Authors — Filmmaker Staff
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“It Might Yield Something Truly Beautiful” | Clint Bentley, Train Dreams
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? I think it would have to be the first scene we shot. We were filming in a beautiful cabin we had built on location in eastern Washington, and Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones were just starting to bring their characters to life. What was scripted as a simple dialogue-free moment naturally grew into a […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 26, 2025 -
“These Two Worlds Couldn’t Be More Opposite”: DP Tobias Schliessler on Kiss of the Spider Woman
In Kiss of the Spider Woman, director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Gods and Monsters) of the 1985 film of the same name amid Argentina’s Dirty War. Set partially in a prison as Molina (Tonatiuh) recounts his favorite Hollywood musical to his cellmate Valentin (Diego Luna), the film blends period realism with Technicolor glamor. Tobias Schliessler, who has also worked frequently with Peter Berg, served as director of photography on the production, his seventh time working with Condon. Below, he explains how he altered his lighting, equipment, and style to contrast the film’s 1981 prison scenes with its musical sequences, which seek […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 26, 2025 -
“Moviemaking Goes Hand-in-Hand with Collaboration” | Sophie Brooks, Oh, Hi!
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? The magic of moviemaking goes hand-in-hand with collaboration. It takes a village to make a film, and every step and person along the way feels vital, but nothing can exist without that initial spark. When I search in my mind over the last four-and-a half-years it took to make this film, the day that […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 26, 2025 -
“That Call Was Almost as Exciting as the Good News Call from Sundance” | Sierra Falconer, Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? We shot Sunfish on location in rural Northern Michigan. Our basecamp and primary shooting location—a cottage on Green Lake belonging to my grandmother—was chosen for story over logistics. Getting our crew, cast and gear to location was a logistical nightmare that included planes, buses and shuttles (and my dad, who graciously drove to Chicago […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 26, 2025 -
“Anything That Does a Good Job Everywhere Can’t Do a Great Job Anywhere”: DP Marcus Patterson on Sunfish
In Sundance U.S. Dramatic Competition premiere Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake), the lives of a girl learning to sail, a musician, two sisters running a bed-and-breakfast and a fisherman intersect in the eponymous Northern Michigan locale. The film, the debut feature by Sierra Falconer was shot largely on location. Below, cinematographer Marcus Patterson (Soukoon) discusses his influences for the film’s look and how he plans around budget limitations without compromising his ambitions. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 26, 2025 -
“To Evoke Those Deep Emotional Layers With Utmost Honesty”: DP Vikas Urs on Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)
When he returns to his remote hometown in western India for his father’s funeral, Anand (Bhushaan Manoj) is immediately faced with intrusive questions from relatives about his marriage status in Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears). When sparks fly between him and a local farmer, he must navigate his community’s tolerance while learning to accept his own sexuality. Cinematographer Vikas Urs discusses shooting director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s feature debut, which premieres in the festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 26, 2025 -
“A Process of Small but Important Adjustments”: Editor Anadi Athaley on Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)
The feature debut from writer-director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) follows (Bhushaan Manoj), a man who returns from the bustling city he now calls home to his remote childhood village after the death of his father. While back for a 10-day mourning period, he meets a farmer (Suraaj Suman) and the two quickly form a strong bond that turns romantic. Editor Anadi Athaley discusses the process of cutting Kanawade semi-autobiographical film, touching on the scenes that were trimmed, his personal connection to the story and how the project “reaffirmed my belief in the power of subtlety.” See all […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 26, 2025 -
“I Wanted to Always be Receptive to Inspiration on the Day”: DP Conor Murphy on Oh, Hi!
Screening in the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Premieres section, Oh, Hi! is director Sophie Brooks’ romantic comedy about the unraveling and attempted reconciliation of the relationship between Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman). Much of Oh, Hi! takes place in a single bedroom. Below, cinematographer Conor Murphy explains the importance of finding creative ways to shoot the same space and also recounts the challenges of the film’s showstopping long take. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 26, 2025 -
“Feedback Screenings Are Essential to the Process”: Editor Kayla Emter on Oh, Hi!
Director Sophie Brooks’ Oh, Hi! takes place over one weekend as it tracks the disintegration and attempted reconciliation of Iris and Isaac’s relationship (played by Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, respectively). The film will premiere as part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Premieres section. Kayla Emter (Hustlers, Am I Ok?) served as the film’s editor. Below, she talks about the importance of staying true to the story and characters of the film and how she worked around a major continuity issue in a scene set to a beloved Bee Gees-penned classic. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 26, 2025 -
“Narration is a Double-Edged Sword”: Editor Parker Laramie on Train Dreams
Denis Johnson’s novella Train Dreams follows Robert Granier, a railroad builder, as he participates in America’s expansion to the West and finds love. Director Clint Bentley (Jockey) has adapted the Johnson’s attempt to contextualize the role of an individual within the immensity of history. Bentley’s Train Dreams screens as part of the Premieres section at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Below, editor Parker Laramie (Sing Sing, Unfriended) explains some of the differences between the film and the novel and why scenes were rearranged in the edit. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 26, 2025
