Authors — Scott Macaulay
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Jillian Mayer on How to Hide from Cameras
25 New Face Jillian Mayer has long been attuned to the impact of technology on identity and personal expression. Here, she offers a helpful tutorial to those worried about biometric tracking, face recognition and the profusion of surveillance cameras on our streets.
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 14, 2013 -
What Would You Do with Daniel Radcliffe and Ten Minutes?
Director Joe Connor was recently given ten minutes to make a short film with actor Daniel Radcliffe. The 26-year-old director and the star of the current Kill Your Darlings met for just a few moments, quickly tossed around some ideas and settled on the theme of fear. The resulting short, Wait, is a nicely pitched essay about stage fright that will resonate with anyone who has felt their heart pace as they prepare for public speaking.
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 14, 2013 -
Nicholas Rombes, Grace Krilanovich Discuss their Microbudget The Removals
The Indiegogo campaign for Two Dollar Radio’s microbudget film division continues, with screenwriter (and Filmmaker contributor) Nicholas Rombes and author and now director Grace Krilanovich posting videos explaining their approach to the first production, The Removals. Check out the videos below. Read more about Two Dollar Radio at Filmmaker here.
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 14, 2013 -
How Much Would You Pay for a Banksy?
How much would you pay for a Banksy? A shot of a Banksy, that is, not the actual work itself. As RobertoofParkSlope’s Instagram documents, the British artist’s New York tour seems to be providing income opportunities for enterprising folks over here.
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 10, 2013 -
Thinkmodo Scores Viral Hit with Carrie Coffee Shop Prank
The New York-based Thinkmodo has specialized in the best form of advertising on the internet: viral content that is shared freely by viewers and placed by editors — like this one — on websites free of charge. “Thinkmodo mashes-up viral fun with marketing function to create effective viral video campaigns for brands,” they write on their site. “Our unique strategy generates tremendous online engagement and valuable earned media coverage worldwide.” Case in point is their latest, advertising Kim Peirce’s upcoming Carrie remake, which I learned about from the Twitter feed of U.K. mentalist Derren Brown, who declared it “magnificent!” (The […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 8, 2013 -
On James Schamus and Focus Features
Yesterday’s sad news that James Schamus is leaving Focus Features, the company he co-founded 11 years ago, and that the New York office is being shut down is a blow — a blow to not only the filmmakers supported by Focus and the company’s employees but also our broader independent film community. Schamus is unique and irreplaceable, and his particular strengths are ones we have needed and relied upon. These strengths include his defining concept of what a 21st-century specialty distributor could be, one that demonstrated smart-minded business practices while cracking its door open to allow outsider voices, subversive points […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 3, 2013 -
Gamechanger Films, Supporting Women Narrative Directors, Launches Today
Gamechanger Films, a new for-profit film fund exclusively targeting narrative feature-length films directed by women, was announced today. The New York-based company was founded by Julie Parker Benello (Afternoon Delight, Pariah, Brooklyn Castle), Dan Cogan (Hell and Back Again, How to Survive a Plague, The Queen of Versailles), Geralyn Dreyfous (Born Into Brothels, The Invisible War, The Square) and Wendy Ettinger (Semper Fi: Always Faithful, The War Room, Eye of God), and will be led by producer Mynette Louie (Cold Comes the Night, California Solo, Children of Invention). Producer Mary Jane Skalski (Very Good Girls, Win Win, The Visitor) is […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 27, 2013 -
Trailer Watch: Days of Gray
Days of Gray, the Iceland-set debut picture from New York production company Bicephaly Pictures, will have its world premiere October 4 at, appropriately, the Reykjavik International Film Festival. The film will screen at the historic Gamla Bio theater with the seven-piece orchestral band Hjaltalin performing their original score. The filmmakers have blogged for Filmmaker about the production of the film, and now they are debuting here their first trailer, posted above. Here’s the synopsis from the film’s Vimeo page: It is a world without language. A world where one is raised to respect the rules. Every possession is strictly utilitarian. […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 24, 2013 -
Two Dollar Radio Launches Microbudget Film Division with Rombes Script, The Removals
Two Dollar Radio, the Columbus, OH-based independent literary house is launching a microbudget film division, and the first project out of the gate is The Removals, written by author, critic and frequent Filmmaker contributor Nicholas Rombes. (His Blue Velvet Project remains a high water mark of this site.) Directing will be Grace Krilanovich, author of acclaimed teen vampire novel, The Orange Eats Creeps, which made a guest appearance recently in Rombes’ essay on Only God Forgives. “The story is part-thriller, part-nightmarish examination of the widening gap between originality and technology, told with remarkable precision,” writes Two Dollar Radio on its […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 24, 2013 -
The Dark Side of the iPhone: Casey Neistat Documents iPhone 5s Hysteria
Filmmaker Casey Neistat, selected as one of our “25 New Faces” in 2006, camped out at Apple’s New York City 59th Street store to make this short film about the fans who waited on line, credit cards in hand, for over a week to purchase the iPhone 5s. (Were any there for the cheaper, “unapologetically plastic” iPhone 5c? I doubt it.) He asked the Apple fans one question: Why? Watch the video above.
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 22, 2013
