2ND UPDATE: We have our winners. Thanks, all!

UPDATE: To win a digital copy of Objectified, answer the question below and email editor.filmmakermagazine AT gmail.com.

Almost three years ago I decided to check out what seemed to be an obscure little documentary about graphic design at SXSW and was surprised to find the line to get in stretching all the way down the length of the convention hall. As the editor of a magazine, the subject matter of Gary Hustwit’s Helvetica — an examination of the historical, communicative and ideological meanings of that ubiquitous typeface — interested me. I hadn’t realized that SXSW, which is full of filmmakers, musicians and web designers who all have Adobe InDesign loaded on their laptops, contained a huge ready-made audience for Hustwit’s smart and engaging take on contemporary graphic design.

This past year at SXSW, Hustwit returned with what he revealed during the pre-screening intro as the second in a series of design-themed movies, Objectified. The new film looks at the world of industrial design, which translates into the people who make the things that are the props of our lives. As the film points out, everything from a potato peeler to a chair to a faucet to a sports car to an iPod is designed, and that fusion of aesthetics and functionality contains an assumption about not only our relationship to the objects that surround us but our concepts of our own identities as well. In Objectified, Hustwit talks with a number of people who make stuff but, as with Helvetica, his aim is not to create a dry history of industrial design. Instead, Hustwit takes us on a rhetorical journey that ends with a series of discussions questioning the logic of object production in an environmentally-taxed, wasteful, and over-marketed consumer society. What makes Objectified work, and what elevates it over the quite-good Helvetica, is the progression of its discourse. Yes, the objects in this film, perfectly lit and shot against stark white backgrounds, are dutifully fetishized — Apple ads come to life — but the documentary makes its greatest impact as it moves from issues surrounding object production to questions of why objects should be made at all. As 3D printers prepare to do to the object-making industries what filesharing has done to the content businesses, Objectified is an affectionate dissection of our urge to love ourselves through what we can hold, handle, use, and buy.

Objectified is now available in a variety of formats, including Blu-Ray, a limited edition DVD, and a limited edition USB. (Check the website for more details.) It's also available in non-physical form on iTunes, and the good folks at New Video have provided Filmmaker with three digital copies for our readers. Here are the details. You have to be a U.S. resident. And, you have to have an iTunes account or, if you win, set one up. Oh yeah — to make this just a tiny, tiny bit less easy, you have to answer a question: what object inspires Steven Heller, co-chair of the Design Program at the School of Visual Arts and author of the "Visuals" column of the New York Times Book Review? (Hint: you might check out Hustwit's "Objectify Me" blog...) The first three people who email me at editor AT filmmakermagazine.com will receive a free iTunes download of Objectified.

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 11/06/2009 10:00:00 AM

Comments (0)

Tonight at 7pm head over to the NYC Apple Store in SoHo (103 Prince Street) for what's sure to be a lively and entertaining conversation with director Jason Reitman. He'll be talking about his latest film Up in the Air starring George Clooney as a corporate downsizer whose life of collecting frequent flyer miles, perks and no-strings-attached hookups is in jeopardy. Interviewing Reitman for the Fall issue, Scott Macaulay writes: "One of the most astonishing things about Up in the Air is the clear eye it casts on 2009 America and a workforce undergoing the shock treatment of recession, outsourcing and the creative destruction of so many of our traditional industries.... Reitman refuses to go for stock Hollywood uplift with a last line and image that's among the most resonant cinematic closers I can remember." Be sure to get a free copy of the Fall issue at the event to read the rest of the interview.

The event is open to the public.

Paramount opens Up in the Air Dec. 25.

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 11/06/2009 09:00:00 AM

Comments (0)

Aaron Leming, who works as a specialist at the Southlake Town Square Apple Store in Dallas, created this resonant typographic rendition of Paddy Chayefsky's famous Howard Beale "Mad as Hell" speech from Network.

Mad As Hell! Kinetic Typography from Aaron Leming on Vimeo.

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 11/04/2009 11:46:00 PM

Comments (1)

Back in March, 2007, with his talk with Color Me Kubrick's Brian Cook, Nick Dawson inaugurated a new column here at Filmmakermagazine.com: the Director Interviews. Over the course of two-and-a-half years, he infallibly spun out thoughtful and provocative discussions with directors ranging from emerging American indies to big-name international auteurs to everyone in between. Viewing the bulk of each week's releases before honing in on one person to speak with, Dawson brought dedication, scholarship and personality to a column that was always, first and foremost, simply a great read.

Earlier this year Dawson published his first book, Being Hal Ashby: Life of a Hollywood Rebel, a rigorously researched, page-turning biography of the iconic director that is highly recommended, and now he's stepping down from the column to pursue other work and family projects. We thank Nick for his great work establishing this column and look forward to his frequent, we hope, future contributions to the pages of Filmmaker Magazine.

With this week's interview with Collapse's Chris Smith, the Director Interviews is handed over to two great writers and critics whose names will be familiar to our readers: Brandon Harris and Damon Smith. Brandon, of course, is one of our Contributing Editors and has his own blog, Cinema Echo Chamber. He's also an active writer/director and producer whose first feature I hope to see shooting sometime soon. Smith is a writer whose work has appeared in not only Filmmaker but Time Out New York, Senses of Cinema, the Boston Phoenix, Bright Lights Film Journal, and Filmcatcher. Welcome, Brandon and Damon!

