Filmmaking

REACTIONS TO THE GOOGLE BOOK SETTLEMENT

Below I posted a piece about the settlement Google recently made with authors and publishers involving the scanning of out-of-print books. The chief link was to a program on KCRW’s “The Politics of Culture” that discussed the legal implications of the settlement. Now on Today’s Zaman is a piece entitled “Google revolution the end of the publishing world?” It’s a collection of responses from key critics and editors about the effect of the settlement, and the key take away seems to be “good for readers, good for authors, bad for used-book stores and complicated for the ‘information wants to be […]

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 6, 2008 Filmmaking
SODERBERGH ON THE RED

Steven Soderbergh and his RED camera-shot Che is our cover story this month, and here, MovieCityIndie’s Ray Pride captures three minutes of the director talking about his work with the camera. Check it out… … and also check out Brian Chirls’s piece on Che‘s post-production in the current issue online.

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 5, 2008 Filmmaking
EXAMINING THE GOOGLE BOOK SETTLEMENT

This doesn’t have to do with film per se, but this podcast dealing with book copyright in the digital realm is an interesting listen, especially when one wonders if, for example, the AMPTP and Google could work out the kind of agreement that book publishers have worked out with the internet search giant. It’s from KCRW’s “Politics of Culture.” Host Jonathan Kirsch, an attorney specializing in intellectual property and publishing law, moderates a panel discussion on a landmark literary-legal settlement. It allows Google to scan and make available online many out-of-print but still-copyrighted books. The settlement portends a viable digital […]

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 5, 2008 Filmmaking
NEW BLOGS AND FILM SITES

Four interesting film sites and blogs have crossed my screen in the last few days. The first is indie producer Jane Kosek’s All About Indie Filmmaking blog. (Kosek’s producer site, Wonder Entertainment, can be visited here.) In an email she writes about the blog: It’s unique as it is geared primarily toward educating others about filmmaking. I find most popular film blogs are very specific toward an audience who knows a great deal about the industry or they discuss specific movies. I am hoping my blog helps people at all levels learn more about the industry. Perhaps if there is […]

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 4, 2008 Filmmaking
HOLIDAY PROMOTION

In the New World of independent film distribution, filmmakers everywhere are having to adjust and rethink their release plans, throwing away old concepts like shepherding their film through an orderly tiered set of windows. One director, James C. Ferguson, is releasing his film in a number of different ways all around the holiday season. Appropriately, his film is called Happy Holidays and it’s described as a “small, Woody Allen-y, people-in-rooms-talking film about tolerance.” Ferguson described his journey in an email to the blog: Like so many filmmakers before me, HAPPY HOLIDAYS arose from the ashes of another failed project. We […]

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 4, 2008 Filmmaking
SUNDANCE PREMIERES, SPECTRUM, FRONTIER AND MIDNIGHT

Sundance has just released the remaining titles for this year’s festival. There are a lot of movies I’m excited to see on the list. I’ll write more about them in the next few days, but, for now, here’s the official spam: PREMIERES500 Days of Summer / USA. (Director: Marc Webb; Screenwriters: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber)—When an unlucky greeting card copywriter is dumped by his girlfriend, the hopeless romantic shifts back and forth through various periods of their 500 days ‘together’ in hopes of figuring out where things went wrong. Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. World Premiere Adventureland / USA […]

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 4, 2008 Filmmaking
LISTEN TO ME!

Lance Weiler at the Workbook Project was really kind to interview me about the new issue of Filmmaker magazine as part of his regular download series. I get to talk about what’s in the issue, some of the broader themes connecting the articles, and the general thinking that goes into assembling what’s in the book. You can listen to the interview here, over at TWB’s This Podcast is Being Recorded, or you can subscribe via iTunes via links on that page. One thing I also talk a bit about is our new digital subscription, which we are getting great feedback […]

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 4, 2008 Filmmaking
REBOOTING AMERICA

I’ve linked many times before to film producer-turned-professor Jon Taplin’s blog, at which he writes cogently about the global economy, politics and the arts. He teaches at USC/Annenberg School, and the university has just put up his lecture “America 3.0: Rebooting after the Crash” on their YouTube channel. Visit the blog and watch the lecture here.

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 3, 2008 Filmmaking
SUNDANCE ANNOUNCES 2009 COMPETITION LINEUP

Moments ago the Sundance Institute announced the lineup of films screening in the competition categories for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, which will take place Jan. 15-25 in Park City, Utah and neighboring regions. Some of the titles that jump out for us are Joe Berlinger‘s Crude, R.J. Cutler‘s The September Issue, Ondi Timoner‘s We Live in Public and Tom DiCillo‘s When You’re Strange on the doc side and Cary Fukunaga‘s Sin Nombre, Lee Daniels‘s Push and Ross Katz‘s Taking Chance on the dramatic side. Descriptions of these titles and all the others selected are below. The films screening in […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Dec 3, 2008 Filmmaking
WHAT TO DO WHILE YOU WAIT FOR THE SUNDANCE LIST…

The Sundance list comes out today at 4:00, and we’ll post it as soon as we receive it. Until then, however, I highly recommend you read this excellent article by Eugene Hernandez at Indiewire. It’s titled “A Letter to Filmmakers Whether or Not You Got into Sundance,” and it offers sober advice on what to do in either eventuality. There are thoughts on whether or not to hire a traditional sales rep, what kind of grass-roots publicity you should be doing, and what festivals are upcoming in case you didn’t make the cut. (And, yes, if you haven’t been called […]

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 3, 2008 Filmmaking

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