Authors — Scott Macaulay
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Editor’s Letter
Each year when we do our “25 New Faces” feature, we try to keep the profiles to 350 words. “Let’s keep them short and punchy,” I say. “Run the pictures big and just give people the gist. Let them find out more on the web.” But we always run long. When we learn that a filmmaker whose short film we love also teaches nuclear physics, we have to include it. When the story of a doc a director made in high school is almost as interesting as his bootstrapped, Kenya-shot Somali pirate movie, we have to include that too. And […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 19, 2012 -
Parting Shot – Ryan O’Nan
Independent film has seen its small share of “band on the road” movies, but few evince the effortless charm and sweet sincerity of Ryan O’Nan’s Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best. The film is O’Nan’s debut as writer/director, and he stars as well, playing Alex, a struggling musician who can’t catch a break. Dumped by his girlfriend, Alex lets his guard down enough to be coerced by his sole fan (Michael Weston) into forming a quickie, two-person guitar-and-Casio band and hitting the road. They are taken in by a hot young manager (Arielle Kebbel) and experience gigs good and bad, but […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 19, 2012 -
ALRICK BROWN MEETS THE “FINAL WITNESS” TOMORROW NIGHT
As we put the finishing touches on our “25 New Faces” list — which comes out this week — I’ll note the latest project of one of last year’s selections, director Alrick Brown. Last fall he had his Sundance hit Kinyarwanda arrive in theaters, and now he’s directed an episode of a new ABC series, Final Witness, that airs tomorrow night, July 18 at 10PM EST on ABC. The Wall Street Journal covered this show this past weekend, describing the style as “Sundance-era poetic indie film”: Over seven Wednesdays each stand-alone true crime story dramatized and documented on “Final Witness,” […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 17, 2012 -
Miranda July and Ira Glass Tell the Future of Storytelling
The Silent History is a fascinating new publishing project that merges app distribution with geolocational storytelling. Launched by former McSweeney’s publisher Eli Horowitz and colleagues, the project will launch next month, downloading stories to readers’ iOS devices and then coaxing them out into the streets of nearly 400 cities for more. Here is the trailer featuring the voices of Miranda July and Ira Glass. Horowitz is interviewed by Reyhan Harmanci at Buzzfeed, and he speaks of the project’s inspirations: “I got to thinking about new storytelling experiences — what can these things do, what can these things lead to,” he […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 16, 2012 -
THE BEAUTY OF “WELCOME TO PINE POINT”
Those looking for a great example of a documentary-film concept successfully realized online should check out Michael Simons and Paul Shoebridge’s Welcome to Pine Point, a powerfully melancholic about place, memory and the macro-economic forces that reshape both. The piece was developed in 2010, so I realize I’m quite late to the party on this one, but it’s quite extraordinary and worth your look. Music, Super-8 film clips, text on screen, and plenty of points of interaction allow you to explore the now-vanished Canadian town while feeling the creators’ ineffable nostalgia for it. From an interview with the creators on […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 15, 2012 -
The Utility of Disappearing Media
One of the problems of both the physical and non-physical media economies has to do with proof of participation. You can support an artist by buying their DVD or download, but those items can also just sit on your shelves or hard drives, unwatched. Sure, the artist gets some coin but not the word-of-mouth that comes from your spreading the gospel about their work. One publisher tackled this problem in the world of literature by creating The Book that Can’t Wait, an anthology for new authors that literally erases itself if it hasn’t been read in 60 days. Combating the […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 15, 2012 -
MUSIC VIDEO: “PERFECT VISION,” BY ICKY BLOSSOMS
Producer Tory Lenosky passed on this new music video directed by filmmaker Nik Fackler (Lovely Still) with his Icky Blossoms band members Derek Pressnall (Tilly and the Wall) and Sarah Bohling. Two gorgeous actors, lovely black-and-white photography, and one very trashed set. From Fackler and the band: “We were dealing with a 6 1/2 minute long song. We had to keep things interesting. So it made the most sense for us to direct a short film and approach the video as such. We wanted the quality of it to be that of any film you would see in theaters. Coming […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 14, 2012 -
Editor Alan Edward Bell on The Amazing Spider-Man
Editor Alan Edward Bell began his career in the late ’80s, working first as an assistant editor (Heathers, Lord of the Flies, Misery, A Few Good Men) and then, a decade later, as editor on a string of both independent and studio films including Little Manhattan, The Story of Us, Water for Elephants and (500) Days of Summer. It was the latter film that connected Bell with director Marc Webb, and the two recently completed their second project together — The Amazing Spider-Man. Below I talk to Bell about cutting a blockbuster, 3D, the AVID, Final Cut Pro, how multiple […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 14, 2012 -
Five Questions with Union Square Director Nancy Savoca
Nancy Savoca — who wrote the excellent guest blog entry “Waves of Rebel Visions” earlier this week — today releases her insightful latest feature Union Square. The following interview was originally published on the eve of the film’s Toronto Film Festival premiere. Nancy Savoca’s True Love was an early high-water mark in the modern independent film movement. In fact, its storyline, newcomer casting and loose style is now the template for much current indie drama. So, it’s great to report that over 20 years later Savoca is back with another intimate drama realized on a low budget and entirely outside […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 13, 2012 -
The Viral Assault on Aaron Sorkin Continues
First there was the “Look here, internet girl” phenomenon and now there’s Kevin Porter‘s Supercut of recycled Aaron Sorkin dialogue, which is over 500,000 views so far on YouTube. The guy who wrote The Social Network is getting massively disrupted by viral internet commentary. From Porter: This video is a tribute to the work of Aaron Sorkin: the recycled dialogue, recurring phrases, and familiar plot lines. This is not intended as a critique but rather a playful excursion through Sorkin’s wonderful world of words. Sorkin is a smart guy. When will he use the internet for his own witty riposte? […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 8, 2012