Below: Chris Smith's Collapse mashed-up with Roland Emmerich's 2012.

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 11/04/2009 07:57:00 PM

Comments (0)

Filmmaker Astra Taylor (Examined Life) gave the debut Artist Talk for the Walker Art Center's "Raising Creative Kids" series. The series is described as an initiative "designed to make the Walker a destination and resource for families and parents wanting to creatively engage their children."

Here's their description of the talk:

Raised by independent-thinking bohemian parents, Taylor was unschooled until age 13. Join the filmmaker as she shares her personal experiences of growing up home-schooled without a curriculum or schedule, and how it has shaped her educational philosophy and development as an artist.

And, it is embedded below:

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 11/04/2009 07:20:00 PM

Comments (0)

The Sundance Institute announced today the creation of Sundance Film Festival U.S.A. where direct-from-festival films from the upcoming 2010 festival will be screened nationwide in theaters in eight cities on the Thursday of the festival (Jan. 28). This will conincide with events and premiere screenings back at the festival, including the North American premiere of the socio-political documentary The Shock Doctrine, from directors Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross. The Sundance Film Festival runs January 21-31, 2010.

From the release:

On January 28, eight filmmakers and their films will be dispatched from Park City to cities across America, for the first time providing audiences the opportunity to experience screenings direct from the Festival in their home town art houses and to engage in live conversation with Festival artists. An introduction video featuring Robert Redford and highlights from the Festival will precede the screenings. Selections for films and filmmakers traveling to the eight cities will take place shortly after the programming announcement in December. All films will be selected from the official Sundance Film Festival program. Tickets will be available through each theatre’s individual box office. Southwest Airlines is the official airline partner of Sundance Film Festival U.S.A.

The participating cities and theaters are:
Ann Arbor, MI -- Michigan Theater
Brookline, MA -- Coolidge Corner Theatre
Brooklyn, NY -- BAM
Chicago, IL -- Music Box Theatre
Los Angeles, CA -- Downtown Independent
Madison, WI -- Sundance Cinemas Madison
Nashville, TN -- The Belcourt Theatre
San Francisco, CA -- Sundance Kabuki Cinemas

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 11/04/2009 01:21:00 PM

Comments (1)

Before the tragic sudden death of John Hughes this past summer four filmmakers from Toronto -- Michael Facciolo (producer) , Kari Hollend (producer), Lenny Panzer (co-creator) and Matt Austin Sadowski (director) -- spent four years making a tribute documentary about the reclusive director, nabbing interviews with some of the main actors from his films (Andrew McCarthy, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson to name a few), directors who have been influenced by his iconic work (Kevin Smith and Jason Reitman) and traveling to Illinois last year to find Hughes.

After Hughes's death the project suddenly became a hot commodity and got a worldwide deal with Alliance Films which released the film, Don't You Forget About Me, on DVD today. Learn more about the film here. It's available at Best Buy, Walmart, iTunes, Blockbuster and other stores.

Seeing the trailer below, it looks like it's a must see for any Hughes fan.

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 11/03/2009 07:12:00 PM

Comments (1)

Or I should say, how he did it.

Here, Jamie Stuart breaks down the visual effects and tweaks he did for his short, Isn't She?..., through Final Cut Studio and Photoshop.



Watch Isn't She?...
Read parts 1 & 2 of Jamie's review of Final Cut Studio.

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 11/02/2009 12:10:00 PM

Comments (1)

If you've read the latest issue (or run into me recently) you know that I dig the blaxploitation spoof, Black Dynamite. From its straight face acting to the way it was shot, director Scott Sanders (aka Suckapunch) and star Michael Jai White have created an impressive comedy that aesthetically holds up to most of the real blaxploitations of the 70s and puts a shot in the arm of the recently watered down spoof genre.

But one of Dynamite's greatest aspects is its music. The film's editor, Adrian Younge, created the original score through the use of instruments and analog recording equipment from the era the film is based in. He explains how he did this in a sidebar to our Black Dynamite feature in the Fall issue. But below is a promo of the soundtrack's release through the indie magazine/record label Wax Poetics which touches on how Younge created the sound. You can buy the score and soundtrack on their site. Black Dynamite is currently playing in theaters.

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 11/01/2009 03:06:00 PM

Comments (0)

According to Variety, Miramax president Daniel Battsek has been let go. This is on the heels of parent company, Disney, scalling down the specialty division's staff and release schedule. Under Battsek Miramax released award-winning titles The Queen and No Country for Old Men.

And according to Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood, Miramax's New York office is closing down and its LA office will move to the Disney lot in Burbank.

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 10/30/2009 03:19:00 PM

Comments (0)

In September we put up a survey on our site that aimed at getting input from filmmakers about some of the issues that impact the making and preservation of their films.

Below are the results of the survey. These stats have been passed on to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for their final report which they will be publishing sometime next year.

