David Bowie, 1947 – 2016

I’ve been listening to David Bowie’s new Blackstar all week, and its lyrical ruminations on mortality — some aching, some cheeky — are inescapable. Still, the idea that these were prompted by anything more than an impending 70th birthday didn’t occur to me. It seemed unbelievable that David Bowie would not be around for a little while longer. So, it’s a sad day to wake up to the news that Bowie has died. So meaningful, influential and vital through so many different periods of our lives. For me, the Berlin trilogy, my first arena show, The Man Who to Earth,…  Read more

Christmas Surprise Tracks from LCD Soundsystem and Radiohead

Here’s hoping this becomes a new tradition — surprise releases from great bands that are actually pretty good! The first, what will become a seasonal classic for melancholics everywhere, is from a band that technically doesn’t even exist anymore: LCD Soundsystem. And the second is an unused theme for the James Bond film Spectre by Radiohead. First, here’s what LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy wrote to accompany “Christmas Will Break Your Heart”: so, there’s been this depressing christmas song i’d been singing to myself for the past 8 years, and every year i wouldn’t remember that i wanted to make it…  Read more

Filmmaker Seeks Contributing Web Editor

Are you a good writer, knowledgeable about new developments in film and new media, and a reader of Filmmaker? Filmmaker is currently seeking a Contributing Web Editor. This is a paid, part-time position, averaging 10 hours per week, and it involves daily writing and posting to this site. In addition to possessing strong writing, reporting and editing skills, our ideal candidate will have experience with filmmaking itself, including production, post-production and business issues. Our Contributing Web Editor will report on developments of interest to our filmmaking audience, including reports on new equipment and technologies, software and events as well as…  Read more

Kentucker Audley Wants You to Support the Movies on Kickstarter

Kentucker Audley might have been reading Mike Ryan’s “TV is Not the New Film,” in which the producer concedes that TV is dominating our cultural conversation right now. And he’s decided to do something about it. Audley has taken to Kickstarter to sell a simple item of apparel that will tell the world that, yes, you’re a movie fan.

Several Kind of Funny Reasons Why You Probably Shouldn’t Upgrade to Apple Music Yet

I have a lot of positive things to write about Apple Music, but in the interest of not burying the lede, I’ll write this first: If you have a large, well-tended and carefully created iTunes Music Library, do not upgrade to Apple Music. Do not install the latest 12.2 version of iTunes and, most importantly, do not turn on iCloud Music Library on any of your devices. Or, if you decide to ignore the above advice, make sure you have a Time Machine backup of your iTunes library before you go ahead and do so. Why the alarm, you ask?…  Read more

Job Listing: Filmmaker and IFP Are Seeking an Advertising Sales Associate

Filmmaker and its parent organization IFP are seeking an Advertising Sales Associate, a salaried position based out of the IFP’s DUMBO-based office. A short description of the job is listed below, and this post will be updated with links to LinkedIn and Vediabistro when they go live. In short, though, the Advertising Sales Associate is responsible for ad sales for Filmmaker across print and web as well as IFP. IFP, a world class nonprofit devoted to independent film and its creators, seeks a mid-level Advertising Sales professional to secure revenue for its publication, Filmmaker, and online channels. The successful candidate…  Read more

David Carr, R.I.P.

David Carr flew under my radar for a little while. I never read his book, The Night of the Gun, and my general disinterest in the Oscar Industrial Complex meant that I wasn’t a regular reader of his late aughts Carpetbagger column at The New York Times either. I had heard rumblings that there was a guy with an arresting voice and upright posture bringing an outsider (and from his basement) attitude to awards season coverage. Maybe I read a few of them, but it wasn’t until Carr sequed into his Media Equation column that he became essential to me.…  Read more

Filmmaker‘s Winter Issue Launches with Cover Story Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

Filmmaker‘s Winter issue is now arriving in mailboxes, newsstands, and is online for subscribers. I’m very happy to have as our cover story my favorite film from Sundance ’14, the Zellner Bros’ beautifully surreal fable for the internet age, Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter. It arrives in theaters in just a few weeks, and in my spoiler-free interview you’ll read about David and Nathan Zellner’s love of ’80s adventure films, their diligent approach to sound design, and stealing shots on the Tokyo subway. And don’t miss the companion article by the film’s d.p., Sean Porter, who impressively and personally talks about…  Read more

Brief Thoughts on Pitching Articles to Editors at Sites Like Filmmaker

A bit of synergy as two things crossed my screen this morning: a query from a prospective writer and this article from Paul Bradshaw and the Online Journalism blog. Taken together they got me thinking about pitching, new writers and Filmmaker. The query was from a perfectly polite, well-spoken individual who self-identifies as a “blogger” and a “geek” and who sincerely wants to write for us. Absent from the email were a) any link to any previously published work; b) any sort of biographical information denoting the person’s specific expertise or area of interest; c) any specific suggestions of work…  Read more

The Year in Filmmaker: Favorite Articles and Top Posts of 2014

After four print issues, hundreds of online articles and a few dozen weekly newsletters, Filmmaker wraps 2014. I’m proud of our content this year and look forward to, alongside our writers and other editors, making it even stronger in the next year. Below you’ll find an issue-by-issue breakdown of the year, with links to highlights from each print edition. Following that are two Top Tens — the first is our list of most-read online pieces published in ’14, and the second our top reads from the archives. There’s a holiday weekend worth of reading here easily; thanks for following Filmmaker…  Read more