new column reminiscing on my adolescent movie crushes, in which I explore my memories of the objects of my obsession. Join me. Sometime in the early '90s, my young adolescent existence went from nerdy and tomboyish to boy-crazy, nerdy and tomboyish. Once it happened, I started noticing cute boys everywhere and I found that my girl friends did, too. We would have sleepovers and hang outs and talk for hours about the objects of our obsessions, pick which ones were our favorites (making sure to choose diplomatically, in case two girls picked the Justins and nobody…

• Interview: Pierce Brosnan on Polanski, Percy, and R-Patz

  Jenni Miller

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:32 pm

  February is about to get really interesting for Pierce Brosnan. A mere week after his debut as a self-proclaimed "horse's ass" (aka Chiron) in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief on February 12, a much smaller and much more controversial thriller he's in will be hitting art house screens in New York and Los Angeles. Brosnan is one of the heavy-hitting stars in Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer, the movie Polanski was doing post-production on when he was arrested in Switzerland on an outstanding warrant from 1978, when he fled the US before being sentenced for having sex…

• 
  DIY Filmmaker

• Meeting Andrei Tarkovsky trailer :: 2/13 & 14 screenings in Pasadena

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:07 pm

  For info on upcoming screenings, go here. And here's the trailer for the doc:

• sunday musik: sun ra, silver jews, tv on the radio, pixies, fugazi, tom waits, weezer

  7 Feb 2010 | 8:37 am

• NW Documentary wants your movies

  6 Feb 2010 | 9:57 pm

  A message from Portland's NW Documentary:"NW Documentary, a non-profit organization, is building a documentary resource center and lending library that will support and enhance our dynamic catalog of educational workshops and make materials available to anyone in our community with a passion or curiosity for non-fiction storytelling. This unique resource center will house a circulating collection of non-fiction DVDs, books and reference materials that support the curriculum of workshops offered by NW Documentary, a collection of local music for use in student projects, and a website featuring…

• Q: which one or two of the producers at Sundance Round Table would be best for helping you fight & win against an Aliens & Predators attack?

  5 Feb 2010 | 1:47 am

  So, let's say one day you find yourself caught in the middle of an Aliens and Predators fight, as described in the trailer below:And let's say you have the ability to bring one or two of the producers from the Sundance Producers Round table to help you survive & win against the two types of monsters mentioned above. Who would you bring? And why? Please elaborate. In order to properly formulate your answer you may want to watch all 3 parts of the Producers Round Table. Part 1 is below, and you can find part 2 here, and part 3 here. The person who provides the best answer (best as…

• There you go, I have yet another blog

  5 Feb 2010 | 1:30 am

  One of my arch enemies once complained that I spend too much time blogging. Yup, that happens - and quite often I start new blogs but I end up using most of them only once in a great while after a while - not sure how often this new one -The Bestest NYC Bookstores Blog Ever - my 34th or 35th blog I think - will be used. But it is now alive! Yaiee, more diversion for you :)

• 
  Bright Lights After Dark

• Bright Lights #67 is now online

  Bright Lights Film Journal

  3 Feb 2010 | 12:30 pm

  February 2010 From the Editor “Progress is our most important product!” By Gary Morris Articles A German Tragedy, Turned Absurd: Fassbinder’s Satan’s Brew By Andrew Grossman “Allowing his acidity unfettered reign, Fassbinder concocts one of the most blistering excoriations of despotism ever committed to film.” Towards a New Cinema of Castration: I Spit on Your Grave and Only Angels Have Wings By Erich Kuersten “Peer pressure is either a boon or a bitch with the power to destroy the world, or save it.” The Homing Eye: Comparing James Wolcott and…

• Who are Parents? Parents are the ones who are ALWAYS there

  Erich Kuersten

  29 Jan 2010 | 3:15 am

  I’ve written a lot about the decline of the “Father” in genre film–from tough WW2 vet to tough but loving 70s hedonist to needy, emasculated single dad of the 21st century, but nothing could have prepared me for the delightful KNOWING (2009) wherein Nicolas Cage plays perhaps the most unbearably clingy single father since, well, Greg Kinnear in the equally awful and contrived GODSEND (2004). Like so much great bad sci fi and horror, in adhering in the most blindly dogmatic faithfulness to shopworn conventions they illuminate far more than they perhaps consciously mean…

