Authors — Scott Macaulay
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@SXSW: Digital Bolex and New Beyond the Bolex Documentary
Sharing a booth at the SXSW trade show were the teams behind the forthcoming Digital Bolex RAW-file camera and Beyond the Bolex, a new documentary film by Alyssa Bolsey, whose great grandfather invented the celebrated and influential camera. I stopped by the booth on the last day of the conference, and spoke very briefly to one of its inventors, Joe Rubinstein, above. In my video, Rubinstein says he expects the release of the camera soon. Red Shark News has reproduced a post from the Digital Bolex forum by member James M, who also stopped by the booth and provides more […]
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 16, 2013 -
Destin Cretton’s Short Term 12, Ben Nabors’ William and the Windmill and the Full List of SXSW 2013 Winners
As screenings continue and the music folks roll into town, SXSW last night announced the winners of its 2013 Film Festival. At the Paramount Theater, Destin Cretton’s crowd-pleasing Short Term 12 and Ben Nabors’ African-set, sustainable energy doc William and the Windmill took the top juried prizes. Audience prizes will be announced at the festival’s conclusion. A complete list of winners follows: Feature Film Jury Awards DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION Grand Jury Winner: William and the Windmill Director: Ben Nabors Special Jury Recognition for Cinematography: Touba Director of Photography: Scott Duncan Special Jury Recognition for Directing: We Always Lie To Strangers […]
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 13, 2013 -
Destin Cretton Talks Short Term 12
Winner of the Narrative Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival, Destin Cretton’s Short Term 12 is a warm, generous drama about counselors and youth at a group home for troubled teens. A feature expansion of his 2009 short of the same name, winner of the Best Short Award at the Sundance Film Festival, Cretton’s new picture has a low-key authenticity — the writer/director worked himself in such a facility, and his experiences inspire some of the subplots here — as well as the classic values of good, character-based storytelling. (At the premiere’s post-screening Q&A, Cretton cited One […]
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 13, 2013 -
Rambling On… Independent Directors Discuss Soderbergh and the Auteur Theory
Rambling On, the independent film interview show produced by filmmakers Russell Costanzo and Melissa B. Miller (The Tested), returns with this latest installment featuring directors talking about, well, directing. Costanzo hosts, and the directors featured are Craig Zobel (Compliance), Ry Russo-Young (Nobody Walks), Alex Karpovsky (Red Flag) and Antonio Campos (Simon Killer). Check it out above, and then in next week for another installment.
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 8, 2013 -
Filmmaker Announces Collaboration with MIT Open Documentary Lab
Should filmmakers learn to code? That’s the question posed by MIT Open Documentary Lab’s Sarah Wolozin in her introduction to a 12-part series beginning today at Filmmaker. And, amidst all of our discussion in our pages about DSLR cameras and crowdfunding and audience engagement strategies, it’s a question that we’ve contemplated too. We wouldn’t think of telling a director he or she doesn’t need to know anything about lenses, or sound design or dramatic lighting. So, as filmmaking begins to embrace transmedia — extending story beyond the film frame — why shouldn’t producers and directors know something about the tools […]
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 7, 2013 -
The Art of the Steadicam
The Steadicam — it can make things so easy, and so beautiful. It can be simply efficient, allowing you to bang out a smooth walk-and-talk without track. Or it can be a show piece, a shot whose virtuosity grabs the audiences’s attention, even if they are unaware of the level of skill and artistry involved. Writes Larry Wright at his Refocused Media blog about the long single takes most associated with the Steadicam: More often than not, these sequences are accomplished using a Steadicam, which is essentially a balanced stabilizer that allows for smoother and more easily controlled handheld camera […]
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 6, 2013 -
25 Picks for the SXSW Film and Interactive Festivals
SXSW is a festival of contradictions. (Or, “Spring Break for filmmakers,” as Ti West posted on his Twitter stream last night.) Its film program feels homey, intimate, with Janet Pierson and her team evincing a real sense of enthusiasm as well as curatorial play. There are, of course, types of films that are expected and do well at SXSW: cutting-edge genre titles, hip mainstream features, music- and technology-themed documentaries, and low-budget, youth-oriented relationship tales. But within and even outside of those categories, SXSW always turns up some real discoveries. (Last year there were several — Sean Baker’s Starlet, Andrew Neel’s […]
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 6, 2013 -
Tribeca Film Festival Announces World Narrative and Doc Competitions, Viewpoints Lineups
The Tribeca Film Festival announced over half of its 2013 edition today, including its World Narrative Feature and Documentary Competitions as well as its Viewpoints section. The festival’s 89 features were selected from a record 6,005 submissions, and titles include a number of eagerly awaited films from American independent filmmakers. Lance Edmands’ Bluebird will open the Narrative Competition while Rachel Boynton’s Big Men opens the Documentary Competition. Previously announced, Tom Berninger’s doc on the band The National, Mistaken for Strangers, will open the overall festival. Playing throughout New York April 17 – 28, the Tribeca Film Festival is programmed by […]
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 5, 2013 -
How a Water Filter Can Teach You How to Hack Your Kickstarter Campaign
Hacks, four-hour workweek condensations, and digital outsourcing — I’m often dubious about the efficacy of many strategies promising “the answer” when it comes to both creative and business endeavors. That said, “Hacking Kickstarter: How to Raise $100,000 in 10 Days (Includes Successful Templates, E-mails, etc.),” found on the blog of Four-Hour Work Week guru Tim Ferris, is an excellent walk-through of one very successful Kickstarter campaign, and it’s full of practical advice. The Kickstarter was for Soma, a designer water filter, but much of author Mike Del Ponte’s advice can be applied to filmmakers too. I don’t agree with 100% […]
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 4, 2013 -
Tim Sutton’s Pavilion Opens at IFC Center
One of our favorite recent films at Filmmaker and IFP is Tim Sutton’s dreamy and at times disquieting evocation of youth, Pavilion. The film went through the IFP Labs, and its d.p., Chris Dapkins, made our 25 New Faces list last year. And, just this year, Sutton took part in the Venice Biennale College Cinema, which is partnered with IFP, and because of its support, is set to make his new feature, Memphis, this Spring. As Sutton enters pre-production, Pavilion hits the theaters from Factory 25. It opens at IFC Center in New York tomorrow, and is recommended to all […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 28, 2013