The only results that aren't posted below are the ones where a written answer was required.

And for those who aren't familiar, read the story that inspired this survey.

Thanks to those who participated.




Please check all boxes that apply to you
Director - 72 (77%)
Producer - 64 (69%)
Production company owner - 28 (30%)
Production company executive - 5 (5%)
Executive producer - 13 (14%)
Writer - 51 (55%)
Editor - 44 (47%)
Cinematographer - 37 (40%)
Post-Production supervisor - 19 (20%)
Other - 9 (10%)
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Do you work principally in
Theatrical features - 41 (46%)
Documentaries - 24 (27%)
Other - 25 (28%)

Are your projects photographed principally in
35mm - 11 (12%)
16mm - 12 (13%)
Digitally - 71 (76%)
Hybrid (mix of film and digital) - 15 (16%)
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Does the choice of post-production processes influence your image capture decision?
Yes - 56
No - 36

How are your projects edited?
Final Cut Pro - 75 (83%)
Avid - 24 (27%)
Other - 15 (17%)
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

How are your projects finished?
Digital intermediate finish - 37 (42%)
Tape to tape color-graded - 16 (18%)
Filmed-out and release printed on film - 13 (15%)
Cut negative and answer print - 9 (10%)
Electronic finish only - 54 (61%)
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Do you have created content stored on different formats? If so, which formats?
Film - 47 (52%)
Digital Betacam - 45 (50%)
1" Videotape - 11 (12%)
HD Cam (or HD Cam SR) - 48 (53%)
VHS Videotape - 25 (28%)
D5 - 13 (14%)
3/4" U-Matic - 12 (13%)
DVD - 64 (71%)
Beta SP - 38 (42%)
Hard Drive - 73 (81%)
Other - 18 (20%)
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Do you transfer your older elements to newer formats in order to preserve them?
I haven't given much thought to updating formats. - 21 (23%)
I have thought about it, but can't afford it. - 19 (21%)
I have thought about it and plan to do it someday. - 17 (19%)
I have done some transfers to update storage formats. - 23 (26%)
I make a point of updating all of my masters when possible. - 7 (8%)
Other - 3 (3%)

In what type of environment are your final, edited masters stored?
Temperature and humidity controlled - 14 (16%)
Temperature controlled, but not humidity controlled - 13 (15%)
Some climate control - 29 (33%)
No climate control - 33 (38%)
Don't know - 8 (9%)
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Do you give much thought to how your works might be preserved for the long term (20 years plus) once they are finished?
Never - 16 (18%)
Sometimes - 48 (53%)
Often - 16 (18%)
Always - 11 (12%)

How about shorter-term access (up to 20 years)?
Never - 7 (8%)
Sometimes - 43 (47%)
Often - 23 (25%)
Always - 18

For your works, do you generally have input on how all production elements (dailies, audio, archival, ect.) are archived?
Never - 7 (8%)
Sometimes - 25 (27%)
Often - 13 (14%)
Always - 46

Who do you think is responsible for storing all production elements of your work(s)?
Producer - 43 (48%)
Executive producer - 12 (13%)
Production company - 36 (40%)
Distributor - 23 (26%)
Exhibitor (theatrical) - 1 (1%)
Exhibitor (television/cable) - 2 (2%)
Don't know - 11 (12%)
Other - 12 (13%)
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

How are the production elements stored?
Temperature and humidity controlled - 18 (20%)
Temperature controlled, but not humidity controlled - 11 (12%)
Some climate control - 27 (30%)
No climate control - 28 (31%)
Don't know - 13 (15%)
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

What best describes your feelings about knowing that a film has been converted to a digital format for future access?
I am relieved. - 39 (43%)
I have some concerns. - 34 (38%)
I don't really give it much thought. - 13 (14%)
I think it's a bad idea. - 3 (3%)
What does digital mean? - 0 (0%)
Other - 1 (1%)

If you already have a means of preservation in place, who pays for it?
Production company/Network - 13 (18%)
I pay for it. - 47 (64%)
Distributor - 4 (5%)
Don't know - 14 (19%)
Other - 6 (8%)
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Have you considered any forms of self-distribution?
Theater-by-theater - 39 (46%)
Internet - 66 (78%)
Direct to DVD - 59 (69%)
Downloads, short versions, ect. - 60 (71%)
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 10/30/2009 09:00:00 AM

Comments (0)

Producer Gill Holland forwarded me a link to this provocative interview by Eric Garland, whose company Big Champagne reports on filesharing activity for its customers — the major studios and broadcast networks. A lot of people talk about the relationship between what's happened to the music business and what's happening to the film business, but Garland effectively points out not only the similarities but also, promisingly, the differences. That said, he is not predicting that the mainstream film business will be able to maintain its revenue figures in a time of migrating audiences and technological change.

An excerpt from the CNET article:

CNET: But it doesn't appear that Hulu is making the kind of money that will satisfy content owners, at least those News Corp. and NBC Universal (Hulu's backers).

Garland: The cute answer, which is probably the truest answer, is that growing a sector is a privilege and not a right. There is no right size. There is no correct or God-given size for any sector. Why do we get to make movies that cost $300 million to make? Because we have found venues where people will spend more than $300 million on the result. If people spend only $50 million then the price of a movie must be $49 million or less.

