Filmmaking

Transart Film Express

Filmmaker, critic and Filmmaker magazine writer Shari Roman died in Manhattan on Wednesday, September 9. The following is a reprint of the last piece that Shari wrote for us, published in Summer, 2007. In the piece she surveys a number of young visual artists using film and film installation as a medium. For more on Shari and her life and work, visit the blog post on her passing. When Matthew Barney kicked off his five-part Cremaster film cycle in 1994, perforating the barrier between the art world and independent cinema, the multidisciplinary artist took some hard knocks from purists who […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Oct 4, 2009 Filmmaking
Shari Roman, R.I.P.

Filmmaker, writer and critic Shari Roman, a friend to many in our community, including all of us at Filmmaker, died September 9 at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York after a short illness. Her passing took us by surprise as she told few people that she was sick. Indeed, many heard the news only after a small family memorial was held on the 13th. Readers of Filmmaker will remember Shari’s byline, as she wrote for us on numerous occasions, penning interviews, reports, festival coverage, and, in Spring, 2002, our cover story on Matthew Barney and his Cremaster series — the […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 4, 2009 Filmmaking
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY HEADS FOR EXPANDED RELEASE

Congratulations to 2008 Filmmaker 25 New Face writer/director Oren Peli, whose Paranormal Activity is not only a fantastic, genuinely scary independent horror film but now also the poster child for successful studio release experimentation. Quick recap: Peli’s film, shot with a three-person crew in seven days was bought by Dreamworks at Slamdance, 2008. Rumors were that the studio would shelve the film in favor of a remake, but there was always one problem: like The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity depends on a feeling of casual verisimilitude. Throw in a name actor and that’s blown, and beef up the production […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 4, 2009 Filmmaking
PICTURING NOLLYWOOD

One of the most reprinted articles we’ve run at Filmmaker was South African producer Jeremy Nathan’s 2002 piece on “No Budget Nigeria,” the thriving Corman-esque film scene otherwise known as Nollywood. Now, artist Pieter Hugo has released a book containing his stunning square-format photos featuring portraits of performers from these films. It’s called, appropriately, Nollywood. In an essay about the images, Federica Angelucci explains Hugo’s approach, which is to compose photographs that play off the mythologies created by the films. An excerpt: Movies tell stories that appeal to and reflect the lives of its public: stars are local actors; plots […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 4, 2009 Filmmaking
SWANBERG, FUNNY OR DIE, AND EROTICA 2.0

David Lowery, who worked on this short, passed along the link to the latest from Funny or Die, entitled “Birthday Suit.” It’s one of those satires that’s only really one step away from reality. Birthday Suit from Jason Lewis

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 2, 2009 Filmmaking
THE TRUTH: WANTED AND DESIRED

In a week of stories surrounding Roman Polanski’s arrest in Zurich on a warrant for his three decade old conviction on a sex charge involving a 13-year-old girl in the U.S. and retired prosecutor David Wells‘s sudden admission that he fabricated the comments he made in Marina Zenovich‘s documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, it got me thinking of Zenovich’s answer to our yearly question to Sundance directors the year she screened the film there in 2008. The question: “If you had 10 percent more of anything, what would it be and why?” I wish I’d had a 10 percent […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Oct 2, 2009 Filmmaking
CARY FUKUNAGA’S AMERICA

Nick Dawson at FilmInFocus picked up on this Levi’s commercial directed by Sin Nombre director Cary Fukunaga. Writes Dawson: Susan Hoffman, the executive creative director of ad company Wieden + Kennedy, described the campaign as aiming “to refresh and reinvent the idea of a pioneering spirit for the times in which we live.” Fukunaga’s commercial, entitled “America,” uses the Walt Whitman poem of the same name and juxtaposes the rousing, patriotic words of the poem with lyrical images of a young and untamed country. Fukunaga has great eye for detail and a strong sense of style, and his black and […]

By Scott Macaulay on Sep 30, 2009 Filmmaking
HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT A PRODUCER CREDIT?

Terence Nance was in the IFP Rough Cut Lab with his very original How Would You Feel in 2008. Now he’s raising finishing funds using a crowdsourcing approach. He only needs five grand. Donate up to $40 and you get a DVD of the film. From $40 – $250 you get a DVD and T-Shirt. From 250 – $1,000, all of the above, a “Special Thanks” credit, and a one-night stay at the filmmaker’s home. More than a grand? All the above, a producer credit and your investment treated as an equity investment. Here’s how Nance describes the movie: HOW […]

By Scott Macaulay on Sep 28, 2009 Filmmaking
RIP, WILLIAM SAFIRE

The New York Times reports that former Nixon speechwriter and columnist William Safire has died. While I disagreed with most of his politics, he had a great run at the Times with a column that was always witty, well-reasoned and well-written — a far cry from much of current right-wing discourse. I thought his final column was spectacular, and I saved a copy on my hard drive to refer to periodically. It’s called “Never Retire,” and it’s about the necessity of keeping the synapses active and continuously adapting to and participating in cultural change. Obviously, it’s even more relevant today […]

By Scott Macaulay on Sep 27, 2009 Filmmaking
Tweet This!

In my last post on our distribution strategy for Kirt Gunn’s Lovely by Surprise I mentioned that I’d try to write a follow-up post when appropriate. It seems that time has come sooner than expected, and for one particular reason. Part of our DIY release for Lovely By Surprise has been focused on digital messaging platforms, particularly Twitter and Facebook. They have been great tools for aggregating fans and followers and keeping them informed about various topics, from trivia about our actors and crew, to release dates and special screenings. Twitter in particular has proven to be a great device […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Sep 26, 2009 Distribution

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