Filmmaking
Filmmaking
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“There Was So Much to Shoot in Such Little Time”: DP Matt Maio on La Leyenda Negra
In Compton, California, a teenage girl named Aleteia copes with being the new girl at school by immersing herself in underground activism. Aleteia grew up in the United States, but as an immigrant from El Salvador, she suddenly finds her protected status under attack. During this tumultuous time, Aleteia unexpectedly falls in favor with one of the most popular girls at school, Rosarito, and as their friendship blossoms, Aleteia finds it more important than ever to find a way to stay in her hometown. DP Matt Maio talks about the advantages of working with director Patricia Vidal Delgado and the […]
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“Not Playing Any Moment Expressly for Laughs Without Emotion”: Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson on The 40-Year-Old Version
Radha Blank writes, directs and stars in The 40-Year-Old Version, about a woman named Radha who struggles with the stigma of being single and struggling with her art at the age of 40. After what seems like a barrage of rejections from theater companies, Radha finally feels reinvigorated when she revisits her long-forgotten love of rapping. She eventually feels torn when interest is finally shown for a play of hers when she is in the midst of working on a rap demo tape. Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson talks about his own love of hip-hop, his own professional trajectory as an […]
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And So We Do It: Laure Giappiconi on the Sundance Erotic Short While I’m Still Breathing
I’ve always liked female bodies. This is the first line of voice-over spoken in French across the opening seconds of black that launch While I’m Still Breathing (Tandis que je respire encore), a 12-minute short film playing in Sundance New Frontier by a creative collective that includes writer and actress Laure Giappiconi; sound and performance artist Elisa Monteil; and photographer and filmmaker La Fille Renne. The voice, a woman’s, speaks over a whirl of black and white grain in a medium shot showing a woman standing against a horizon of black tree trunks and blurred branches. The images are a […]
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“Memories Were Very Important for Tara to Tell This Story”: DP Carolina Costa on Wander Darkly
After a life-altering accident, Adrienne (Sienna Miller) enters a state of disorientation. Her longtime relationship with Matteo (Diego Luna) must undergo a huge reexamination, and the future of her daughter remains in limbo. With only hazy, imperfect memories to guide her, Adrienne pieces together the events that led up to her current state of dissatisfaction. Director Tara Miele weaves together an intimate portrait of memory and its ability to distort reality in Wander Darkly. DP Carolina Costa talks about the presentation of image as memory for Filmmaker. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your […]
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“You Can Bend Time and Space Within the Film to Create New Meanings”: Editor Aacharee Ungsriwong on The Mountains Are a Dream That Call to Me
Cedric Cheung-Lau’s The Mountains Are a Dream That Call to Me characterizes landscape in a way that almost seeks to anthropomorphize it. Its central characters, Tukten, a young Nepali man on his way to Dubai and Hannah, an elderly Australian woman traveling on her own, cross paths while traveling in opposite directions on the Annapurna mountains. Their relationship is fleeting, but the Nepali mountain range holds a heightened command of the narrative. Taking great influence in part from the dreamscape style of Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Editor Aacharee Ungsriwong speaks about the creative nuances of the film. Filmmaker: How and why did […]
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“It Was About Being Very Open and Standing Back”: DP Jake Magee on The Mountains Are a Dream That Call to Me
A chance encounter between two travelers trekking along a path on the Annapurna mountains in Nepal propels the story in Cedric Cheung-Lau’s debut feature, The Mountains Are a Dream That Call to Me. Tukten, a young man from Nepal, is en route to Dubai in the hopes of finding opportunity when he meets Hannah, an older Australian woman traveling solo. As important as the lead characters are the Annapurna mountains themselves, having a sentience and knowledge of their own. DP Jake Magee speaks about the character of landscapes, the frustration of relying on nature and the brilliance of editors. Filmmaker: […]
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“It Was a Process of Constant Experimentation”: Co-Editor Blair McClendon on The Assistant
In Kitty Green’s The Assistant, 24 hours of workplace mistreatment culminate in an assistant named Jane (Julia Garner) taking action into her own hands. The nexus of this toxic workplace is an abusive misogynist whose face is never shown—an amorphous representation of the countless powerful men who have sexually abused the women who work for them. Co-editor Blair McClendon shares insight on his collaborative process and editing goals for The Assistant. (Disclosure: Filmmaker Editor-in-Chief Scott Macaulay is one of the producers of The Assistant.) Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were […]
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“With a Lot of Verité It’s Important to Be Nimble and Quick”: DP Jonathon Narducci on Giving Voice
Every year, thousands of high school students from all over the country gather in New York City to recite a monologue from the works of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson as part of a Broadway competition. Wilson’s existing 10 plays each take place during a distinct decade in the twentieth century, drawing from the African American experience. Directors James D. Stern and Fernando Villena closely follow a handful of the competing students in Giving Voice, watching them grapple with their own forming perspectives on their lived realities. Cinematographer Jonathan Narducci briefly speaks about the experience of shooting verité. Filmmaker: How […]
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“It Was As if We Shot With Ektachrome”: DP Balthazar Lab on Olla
After answering an ad for an Eastern European dating service, Olla moves in with a Frenchman named Pierre and his aging mother—and nothing goes as expected. Olla is the short film of first time writer/director Ariane Labed, and DP Balthazar Lab talks about the importance of a strong relationship between DPs and directors, finding solutions with a small budget, and shooting on super16. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Lab: A strong relationship with your director is […]
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“This Log Cabin Is the Fifth Cast Member”: Josh Ruben | Scare Me
Whether capturing or creating a world, the objects onscreen tell as much of a story as the people within it. Whether sourced or accidental, insert shot or background detail, what prop or piece of set decoration do you find particularly integral to your film? What story does it tell? This might be a little on the nose, but the most integral piece to this movie (the brilliant Aya Cash, Chris Redd, and Rebecca Drysdale aside), was our location. Though it wasn’t always the most pleasant to shoot in, this log cabin is the fifth cast member. We shot every corner […]