I think in today's dollars no one could make "Gone With The Wind" because at the time this movie was made when everyone went to the movies. It was something like 79 percent of the population. The cute answer is that movies will get smaller.

I know people are tearing out hair and spinning in graves, but maybe "Transformers" has to be made for $75 million next time.

Oh my God, what am I saying? Put the words back in your mouth. That is just a pretty plain faced observation. One outcome might mean that in the Digital Age the return on investment on a major International tent-pole franchise is not a billion dollars. It's a quarter of that or a third. Therefore we have to get our costs in line with the market value.

When we talk about this in 3 or 5 or 7 years, one thing we will all have to concede is costs have to come down. We don't have the total control over the distribution chain that we exploited so well as industries for so long. Without that you can't take advantage of the consumer in the same way.

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 10/29/2009 08:49:00 AM

Comments (1)

Young producers should seriously think about applying for the IFP/Rotterdam Lab Fellowship. I go to Rotterdam every year, and for U.S.-based producers it's a great place to learn the ins and outs of the global market for arthouse and specialty film. The deadline for this year's program is Friday, November 13. The official word is below.

Through its No Borders’ partnership with CineMart, IFP will select and provide travel assistance to two American producers to participate in the 2010 Rotterdam Lab Fellowship.

The Rotterdam Lab is a four-day training workshop which runs concurrently with the CineMart Co-Production Market. Designed to build up the international networks and knowledge of producers in its professional panels and speed-dating sessions, lab participants will enjoy formal and informal meetings with colleagues and numerous representatives in the international finance, production, sales and distribution sectors.

Recent IFP/ROTTERDAM Lab Fellows include: Paul Mezey, Karin Chien, Noah Harlan, Jamin O’Brien, Anish Savjani and Mynette Louie.

Those interested in consideration for the program should apply with a letter of interest and a resume to Amy Dotson,Deputy Director IFP at adotson AT ifp.org by Friday, November 13th. Applicants should have at least one feature-film credit and be a current IFP member.

For more information on CineMart and the Rotterdam Film Festival go to the International Film Festival Rotterdam website.

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 10/28/2009 06:31:00 PM

Comments (0)

We here at Filmmaker have been big fans of Alexander Olch's experimental memoir/documentary The Windmill Movie since seeing it at the New York Film Festival in '08. If you missed it in theaters over the summer it will premiere on HBO2 tonight @ 8pm.

For those who don't know about it, the film is about the 300 hours of autobiographical footage left behind by filmmaker/professor Richard P. Rogers after his death in 2001. Olch (who was a student of Rogers's) was calling in to look over the footage and finish the film his mentor never could. What he delivers is a fascinating essay filled with Rogers's footage (including beautiful landscapes of the Hamptons), audio recordings, actors like Wallace Shawn playing Rogers, and Olch's narration.

Scott Macaulay interviewed Olch for the Spring '09 issue. Here's an excerpt from it.

Was the conceit of you making his autobiographical film there from the beginning? Or was it originally more of a third-person portrait? I was not particularly interested in just executing somebody else's idea. What was actually compelling about the project was that there was this mix of elements in it. It was a story about a guy who's trying to figure out how to make this movie that in some ways is about how he can't figure out how to make the movie. And so I'm them constructing a story that really had very little to do with the material that he left. I mean, some of the tricky parts of producing their project [involved] negotiating the fact that I was really kind of dancing around the edges of what you probably would think were his intentions if you looked at the footage. His plan was definitely geared much more toward a piece about the community, about his history in Georgica, in the Hamptons, and was not very much concerned with his process of making a film. However he did not finish it, and he left behind some very key interviews with friends where he talked about the film and said, "Well, the only way I could make it is if I make it much more about myself. But I'm just not prepared to do that." And so in some way the Gordian knot that had to be untied was: How do you actually get him to be present in this movie when he avoided that so much -- whether by shooting landscapes or other people, or shooting his mother, or shooting anything but himself? There was just this giant missing hole in the center of the movie. For a time I thought maybe Susan [Meiselas] could fill that spot as a sort of narrator or host through his story. There was a time when I thought I would fill that spot, telling the adventures of me as a young filmmaker piecing together these pieces. There was a time where I thought Wally [Shawn] would be sort of the star; he would take over and kind of just become Dick. But none of those plans really worked. And so the eventual result is a bit of a mix of all of those three strategies, with the key aesthetic realization being that you couldn't really take the movie away from Dick, that he had to be the center of the movie. The trick became how to inject these elements, which were needed to fill up the center, without actually feeling like you had taken the focus off of him. The subtlety is that, yes, I do make you feel like he's making his movie. But that is actually an invention. That's part of the conceit. I'm in a way creating that story for you to hear.

