If you remember my interview with Nicholas Rombes about his “10/40/70” series at The Rumpus a while back, you’ll know that I am a big fan of his original approach to film writing. Over at The Rumpus he looks at film through a deliberately tightened lens — examining a movie by only considering the scenes occurring at the 10, 40 and 70 marks. So, I was thrilled when Nicholas (pictured) subsequently proposed a new column for Filmmaker. It’s called “Into the Splice,” and it debuts today. (And, no, it’s not about editing.) In this series, Nicholas writes about the pleasures […]
I produced my last short, which, with a cast/crew of 20, paying almost everyone, camera package out of L.A., film from NYC, housing and feeding everyone for five days, etc… — nearly killed me. So I’m clear on the fact that while I’ll likely take (and earn) a producer credit on my first feature, I desperately want someone who is going to take over the management of the project and someone who is going to nurture me. The biggest problem I found with self-producing is that I couldn’t take the time for myself as an artist to regroup and center […]
The late afternoon is warm, the locusts screaming from the trees. The sun makes everything as golden as the poster for Micmacs, a movie that I’ve avoided because the spell of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s earlier movies (Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children, and Amélie especially) is so powerful and magical. I didn’t want Micmacs to break that spell, but I needn’t have worried. Some reviews have accused the film of being style over substance but really, when it comes to any form of storytelling—in movies, in literature, in art—is there a difference? Usually when critics accuse a movie or novel of […]
I’m gearing up for one of my favorite work events of the year, IFP’s Independent Film Week. This time, however, I’ll be wearing two hats: as Arts Engine’s Filmmaker Services Manager, I’ll be attending the filmmaker presentations featured in the “Spotlight on Docs” section. Here, I catch a glimpse of what’s coming down the doc pipeline and get to scout potential projects for the monthly screening series I program, DocuClub. Every month, audiences gather to watch the rough cut of a documentary and offer thoughtful feedback for the filmmaker on the cut. The post-screening discussion is facilitated by an experienced […]
Here’s the first of two blog posts from writer/director Conor Horgan, whose One Hundred Mornings received the Workbook Project Discovery and Distribution Award and runs beginning this week at Los Angeles’s Downtown Theater. — S.M. There’s an old saying, that you should write what you know. I think you should also write about what scares you, and the world we’ve created in One Hundred Mornings scares the hell out of me. As we prepare for our week of screenings at the Downtown Theater, I’m reflecting on some of the real-life inspirations for the film, and what motivated me to make […]
In a release today, IFC Films has announced they have acquired the worldwide rights (excluding Canada) to Barry Avrich‘s documentary, Unauthorized: The Harvey Weinstein Project. The release touts the film as a “powerful, uncensored, no-holds-barred account that traces Weinstein’s path from concert promoter on the cold streets of Buffalo to his first trip to the Cannes Film Festival, where he arrived with one pair of pants and closed his first movie deal, to winning an Oscar, and breaking the bank with his first $100 million film. It examines his complex relationships with his brother, his staff, and the Hollywood community […]
I love Mark Romanek’s new Never Let Me Go (opening this weekend) and will have some thoughts — not a review, I decided — about and inspired by the film on the site this week. Jamie Stuart spoke to the director here on Tuesday in a big theater with red seats. Below is his take on the man on that day. You can download the video here.
I admit a certain obsession with cell phone Scrabble, the band Beach House, and of course, Errol Morris. While the first two are relatively recent acquisitions, that last one has been around for a while (since Cannes 2003 to be exact, and an interview on his film The Fog of War). Morris’ goofy sense of humor remains as addictive as his philosophical and cinematic wanderings. With his latest documentary, Tabloid, my obsession with Morris and his obsessions—in this case, an obsessive beauty queen and the reporters obsessed with her—has reached new heights. While you’re waiting with bated breath for Tabloid to […]
I just got off the phone following an interview with Indiewire. I was mealy-mouthed and unfocused, a good reminder that it’s never easy to talk about a script, even if you’re the one that wrote it. So that would be a bit of a stumble out of the gate for my push to get my new script The Garden made. It’s my first entry. My blog-voice is unformed. This may be a bit like a comedian’s first stab at stand-up: awkward for everyone. Long….blank….stares….. This first entry is supposed to be about my prep for the IFP Project Forum, which […]
With IFP‘s Independent Film Week starting on Sunday we wanted to share with you the new names you’ll see on our blog in the days ahead. These people have projects in the Project Forum and will be giving you a first-person account of what goes on at IFW. They include: Emerging Narrative Marc Maurino (Inside the Machine) Steve Collins (The Garden) Roja Gashtili & Julia Lerman (Pretty To Think So) Spotlight on Docs Joshua Z Weinstein (Off Duty) Sandra Jaffe (Our Mockingbird) No Borders Ryan Koo and Zak Lieberman (3rd Rail) Peter Sterling (The Restoration) Labs Chris Ohlson (Melvin) Felix […]