Filmmaking

TALKING ABOUT FILMS THAT WILL LAST

If you’ve taken a look at our Web Exclusives section, you’ll see that we’ve just posted a new essay, “5 Things You Should Do If You Want Your Movie to Last.” It’s written by Gareth Higgins and Jett Loe of The Film Talk, which is, at the moment, my favorite film podcast. Each week Higgins and Loe review a new film that’s hitting the theaters, and occasionally riff on other topics such as director retrospectives (like the recent Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Ang Lee series) as well as interview directors themselves (recent guests have included Francis Ford Coppola and […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 18, 2009 Filmmaking
Five Things You Should Do If You Want Your Movie to Last

For the past three years, we’ve been pursuing a noble goal: to try to talk about movies and meaning in a way that might interest someone other than ourselves. We do this over at The Film Talk, and want our work to be an ongoing conversation about the movies and how they intersect with our lives. You’re welcome to join the conversation. Sometimes it’s difficult enough for us to interest each other, so that can be a pretty tall order. But thankfully there is sometimes also serendipity in talking about cinema – one of us has insights into the human […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Oct 18, 2009 Directing
PREPARING FOR A NEW WORLD AT THE FIND FILMMAKER FORUM

Here is director Zak Forsman’s second post from the FIND Filmmaker Forum, which took place in Los Angeles last weekend. In the men’s room of the DGA, I overheard a conversation by two gentlemen who had sat through two full days of panels at Film Independent’s Filmmaking Forum. One in particular was mentally exhausted, “I don’t know, should I hire a producer’s rep or a publicist? Should I be blogging? Tweeting?” He joked, dismissing them with a laugh. The man standing with him simply answered, “Yes.” And it reminded me of the post-event murmur I heard at DIY Days LA […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 17, 2009 Filmmaking
HOPE URGES FILMMAKERS TO ADOPT A NEW "BEST PRACTICES" FOR A NEW CINEMA

“Cinema is a driving force in my life. I don’t want it to leave us, nor do I want to have to leave it behind; it’s provided me with hope and inspiration, and an incredibly fulfilling livelihood. It is also a one hundred year old industry, and, in my opinion, damn close to both a perfect art form and a perfect entertainment, but is also one whose applicability to our lives and livelihoods must now be completely reevaluated.” That’s Ted Hope delivering his keynote address at Power to the Pixel. Yesterday in my Filmmaker weekly newsletter I suggested that rather […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 16, 2009 Filmmaking
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

Monty Python fans rejoice, airing on IFC beginning Sunday is Monty Python: Almost The Truth (Lawyer’s Cut), a six-part documentary on the legendary Brit comic troupe. A very thorough examination of the six members (with new, refreshingly frank, interviews from all five living members) directors Bill Jones, Ben Timlett and Alan G. Parker leave no stone unturned as they examine everything from the troupe forming while writing sketches for David Frost, how they came up with the name Monty Python, their fights with the BBC, George Harrison fronting the money to make Life of Brian, and finally what they’ve done […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Oct 16, 2009 Filmmaking
ON INDEPENDENT FILM DISTRIBUTION: A RESPONSE FROM THE PRESENT

My posting of a strange letter from the future I received from an independent filmmaker has prompted a diverse group of reactions throughout the blogosphere. Ted Hope kindly called it “brilliant” over at his blog while an Anonymous poster here said he was “revolted” by it and hoped it was a Jon Reiss parody. One producer/distribution executive accused us of revealing his business plan. And at Film Utopia, filmmaker Clive Davies-Frayne called it “one of the most depressing articles” he’s ever read and posted a response not to the author (who, after all, is both redacted and from the future) […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 14, 2009 Filmmaking
PREVIEWING THE PROJECTS AT POWER TO THE PIXEL

The following is our first report by Lance Weiler from Power to the Pixel. I’ve just arrived in London for the third annual digital innovation forum Power to the Pixel which consists of a conference, project pitch forum, day of workshops and a think thank. Tomorrow the conference phase of the event kicks off. I’ll be taking part in each of the phases of the event. Starting tomorrow with a presentation on Story Architecture — a look how storytelling is evolving in the age of connected devices and the real-time web. I look forward to Power to the Pixel each […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 14, 2009 Filmmaking
KICKSTARTING OPEN INDIE

As you may have read, Four-Eyed Monsters co-creator Arin Crumley has launched a new project, OpenIndie, that aims to create a new model for the distribution of independent film. I’ll let Crumley explain it: As Crumley notes, OpenIndie is using Kickstarter to fundraise towards its goal of $10,000. With 17 days to go, OpenIndie needs just over $7,000. If you’re intrigued after seeing the video, please consider heading over there and contributing. A $100 contribution gets you a one-hour consulting session with Crumley on the distribution of your own film. Also, check out this latest podcast from Lance Weiler and […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 11, 2009 Filmmaking
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY EARNS RECORD NUMBERS OVER THE WEEKEND

Paramount‘s grass-roots Internet marketing of Oren Peli‘s low budget horror Paranormal Activity looks to be working. According to Variety, the film pulled in $7.1 million over the weekend at 160 screens, beating the 22-year-old record of the highest weekend grosser at 200 locations or less, held previously by Platoon ($3.7 million at 174 locations). The film also grossed the weekend frame’s highest per screen average of $44,163, edging out An Education ($40,595 per screen). Without question the film has turned into the hottest ticket for not only the horor fan but college kids who’ve been constantly clicking the DEMAND IT […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Oct 11, 2009 Filmmaking
HOW DRAMA DIED AT THE FILMMAKER FORUM

Film Independent‘s Filmmaker Forum is underway this weekend, and we asked writer/director Zak Forsman to attend and report back. Here’s the first of his posts. I’ve just locked picture on my first feature-length motion picture and it seems I couldn’t be entering the world of distribution at a worse time. I strolled into the DGA in Los Angeles for day one of the Film Independent Filmmaker Forum optimistic and eager. I left it determined to batten down the hatches in preparation for stormy seas ahead. Veteran producer Jeremy Thomas (Creation, The Last Emperor, Crash) keynote opened with the concession that […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 11, 2009 Filmmaking

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