I didn't know Dick, but after watching your film I felt that he never would have finished his movie. It seemed like one of those lifelong and ultimately quixotic ambitions. Having spent so much time with the footage, yes, I agree. He left a 90-second piece of voiceover, which is in the film, where he talks about his father making Super 8 films. It's the only thing he left behind that showed any kind of direction toward synthesizing the material in a personal way. And that voice is when he's already sick. Part of me is tempted to think: "Well, maybe at the very end he did see how to synthesize this in his own first person and tell a story with voiceover like his colleague Ross McElwee" We don't know. But I certainly have to take responsibility -- any sense you get that his journey was quixotic was written by me. And yet there's sort of a Russian doll kind of dynamic to it. Those words are written by me, in his spirit, but it's certainly my creative interpretation of telling a story about him.

In any documentary what you leave out is much a choice as what you leave in. So perhaps what's on the cutting-room floor would have given me a different impression of him. Were there, in fact, multiple "Dick Rogers" there are not in this film? Well, Dick's friend Robert Benton, who lives in Georgica, said something to me that I'll always remember. "In many ways when you write the most important end of your pencil is the eraser." And it proved to be so true because I was starting out with so much. I wasn't wrestling with 300 hours of crowded pages. In terms of the facets, the sides, of Dick, I tried my best to include as many of them as possible because that makes him a complex, interesting and contradictory person. There were a lot of questions as to what the balance would be [between] his intellectual [side], how confident he was, and how charming he was in real life versus his anxieties about himself and his relationships with women. Aside from the footage, my sources for information were his widow, other women that he had dates, and his friends. There was no "impartial record" of his life I could go consult. "The movie should really be like this, Alex," was something that a lot of people would essentially be saying when I would ask them about things.

You can read the full interview by subscribing to our digital issue.

We highly recommend checking out the film.

Here's the theatrical trailer to wet your appetite.

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 10/28/2009 04:23:00 PM

Comments (0)

The Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) wrapped up its 29th incarnation this past weekend with encore screenings of its award-winning films and a closing night honoring of actress Maggie Q, who was on hand to introduce her newest film, Tian Zhuangzhuang’s fantasy swordplay epic The Warrior and the Wolf.

A successful Hong Kong fashion model who morphed into a film career there and later in China and Hollywood (she’s appeared in such diverse films as Gen-Y Cops, Rice Rhapsody, Three Kingdoms, and Live Free or Die Hard), Maggie Q (nee Maggie Quigley) is actually not from Hong Kong at all, or even Chinese; in fact, she’s half-Vietnamese and Polish/Irish, and was born and raised in Hawaii. After graduating high school in Honolulu she left to pursue a fashion career in Japan and Hong Kong, but quickly found herself switching from still images to moving ones; unable to speak Cantonese for her first film appearances, she learned her lines phonetically. Ironically, having re-relocated back to the U.S., she’s now often forced to convince casting directors that she’s American.

Q received HIFF’s Maverick Award, given to “honor a a cinema artist who defies the rules, forging a unique film career, transcending labels and thresholds to vacillate between Hollywood and global cinema,” as executive director Chuck Boller notes. Q’s certainly an appropriate choice, one made even more fitting by her deep Hawaii roots (“Class of Mililani High ’95,” noted festival director Anderson Le, to a few shouts from the crowd).

The accompanying screening of The Warrior and the Wolf was also an appropriate choice as a cinematic vision; director Tian, best known for his controversial 1986 Tibet-set masterpiece The Horse Thief and his 1993 The Blue Kite, began his career as part of China’s revered 5th Generation filmmaking movement along with Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and others, with films that directly or indirectly questioned China’s past, present, and future. Now that his colleagues are now making big-budgeted, candy-coated costume-drama epics (Zhang Yimou with swordplay fantasies Hero and House of Flying Daggers; Chen Kaige with The Promise, for instance), Tian appears to have joined them with with The Warrior and the Wolf, but its swordplay premise (Chinese general fighting “rebellious tribes” in the country’s desolate outlying regions long, long ago) is soon fragmented by something utterly surprising, a poetic, moody vision of doomed love and sorrow. Tian appears totally uninterested in the narrative, in fact, or even the action; the result is not for all, but quite lovely in its delirious imagery and ultimate emotional effect.

At a luncheon earlier in the week, the festival also announced its award-winning films. China swept both Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature, with the former awarded to Yao Shuhua’s 1899-set family epic Empire of Silver and the latter to Zhao Liang’s powerful Petition, about the groups of citizens gathered around Beijing’s many government-complaints offices, waiting patiently or impatiently (often for years) to have their grievances heard. The NETPAC (Network for the promotion of Asian Cinema) Award was received by South Korea’s Castaway on the Moon, by Lee Hey-jun, while the Puma Emerging Filmmaker Award was presented to Tze Chun’s riveting American indie, Children of Invention. The Video-on-Demand Viewers Choice Award was given to the Hawaii-made short, Ajumma! Are You Krazy?, directed by Brent Anbe, a hilarious comedy about a group of star-struck female fans going to any lengths possible during the appearance of their Korean acting idol at, you guessed it, a film festival.

We’ll have a full wrap-up of the festival later next week. To see the first report from this year’s HIFF here.