• Some Cameroning, Part 2 – Cameron as Auteur

  C. Jerry Kutner

  28 Jan 2010 | 11:27 am

  Can a filmmaker spend most of his or her artistic life recycling other people’s ideas and still be a true auteur? Sure. Why not? Any idea, theme, style, or attitude if repeated frequently or obsessively enough can constitute an artistic signature – something that immediately identifies a particular movie as un film de [insert name here]. In the case of James Cameron, the obsessive part is a given. His approach to film production – the enormous amounts of time and money he spends to realize his projects – is legendary. But does Cameron have a consistent personal theme? Avatar…

• Some Cameroning, Part 1 – Avatar’s Sources

  C. Jerry Kutner

  25 Jan 2010 | 11:20 am

  What’s so fresh and original about James Cameron’s Avatar?Very little, to be honest. The film’s design seems inspired by – if not directly borrowed from – the day-glo hyperrealism of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern paperback series and the videogame based on them: Conceptually, Avatar recalls a 1966 Star Trek episode, “The Menagerie” in which a wheelchair-bound former starship captain (Sean Kenney, below) has his mind transported into a perfect “dream-body” by these guys so he can live happily ever after with this person. The basic…

• From Russia with Hell

  Erich Kuersten

  22 Jan 2010 | 6:30 am

  What’s neither black nor white but red all over? Well of course if you’re a friend of the Self-Styled Siren, you know it’s the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics…. as she’s co-hosting an amazing TCM series “Shadows of Russia” and easing her way into a well-deserved position as the Scarlet Empress of the cine-blogosphere, and it couldn’t happen to a nicer lady… Rather than go and see, I stayed home and and saw COME AND SEE (1985) directed by the Gunter Grass of Belarusse SSR, The Bolshevik Bosch, ladies and gentlemen… Elim Klimov! I…

• 
  Hungry Filmmaker

• Hilarious post-apocalyptic web series pilot by John August: The Remnants

  Matt Agnello

  27 Jan 2010 | 4:24 pm

  via vimeo.com Written and produced during the last writer's strike. Who said unemployment was such a bad thing? Posted via web from Matt Agnello's Posterous

• Live Apple “Come see our latest creation” / tablet event coverage – gdgt live

  Matt Agnello

  27 Jan 2010 | 11:02 am

  10:54AM - Somewhere Jeff Bezos just did a spit take. Well, probably not. via live.gdgt.com Another ePub supporter born. Looks like we've found the mp3 of books. Now, what to publish... Posted via web from Matt Agnello's Posterous

• My tablet coverage setup

  Matt Agnello

  27 Jan 2010 | 10:07 am

  Posted via email from Matt Agnello's Posterous

• Movies so far

  Matt Agnello

  21 Jan 2010 | 9:29 am

  Avatar (2009) More at IMDbPro » Photos (see all 175 | slideshow) Videos (see all 28) via imdb.com Caddyshack (1980) More at IMDbPro » Photos (see all 36 | slideshow) Videos (see all 5) via imdb.com District 9 (2009) More at IMDbPro » Photos (see all 33 | slideshow) Videos (see all 48) via imdb.com 9 (2009/I) More at IMDbPro » Photos (see all 57 | slideshow) Videos (see all 35) via imdb.com Holy Rollers (2010) More at IMDbPro » Photos (see all 5 | slideshow) via imdb.com The Big Sleep (1946) More at IMDbPro » Photos (see all 55 | slideshow) Videos (see all 5) via imdb.com Up in the Air…

• Neill Blomkamp (District 9) gives a new take on filmmaking business: eschew the high budget

  Matt Agnello

  20 Jan 2010 | 12:09 pm

  NB: I’ve been offered films – a lot of films, in fact – with seriously high budgets, and I’ve turned them all down. The reason is exactly what you said earlier: Once the budgets get bigger, you can’t do what you want as a director, unless you’re Peter Jackson or James Cameron. And even then, the pressure is still on the filmmaker. Even if the studio isn’t clamping down on you, all the pressure is on the director. And if you screw that up, the jeopardy situation is even worse. The way you don’t get yourself in that jeopardy situation is by making films that aren’t as risky…

• 
  Motionographer

• Previsualization Society Launches

  Bran Dougherty-Johnson

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:19 am

  The Previsualization Society is a new organization, formed in September 2009 that is “dedicated to advancing previsualization (“previs”) in feature film, games, commercials and architecture.” They’ve just announced a new website and a Call For Membership as part of their initiatives to expand their membership. Over 300 charter members include members in the fields of film, television, commercials, games, visualization and architecture. Colin Green, President; Brian J. Pohl, Secretary and Daniel Gregoire, Treasurer, have been named as 2010 Previsualization Society…

