Authors — Scott Macaulay
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12 Tips from James Schamus and Christine Vachon at IFP Film Week
The IFP’s Independent Film Week’s Filmmaker Conference kicked off today, beginning with a case study of Beasts of the Southern Wild and ending with a conversation, moderated by IFP Executive Director Joana Vicente, between producer and Killer Films head Christine Vachon and producer, screenwriter and Focus Features CEO James Schamus. Below are 12 tips from the latter event — advice aimed at producers and, in some cases, anybody else, from two veterans with deep, decades-long roots in the independent community. 1. Consider producing. Christine Vachon and James Schamus are producers, but they both remembered a time when they were not. […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 16, 2012 -
Diane Von Fursternberg Shows Off Google Glass
Eyeglass cameras have been around for years… but, hey, this short film is made up entirely of footage not from just any old eyeglass camera. We’re talking about Google Glass! Here, Diane Von Furstenberg and her models take you through their New York fashion week. Some of this footage looks quite nice. At the New York Times, David Pogue discusses his try-out of Google Glass. He’s got a lot of details in his piece, but here’s how he concludes: But already, a few things are clear. The speed and power, the tiny size and weight, the clarity and effectiveness of […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 13, 2012 -
Five Questions with Mark Lombardi: Death-Defying Acts of Art and Conspiracy Director Marieke Wegener
In the years since his death in 2000, the work of artist Mark Lombardi has seemed even more prescient and relevant than it had during his lifetime. Lombardi’s finely-etched drawings, filled with annotated lines, circles and squiggles, traced the flow of capital and political power between various government, private and underworld actors. His subjects were American foreign policy, crime, corruption and conspiracy, and his artwork consisted of not only his drawings but the investigative work required to create them. Lombardi’s drawings reference the drug wars, the BCCI scandal, Charles Keating and the savings and loan scandal, and Iran contra, but […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 13, 2012 -
Director Maiko Endo on Kuichisan
Easily the most out-there film I saw at last year’s CPH:DOX was one touted by the programmers as “the discovery of the festival”: Maiko Endo’s Kuichisan, receiving its New York debut tomorrow as part of the LaDiDa Festival. Previously, Endo was a vocalist in the band Battles and co-produced Jessica Oreck’s documentary Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo. Now, Oreck has produced Endo’s debut picture, with Beetle Queen d.p. Sean Price Williams behind the camera. Stunningly shot in both black-and-white and color, Kuichisan is a tumbling collection of images, organized as much by feeling, sensation and the rhythms of its experimental soundtrack […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 13, 2012 -
PAUL FEDERBUSH NAMED SUNDANCE INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR, FEATURE FILM PROGRAM
Distribution veteran Paul Federbush has been named International Director, Feature Film Program, at the Sundance Institute. Through his work at a number of companies over the years, Federbush is well known in the independent community. Most recently, Federbush formed the distribution company Red Flag Releasing with Laura Kim, and previously he was Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Production at Warner Independent, where he developed such projects as Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, and Hany Abu Assad’s Paradise Now. From the press release: In his new role, Federbush is responsible for the planning and execution of the international work of Sundance […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 11, 2012 -
FACTORY 25 ACQUIRES CASSIDY AND SHATZKY’S “FRANCINE”
Factory 25 has acquired North American rights to Brian Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky’s Francine, a bold and mysterious drama starring Melissa Leo as a paroled convict who finds solace in caring for animals. The film premieres this week, on September 12, at MoMA in a theatrical release by The Film Sales Company, and it will continue to play across the country this fall. Factory 25 and The Film Sales Company will co-release the film on VOD and digitally beginning November 1. DVD and non-theatrical screenings will begin in Spring, 2013. Francine premiered this year at the Berlin Film Festival, and […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 10, 2012 -
Should Filmmakers Be Financially Accountable to their Kickstarter Supporters?
A recent NPR story, “When a Kickstarter Campaign Fails, Does Anyone Get Their Money Back?”, raised the issue of failed crowdfunding campaigns and financial restitution to supporters. It’s a relevant topic as Kickstarter is increasingly acting as a pre-sale, customer-financing platform for sundry consumer, tech, and design goods. iPod wristwatches, RAW-shooting cameras, tripods and remotes, aquariums — many projects, some from creators with manufacturing backgrounds and some without, are bypassing the angel investor round and raising start-up capital directly from their customers. And while these are creative projects, they’re different from the short films and features we highlight on our […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 10, 2012 -
JORGE HINOJOSA ON “ICEBERG SLIM: PORTRAIT OF A PIMP”
Premiering in Toronto this year is Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp, director Jorge Hinojosa’s portrait of the legendary black author and pimp, whose work influenced generations of rap artists as well as urban fiction — or Street Lit — writers. Making his directorial debut, Hinojosa has been Ice-T’s manager for the past 28 years and previously executive produced the features Urban Menace, The Wrecking Crew and Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap. In the below video, offered by Hinojosa to Filmmaker, he discusses the origins of the film, his interest in Slim and how he and his collaborators […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 7, 2012 -
SYRIAN FILMMAKER ORWA NYRABIA ARRESTED AND MISSING
Last Thursday, August 23, Syrian filmmaker Orwa Nyrabia was arrested by Syrian security forces at the Damascus airport while on his way to Cairo. Since then, he has not been heard from. Lawrence Wright of the New Yorker wrote about Nyrabia and his disappearance in a blog post last week. I had the good fortune at the time to meet Orwa Nyrabia (also transcribed Nairabiya). He is a big, ironic, bold spirit, whose jolly nature seemed perversely at odds with the grimly repressive atmosphere inside that country. With another producer, Diana el-Jeiroudi, Orwa started Proaction Film, the only independent documentary-film […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 2, 2012 -
CHAIR FIGHTING TIPS FOR CLINT EASTWOOD
Clint, here, via Harmony Korine and Mark Gonzalez, is how you fight a chair. (The clip, of course, is from Gummo, which I co-produced.)
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 31, 2012