# posted by Jason Sanders @ 10/28/2009 04:09:00 PM

Comments (0)

You may have noticed that I've been posting in our Web Exclusives a number of first-person pieces by filmmakers discussing their distribution saga. We have already had producer Jake Abraham on distributing his film, Lovely by Surprise, and then writer/director Rob Perez on making the transition from studio distribution to DIY distribution with his nobody. The latest in our informal series is from Zachary Levy, director of the documentary Strongman. His piece, "Making our DIY Moment Matter," is a refreshingly thoughtful take on what the trend towards alternative distribution should mean for our filmmaking. Check it out, and look for more of these first-person pieces in the coming weeks.

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 10/27/2009 10:08:00 PM

Comments (0)

Though Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity was number one at the box office last weekend and has a total gross of $62 million since its release late last month (and is primed for a big upcoming Halloween weekend), The New York Times reports that the film's overnight success hasn't impressed Hollywood as Peli's next film, Area 51, a $5 million horror set at the infamous UFO site, is still looking for a distributor.

An excerpt:

At least six companies, including several major studios, have expressed interest in the film, according to people associated with the deal for “Area 51,” who spoke on condition of anonymity because bidding is still open.

But it has been easier to find those who are not buying than those who are. Paramount, for instance, is out.

“We are not in active discussions to buy ‘Area 51,’ ” said Katie Martin Kelly, a Paramount spokeswoman.

Similarly, DreamWorks, whose executives brought “Paranormal Activity” to Paramount during their tenure there; Overture Films, which has a modest hit with “Law Abiding Citizen”; and Lionsgate, which has made money on lower-budget movies like the “Saw” series, have not been active bidders for “Area 51,” according to people who are involved with the sale but spoke on condition of anonymity to minimize interference with bidding.

Spokesmen for Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox either declined to comment or did not respond to queries.

So far, excitement over a potentially hot property is being tempered by caution at seeing traditional industry economics quickly push the price, and perhaps lower the profit potential, of what on the surface appears to be another guerrilla-style property from Mr. Peli.

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 10/27/2009 01:21:00 PM

Comments (1)

Here's the new episode of The Burg, directed by Peter Sollett (Raising Victor Vargas, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist). Visit the show's site for more, including previous episodes and behind-the-scenes clips.

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 10/27/2009 12:01:00 PM

Comments (0)

Saturday, November 7, in Los Angeles Peter Broderick and Scott Kirsner are teaming up for "Distribution U," a "one-day crash course on the new rules of marketing and distribution."

From their announcement:

This one-day course will reveal the techniques successful filmmakers are using to:

• Design customized distribution strategies
• Harness the Internet and social media to launch their projects
• Reach core audiences directly
• Maximize revenue from multiple distribution channels
• Build a fan base to support your future work

This course is designed for independent filmmakers and artists determined to get their work seen widely and earn a real living in the digital age.

We’ll use ground-breaking case studies to demystify traditional distribution and illustrate the 10 principles of hybrid distribution. We’ll also spotlight the most effective tools for reaching audiences and increasing sales. This course will mix illustrated presentations, case studies with pioneering guest filmmakers, networking opportunities, current data points about revenues and deals, and a brainstorming session where Peter and Scott will improvise strategies for your projects.

Read more and learn how you can attend at the link.

As a teaser, Kirsner has kindly given us the premiere of a video he shot with Broderick at Sundance (and sponsored by Akamai) in which they discuss the new world of online distribution, among other topics. Check it out below.

The Future of Indie Film Distribution: Peter Broderick from Scott Kirsner on Vimeo.

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 10/27/2009 10:53:00 AM

Comments (1)

With Ti West's latest film The House of the Devil opening this weekend (look out for our interview with him on the site later this week), over at IFC.com his web series Dead & Lonely premiered today. The series stars Justin Rice (Mutual Appreciation) as a guy in search for love on a dating site and Paige Stark (A Relationship in Four Days) as the girl who finds his profile, but she has a secret (okay, the picture gives it away, she's a vampire).

New episodes will be posted on their site all week.

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 10/26/2009 07:47:00 PM

Comments (0)

We asked Jamie Stuart to use the newest edition of Apple's Final Cut Studio to make a short and write up his reaction for our Fall issue. You can read the piece here. But when he got into post he found more things to highlight about FCS so we've posted Part 2 of his review in Web Exclusives.

And check out the teaser of the short he made at the bottom of the Part 2 piece. Titled Isn't She?..., it is an homage to John Hughes while commenting on the current state of the economy. We'll put the short on the site tomorrow.

UPDATE: Watch Isn't She?... here.

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 10/26/2009 08:05:00 AM

Comments (0)

I met with an online distributor a few months ago who told me about GMX, the Global Media Exchange, saying he thought it was going to revolutionize the film sales business. In short, he described it as an eBay for media content, where film buyers (broadcasters, distributors, etc.) can connect and transact with sellers (studios, production companies, independent producers) within a sophisticated interface set up to deal with the complicated terms of international film licensing agreements.

GMX recently launched with over 4,000 titles from such companies as "NBC Universal Global Networks France, London-based ContentFilm's Fireworks International, U.K.-based On Demand Group, Paris-based Carrere Group, alongside Lifetime TV, Disney Channel, Broadway Video Entertainment, Image Entertainment and The Food Network."