• Blur Takes Us Back To Hell

  Jon Saunders

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:54 am

  This past Sunday, the standard superbowl advertisements focused on beer, babes and general safe tomfoolery, were briefly interrupted with a stirring glimpse of Hell. Videogame monarch EA tapped Wieden+Kennedy back last spring to create a massive ad campaign dubbed “Nine Months of Hell” in anticipation of the Dante’s Inferno’s launch, which was capped with Sunday’s superbowl ad. Blur was in charge of the production, proving that they are still one of the best when it comes to videogame cinematics. The choice to use the moody classic song “Ain’t No…

• Bats by Mighty Nice and We Buy Your Kids

  Bran Dougherty-Johnson

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:16 am

  Nexus directors Mighty Nice recently collaborated with illustration duo We Buy Your Kids and animated a trippy music video for Paul Dempsey. The enigmatic tale of parallel universes is mysterious but seems familiar, like a dream remembered in pieces. We Buy Your Kids had previously worked on spots for SBS and ABC under the direction of Mighty Nice. When they were commissioned for the video, they turned around and returned the favor, stating: “We started storyboarding it out as a journey through all of the art made for the releases – through our existing art and into more elaborate…

• Let’s talk Sexual Health

  Stephen Kelleher

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:40 am

  Two nice sexual health awareness spots – here & here – from Christian Bevilacqua and Mainframe Posted on Motionographer

• Wizard Smoke

  Boca Ceravolo

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:10 am

  Wizard Smoke by Salazar, beautiful! Posted on Motionographer

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  Totally Unauthorized

• Just a little while

  Peggy Archer

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:46 pm

  Last night, a friend called me up and asked if I wanted to work today – of course I said yes even though it meant fighting my way to north bumfuck through hysterical rain-crazed traffic. The job, as described to me, would be babysitting an EPK (electronic press kit – those interviews you see with the actors on the DVD extras and on celebrity ‘news’ shows) unit for a few hours. EPK people are usually really nice but high-maintenance about asking for lights, but I had a list of restrictions that would keep them from getting too crazy with the requesting things (we…

• Friday Photo

  Peggy Archer

  29 Jan 2010 | 8:40 pm

  Since Mother Nature isn’t a team player and won’t start and stop precipitation on command, when a scene calls for rain we usually just make it by using rainbars. Rainbars come in all sizes, from teeny drip lines that just make a trickle of water on a window to giant ones like this that have to be lifted with a crane and fed with something that looks like a fire hose. These big crane ones create really, really nice looking rain, but they pump out so much water that they create a micro-climate that’s noticeably colder than the surrounding area. Which would be great on a hot…

• A brief weekend of sunshine

  Peggy Archer

  25 Jan 2010 | 9:02 pm

  We’ve got another storm bearing down on poor waterlogged Southern California, but this weekend was glorious. Warm, sunny, blue skies and puffy white clouds. Perfect, if one managed to ignore the piles of trash that last week’s rain washed down to the beaches. Saturday, I went for a long bike ride and enjoyed the weather, and then miraculously managed to get in the gym pool and keep a lane to myself for a whole hour, which did wonders for improving my mood. Sunday, a friend and I went to see Creation, which portrayed Charles Darwin as a neurotic whiner – but it’s really…

• More shopping adventures

  Peggy Archer

  22 Jan 2010 | 11:44 am

  For some time now, My very old (10+ years) rain jacket has been getting increasingly less rainproof. It’s not that the seams leak, it’s that the fabric itself (generation 1 Gore-Tex) is getting more and more porous as time goes by, despite my several attempts to renew the waterproofing.  This is just something that happens to this type of thing, and wouldn’t be a big deal if I were just running for the bus, but when I have to stand out all night in the rain, it’s nothing short of a personal catastrophe. I’ve tried to put off shelling out for new gear, but since…

• Driving in the rain

  Peggy Archer

  20 Jan 2010 | 10:33 pm

  It’s time for what passes for winter around here to descend on Los Angeles, which means sub-50 degree temperatures and that wet stuff that falls from the sky. Amidst the panic about an admittedly huge rainstorm (rain for a week straight is catastrophic in LA), I worked two days on a show that’s shooting up in Santa Clarita – which involved driving on one of California’s busiest freeways during rush hour in the rain. Monday wasn’t so bad – a 6:30 am call meant that my commute was pretty quick. Got to work and had an uneventful day running a follow spot…

• 
  Google Blog Search: Film-making

• Seeking Film-making Student or Graduate For Paranormal Project ...

  admin

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:41 am

  Seeking individual who has good video-camera skills to capture and put together footage for a paranormal project exploring life after... More Details Here.

