Authors — Sarah Salovaara
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Streaming for Dollars
Since the advent of YouTube and Vimeo, filmmakers have rolled the dice, releasing their shorts online for free in the hopes that their work will court the right set of eyeballs. Nowadays, even at banner institutions like The New York Times and The New Yorker, more and more curated short-form distribution opportunities are cropping up online that hint toward visibility and prestige for the films, along with, sometimes, financial returns for the filmmakers. Last December, The New Yorker introduced “The Screening Room,” a streaming platform where they rolled out three shorts acquired at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival: Person to […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Jul 23, 2015 -
Milestone Films’ Dennis Doros on Ornette: Made in America and Project Shirley
Since founding Milestone Films in 1990, the husband and wife team of Dennis Doros and Amy Heller have been restoring and distributing some of the most significant and overlooked titles in the American independent cannon. Ornette: Made in America, one of four feature films in their “Project Shirley” Shirley Clarke collection, is wrapping up a week long run at Spectacle today, as part of a celebration of Ornette Coleman. Filmmaker spoke to Doros about the acquisition and restoration process behind Clarke’s characteristically singular documentary, as well as Milestone’s recent objection to Stephen Winter’s Jason and Shirley, which liberally re-imagines the set of Portrait of […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Jul 23, 2015 -
MUBI CEO Efe Cakarel on the Move to Theatrical Distribution with Arabian Nights
Yesterday, the SVOD service MUBI announced its foray into theatrical distribution with the acquisition of Miguel Gomes’ much lauded Cannes triptych Arabian Nights. The move, in line with the recent trajectories of larger services such as Netflix and Amazon, points toward the ever expanding influence of online platforms. Filmmaker spoke to MUBI CEO Efe Cakarel about partnering with New Wave Films to distribute what some might term a challenging title, given its six hour runtime. Filmmaker: There seems to be yet another paradigm shift happening in independent distribution, with online services, formerly an alternative to theatrical exhibition, now entering that very arena. Why did you […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Jul 22, 2015 -
Watch: The Evolution of Chuck Jones
Before Pixar, there was Warner Brothers — or more specifically, there was Chuck Jones. The latest in Tony Zhou’s “Every Frame a Painting” series examines how the animator utilized discipline and restrictions to create his iconic cartoons; how he enmeshed character traits into a simple comedic games of assumption and reality; how minimalism was his strong suit and more.
by Sarah Salovaara on Jul 16, 2015 -
Trailer Watch: David O. Russell’s Joy
Originally a spec script from Bridesmaids co-writer Annie Mumolo, Joy received a top to bottom rewrite from David O. Russell before production, and the results appear to be somewhat darker than his last two screwball jabs, American Hustle and The Silver Linings Playbook. In any event, here is your first look at the rags to riches tale of Joy Mangano, inventor of the Miracle Mop, as played by Russell regular Jennifer Lawrence.
by Sarah Salovaara on Jul 15, 2015 -
Watch: Parallels in the Work of Yasujiro Ozu and Wes Anderson
At first blush, the filmmakers Yasujiro Ozu and Wes Anderson would appear to have little in common, but this video essay from Anna Catley attempts to look past the more superficial aspects of their respective oeuvres to find striking and surprising similarities. From symmetrical frames to a faithful allegiance to familial strife and more in between, the filmic parallels are far more numerous than you may expect.
by Sarah Salovaara on Jul 14, 2015 -
Test Footage of the GoPro HERO4 Session
Today GoPro announced the release of their first brand new camera in nine years: the GoPro HERO4 Session. The reviews trickling in thus far are fairly positive, despite noting the trade offs that accompany a design that is 40% smaller than the current HERO4 line. (For starters, the camera will reorient itself based off a 180 degree axis, but it cannot rotate at a 90 degree angle.) On the plus side, the Session comes waterproof (up to 33 feet) straight out of the box, and has an in-camera microphone that drains as you move from liquid to air. It’s available July 12 for […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Jul 6, 2015 -
Trailer Watch: Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs
Last seen as the source of much squabbling in the Sony hacks, here is the first official look at Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs, starring Michael Fassbender. Sorkin, who scripted, seems to be giving the late entrepreneur a similar treatment to his handling of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, painting Jobs as a ruthless CEO. Steve Wozniak, who is portrayed by Seth Rogen in the film, has already weighed in, claiming “[he feels] a lot of the real Jobs in the trailer, although a bit exaggerated.” It opens October 9.
by Sarah Salovaara on Jul 2, 2015 -
Watch: Ornette Coleman: Free Spaces
Shirley Clarke’s filmography is witnessing a much needed resuscitation thanks to the efforts of Milestone Films, and one specific title, Ornette: Made in America, is of particular pertinence given the untimely passing of its subject, Ornette Coleman. Kevin B. Lee has taken Clarke’s ever unusual documentary portrait — filmed over the course of 20 years — and divvied its often psychedelic tinged frames over a widescreen to analyze the visual patterns and rhythms Clarke achieves with her offbeat editing style. Watch above.
by Sarah Salovaara on Jul 1, 2015 -
Short Film: Michael Tyburski’s Actor Seeks Role
25 New Faces Michael Tyburski and Ben Nabors have teamed up yet again on their latest short film, Actor Seeks Role. Starring Alex Karpovsky as an aspiring method actor who resorts to medical acting in lieu of a silver screen gig, Actor Seeks Role is a witty, efficient rumination on the downsides of a theatrical affliction. Watch above.
by Sarah Salovaara on Jun 29, 2015
