Authors — Scott Macaulay
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HELL IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT: ON THE ROLE OF THE PRODUCER
Ted Hope has an essential post this morning, “Ten Steps (Plus One) for how to Survive the Current Indie Producer Hell.” Reading it I almost thought of it as a sequel to his 1995 Filmmaker piece, “Indie Film is Dead,” which remains one of the best things we’ve published. (Reading that earlier piece is both fascinating and depressing. The more things change….) There’s a tiny bit of tongue-in-cheek in this post because, frankly, these steps are virtually unattainable for the vast majority of producers out there, as some of the commenters in Hope’s comments thread argue. Here are the first […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 9, 2009 -
Michael Tucker on His and Petra Epperlein’s How to Fold a Flag
With their latest film, How to Fold a Flag, documentary filmmakers Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein have come full circle. Their first feature was 2004’s Gunner Palace, which told the story of soldiers in the Army’s 2/3 Field Artillery as they patroled the streets of Baghdad in late 2003 and early 2004. Told in a gritty style that threw viewers right into the midst of conflict, the film resisted an overt political agenda, focusing instead on the daily lives of the troops. The Prisoner: Or How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair followed, a chillingly Kafkaesque story of an Iraqi […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 6, 2009 -
THE WORK OF ART IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL REPRODUCTION
More in today’s New York Times that’s worth noting: Alice Pfeiffer’s piece on how the art world is dealing with digital art creation and sales. Again, much of the most interesting thought about these issues is happening outside of the film world. An excerpt: The speed of change in electronic technology, the disconnect between data storage and display and the virtual nature of digital imagery raise difficult questions: how to tell genuine from fake or copy; how to create and protect uniqueness; and how to protect a work against technological obsolescence. Video art, for example, is typically sold as a […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 6, 2009 -
COMPOSER, IMPROVISER AND FILM SCORER JIM O’ROURKE ON CONTEXT
From today’s New York Times, a piece by Ben Ratliffe on Jim O’Rourke and his move to Japan, his turn towards improvisation and film scores, his new album The Visitor (pictured), and his attempt to control context. An excerpt: Mr. O’Rourke’s production style is precise and dry; he creates a sound picture in which tiny sonic details matter. But where his Drag City records are concerned, everything matters: the pacing, the length, the sound, the cover images. For this reason he won’t allow “The Visitor,” or any of his albums, to be sold as downloads, on iTunes or anywhere else. […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 6, 2009 -
Gaspar Noe’s Enter The Void By Michele Civetta
The Further Adventures of Death Tripper, Ouroboros and What lies Beyond Jupiter Cannes, France. In a cinematic year filled with visions of extreme sex and violence, the enfant provocateur of French cinema Gaspar Noe illuminates a phosphorescent direction forward. In person Noe could be mistaken as the progeny of Aleister Crowley with sunken-in, charcoal-lined eyes and shaved head. But lurking behind this visage is a filmmaker who courts controversy with vivacity and confidence. The last time Noe was at Cannes was to premiere his film Irreversible; he ingratiated himself into the hearts and minds of audiences willing to be subjugated […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 5, 2009 -
BILL MECHANIC’S STATE OF THE UNION
From David Poland and The Hot Blog comes a new video feature, “State of the Union,” featuring “interviews with the people behind the scenes about the industry, past, present, and future…” First up, producer and former studio exec Bill Mechanic on the history of movie marketing, home video vs. theatrical marketing, and why day and date from an economic perspective “is a complete and total disaster.”
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 4, 2009 -
AFTER LAST SEASON DVD TO BE RELEASED
After Last Season director Mark Region emailed me to say that a DVD of the film will be available for order from its website on September 30. Head over to the site for a new trailer for the film, and check out my interview with Region here.
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 4, 2009 -
LOOP PLANES SEARCHES FOR ITS LEAD
Here’s the just-posted episode two of the Killer Films/Massify video production blog for their Loop Planes. For episode one and more on the project, click here. Massify + Killer Films Episode 2 from Massify on Vimeo.
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 4, 2009 -
A MUST SEE: THE FINAL JEM COHEN MOVIE NIGHT AT THE IFC
If you’re in New York I highly recommend you check out the final night of what has been a great series at the IFC Center: Movie Night with Jem Cohen. Tonight the program is Shorts, Rarities and Things to Come, and it’s described like this: Unseen films old and new, excerpts from recent collaborations and a glimpse at the methods behind the madness. The final evening in the IFC Center’s “Movie Nights With Jem Cohen” series offers rare films old and new, excerpts from recent collaborations and a glimpse at the methods behind the madness! To be shown: GLUE MAN, […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 3, 2009 -
JEANNE DIELMAN/CRITERION COLLECTION COOKING CONTEST
Hey Julie and Julia — two can play at that game! The ever forward-thinking Criterion Collection is shaking up the dusty confines of specialty film marketing with their latest promotion. Read: There’s more to cooking on camera than Top Chef, and despite films like Big Night or Julie and Julia that have inspired foodies across the country to run out and prepare elaborate meals, it’s rare that we get a cinematic look at how ordinary folks cook every day. It might not be the first thing that comes up when people talk about Chantal Akerman’s masterpiece Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 1, 2009