• Bats by Mighty Nice and We Buy Your Kids | Motionographer | Motion ...

  Bran Dougherty-Johnson

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:16 am

  The newly redesigned AIGA Design Archives are a treasure trove of Graphic Design history. 1 Comment. Calling all horror aficionados: check out this blood curdling teaser for Haylar Garcia's CG animated zombie film, A.D. ... videos for Avatar, nominated for 9 Academy Awards. 2 Comments. In preparation for the beginning of the last season of Lost, check out this promo for Spanish channel Cuarto, directed by Frankie de Leonardis (boolab). Don't miss the making of. ...

• Ajit Menon updates with an impressive new reel | Motionographer ...

  Ryan Rothermel

  9 Feb 2010 | 12:37 am

  The newly redesigned AIGA Design Archives are a treasure trove of Graphic Design history. 1 Comment. Calling all horror aficionados: check out this blood curdling teaser for Haylar Garcia's CG animated zombie film, A.D. ... In preparation for the beginning of the last season of Lost, check out this promo for Spanish channel Cuarto, directed by Frankie de Leonardis (boolab). Don't miss the making of. No Comments. Attention Londoners! See No Evil is tonight! ...

• Join the Live Streaming Webcast Tonight: Myths of Filmmaking and ...

  phil_zimmerman

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:28 pm

  ITVS is hosting a special live streaming webcast at 7:30 PM PST (10:30 PM EST) of the San Francisco Film Society (SFFS)'s Arts Forum, a bi-monthly workshop.

• Filmmaking » Ong Bak 2: The Beginning (2008) (Audio Video Revolution)

  admin

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:29 am

  Word spread and the film's martial arts sequences were touted as the next level in filmmaking. Tony Jaa has made a name for himself with his agility and stunts. He is quickly becoming a name to be compared against Jackie Chan and Jet Li ...

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  WordPress Tag: Filmmaking

• 13 Hitchcock Films That Were Never Made

  A. V. Cheshire

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:54 am

  Over at the mental floss blog: Even legendary directors like Alfred Hitchcock don’t always get their way. Over the course of his illustrious career, Hitchcock had to abandon quite a few projects due to budgetary concerns, issues with stars, the whims of studio heads, or in some cases simply his own instincts that the film wasn’t going to turn out very well. Let’s take a look at a few of the master of suspense’s unproduced projects, including the one that studio execs hated so much they made him sign a contract promising he wouldn’t make it. 1. Number 13 This silent 1922 feature for…

• I Can Has Emergent Storytelling Tool?

  bjarratt

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:54 pm

  Wow.  I wish I’d had something like this a few years ago when I was making a documentary feature about my church’s involvement with the B/CS Habitat for Humanity program.  Stuff like that makes me treasure the MIT rejection letter in my desk just that much more. Speaking of videos, I guess I better get on top of uploading 06.52.  It’s been a full weekend.

• Ridley Scott

  jetrefilm

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:42 pm

  Pending. David Jetre Writer | Producer | Director | Designer www.ghostsofsaarke.com | www.studio930.com | www.jetrefilm.com

• Last Night Launch of the Shuttle: Night 2

  geoffcbassett

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:24 pm

  [Nikon D5000 with 300mm Pre-AI @ 1/400th f/8 ISO200] Success! The rescheduled launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor went off this morning without a hitch. Conditions could not have been more perfect. The wind and cloud cover which had been present the night before disappeared creating a gorgeous shooting environment for all in attendance. The photo above was one of 2 that had been taken before the shuttle left the frame and I manned the video camera. Video taken of the Event was beyond my expectations, unfortunately I have lost the exact settings that I shot Video at for the launch but as I…

• Jeff's *Highschool* Film: SBHS Video Montage

  jpintolobo

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:45 am

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  Indie Film Chat News

• DVD Review: The Proposition

  4 Feb 2010 | 4:51 am

  The Proposition is a western starring Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Guy Pearce and Emily Watson. Directed by John Hillcoat. After seeing how fitting the Australian Outback was as a setting for a... IndieFilm Chat - the Main resource for independent Film Makers, distributors. Independent Film Chat, Trailers, Film Festivals, Industry News, Inside Access.

