Authors — Scott Macaulay

SIMON CHANNING WILLIAMS, 1945 – 2009

Simon Channing Williams, one of the towering figures in British cinema, died Sunday of cancer. Williams was best known as Mike Leigh’s producer and his partner in Thin Man Films, their production company. Commented Leigh in The Guardian, “”He was a natural-born producer, a great leader, always an enabler, a protector; never a dictator or an interferer. Infinitely generous, his life was all about doing things for people, and bringing out the best in everybody. He was the ultimate fixer, and a phenomenal organiser. He relished the impossible challenge, and loved the cut-and-thrust of negotiations, at which he was a […]
by Scott Macaulay on Apr 14, 2009
LINDSAY LOHAN’S HOLLYWOOD TALKBACK

I wonder what the Hollywood gossip queens of old, the Hedda Hoppers of their day, would think about celebrity scandal in era of Twitter, Facebook and Funny or Die, which is becoming expert at the celebrity instant-response genre. The following clip, written by Owen Burke, directed by Eric Appel and riffing on Lindsay Lohan’s current “I’m So Alone” Us cover, is funny but also not without an emotional edge. Lindsay Lohan’s eHarmony Profile from Lindsay Lohan
by Scott Macaulay on Apr 14, 2009
A CABIN IN THE WOODS… LARS VON TRIERS’ LATEST

A cabin in the woods, fog, a creepy, Rosemary’s Baby-type vibe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Dafoe, and gorgeous, painterly photography from Anthony Dod Mantle — this trailer for Lars Von Triers’ upcoming Anti Christ looks great to me. The Cannes list isn’t out yet, but I’d be very surprised if this isn’t on it. Lars von Trier’s Antichrist – Official Trailer from Zentropa on Vimeo.
by Scott Macaulay on Apr 14, 2009
PAGING OSHA!!!

According to Boing Boing, the following short film, entitled “Will You Be Here Tomorrow?”, is an actual workplace safety video. If so, I wasn’t aware that there was a gory sub-genre of the eductional genre in which budding Tom Savini’s can practice their craft. The comments thread following has several posts that fill out the filmography, with the second clip being an artier German film entitled “Staplefhrer Klaus,” and the third a 1983 film called “The Thrill Seekers.”
by Scott Macaulay on Apr 10, 2009
SO YOU THINK AGENTING IS EASY?

Via Everything Unfinished, the blog over at Identity Theory, comes an interesting post on the law of supply and demand, marketability, and the Darwinian nature of the marketplace. The discussion is prompted by a post on Curtis Brown literary agent Nathan Bransford’s blog, and it’s about the world of book publishing, but it’s not hard to extrapolate the data and apply it to the world of film and screenplay representation. On Monday Bransford is beginning a contest that is inspired by all the grumbling he’s heard from writers who complain that agents don’t respond to queries. Bransford will be posting […]
by Scott Macaulay on Apr 10, 2009
JEREMIAH ZAGAR’S IN A DREAM OPENS IN NYC

Opening today in New York at the Cinema Village is Jeremiah Zagar’s documentary In a Dream, which is a fascinating story of artistic obsession and its effects on an entire Philadelphia family. In our current issue, which is just coming off the newsstands, Lauren Wissot interviewed not only Zagar but his longtime producer Jeremy Yaches and their executive producers Pamela Tanner Boll and Geralyn White Dreyfous. Here is a brief excerpt: Filmmaker: I know that Jeremiah is a big fan of Errol Morris, and that definitely comes through in In a Dream. Are there other films or books or works […]
by Scott Macaulay on Apr 10, 2009
GEOFF GILMORE ON HIS TRIBECA ORIENTATION

With the Tribeca Film Festival less than two weeks away, its new Chief Creative Officer Geoff Gilmore posts on Tribeca’s website an essay on his orientation as well as the festival’s — and independent film’s — future. Here’s how he opens: I’ve been at Tribeca for almost a month now, so I guess I can’t claim that I’m still completely frazzled or barely able to follow the complexities of morning staff meetings. Every institution is different, of course, and the familiarity I have with the arenas of independent and global film after nineteen years of operating inside these realms is […]
by Scott Macaulay on Apr 9, 2009
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KEN BRECHER DEPARTS SUNDANCE

The Sundance Institute has just announced that its executive director, Ken Brecher, has resigned but will continue to play a role with the organization as a strategic advisor. The press release: LOS ANGELES, CA — Wally Weisman, Chair of the Board of the Sundance Institute, today announced the resignation of Ken Brecher, Executive Director of the Institute, effective April 30, 2009. Weisman stated that Ken Brecher had led the Institute for nearly 14 years through a period of significant growth, productivity and global impact. Brecher will assume the role of Strategic Advisor for the Institute for the next two years. […]
by Scott Macaulay on Apr 9, 2009
TRAILER #2

The trailer for Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are is so incredibly great that posting this satirical knock-off that just isn’t on the same level of brilliance feels almost sacrilegious. I decided to put it up for a vote to the interns in my office who said… post it. So here then, via AdRants, is an imagining of Jonze directing another children’s classic… Everyone Poops.
by Scott Macaulay on Apr 8, 2009
NEW NEW YORK INCENTIVE RULES PROPOSED

According to an email alert from The Incentives Office, the new New York State film and TV credit was approved by the legislature as part of a new budget, which is awaiting signature from Governor Patterson. However, there are notable changes to the way in which the credit will be dispersed. From their email: The $350M is an additional allocation to their state tax credit program which ran out of funding last month, and the percentages (state – 30% and city – 5%) remain the same. The major change is the manner in which the rebates will be paid out. […]
by Scott Macaulay on Apr 8, 2009

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