Authors — Scott Macaulay
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WHY IS MOTORMOUTH MARTIN SCORSESE SELLING SIRI?
In the public’s mind, Martin Scorsese is known for many things. One of them is directing some of the best movies made in the 20th century. But another, stemming from his various public appearances, acting jobs and cameos, is his rat-a-tat-tat, staccato speaking style. I think anyone heading into a meeting with Scorsese knows to focus and drink that extra shot of espresso beforehand. So, what’s Apple doing by hiring Scorsese to make the case for Siri, its iPhone personal assistant that some commenters, including Nick Bilton of the New York Times, have found lacking in basic communication skills? In […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 25, 2012 -
TRAILER WATCH: “LIFE OF PI”
Here’s the first trailer for Ang Lee’s adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi. The film’s in 3D, and you can sense how spectacular and immersive it should be from this preview.
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 25, 2012 -
WATCH “25 NEW FACE” JULIA POTT’S GREAT SHORT, “BELLY”
“It’s about being a kid and so in touch with spooky things,” said animator Julia Pott about her short film Belly when Nick Dawson interviewed her for this year’s “25 New Faces” list. “I called it Belly because it’s about living with this thing that you’ve lost in the pit of your stomach for the rest of your life. I really like feeling sad. It’s so good sometimes to just wallow in misery.” The short that captivated us here at Filmmaker is now online. Watch it below. Belly from Julia Pott on Vimeo.
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 24, 2012 -
Five Questions with Engagement Director Jon Lefkovitz
The trailer for Jon Lefkovitz’s micro-budget psychological thriller Engagement caught our eye here at Filmmaker. It’s a Hitchcock-inspired tale about an young groom-to-be and the woman who may or not be the sister of his out-of-town fiancée. The film is currently up on VOD through Film Buff, and below we ask Lefkovitz five questions about making smart genre entertainment for a price. Filmmaker: Where did the concept of the film come? What were your inspirations? Lefkovitz: The concept for Engagement is actually semi-autobiographical — in 2009, my then-fiancée (now wife) went away for six weeks, leaving me alone in our […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 24, 2012 -
QUARTERLY GIFTS TELL THEIR STORIES
In the current issue of Filmmaker, Lance Weiler writes about scarcity and abundance in the digital world — namely, the trend of digital artists creating physical media limited editions for their fans and followers. Weiler references several such projects in his piece, and, indeed, I’m discovering more every day. Here’s the latest: Quarterly, a subscription service that brings you a unique, curated gift from a trusted curatorial source every three months. “Each shipment tells a story,” the site promises. From the site: Quarterly is a new way to connect with the people you follow and find interesting. We spend so […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 24, 2012 -
TRAILER WATCH: “THE MASTER”
The Master is Paul Thomas Anderson’s follow-up to There Will be Blood, my favorite film of that year. After this trailer I’m even more psyched.
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 19, 2012 -
Justin Lin’s Family Network
“It’s not actually that different from early independent cinema,” Elaine Chin, President of Production of Justin Lin’s production company, Barnstorm Pictures, says of the new YouTube network, You Offend Me You Offend My Family, Lin has co-founded. “There’s no preconceived idea of what it should look like. YouTube is giving us free reign to go and try anything, and we don’t want to take that for granted. If anything, we want to surprise ourselves and be even more crazy.” Launched this June as part of YouTube’s move into original programming, YOMYOMF features short-form scripted and reality programs by new creators […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 19, 2012 -
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
