Originally published in our Web Exclusives section on June 8, 2007. It is entirely without hyperbole to introduce Vittorio Storaro as one of the most singular and influential cinematographers in the progression of modern motion pictures. His color palette on films such as The Conformist and Apocalypse Now is without peer, and long-lasting collaborations with directors Bernardo Bertolucci, Francis Ford Coppola and Warren Beatty have been recognized with three Oscars for Best Cinematography (Apocalypse Now (1979), Reds (1981) and The Last Emperor (1987)). Storaro’s latest film is Caravaggio, screening this week as part of Lincoln Center’s series “Open Roads: New […]
Originally published in our Fall 2011 issue, I sat down with Sean Durkin and Elizabeth Olsen to look back on the process of making one of the most talked about indies of the year. Martha Marcy May Marlene is nominated for Best Ensemble Performance and Breakthrough Director. Here Durkin and Olsen talk about the first time they met: Elizabeth, how did you hear about the project?Olsen: I auditioned right before filming Peace, Love and Misunderstanding. We had Mondays and Tuesdays off [for that film] so I was able to come down to the city to audition. Durkin: [Laughs] “I’ll just […]
Originally published in the Summer 2011 issue. Green is nominated for Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You. Sophia Takal is engaged to filmmaker Lawrence Michael Levine and their roommate is actress Kate Lyn Sheil. After the three worked on Levine’s debut feature, Gabi on the Roof in July (Takal played the eponymous lead, and Sheil co-starred), Takal decided to make her own movie, which would explore the theme of jealousy. She cast rising star Sheil as an insecure bookstore clerk, Genevieve; Levine as Sebastian, her intellectually patronizing boyfriend; and herself as Robin, the offbeat, emotionally hungry local […]
Originally published in the Spring 2011 issue. Terri is nominated for Breakthrough Actor. There’s a lot of time to talk when you’re driving a U-Haul from Los Angeles to Portland. And when Azazel Jacobs decided to tag along with his friend, the novelist Patrick deWitt, for the multi-state road trip in 2008, it was only a matter of time between rest stops, refills and a break from traveling to ride ATVs that the topic of deWitt’s latest manuscript would come up. What neither knew then was that deWitt’s story about an overweight high school kid would open new possibilities in […]
Originally published in our Fall 2010 issue, we look at why digital intermediate has become an essential tool for DPs. From the story: Aside from discussing the look of the film with the DI house early on for both aesthetic reasons and very practical ones like deciding what kind of camera to use, these meetings can also help a producer or director determine what their actual budget is going to be. A process house can walk everyone through all the different camera and workflow options and show them actual finished footage of what these options will look like. Thinking of […]
Originally published in our Summer 2011 issue, Bellflower is nominated for Breakthrough Director. Here Michael Tully talks to director Evan Glodell about his debut feature and how the exposure at this year’s Sundance has changes his life. From the interview: Did the Sundance selection really help you in concrete ways, like finding representation? Or is that my wishful thinking for your sake since nothing magical has happened in my life? [laughs] It changed everything. We were at our lowest point. We had the movie to a place where we thought it was good, and we had had screenings with friends […]
Originally published in our Summer 2011 issue, I sat down with Steve James to talk about his latest documentary, The Interrupters. Nominated for Best Documentary for this year’s Gotham Independent Film Awards, this could be the start of a busy award season for the film and its veteran director. From the interview: Though the film touches on some horrible aspects of Chicago, it also has a lot of hope in it. It is kind of a love letter to your city. We wanted the film to be raw, immersive, and uncompromising, but we also didn’t want it to be one […]
Originally published in our Spring 2008 issue, top flight DPs Andrij Parekh, Tim Orr, Sean Kirby and Ellen Kuras give candid insights on the formats they shoot on. Here Parekh (pictured above) talks about how shooting on video at times doesn’t speed up a shooting day: How will your format choice affect the physical production in terms of making it easier or, depending on your choice, more challenging? Are there budgetary ramifications? I find that shooting video actually takes more time, not less, than shooting on film. One has to be extremely particular regarding lighting. The main problem is that what […]
Originally published in our Summer 2011 issue. Without is nominated for Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You. Trained as a cinematographer in Italy, Brooklyn-based Mark Jackson says he doesn’t watch many movies. “My grandfather is the reason I make films. He introduced me to the magic of observation and that’s where the vast majority of my inspiration comes from. People watching, followed by embellishment,” says Jackson, whose feature debut Without is currently making the festival rounds. “The other bits come from reading the news.” Comprised of shots that make you feel as if you’re glimpsing the most […]
Originally posted on July 6, 2011. Terri is nominated for Breakthrough Actor. Azazel Jacobs’ idiosyncratic and homespun Terri is caring riff on the alienated teenager film, making its plus-size hero a stand-in for the trepidations we all fear when our slow-motion lives begin to move just a little too fast. Here, in this video shot at Sundance 2011, Jacobs discusses how he moved from his previous feature, Momma’s Man, to Terri, and why he’s not like Alfred Hitchcock. Photographed by: Jamie Stuart. Edited by: Daniel James Scott. Music: T. Griffin. For more, read Nick Dawson’s longer interview with Azazel […]