• DVD Review: Jennifer's Body

  1 Feb 2010 | 5:16 am

  Shoot, I was hoping I’d like this one. I am an unapologetic fan of horror films (and sometimes the sleazier the better), yet I admit they are way too often predictable, no matter the subgenre.... IndieFilm Chat - the Main resource for independent Film Makers, distributors. Independent Film Chat, Trailers, Film Festivals, Industry News, Inside Access.

• DVD review: Big Fan

  28 Jan 2010 | 4:48 am

  Big Fan is a black comedy starring Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan and Michael Rapoport. Directed by Robert Siegel. I am a fan of college football, in particular the Auburn Tigers. In 2004, the team... IndieFilm Chat - the Main resource for independent Film Makers, distributors. Independent Film Chat, Trailers, Film Festivals, Industry News, Inside Access.

• Take the IFC Sexy Movie Scenes Quiz!

  24 Jan 2010 | 4:15 pm

  Just in Time for Valentine's Day it's the IFC Sexy Movie Quiz! Enter and play the quiz for a chance to win 15, 25 or 50% off any dvd from Indie FIlm Kiosk.com! It's sexy. It's Fun. And it's a chance... IndieFilm Chat - the Main resource for independent Film Makers, distributors. Independent Film Chat, Trailers, Film Festivals, Industry News, Inside Access.

• Top 10 Movie Fight Scenes

  21 Jan 2010 | 1:49 am

  Oftentimes, the best way for a film (be it an action movie or not) to make its mark is to deliver a memorable fight scene. Trying to narrow down a Top 10 greatest movie fight scenes was much tougher... IndieFilm Chat - the Main resource for independent Film Makers, distributors. Independent Film Chat, Trailers, Film Festivals, Industry News, Inside Access.

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  Consolidated Films

• Do Not Distribute Movies In Theaters

  Julian Perrera

  31 Jan 2010 | 2:32 pm

  Filmmakers of many stripes all dream of the same thing: theatrical distribution. The thing they never consider is whether it is right for their situation. Rather than seeking the ephemeral validation that you movie's name in lights offers, consider the downsides to theatrical distribution. Image by Bob Jagendorf Expensive Until the day comes when we can give theaters a digital file which they can project digitally, we will likely need to strike a 35mm print of your movie to screen it. The average is about $20,000 for a feature film to be put on film, though duplicates run in the $1000 range.

• Filmmaking Legal Issues To Ignore

  Price Jaccobi

  26 Oct 2009 | 4:15 am

  Filmmakers often make the mistake of doing too much planning and not enough doing. A certain amount of studying can help make a filmmaker better, but knowing too much can sometimes become a hindrance. With no knowledge of how other people make films, an ambitious filmmaker would just grab the closest camera, shoot footage, and edit it together. This film might end up being virtually unwatchable, but it would be an experience they can learn from and would put them miles ahead of those with their head still in filmmaking books. Image by Sir Nube Negra Once a filmmaker has done a fair amount of…

• Free Indie Film Promotion In Media Tips

  Julian Perrera

  30 Jul 2009 | 3:29 pm

  Most filmmakers do not have money to throw at advertising their film. Even if they did, they would soon find ads are not that effective. Many look at media relations (aka press relations, PR) as free advertising, but it is more complex than that idea implies. The media will mention you in articles, columns, radio stories, or videos but only if you have a story or information that interests them. Image by CIVICO13 If you want media people to cover you, you must think like one. Learn how to spot and mold stories from the real life people that help you make films. Not only that but it is as…

• Film Producing Changes In The Digital Age

  Price Jaccobi

  27 Apr 2009 | 2:38 pm

  Films have been made the same way for a long time. Since 1926 the combination of sight, sound, and general running time have become a de facto for feature films that most aspiring filmmakers aim for. The days of movie theaters being the only place to see films are over, as are the days of television as the only way to watch episodic and serial stories. The internet has taken over and with this change in distribution comes a corresponding need to change or expand the concept of filmmaking. Image by chris.bryant Upon reading Scott Kirsner's new book Fans, Friends and Followers (amazon) it…

