6583 Results for “production”
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“A Very Fine Line Between Realism and Surrealism”: DP Wyatt Garfield on Nine Days
In Edson Oda’s Nine Days, five personified souls outside of the realm of our reality compete for the opportunity to be born on Earth. A man named Will (Winston Duke), who once experienced being born, judges the competitors over the course of nine days—only one will be allowed to continue their existence, while the other four will cease to exist. Cinematographer Wyatt Garfield details the unique cinematic language of Nine Days for Filmmaker. 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 […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Feb 3, 2020 -
“What If This is the Goal? This is Everything?”: Writer/Director Edson Oda on His Sundance Hit, Nine Days
Ever so often you’ll have a film at Sundance that hits at the right time, place and with the right crowd — so that you feel the theater buzz. The last moment of the film, before it cuts to black, rings out over silence (aside from the sniffling of a handful audience members.) For me this year that film was Nine Days on Monday night at the Eccles theater. A feature debut from director Edson Oda, the expansive piece is equal parts grounded sci-fi, drama and a delicate exploration of emotion and existence. Let’s just say you don’t want to […]
by Meredith Alloway on Feb 1, 2020 -
Sundance (and Slamdance) 2020 Dispatch #7: Dick Johnson is Dead, Kajillionaire The Glorias, Boy’s State and More
For the last several years, the very first film I’ve seen in Park City has been among the festival’s best, launching my Sundance with a bang. The lucky title this year is Dick Johnson is Dead, a documentary—whatever that label means in this case—directed and photographed by Dick’s daughter, cinematographer Kirsten Johnson (Cameraperson), whose cinematic imagination couldn’t be more alive and kicking. The imminent death, or what’s worse, the gradual ravaging by Alzheimer’s, of an aging parent is a personal and emotional minefield few are ever equipped to traverse, no less understand, when the time comes. Alzheimer’s is also a […]
by David Leitner on Jan 31, 2020 -
Sundance 2020 Dispatch 6: Yalda, a Night of Forgiveness; Time; Panels and Mixers
As I hinted at in my first dispatch, co-creation has been buzzy in documentary circles of late, with gatekeepers and filmmakers both interested in finding ways of working that challenge the decision-making processes of nonfiction filmmaking. This year’s Sundance was also chock full of filmmakers who started out in documentary and have recently moved into fiction; Canon even sponsored a panel featuring Matt Heineman on this very topic. One of these films was Yalda, a Night of Forgiveness, an ingeniously conceptualized, impeccably acted and tightly shot single location piece, it both buys into and subverts crucial elements of thriller, reality […]
by Abby Sun on Jan 30, 2020 -
Back to One, Episode 94: Deirdre O’Connell
Deirdre O’Connell is a legend of the New York stage and brings true depth and authenticity to every moment she has in front of the camera, but make no mistake, she doesn’t have this “down” yet. In this hour, she talks about why she likes to travel to the place her character resides and why it’s important that she believes her character is smarter than her. I ask about her incredible performance in Diane, one scene in particular, and how on earth she’s able to lip sync every single line in the brand new production Dana H at the Vineyard […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jan 29, 2020 -
“I Believe That Stories Need to Try to Communicate Beyond Their Intended Audiences”: Sam Soko on His Sundance Doc Softie
Politics is a dirty business for sure. But too often we in America take for granted what younger democracies would view as unthinkable. That a strongman and his opponent might not broker a shared power arrangement behind closed doors. That police would not blithely shoot people who protest electoral outcomes in the streets. That one uncorrupt citizen determined to make change without paying constituents directly for their votes might be a viable candidate. These are the hopes and dreams embodied by Boniface “Softie” Mwangi, the grassroots activist turned politician star of Nairobi-based director Sam Soko’s intimate, Sundance (World Cinema Documentary […]
by Lauren Wissot on Jan 29, 2020 -
“The Vibrant Color of the Spilled Ketchup on the White Floor With the Broken Bottle was the Best Way to Describe What the Movie was All About”: DP Jean-Philippe Bernier on Dinner in America
Punk rock and suburbia collide when Simon meets Peggy in Adam Carter Rehmeier’s Dinner in America. As the two traverse the Midwest, Peggy unwittingly assists the lead singer of her favorite band in evading the police, all the while uncovering the unforeseen connections between them. DP Jean-Philippe Bernier constructs two distinct cinematic styles that function in tandem with the film’s contrasting central characters. Drawing upon a background in film score composition, as well as an early career rooted in the punk scene, Bernier discusses the process of melding content and medium to create a distinct cinematographic look, drenched in the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 28, 2020 -
“As the Stories the Characters Tell Begin to Come to Life, the Camera and Lighting Begin Working in Tandem to Alter Reality”: DP Brendan H. Banks on Scare Me
When Fred settles into a secluded cabin intent on completing his first novel, a power outage prompts a horror storytelling competition between two strangers. Josh Ruben’s horror-comedy, Scare Me, delves into the artistic tensions between two writers and the insecurities they face on a greater social scale as the stories they tell begin to come to life. DP Brendan H. Banks breaks down the process of balancing two distinct genres while maintaining a sense of reality within the film’s photographic style. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 28, 2020 -
“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 […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 28, 2020 -
“The First Thing I Look at Is the Subject’s Face”: DP Bob Chappell on Hillary
It often seems as if there’s no way to have a neutral stance on Hillary Clinton—she is often represented as being hailed as some sort of centrist deity or reviled by many who find her gratingly milquetoast. Nanette Brstein’s documentary Hillary—slated to be available through Hulu—will attempt to dissect the mythology around Clinton and present her as a fallible yet resilient political figure. DP Bob Chappell spoke about his excitement about the project, the difficulties of making talking head interviews reclaim a sort of cinematic appeal and the importance of lighting. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 28, 2020
