Authors — Paula Bernstein
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What is a Video Essay? Creators Grapple with a Definition
Perhaps video essays are like pornography in that, as the saying goes, you know it when you see it. But what distinguishes a video essay from a short film and what are the ground rules for this relatively new form? Finally, how much creative leeway can a video essayist take with a filmmaker’s work without being disrespectful or misrepresentative? These questions arose last month when we published a video essay from Kevin B. Lee, chief video essayist at Fandor, about the spaces in Chantal Akerman’s final documentary, No Home Movie. Initially, Lee edited the video to music. But after receiving some complaints, including from the distributors […]
by Paula Bernstein on May 3, 2016 -
Trailer Watch: Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Hunt for the Wilderpeople, the latest film from Taika Waititi — the New Zealand director who brought us What We Do in the Shadows — premiered earlier this year at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The Orchard picked up distribution rights at the festival and plans to release it in the US on June 24. In advance of the release, the coming-of-age adventure comedy gets a new trailer (above). Based on Barry Crump’s book Wild Pork and Watercress and adapted for the screen by Waititi, Hunt for the Wilderpeople tells the story of Ricky (Julian Dennison), an overweight city kid who gets a fresh start with […]
by Paula Bernstein on May 2, 2016 -
Vimeo Acquires VHX With Plans to Boost Video Subscription Business
Vimeo, the ad-free video platform, today announced it is acquiring VHX, the OTT (over-the-top) video distribution platform which allows creators to sell videos in forms ranging from individual downloads to subscription channels. In fact, VHX’s subscription technology, which includes the ability to build apps for the web, mobile and set-top boxes, is what drew Vimeo to the startup. Kerry Trainor, Vimeo CEO, told Filmmaker, “With the addition of VHX, Vimeo now offers a complete streaming ecosystem for individual creators, niche programmers and major media partners to offer subscription video on demand (SVOD) channels. Only Vimeo offers partners the ability to build […]
by Paula Bernstein on May 2, 2016 -
Trailer Watch: The Fits, A Stunning Debut from Anna Rose Holmer
After 11-year-old Toni (newcomer Royalty Hightower) joins a dance group with older girls, the team begins to experience mysterious spasms. It’s a wholly original – if unlikely – premise for a film and, in the case of The Fits, it succeeds as a compelling meditation on coming-of-age. Written and directed by Anna Rose Holmer, one of Filmmaker‘s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, The Fits premiered at the Venice Film Festival and also played Sundance earlier this year. It will hit theaters on June 3rd courtesy of Oscilloscope. Check out the intriguing trailer above.
by Paula Bernstein on Apr 28, 2016 -
Watch: Which Movies Have the Greatest Cinematography?
Over at Fandor Keyframe, Scout Tafoya muses about what makes a great cinematographer. “None of us seems to quite have the same definition of great photography,” he intones. “It seems that none of us agree what a cinematographer is supposed to do, what their relationship is with the image, the camera itself.” He asked dozens of critics to select ten films that feature their version of ideal photography in order to see if there was any common ground among them. He then created a video essay (above) analyzing the films that received the most votes, including The Tree of Life, The […]
by Paula Bernstein on Apr 28, 2016 -
How Who the F*@% is Frank Zappa Broke Crowdfunding Records
Raising over $1.1 million on Kickstarter, Who the F*@% is Frank Zappa (working title) recently shattered the crowdfunding record for a documentary project, previously held by the Bill Nye film. Directed by Alex Winter (Deep Web), the film is an authorized exploration of the iconic musician’s life and work. Of course, the project benefited from Zappa’s name recognition and hardcore fan base. But that alone isn’t enough to carry a crowdfunding campaign. In order to drive engagement, the filmmakers extended the campaign far beyond Kickstarter itself with coordinated benefit screening events of Zappa’s concert film Roxy: The Movie around the world, additional “Add On Rewards” including […]
by Paula Bernstein on Apr 27, 2016 -
Watch: Weiner, Set to Kick Off Rooftop Films Summer 2016 Series
New York’s Rooftop Films will kick off its 20th annual summer series on May 18 with a screening of Weiner, the winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s 2016 US documentary grand jury prize. Directed by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg, Weiner will open in theaters May 20 and hit VOD on May 26 via Sundance Selects. As the trailer (above) shows, the documentary follows the now infamous former New York congressman on the 2013 mayoral campaign trail following a sexting scandal. In addition to Weiner, Rooftop Films will present the documentaries Don Juan and Life, Animated, as well as narrative titles Hunt for the Wilderpeople and White Girl. […]
by Paula Bernstein on Apr 26, 2016 -
TCM and Criterion Partner on FilmStruck, Streaming Service for Cinephiles
If Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and Fandor aren’t satisfying your cinematic cravings, you’re in luck. Turner Classic Movies has partnered with Criterion Collection on FilmStruck, a new subscription-based streaming service which will feature hundreds of contemporary and classic arthouse, indie, foreign and cult films from both independent and Hollywood studios. It will also be the exclusive streaming home for Criterion Collection, which, until now, has been exclusively available at Hulu and Fandor. FilmStruck’s library will feature a deep roster of films from such independent distributors as Janus Films, Flicker Alley, Icarus, Kino, Milestone and Zeitgeist, along with movies from Hollywood’s major movie studios including […]
by Paula Bernstein on Apr 26, 2016 -
Kodak and Kickstarter Launch Program for Indie Filmmakers to Shoot on Film
Despite outliers such as Alex Ross Perry and Todd Haynes, the general consensus among independent filmmakers is that shooting on film is too expensive to be feasible. Over the past year, Kodak has been working to get the word out that shooting on film is a possibility – even for low-budget indies. Along with Kickstarter, the Eastman Kodak Company today announced a new initiative to support independent filmmakers who want to shoot on film. The program is open to cinematographers launching a Kickstarter campaign in order to bring their vision to life using 35mm or 16mm film. Four directors with upcoming Kickstarter campaigns […]
by Paula Bernstein on Apr 25, 2016 -
Frederick Wiseman on His Banned Classic Titicut Follies
Straight from its premiere at New York City’s Metrograph theater, the new 35mm print of Titicut Follies screened at Portland’s Northwest Film Center on April 21 with director Frederick Wiseman in attendance. The controversial film portrays the wretched conditions at The Bridgewater State Hospital for the criminally insane in Bridgewater, Massachusetts circa 1967. In unflinching cinema verite-style, Ttticut Follies presents a stark portrayal of the hospital’s predominantly naked inmates as they are mishandled, force-fed, taunted by guards, and locked in empty cells. Titicut Follies was famously banned prior to its planned premiere at the 1967 New York Film Festival. Though Wiseman had gotten the requisite permissions, the state of […]
by Paula Bernstein on Apr 22, 2016