• More Movie Versions, Easier Film Marketing

  Julian Perrera

  31 Mar 2009 | 6:14 am

  Filmmakers have often been afforded the luxury of only having one version of their film released. There are the anomalous films like Star Wars that have had multiple versions released long after the original and sometimes there are the movies with both a studio and director version, like Blade Runner, but for the most part films have a single definitive version set in stone. As an independent filmmaker you are wise to be wary of any Hollywood tradition, the idea of a single version of a film being best is no exception. Just because it has always been done that way does not mean it is the…

• 
  Illiterary Fiction

• Film and TV Grammar is Like Body Language

  Len Esten

  31 Jan 2010 | 4:34 pm

  Movies are made up of individual shots stitched together to convey something. In stories they convey what happens and in what order. In film things do not just happen, there is also the way these things are seen. The camera can be put in any number of positions and pointed in countless ways. This has become a language of its own, film grammar, but its nature is not like that of spoken words but like the way we speak without words. Image by John Kratz Silent, Visual Cues Like the way you walk or the way you stand, film language is just as utilitarian. The camera has to be pointed at the…

• Filmmaker Local Acting Resources You Overlook

  Len Esten

  26 Oct 2009 | 5:11 am

  Filmmakers not situated in major filmmaking areas are at a disadvantage in certain ways. Camera and lighting rental places will not be as plentiful, skilled crew members will be hard to come by, and screen actors fill not be waiting tables at every restaurant. There are realities of regional filmmaking and one of them is that most things cannot be done like they would be in New York or Los Angeles. Even though you may not have a ready pool of waiting actors for your project it does not mean you cannot make one. Image by sazztastical Community College, Universities Most medium-sized cities are…

• Why Filmmakers Use Makeup on Actors

  Len Esten

  30 Jul 2009 | 5:41 pm

  Many beginning filmmakers overlook makeup and get by for a long time without it. Thought makeup is not a requisite for fine filmmaking, it is a tool you should be familiar with. In real life we are used to makeup being use for one purpose and mostly by women: to look more attractive. In filmmaking the focus of makeup is to help an actor come across on camera the way looking like the character they are playing, which often has nothing to do with looking "good". Image by back to menu Change Age Or Type If your pool of available actors is small, you will find yourself using makeup to turn them…

• Low Budget Film Sound Recorders

  Len Esten

  28 Apr 2009 | 1:38 pm

  Films can be ruined with unintentionally poor sound. If dialogue is unintelligible, so will the film be. We all know recording good sound is important, but the confluence of lack of experience and the variety of devices compounds the situation. Often we hear about expensive, difficult to obtain machinery that is "a must have" to get good sound, but this is not the case. Image by Lee Gumienny Good sound is not a binary situation. In fact two people using the same equipment can get widely different results. Instead of buying some equipment and hoping it will save your production, use something…

• Why Movie Directors Avoid Overcast Filmmaking

  Len Esten

  30 Mar 2009 | 6:33 am

  Image by Jobe Cinematography can be a confusing subject for a non-technical director. There are f-stops, shutter speeds, ISO ratings, and foot candles involved, so it can get overwhelming. Often a director has a trusted cinematographer that handles this part of the filmmaking for them. This person knows the gear and techniques and the director goes along with their opinions. Early on a movie director will learn from this person to avoid cloud cover when shooting on-location. As much as I feel you should just trust a cinematographer's advice, it is important to know the reasons why you should…

• 
  MakingOf

• "Valentine's Day" Trailer

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:03 am

  The movie trailer to "Valentine's Day," directed by Garry Marshall and featuring the ensemble cast of Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Shirley MacLaine, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Topher Grace, Emma Roberts,

• The creative team behind the Sundance film "Douchebag" kept it real on-set

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:22 pm

  Director Drake Doremus made his Sundance debut with the film "Douchebag."

• Safdie brothers and Ronald Bronstein

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:06 pm

  Directors Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie and lead actor Ronald Bronstein discuss their film "Daddy Longlegs." An official selection of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

• Douchebag Director & Cast Interview

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:56 pm

  Director Drake Doremus talks the making of his independent feature "Douchebag" with cast members Andrew Dickler, Ben York Jones and Marguerite Moreau. "Douchebag" was an official selection of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

• "Prince of Persia" Superbowl Spot

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:01 am

  The Superbowl spot for "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" directed by Mike Newell starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton and Ben Kingsley.

