Authors — Scott Macaulay
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HALLOWEEN SHORT: “KITCHEN SINK”
Here’s the first of a few short films particularly appropriate for Halloween. It’s a short classic from years ago — Kitchen Sink, the movie that introduced director Alison Maclean (Jesus’s Son.)
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 30, 2011 -
Walter Murch on FCPX: “Where is the ‘Pro’ Part of It?”
Here’s editor Walter Murch on his first encounter with Apple’s new Final Cut Pro X, his correspondence with Apple, and the Kremlinology of Cupertino. This was recorded at this past week’s Boston Supermeet. For a detailed report on his appearance, visit Chris Portal’s blog. (Hat tip: Notes on Video.)
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 29, 2011 -
KIRSTEN DUNST, JOHN GIORNO IN FINAL R.E.M. VIDEOS
First that Cannes press conference and now the new R.E.M. video — Kirsten Dunst knows how to hold a close-up. After her series of conflicted, painful expressions while Lars Von Trier rambled on about Nazism endeared her to the world press corps, Dunst now appears in the final video of R.E.M., again transfixing without speaking. But what got me really excited was seeing the second version of this song, “We All Go Back to Where We Belong,” which features poet and performance artist John Giorno. I knew John a little bit back when I worked at The Kitchen, and I […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 29, 2011 -
SAG, AFTRA CALL ON IMDB TO STOP PUBLISHING AGES
A couple of weeks ago on this blog Randy Astle wrote about an unnamed Texas actress’s lawsuit against IMDb for printing her age on her professional iMDB Pro profile. Many scoffed at the suit, wondering how an actress could sue an industry database for publishing accurate information. While they haven’t gone so far as to join the suit, Hollywood’s two unions representing actors have made a public statement supporting its aim. Reports The Guardian: In a joint statement, the Screen Actors’ Guild, Sag, and Aftra, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, said IMDb had a “moral and legal […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 29, 2011 -
BOOTSY COLLINS IS 60
Happy birthday to bass player extraordinaire and cultural icon Bootsy Collins, who turns 60 today. As this tribute in the Cincinnati City Beat notes, the Parliament Funkadelic member (and Bootsy’s Rubber Band leader) is perhaps the most sampled bass player in history. Below is the TV1 documentary on Collins, a performance with James Brown, and a clip with George Clinton and Snoop Dogg.
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 26, 2011 -
WHY NETFLIX IS CRASHING
Felix Salmon at Reuters has a succinct explanation of why Netflix stock is crashing. (Note to non-investors: a stock and a company are two different things. A stock looks at not only current value but future growth potential. Thus, a good company with a healthy but slowly growing business can be worth less than a similarly sized company that might be losing money but is expected to grow into larger earnings.) In a post titled “Why Netflix Stock is So Volatile,” he explains that Netflix’s meteoric rise to a $300 share price drove short sellers from the stock. Then, when […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 25, 2011 -
Will The Section 181 Film Tax Incentive Be Extended?
The film tax incentive known as “Section 181” is due to expire at the end of this year, removing one enticement producers have been using to convince investors to finance independent feature films. Part of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, Section 181 allowed investors to write off the complete cost of a qualified film in the first year. (Normally, this write-off is amortized, occurring in future years as a film demonstrates that it is money-losing.) If and when profits then occur, they are treated as ordinary income by investors. At the close of 2009, Section 181 was similarly […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 25, 2011 -
SEAN DURKIN, ELIZABETH OLSEN AND JOHN HAWKES ON “MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE”
In the below video: Martha Marcy May Marlene writer/director Sean Durkin on Altman, Polanski and why he’s fascinated by cults; Elizabeth Olsen on her character, scripts, and what attracted her to this part; and John Hawkes on why his cult leader wasn’t another dark creepy dude. Photographed by Jamie Stuart, edited by Daniel James Scott and with music by T. Griffin. Shot at Sundance 2011.
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 20, 2011 -
DAVID LYNCH RELEASES “CRAZY CLOWN TIME” TEASER
As I’ve written before, these days we are taking whatever David Lynch we can get. In this case, it’s an in-studio teaser for his forthcoming album of paranoid blues, Crazy Clown Time.
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 18, 2011 -
CANON ANNOUNCES EOS-1D X
Get ready for the next round of DSLRs — Canon has just announced their EOS-1D X. From Engadget: Stick a piece of gaffer tape over the unmistakable X, and Canon’s latest EOS-1D pro-level camera will look virtually identical to every 1D model that came before it. But once you flip up the power slider, this new king of the jungle will hum like no other. Canon’s phenomenally powerful EOS-1D X really sounds like the DSLR to rule them all. Its 18 megapixel full-frame sensor uses oversized pixels to battle noise and is supported by a pair of Digic 5+ imaging […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 18, 2011
