When Faces of Death was released almost fifty years ago, the idea of being “extremely online” was a distant glimmer, probably somewhere in Tim Berners-Lee’s eye. If you had a predilection for the grotesque or a passing fascination with that which should not be seen, darkened theaters or pulpy true crime rags were the only source. The idea of seeing “real” human death, bodies dismembered, viscera strewn all over the street, was all taboo, but a softening one as we emerged from the Vietnam War. The horrific imagery from those senseless massacres awakened something in the general public. It certainly […]
by Brandon Streussnig on Apr 10, 2026
“If you want to work in Hollywood, you must have representation,” says one industry veteran. That’s been a longstanding rule in the entertainment business for the past several decades. Despite the battle between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Hollywood’s big talent agencies over packaging fees, and the thousands of writers who subsequently fired their agents, and even amidst the plethora of new outlets and disruptive distribution technologies, independent filmmakers are still largely subject to the traditional forms of gatekeeping. (And directors haven’t had to fire their agents—at least, not yet.) So, that leaves emerging filmmakers still dependent on […]
by Anthony Kaufman on Jun 19, 2019