Filmmaking

JON REISS ON OUR FORUMS, AT THE IFC CENTER AND (MAYBE) FREE IN YOUR MAILBOX

We inaugurate our “Weekly Player” series with filmmaker Jon Reiss (Bomb It), who will be on the forums all this week (November 9 – 16) answering your questions about DIY distribution, marketing, publicity and outreach. Jon is the author the new book, Think Outside the Box (Office): The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era, and readers will know him from the great series of articles he’s written for us — “My Adventure in Theatrical Self-Distribution,” “My Adventure in Home Video,” and “How to Market Your DVD Online.” These articles grew into the book, which I’ve […]

By Scott Macaulay on Nov 8, 2009 Filmmaking
ARE YOU OBJECTIFIED?

2ND UPDATE: We have our winners. Thanks, all! UPDATE: To win a digital copy of Objectified, answer the question below and email editor.filmmakermagazine AT gmail.com. Almost three years ago I decided to check out what seemed to be an obscure little documentary about graphic design at SXSW and was surprised to find the line to get in stretching all the way down the length of the convention hall. As the editor of a magazine, the subject matter of Gary Hustwit’s Helvetica — an examination of the historical, communicative and ideological meanings of that ubiquitous typeface — interested me. I hadn’t […]

By Scott Macaulay on Nov 6, 2009 Filmmaking
FILMMAKER/APPLE PRESENTS MEET THE FILMMAKER: JASON REITMAN

Tonight at 7pm head over to the NYC Apple Store in SoHo (103 Prince Street) for what’s sure to be a lively and entertaining conversation with director Jason Reitman. He’ll be talking about his latest film Up in the Air starring George Clooney as a corporate downsizer whose life of collecting frequent flyer miles, perks and no-strings-attached hookups is in jeopardy. Interviewing Reitman for the Fall issue, Scott Macaulay writes: “One of the most astonishing things about Up in the Air is the clear eye it casts on 2009 America and a workforce undergoing the shock treatment of recession, outsourcing […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Nov 6, 2009 Filmmaking
THE FONT OF ANGER

Aaron Leming, who works as a specialist at the Southlake Town Square Apple Store in Dallas, created this resonant typographic rendition of Paddy Chayefsky’s famous Howard Beale “Mad as Hell” speech from Network. Mad As Hell! Kinetic Typography from Aaron Leming on Vimeo.

By Scott Macaulay on Nov 4, 2009 Filmmaking
A CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT OUR DIRECTOR INTERVIEWS COLUMN

Back in March, 2007, with his talk with Color Me Kubrick‘s Brian Cook, Nick Dawson inaugurated a new column here at Filmmakermagazine.com: the Director Interviews. Over the course of two-and-a-half years, he infallibly spun out thoughtful and provocative discussions with directors ranging from emerging American indies to big-name international auteurs to everyone in between. Viewing the bulk of each week’s releases before honing in on one person to speak with, Dawson brought dedication, scholarship and personality to a column that was always, first and foremost, simply a great read. Earlier this year Dawson published his first book, Being Hal Ashby: […]

By Scott Macaulay on Nov 4, 2009 Filmmaking
SCHOOL’S OUT: ASTRA TAYLOR ON THE UNSCHOOLED LIFE

Filmmaker Astra Taylor (Examined Life) gave the debut Artist Talk for the Walker Art Center’s “Raising Creative Kids” series. The series is described as an initiative “designed to make the Walker a destination and resource for families and parents wanting to creatively engage their children.” Here’s their description of the talk: Raised by independent-thinking bohemian parents, Taylor was unschooled until age 13. Join the filmmaker as she shares her personal experiences of growing up home-schooled without a curriculum or schedule, and how it has shaped her educational philosophy and development as an artist. And, it is embedded below:

By Scott Macaulay on Nov 4, 2009 Filmmaking
SUNDANCE BRINGS 2010 FESTIVAL TO A CITY NEAR YOU

The Sundance Institute announced today the creation of Sundance Film Festival U.S.A. where direct-from-festival films from the upcoming 2010 festival will be screened nationwide in theaters in eight cities on the Thursday of the festival (Jan. 28). This will conincide with events and premiere screenings back at the festival, including the North American premiere of the socio-political documentary The Shock Doctrine, from directors Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross. The Sundance Film Festival runs January 21-31, 2010. From the release: On January 28, eight filmmakers and their films will be dispatched from Park City to cities across America, for the first […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Nov 4, 2009 Filmmaking
GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN

Before the tragic sudden death of John Hughes this past summer four filmmakers from Toronto — Michael Facciolo (producer) , Kari Hollend (producer), Lenny Panzer (co-creator) and Matt Austin Sadowski (director) — spent four years making a tribute documentary about the reclusive director, nabbing interviews with some of the main actors from his films (Andrew McCarthy, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson to name a few), directors who have been influenced by his iconic work (Kevin Smith and Jason Reitman) and traveling to Illinois last year to find Hughes. After Hughes’s death the project suddenly became a hot commodity and got a […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Nov 3, 2009 Filmmaking
HOW THEY DID IT: ISN’T SHE?…

Or I should say, how he did it. Here, Jamie Stuart breaks down the visual effects and tweaks he did for his short, Isn’t She?…, through Final Cut Studio and Photoshop. Watch Isn’t She?… Read parts 1 & 2 of Jamie’s review of Final Cut Studio.

By Jason Guerrasio on Nov 2, 2009 Filmmaking
PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC

If you’ve read the latest issue (or run into me recently) you know that I dig the blaxploitation spoof, Black Dynamite. From its straight face acting to the way it was shot, director Scott Sanders (aka Suckapunch) and star Michael Jai White have created an impressive comedy that aesthetically holds up to most of the real blaxploitations of the 70s and puts a shot in the arm of the recently watered down spoof genre. But one of Dynamite‘s greatest aspects is its music. The film’s editor, Adrian Younge, created the original score through the use of instruments and analog recording […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Nov 1, 2009 Filmmaking

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