For those interested in using a LUT (lookup table) to obtain a more filmic look, our friends at No Film School have drawn attention to Koji Color’s new suite, which attempts to preserve the appearances of six different 35mm film stocks. The program works with most NLE and post applications, and above we’ve got test footage shot by Paul Schefz. It has a strong look; whether it succeeds at preserving 35mm’s textures and colors exactly is obviously up for anybody who wants to debate that. For those convinced enough to buy, the No Film School link above will allow you […]
“I don’t usually like my own work, but I’m rather proud of these,” tweeted the self-effacing Errol Morris, sharing a link to three new shorts about peace for the New York Times Op-Docs. His eclectic subjects include the Nobel Prize Winners Leymah Gwobee and Lech Walesa, and the nominee Bob Geldorf. Visa hired Morris to shoot the laureates as part of a commercial campaign for the World Cup, and he took the opportunity to conduct extended interviews on activism and widespread change. Head to the Times to view the short documentaries, alongside a long-form introduction by Morris.
Independent publisher Two Dollar Radio recently launched a microbudget filmmaking arm, and tonight they’ve dropped their first trailer. I’m Not Patrick is a black comedy about teen suicide directed by the press’s founder, Eric Obenauf. Watch the trailer above. Below is an excerpt of the press release from this Ohio-based publisher. I’m Not Patrick is a black comedy that follows Seth, a teenager whose twin brother, Patrick, has suddenly, tragically, committed suicide. Seth doesn’t know how to react, but everyone is eager to suggest what they imagine to be typical reactions to monozygotic suicide. Whether it’s the rival twins’ landscaping […]
In the latest edition of “a famous person visits the Criterion Collection’s offices,” William Friedkin drops by to browse. Sighting Sunday Bloody Sunday, he remembers that as another film nominated for Best Picture the year he won with The French Connection. Segeuing from memory to pro-digital polemic, he says that the Criterion’s editions preserve films as they were meant to be seen, unlike movie theaters, where prints are “scratched up.” He also praises “one of Walter Huston’s greatest performances, The Devil and Daniel Webster” and talks up Jules Dassin’s Brute Force. “I never thought I’d see this again,” he says, […]
This is unexpected but welcome: in 2016, 25 years after its abrupt and terrifying finale, Twin Peaks will return to Showtime in 2016. Variety has the story, but for now here’s a teaser trailer with zero new footage that’s still mildly bonechilling. Fans, you may recall that abrasively loud Frost/Lynch production company logo that ended every episode; it’s the stinger here, so maybe turn down the volume.
Stoking the fires of anticipation for P.T. Anderson’s Pynchon adaptation Inherent Vice, here’s the press conference from Saturday morning’s NYFF press screening. The questions may not always be on point, but you’ll probably want to stick with it for P.T. Anderson quoting Crazy People to explain why he shot in 1.85 rather than widescreen (it’s like a Volvo: “they’re boxy but they’re good”), Owen Wilson explaining that “I had one shirt that I really wanted to wear, and I guess it wasn’t ’70s enough” and that his look was equally modeled on Dennis Wilson and Zoot the sax player from […]
Here’s an effective alternative to the traditionally jam-packed action thriller trailer. The first bumper for Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper is structured entirely around a white knuckled do-or-die scenario in which the titular protagonist, played by Bradley Cooper, wagers whether or not to make a kill shot. Based on Navy Seal Chris Kyle’s autobiography and co-starring Sienna Miller, the film opens on Christmas Day, just in time for awards season.
Our friends at No Film School have a good round-up of 240 fps test footage shot with the iPhone 6 Plus. I’m particularly mesmerized by this 39-second snippet, which is nothing more than wine being poured from a bottle into a glass. The same way NFL Films render just about anything hypnotic by breaking it down to the tiniest movements, so here: wine’s trajectory through air is captured in all its separate streams, then blood-like bubbles and blobs pop up as liquid hits glass.
While the gender politics behind David Fincher’s much-anticipated Gone Girl adaptation may be muddled, the “dark lord of cinema”‘s direction is as crystalline and precise as ever. Tony Zhou, in his latest Every Frame A Painting, examines how Fincher manages to make even the most expository exchanges cinematic by using framing to relate character dynamics. He also takes a close look at Fincher’s faithfulness to the tripod, sparing use of close-ups, and almost inhuman camera movements. It’s a must watch for anyone who values the abilities of visual language.
Here’s the latest trailer for Christopher Nolan’s global warming/space travel epic Interstellar, now reported to clock in at a you-better-deliver 175 minutes. Where the last trailer had Michael Caine orating Dylan Thomas to urge humanity to not go gentle into that good night, this time the exposition gives a more concrete idea of what to expect, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your tastes. There’s also lots of Matthew McConaughey urging people not to give up and what appears to be the biggest tidal wave since The Abyss‘ director’s cut.