In the race to make a social app for every activity you can imagine, Alex Cornell has jumped to the front of the line. His service Jotly rates everything. (Hat tip, Khoi Vinh.) What’s really funny? From the comments section of Vinh’s post I learn that there’s a start-up, Stamped, that might really be trying this!
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 17, 2011In his “Six Asides on Paranormal Activity,” published here at Filmmaker, Nicholas Rombes placed the Paranormal Activity films (particularly Paranormal Activity 2) within the realm of avant-garde cinema, even developing what he termed “the Fixed Camera Manifesto” to delineate the strategy of the latter film. Now, Rombes has elaborated upon his ideas as part of a group discussion about “the post-cinematic” as it relates to these films over at La Furia Umana. Also participating are Julia Leyda, Steven Shaviro, and Therese Grisham. From Rombes: In the Paranormal films, it’s not the house or the characters who are haunted, but the […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 17, 2011This week Cinereach announced $350,000 in grant funding going towards 17 documentary, fiction and hybrid projects. Ten projects are receiving Cinereach support for the first time, while seven are receiving additional funds. Over 1,000 applications were received from filmmakers hailing from over 70 countries. The recipients, who include one Filmmaker 25 New Face (Rebecca Richman Cohen), are below. For more information on Cinereach, visit their site. Call Me Kuchu Dir. Katherine Fairfax Wright & Malika Zouhali-Worrall | Uganda | Nonfiction | In Post-Production As state-sanctioned homophobia reaches new heights in Uganda, David Kato, the country’s first openly gay man, will […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 16, 2011“Some films go deep,” filmmaker Tiffany Shlain said at the Sundance premiere of her documentary, Connected. “Mine goes wide.” Indeed, Shlain’s film does go wide — it’s like a rubber band stretching in multiple directions while not breaking. Examining the ways in which technology can productively unite our global citizenry, Connected details nothing less than the history of consciousness and its arrival within today’s always-on, hyper-wired mind. Through voiceover narration and breezy montage, Connected explores the right brain/left brain split and its effect on social and economic organization, and it highlights the transformative potential of today’s communication tools. As a […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 16, 2011If you’ve taken a ride in the back of a New York City taxi cab these last two weeks, you may have heard the stories of seven of New York’s most distinctive independent filmmakers of the moment. In partnership with Royal Bank of Canada and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, the IFP has produced six spots that are playing not only in cabs but on NYC Life. Jamie Stuart directed, T. Griffin scored and I produced these pieces, and each one, in addition to profiling a person, highlights a different aspect of the independent filmmaker’s current creative, production […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 15, 2011Talking Points Memo goes all Leone on Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, comparing Romney’s campaign strategy against the Texas governor to the final scene in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 14, 2011Here’s the U.K. trailer for Steve McQueen’s masterful Shame, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan. My interview with McQueen appears in our upcoming issue. (Click on the headline if you don’t see the video.)
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 14, 2011If you’ve taken a ride in the back of a New York City taxi cab these last two weeks, you may have heard the stories of seven of New York’s most distinctive independent filmmakers of the moment. In partnership with Royal Bank of Canada and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, the IFP has produced six spots that are playing not only in cabs but on NYC Life. Jamie Stuart directed, T. Griffin scored and I produced these pieces, and each one, in addition to profiling a person, highlights a different aspect of the independent filmmaker’s current creative, production […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 14, 2011If you’ve taken a ride in the back of a New York City taxi cab these last two weeks, you may have heard the stories of seven of New York’s most distinctive independent filmmakers of the moment. In partnership with Royal Bank of Canada and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, the IFP has produced six spots that are playing not only in cabs but on NYC Life. Jamie Stuart directed, T. Griffin scored and I produced these pieces, and each one, in addition to profiling a person, highlights a different aspect of the independent filmmaker’s current creative, production […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 13, 2011Sean Hackett’s Homecoming chronicles, in his words, “a female medic who has served in the military since High School. As she returns home, she decides to tell her two best friends something that’s been on her mind….” The film is scored by Gingger Shankar, one of our “25 New Faces” this year, and is being released using the “Demand It” feature at Eventful.com. Check out the trailer and then, if you’re inclined, click on the link to invite the film to your home town. Homecoming Trailer from Homecoming by Sean Hackett on Vimeo.
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 12, 2011