Authors — Scott Macaulay

HALLOWEEN SHORT: SHADE RUPE’S “T IS FOR TRICK”

Filmmaker Shade Rupe has contributed a short to the “ABC’s of Death” contest, and he has garnered some impressive props from Clive Barker. That was an elegantly shot, sharply edited and strongly conceived and directed four minutes of film-making. Colour me impressed. You managed to imply a whole range of character options for us, from which entirely plausible narrative solutions spilled. Very fine, courageous work from you and your actors. I hit the heart to say I’d been there. I hope it helps and i will certainly make sure my guys do the same. If you like the short, click […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 30, 2011
HALLOWEEN SHORT: LARS VON TRIER’S “OCCUPATIONS”

Here’s the ultimate “don’t talk in the movie theater” short by Lars Von Trier. Occupations – short film by Lars von Trier by vahea
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 30, 2011
DICTATORS, JENNIFER EGAN AND HILARY SWANK

In Jennifer Egan’s brilliant, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad, Dolly, a desperate, down-and-out celebrity publicist, takes on the job of rehabilitating the image of a genocidal African dictator. Perhaps it’s a book Hilary Swank should have read. Reports Deadline, Swank has fired members of her team following criticism from human rights organizations for accepting a fee to fly to Chechnya and celebrate the birthday of its president, Ramzan Kadyrov. From an article on the event at The Guardian: “Ramzan Kadyrov is linked to a litany of horrific human rights abuses,” said a statement from Human Rights […]
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 30, 2011
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

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