Authors — Scott Macaulay
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Director Diane Bell on What You Should Do if Your Film is in Sundance
Following this week’s Sundance announcements, I linked in my newsletter to two articles I wrote back in 2009: “So You Didn’t Get into Sundance” and “Letter from the Future.” This first is a consoling “what to do next” kind of piece, and the second is an only partly tongue-in-cheek riff on alternative ways to approach festival distribution. The latter owes a lot of Jon Reiss, who in articles written for Filmmaker and elsewhere has advocated for making your festival premiere your premiere and to make a DIY distribution your plan A, not some hastily considered fallback plan when a big […]
by Scott Macaulay on Dec 7, 2014 -
David Ehrlich’s 25 Best Films of 2014 Supercut
At Little White Lies David Ehrlich returns with his excellent annual supercut of his own 25 Best Films list. He writes, “As was also the case with last year’s video, the video kicks off with a little intro that’s intended to set the stage, and then launches into the countdown a couple of minutes later. All of the featured music comes from the films of 2014, and a full track list is waiting for you at the end. As always, this was both a blast to cut together and also just an unspeakably catastrophic waste of time. So… I hope […]
by Scott Macaulay on Dec 7, 2014 -
Sundance Announces 2015 Spotlight, Park City at Midnight and New Frontiers Sections
A day after unveiling the Competition and NEXT lineups, the Sundance Institute has announced the 2015 Sundance Film Festival’s Spotlight, Park City at Midnight and New Frontiers sections. Of the Midnight section, which contains new films by Eli Roth, Rodney Ascher and, from Cannes, David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows, Director of Programming Trevor Groth said in a press release, “This year’s Park City at Midnight selections have much to offer genre enthusiasts. With everything from futuristic fantasies to paranormal nightmares, it’s an all-out trip to the cinematic edge.” Of the New Frontiers section of films and installations — the latter […]
by Scott Macaulay on Dec 4, 2014 -
Trailer Watch: a Young Jane Fonda in Jane, from Drew Associates
Here’s an extraordinary clip from Jane, a documentary directed by Drew Associates about the young Jane Fonda preparing for her first Broadway role. My favorite line: “Andreas [the director] has coached Jane before. They’re friends, and he dates her often.” From the press release: JANE, directed by Drew Associates, captures a rare and oft forgotten piece of film and theater history. A young Jane Fonda prepares for her tumultuous starring role on Broadway in “The Fun Couple.” The Drew Associates filmmakers track Fonda’s every move during the production as she strives to legitimize herself as an actress and remove herself […]
by Scott Macaulay on Dec 3, 2014 -
Sundance Announces 2015 U.S. and World Competitions and NEXT Titles
The Sundance Institute today announced its 2015 Competition Titles as well as the 10 titles comprising its NEXT section. In what is always independent film’s biggest announcement of the year, Sundance revealed films that, says Sundance Film Festival Director John Cooper, “take audiences on a wild ride of emotional extremes.” Submissions for 2015 hit a new high, with 4,105 feature films and 8,061 shorts submitted to the Park City, UT event. Said Sundance Institute Executive Director Keri Putnam, “Independent artists are embracing diverse forms of storytelling – from feature film to New Frontier to episodic content. In response to their […]
by Scott Macaulay on Dec 3, 2014 -
The Sound of Helicopters in Apocalypse Now
A film’s first shot, its first image, is one that’s obsessed over by many directors. But how many put as much care into its first sound? Francis Ford Coppola did, along with sound designer Walter Murch, when constructing the opening of Apocalypse Now. The famous helicopter sounds actually enter over black — they are the first input of any kind an audience member receives. And, of course, those weren’t just any helicopter sounds. In the video above — a section of a documentary commissioned for the Paramount 2006 home video release and made by Zoetrope’s former head of post, Kim […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 30, 2014 -
Five Questions for Writer/Director Scott Blake about his Kickstarter Project, Victory
25 New Face filmmaker Scott Blake is currently raising funds on Kickstarter for an ambitious “urban insurgency” short film, Victory. Below, he discusses inspiration ranging from Michael Mann to Joseph Conrad, why he cast Kentucker Audley and why he’s making another short. Please visit his Kickstarter page to learn more. Filmmaker: First, let’s start with Surveyor and the 25 New Faces. You were one of our real discoveries, as your film hadn’t played many festivals and you hadn’t received much notice for it. What has happened after being selected for the 25, and how did that path lead to this […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 30, 2014 -
Filmmakers Launch #BlackoutBlackFriday Day of Activism, Events and Retail Boycott
In the wake of the decision not to prosecute Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the killing of Michael Brown, Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler has joined with Selma director and AFFRM founder Ava DuVernay to launch Blackout for Human Rights, “a network committed to ending human rights violations at the hands of public servants.” The group, which includes a number of directors, actors and others, builds on this week’s nationwide protests with events and actions, including today’s #BlackoutBlackFriday. From the group’s Tumblr: About #BlackoutBlackFriday: We ask those who stand with Ferguson, victims of police brutality and us to refrain […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 28, 2014 -
Hope for Film Author Ted Hope on Life, Independent Film and Systems Reboots
Ted Hope — producer, Good Machine co-founder, and now CEO of Fandor — is no tongue-tied wallflower in the independent film community. Indeed, his passionate commentary, counsel and editorializing on topics ranging from net neutrality to making better films to a “systems reboot” of the independent film economy seem to be everywhere these days. But while his website, Twitter account and frequent speeches at industry events may make it seem that his opinions have been enabled — or at least turbo-charged — by this current social media age, he has, in fact, been lobbing list-driven rhetorical broadsides for years. (Don’t […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 24, 2014 -
The Economy of Web Series and Five Questions for This Is Not a Conspiracy Theory Director Kirby Ferguson
Kirby Ferguson’s four-part web series, Everything is a Remix, was a brilliant blend of form, content and delivery system. A discussion of not just the legal issues surrounding fair use and appropriated content but also the nature of creativity itself, Ferguson’s work scored hundreds of thousands of views, launched a TED talk and established this savvy director at the forefront of the DIY web content creation business. With his new recently launched series, This is Not a Conspiracy Theory, he is aiming to make that web content creation business more of a, well, business by switching from free to a […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 24, 2014
