Authors — Scott Macaulay
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Five Questions for The Yes Men Are Revolting Director Laura Nix
Five years after political superheroes the Yes Men (Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonnano) made everything all right in The Yes Men Fix the World, our planet seems pretty screwed up again. So, once more the two hit the airwaves, corporate board rooms and tabloid front pages in The Yes Men Are Revolting, directing their activist wit towards the issue of climate change. Along the way, they are joined by Laura Nix, who produced the previous film and this time directs alongside them both. Nix’s directing credits include The Politics of Fur and The Light in Her Eyes, and below she […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 5, 2014 -
Sunshine Superman Director Marah Strauch on BASE Jumping, Interview Technique and Recreations as an Imaginative Space
Piling off cliffs and from airplanes, locking arms in the air or tumbling singly, the divers in Marah Strauch’s compelling documentary, Sunshine Superman, are simply hypnotic to watch. Seen mostly in archival footage culled from 250 hours of material, their forms take on a near-abstract quality — a quality that seduced first-time director Strauch to transition from experimental installation art work to documentary film. Her long-in-the-works Sunshine Superman, about pioneering BASE jumper Carl Boenish (he coined the acronym, which stands for building, antennae, span and earth) and his wife Jean, is a mixture of love story, human mystery and extreme […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 4, 2014 -
Are Too Many People Calling Themselves Storytellers?
Award-winning designer Stefan Sagmeister blasts the current co-option of the label “storyteller” in this provocative video. If you’re a novelist or filmmaker then, yes, Sagmeister says, you are a storyteller. But if you’re, for example, a roller coaster designer, then, he says, “No, fuckhead, you are not a storyteller!” Sagmeister’s absolutist stance has angered quite a few — check out the video’s comments thread. From my point of view, storytelling is as much a practice as job title. I think it’s possible to apply an understanding and embrace of narrative in multiple fields, not just writing and film. And if […]
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 24, 2014 -
Can Makeup Become Electronic? Projection Mapping a Model’s Face
We know that electronic actors are on the horizon, but what about electronic makeup? Technical producer and director Nobumichi Asai has projection mapped on buildings, cars and other physical objects, but in this concept video he maps in real time onto the human face. Writes Chris Davies at Slashgear: It’s the incredible handiwork of a team led by Nobumichi Asai, which brings together digital designers, CGI experts, and make-up artists. Combined, they create what seems to be the electronic equivalent of makeup. Technical details are scant at this stage, unfortunately. Judging by the video, however, there’s an initial scanning stage […]
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 24, 2014 -
Trailer Watch: Giuseppe Makes a Movie (Red Band)
From Cinelicious Pics comes this trailer for Adam Rifkin’s Giuseppe Makes a Movie, a portrait of the Ventura, CA-based no-budget cult filmmaker Guiseppe Andrews. Rifkin has known Andrews for 15 years, back from the days of Detroit Rock City, Said Rifkin to Filmmaker‘s Lauren Wissot, “This shy and respectful kid started cranking out no-budget films one after another, and every one of them was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I’m really hard to shock and these were crazy. Insane. But not a forced, ‘hipster trying to be weird for weird sake,’ kind of insane – these were genuine […]
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 18, 2014 -
How Do You Show a Text Message in a Film?
Not too long ago I was asked to read a script, and when I finished I had one question: what year was this script set in? I wondered because the whole script revolved around people in different cities being completely unable to communicate with each other, to know what was going on in each other’s lives. Yep, this present-day film took place in a world where mobile phones had not been invented. You’d be surprised at how often screenwriters ignore today’s modern means of communication. And not just phones — in order to be truly contemporary, filmmakers must incorporate text […]
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 15, 2014 -
Music Video: Daphne Guinness’ Evening in Space, Directed by David LaChappelle
Artist, designer and model Daphne Guinness adds music to her CV with this new single, “Evening in Space,” produced by long-time David Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti. The video is directed by photographer and director David LaChappelle and, according to the notes, “features custom fashion by many of Guinness’ favourite houses, including Iris van Herpen and Noritaka Tatehana, alongside pieces from her own celebrated clothing collection.”
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 15, 2014 -
Apple’s Beats Music Celebrates Do the Right Thing‘s 25th Anniversary
Revisiting the characters and locations of Spike Lee’s classic, Do The Right Thing 25 Year Anniversary: A Beats Music Experience is a 22-minute short documentary just released under the banner of, yes, Apple’s newly acquired Beats Music. Lee, Danny Aiello, production designer Wynn Thomas and others from the film stroll its Bed-Stuy block, recalling moments, interviewing current residents, and trying to remember just which apartment Rosie Perez lived in. Unlike Lee’s recent Old Boy, it’s an official Spike Lee Joint — spirited, not too nostalgic and capped with a block party performance by Public Enemy doing “Fight the Power.” Sadly, […]
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 15, 2014 -
What is a Music Supervisor?
“Music supervision is creative and business, married together,” says music supervisor Tracy McKnight in this Variety Artisans roundtable featuring a group of professionals who oversee the use of music in movies. Watch here as McKnight, who has a rich career in both studio and independent film, and a group of colleagues with credits ranging from Boardwalk Empire to Breaking Bad, discuss the dimensions of what can seem to be a mysterious position.
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 14, 2014 -
Camden International Film Festival Announces Commissioning Partnership with Al Jazeera Digital Platform
The Camden International Film Festival announced today a partnership with AJ+, the new digital platform from Al Jazeera Media Network. Submissions are now open for a competition that will bring five independent filmmakers to the festival to pitch short doc projects to filmmakers and industry leaders. AJ+ will then commission up to five projects, providing them with $10,000 budgets. From the press release: All selected filmmakers will be provided with an All Access pass to CIFF (September 25-28, 2014) and a stipend to support both travel and accommodations during the festival. This opportunity is for stories driven by strong characters, […]
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 11, 2014