• 
  The Independent

• 10 to Watch in 2010... Plus Five Runners-Up

  cristina

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Choosing The Independent's 10 to Watch is like trying to predict the future, or the stock market, or the weather in New England. The films on this list are in all stages of production and the filmmakers range from seasoned professionals to debut artists. So you might wonder how we named this particular group. How, exactly, does one go about predicting what 2010 has in store? read more

• How Funders are Like Crushes and Other Sundance Morsels

  erin

  2 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Editor's note: Below is just a sampling of Shechter's Sundance account. For the whole enchilada, visit her blog. Hello from Sundance! read more

• Economic Turmoil in Film

  cristina

  24 Jan 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Pink slips and foreclosure notices. A few years ago, they seemed like some distant reality, something other people faced, people we didn’t know. Increasingly, though, the threat of job loss and foreclosure touches us all in some way. If we aren’t personally facing these issues, a family member, friend, or neighbor likely is. read more

• Facebook Exclusive Interviews with 10 to Watch in 2010

  erin

  24 Jan 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Editor's Note: This collaborative reporting effort was led by Nikki Chase with help from Maddy Kadish and The Independent's associate editor, Cristina Sousa. BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION read more

• Film-Friendly State: Shooting in Utah

  cristina

  21 Jan 2010 | 10:00 pm

  From New Hampshire’s “no filming permits” policy to Michigan’s 42 percent tax credit, states are fighting to stay competitive with low-cost international filming locations — and each other. For filmmakers, this means a slew of incentive programs that might make financing your next film a bit easier. read more

• 
  Atomic Vision: Photography Cinema Visual Arts

• Anatomy of a Family Portrait - 2

  20 Jan 2010 | 11:28 pm

  Here are the 'couples only' pictures from our family portrait shoot.  This time around, I am actually behind the camera.  I opted to provide each couple with two shots one in Color and one in B&W.  The Color shots are more quirkier/modern and the B&W are more formal/classic head shots. I lit these pictures naturally with one big light source to emulate a large window...  I normally light my portraits individually to suit each sitter (matching the light and shadow to their personalities).  But since these pictures were shot as a set, I had to make…

• Anatomy of a Family Portrait

  15 Jan 2010 | 8:34 pm

  First off... I want to apologize for my long absence from blogging.  Like for most people, the Holidays are a hectic time for me.  Aside from the usual hustle and bustle brought about by numerous parties and the distribution of gifts to friends and business clients (not to mention the kind people in my children's respective schools), my whole family flew in for a visit and for the first time in years, we were complete.  Which brings me to the topic of this particular blog entry...  Our Family Portrait.L-R Back: Reno, France, my wife Anne, Mom, Me, Dad…

• $300 Video Gets $30 Million Hollywood Deal

  19 Dec 2009 | 1:31 am

  When I saw this in Yahoo, I could not believe it.  I just had to blog about it!A guy from Uruguay named Fede Alvarez made a $300 4-minute sci-fi video on giant Robots and spaceships invading Montevideo (Uruguay's Capital) and uploaded it on YouTube Thursday and by Monday, his emailbox was loaded with bonafide Hollywood offers. A bidding war ensued and Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures signed him on with a $30 million deal.After seeing the video, I myself would have offered the same amount if I had it.  This guy is talented.  I was already impressed…

• Invisible Self-Portraits by Liu Bolin

  10 Dec 2009 | 1:22 pm

  Liu Bolin is a Beijing based artist/photographer, from the Shandong Art College with an MFA in Central Academy of Fine Arts.  He started his "camouflage series" as a protest against the government when it teared down his art cooperative building to make way for the Olympic edifices in 2005.  He says that his work is a statement about how ordinary people do not fit in modern chinese society and as a protest for the government's persecution of artists.  The pictures are straight photographs and does not involve photoshop or manipulations of any…

• Renato B. Magadia: UP Distinguished Alumni

  6 Dec 2009 | 12:36 pm

  My parents Vicky & Ato MagadiaLast Saturday morning (Manila time), My father Renato B. Magadia, Sr. was honored by his alma mater, the University of the Philippines College of Business Administration, as a distinguished Alumni Awardee.  It is an honor given once a year by the College to its most esteemed alumni.Aside from my father, there were only five other receipients this year (2009): Leopoldo M. Clemente, Jr., Anabelle Lim-Chua, Alfredo E. Pascual, Renato Peronilla and Carmelita Salgado.My father Ato is a business and civic leader back home in the Philippines, who…

• 
  Truth Seekers

• “Reception in a state of distraction”: Mindfulness and Media.

