Sundance Film Festival 2016 by Adam Cook Few film festivals carry inscribed connotations the way that Sundance does. For this newcomer to Park City, a visit to this beacon of American indie cinema came loaded with preconceptions about both the nature of the “Sundance film” (part myth, part truth) and the tendency for the collective critical response to hyperbolize and rush to proclaim the year’s early favorites. Given the calendar-based approach of looking at movies in the context of their year, Sundance emerges on the heels of last year’s best-of lists, nearly 12 months ahead of when its own lineup will […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Apr 21, 2016Black Editions Since the ’80s, Japan’s P.S.F. Records has attained cultish status for the wide variety of avant-garde-leaning jazz, psychedelic and sheerly unclassifiable music it’s released. Acid Mothers Temple and Ghost are among the eclectic array of musicians championed by label founder Hideo Ikeezumi, who’s never shied away from following his philosophy: “I only release what I like.” Now, the new label Black Editions will be bringing that catalogue to the states, in the process releasing many of P.S.F.’s records to vinyl for the first time. Bruce Sterling’s SXSW Interactive Closing Remarks “Most of the joy in your life is […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Apr 21, 2016“Happy 420, look out for Needed Me TODAY at NOON EST,” Rihanna announced on Twitter. The video, as it happens, is directed by Harmony Korine, and follows up on “Bitch Better Have My Money”‘s appetite for controversy. There will be blunts and cultural conversation-ready problematic images. Watch now, enjoy the thinkpieces later. No surprise: this is a little NSFW.
by Filmmaker Staff on Apr 20, 2016On the heels of the announcement that Nicholas Winding Refn’s new film The Neon Demon — his Elle-Fanning-in-LA horror movie — will be premiering at Cannes, we have a trailer. The tone is somewhere between Lynchian and The Canyons. This is one of five (!) Amazon Studios projects showing at Cannes this year.
by Filmmaker Staff on Apr 14, 2016Steven Soderbergh continues being productive in new and unexpected directions with what’s technically (unless we’re blanking on something) his first short-form music video. (At the start of his career, he was nominated for a Grammy for Best Long-form Music Video for his work on the Yes concert video 9012 Live, some of which you can watch here.) The band is DCTV, headed by James Greer, a guitarist from one of the classic early lineups of Guided by Voices; recall that one of Soderbergh’s long-discussed, never-realized projects was Cleo!, a rock musical about Cleopatra with music by GBV mastermind Robert Pollard.
by Filmmaker Staff on Apr 12, 2016At the beginning of this examination of Alexander Payne’s work, Daley Nixon cites an old writer’s proverb that a screenplay consists of creating a character and throwing rocks at them; in Payne’s case, Nixon says, he lobs hand grenades. Yes, Payne’s worldview can be grim, but this video argues that failure is a catalyst for ultimately positive self-examination in his films. Includes digressions on the perils of voice-over, complete with a cameo from Frank Darabont.
by Filmmaker Staff on Apr 11, 2016Next week at NAB, a potentially very important new camera is being debuted. The Lytro Cinema camera has capabilities that could potentially eliminate the need for two-camera 3D rigs. Over at Studio Daily, Bryant Frazer has a good explanation of the camera’s features, technical specifications and potential implications. (Note: it’s going to be a very expensive piece of equipment, at least at first.) As he sets it up: Lytro is debuting a light-field cinema camera that captures volumetric data about a scene rather than a single image from one fixed perspective. That means it captures information about the direction light is traveling, […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Apr 11, 2016In this video, The Nerdwriter meticulously breaks down how the blocking and staging of a key expository scene from Vertigo, showing how choreography and camera placement serve as visual language for the themes that’ll dominate the movie. If you haven’t seen Vertigo, a) what’s up with that? b) spoilers galore.
by Filmmaker Staff on Mar 28, 2016The first half of Tribeca’s feature film slate was announced last week; now we’ve got the second part. Regular contributor Noah Buschel is in there with his new film The Phenom, although the big marquee title is probably the spectacle of Michael Shannon as Elvis Presley. CENTERPIECE Elvis & Nixon, directed by Liza Johnson, written by Joey Sagal, Hanala Sagal, and Cary Elwes. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. In 1970, a few days before Christmas, Elvis Presley showed up on the White House lawn seeking to be deputized into the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs by the President himself. Elvis & Nixon, starring […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Mar 8, 2016The latest video from the ever-productive Jacob T. Swinney isn’t as punchy as its title would suggest. “Filmmaking is the Best Actor” considers how cinematography, editing, production design et al. help enhance and support the performances of this year’s Oscar-nominated thespians.
by Filmmaker Staff on Feb 23, 2016