  Viola Lasmana

  5 Feb 2010 | 12:12 am

  What is important now is to recover our senses. We must learn to see more, to hear more, to feel more. - Susan Sontag In Ajitpal Singh’s Empty in me, a short experimental film (featured in the live film festival...

• The Act of Kindness

  Debbie Ouellet

  27 Jan 2010 | 8:30 pm

  What this world needs is a new kind of army – the army of the kind. – Cleveland Amory, author Search the headlines in the dawn of this new decade and you’ll find countless examples of everything that’s wrong in...

• The Nonviolent King

  Annie Brown

  21 Jan 2010 | 2:18 am

  “Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time.” -Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1964 Martin Luther King is most remembered best for his leadership in the civil rights movement and as...

• The Fallen Nature

  Erica Shindler Briggs

  13 Jan 2010 | 2:18 pm

  There is a part of me that revels in stories about the fall of prideful men. It is no small consolation to witness the cocky jock humbly serving the geeky goof he used to torment. This smugness is not vindictive,...

• Sampat Pal Devi sings the blues

  Elena Borghi

  7 Jan 2010 | 2:38 am

  The only thing they seem to have in common is their look: long black hair and a bright pink dress. And destiny, too: because, if Sita – the holy wife of Sri Rama – is undoubtedly a deity, Sampat Pal...

• 
  Joke and Biagio

• Join the Hyphen Nation

  Biagio

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:06 am

  Just a quick post to let you know about our guest post over at Multi-Hyphenate. The site is the brain child of Tyler Weaver, and is quickly becoming a power-house of great posts from filmmakers and artists working at achieving their goals and dreams. Hope you enjoy! Related Posts:Justin Tadlock of ThemeHybrid Rocks.Want Hollywood Success? Read my Guest Post at Lateral Action.Come Be On TV! Calling Visual Designers.New Year's Resolution: Make Your Hollywood Dreams Come TrueNothing Wrong With a Little SpinPowered by Contextual Related Posts

• Do You Know about the Magic of Camera Mapping?

  Biagio

  4 Feb 2010 | 2:17 pm

  This is a short post I wanted to put up about a technique I’ve been fascinated with: Camera Mapping. Essentially, camera mapping allows you to take a still photograph and turn it into a 3D scene you can fly through. Here’s the best explanation I’ve found of how it works: Here’s another great example: I’m using this technique to replace some jib shots we can’t afford in an upcoming MTV pilot. While I’ll be using Cinema 4D, there are tutorials to do this with the FREE 3D Software BLENDER. Here’s an example from Blender (there are some artifacts,…

• Pitch Your Big Ideas with an iPad

  Biagio

  27 Jan 2010 | 1:35 pm

  Both cheering and booing masses are all-a-Twitter about the new iPad. Is it worth it? Who will use it? Will it really change our world? I’d like to let you know how the iPad will make our Hollywood careers easier. Pitching Big Ideas Yesterday, Joke and I pitched a TV show to CBS. It’s a big reality show. Easy to grasp hook. It’s also chock full of twists and turns, bells and whistles–the kinds of things that can confuse executives who haven’t developed the show along side you for 3 months–especially in a 10 minute pitch. So you need an easy-to-understand,…

• Is The Original iPad Now Obsolete?

  Biagio

  27 Jan 2010 | 10:52 am

  Get it while it lasts… Don’t know how long that link will work for! Related Posts:Pitch Your Big Ideas with an iPadPictorial: Scream Queens Season 2 Los Angeles Open Casting CallGetting Things Done with New iPhone App 2DoFEARnet Covers Scream Queens Season 2New Year's Resolution: Make Your Hollywood Dreams Come TruePowered by Contextual Related Posts

• 3 Secrets to Showbiz Success

  Biagio

  24 Jan 2010 | 1:30 pm

  When I was in 8th grade I started a glam rock band called “Biagio.” We had a song called “We Are Biagio.” We rhymed “Walls of Jericho” and “Shores of Mexico” with “We are Biagio.” That such poetry never became a hit song has doubtless left a gaping hole in the glam rock landscape. Now, perhaps you’re wondering what got me reminiscing about a 14 year-old “me” sporting a mullet and a Casio keyboard? Caught My Ear Twitter lead me to a young band I really like, Ives the Band. (Caution: link may launch iTunes.) Coming up…