Over at his Biracy Project blog, David Geertz says he's been given an online tour of the site:

As a producer I was able to research the buyers online and make direct contact with the acquisitions manager. This is great as everyone knows that this could eliminate the costly trips that are required 3-5 times a year to attend markets. If all of the buyers can now log in and be purchasing directly this will reduce costs to the producer and leave more money in the pockets of film investors that are finding it tough to write checks to indies.

GMX essentially provides you with all the tools and for this they will charge a fee. I believe the fee is somewhere around 7-9% and is based on a sliding scale. This is also great as it will allow producers to represent themselves and remove the costly sales agent, sub distributor, or aggregator.

From the tour I was given, I was told the project is still in BETA but the plan is to also implement an online transaction process.

The distributor I spoke with felt that GMX could be a real boon for producers of smaller-scale films, who might now be able to cost-effectively market their films to international buyers and meaningfully aggregate a string of smaller scales. (He also felt that GMX was a real threat to specialty film sales agents.)

What makes people so sure that GMX is a game-changing competitor? The short answer: John Malone and Ascent Media. GMX is owned by Ascent, owned in turn by Malone's Discovery Holding. Ascent owns numerous post-production facilities and has the infrastructure to move high-quality video content across the globe.

I suspect you'll be hearing a lot more about GMX in the coming months.

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 10/22/2009 11:03:00 PM

Comments (2)

A couple of weeks ago I tweeted about a Brooklyn party I attended for the web production company Dinosaur Diorama and the launch of the latest episode of their hit web series, The Burg. The first new episode in two years, it's titled "Change," and is directed by Peter Sollett, of Raising Victor Vargas and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Here's the teaser, and we'll post the link when it premieres next week.

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 10/22/2009 10:07:00 PM

Comments (0)

Gizmodo today reports on Canon's new 1D Mark IV DSLR camera and links to an incredible nighttime ambient light video shot on it. First, the specs.

From the video part of the Canon press release quoted at Gizmodo:

The EOS-1D Mark IV, EOS HD Video Powerhouse
Over the past year, Canon's EOS HD Video technology has changed the way users capture 1080p HD video and opened new doors for multimedia journalists and Hollywood cinematographers alike with full manual exposure control, selectable frame rates, and interchangeable lenses on some of the largest and most sensitive image sensors on the market. Canon continues this innovation trend with the new EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR with Full HD capture and full manual exposure control, plus selectable frame rates on an all-new APS-H-sized image sensor that's similar in size to a Super 35mm motion picture film frame. The large sensor allows filmmakers to achieve shallow depth-of-field just as cinematographers have traditionally done using much higher-cost motion picture equipment.

The more than 50 Canon EF lenses compatible with the EOS-1D Mark IV give videographers incredible creative options, including an impressive selection of large-aperture professional L-series primes as well as zoom lenses, macro, Tilt-Shift and Fisheye optics. The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV allows for three video recording resolutions – 1080p Full HD and 720p HD in a 16:9 aspect ratio and Standard Definition (SD) in a 4:3 aspect ratio. The camera will record Full HD at 1920 x 1080 in selectable frame rates of 24p (23.976), 25p, or 30p (29.97); and 720p HD or SD video recording at either 50p or 60p (59.94). SD video can be recorded in either NTSC or PAL standards. Sound is recorded either through the internal monaural microphone or via optional external microphones connected to the stereo microphone input. The camera also provides an in-camera video editing function allowing users to remove the start or ending of a video clip directly in the camera to eliminate unwanted footage and speed up post-production.

Image Quality and Performance
The heart of the EOS-1D Mark IV camera's outstanding image quality is a newly developed 16.1-Megapixel CMOS sensor featuring Canon's latest and most advanced proprietary technologies. These technologies include improved photodiode construction to enhance dynamic range and gapless microlenses that are positioned closer to the photodiodes for improved light gathering efficiency. The transmissive quality of the color filter array has been enhanced to improve sensitivity. Canon has also upgraded the sensor circuitry to improve noise reduction before the image data is exported from the CMOS sensor to the rest of the image processing chain.

With 60 percent more pixels than the EOS-1D Mark III, the EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR employs Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors with approximately six times the processing power of DIGIC III for full 14-bit A/D conversion at 10 fps. High-speed continuous shooting up to 121 Large JPEGs is possible using a UDMA CF card. This camera also features three RAW shooting modes for versatility with Full RAW (approx. 16 million pixels), M-RAW (approx. nine million pixels), and S-RAW (approx. four million pixels). Three additional JPEG recording formats (M1, M2 and Small) are also available.

The 14-bit per channel conversion facilitated by the dual DIGIC 4 Processors provides smoother tonalities in final images capturing all 16,384 distinct tones in each channel (red, green and blue) at the full 10 fps frame rate. RAW images shot on the new Canon EOS-1D Mark IV use the entire 14-bit space when converted to 16-bit TIFF files in Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software, which is supplied with the camera at no extra charge. The 14-bit A/D conversion is also the foundation for Canon's Highlight Tone Priority feature that takes maximum advantage of the camera's extensive dynamic range to preserve detail in highlight areas of the image. Canon's new EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR also features an improved white balance algorithm making colors more accurate when shooting under low color temperature light sources such as household tungsten lamps.

The EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR features Canon's Peripheral Illumination Correction function which corrects darkening that can occur in the corners of images with most lenses when used at their largest apertures. When activated, it is automatically applied to JPEG images and video clips as they are shot. For RAW images, it can be applied in DPP software.

Other new features include a large three-inch solid structure Clear View II LCD screen with 920,000 dot/VGA resolution and a wide 160-degree viewing angle for enhanced clarity and more precise color when reviewing images and shooting video. The new in-camera copyright information feature helps professionals secure control over images by setting copyright data directly into the camera and appending that information to each image file in the Exif metadata. Additional features include a fluorine coating on the Low Pass Filter to further repel dust and enhance the EOS Integrated Cleaning System.

Okay, and now check out the video, which was shot at ISO 6400 in a high quality stream here or in the smaller format below:



From d.p. Vincent LaForet's blog, here is more info on this film:

Here is the main point that I hope you take into account: the short film you are about to watch was shot in pretty much the very worst light that I could possibly find in an evening urban landscape. I did not chose “pretty lighting” in a mall or under neon signs. That would have been cheating in my book.

The short was shot near East 6th and Mateo St. in Los Angeles - in an industrial part of the city. If you live in the area - go check out the area - you won’t believe the video you see below came from the poor lighting in that area. Sodium and mercury vapor lights. That’s it. Really awful lighting.

Not a single external light source was used / added. In other words I did not use a single flashlight, LightPanel, flood light - nothing. For one shot only I pulled out a silver reflector… just to say we did it really. And yes it worked (see the shot of the young girl.)

The ISO stayed locked in the 6400 ASA range - with a very few shots hovering 1 stop above and one or two set to 3200 ASA because we had TOO MUCH depth of field…(on the bridge.) At one point I found myself shooting at 12,800 ASA by mistake - and I didn’t even notice any noise on the rear LCD in the skies… 6400 ASA is the new 1600 ASA - maybe even the new 800 ASA. Stop to ponder that for a second - and what it can mean to the way you approach your craft.

He also notes:

On a technical note: because I know everyone will ask: the footage was graded with Stu’s Magic Bullet Colorista software that he helped design and treated for noise (not a significant amount at all to be honest - at some point I may put up raw clips.) The point here is to show what this footage CAN look like when processed on an average laptop (i.e. nothing fancy!)

The 1080p footage on SmugMug is pretty incredible - but remember that a 365 MB compressed file was initially uploaded and then re-compressed a second time - from a 2.32 GB original uncompressed file. You can expect that the blacks will be a bit clamped, and that there will be a loss in sharpness relative to the original.

As Matt Buchanan at Gizmodo writes, "the light wars have begun."

The Canon 1D Mark IV retails for $5,000.

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 10/20/2009 01:01:00 PM

Comments (1)

If you missed the announcement of the nominees live on USTREAM, below are the list of nominees for the 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards.

Best Feature

Amreeka
Cherien Dabis, director; Christina Piovesan, Paul Barkin, producers (National Geographic Entertainment)

Big Fan
Robert Siegel, director; Jean Kouremetis, Elan Bogarin, producers (First Independent Pictures)

The Hurt Locker
Kathryn Bigelow, director; Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro, producers (Summit Entertainment)

The Maid
Sebastian Silva, director; Gregorio Gonzàles, producer (Elephant Eye Films)

A Serious Man
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, directors/producers (Focus Features)


Best Documentary

Food, Inc.
Robert Kenner, director; Robert Kenner, Elise Pearlstein, producers (Magnolia Pictures)

Good Hair
Jeff Stilson, director; Chris Rock, Kevin O’Donnell, Nelson George Jenny Hunter, producers (Liddell Entertainment and Roadside Attractions in association with HBO Films)

My Neighbor My Killer
Anne Aghion, director/producer (Gacaca Productions)

Paradise
Michael Almereyda, director; Michael Almereyda, Laurie Butler, producers (Post Factory Films)

Tyson
James Toback, director; James Toback, Damon Bingham, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)


Best Ensemble Performance

Adventureland
Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Ryan Reynolds (Miramax Films)

Cold Souls
Paul Giamatti, Dina Korzun, Emily Watson, Katheryn Winnick, David Strathairn (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

The Hurt Locker
Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly (Summit Entertainment)

A Serious Man
Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed (Focus Features)

Sugar
Algenis Perez Soto, Rayniel Rufino, Michael Gaston, Andre Holland, Ann Whitney, Richard Bull, Ellary Porterfield, Jaime Tirelli (Sony Pictures Classics)


Breakthrough Director

Cruz Angeles for Don’t Let Me Drown
Frazer Bradshaw for Everything Strange and New
Noah Buschel for The Missing Person (Strand Releasing)
Derick Martini for Lymelife (Screen Media Films)
Robert Siegel for Big Fan (First Independent Pictures)


Breakthrough Actor

Ben Foster in The Messenger (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Patton Oswalt in Big Fan (First Independent Pictures)
Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)
Catalina Saavedra in The Maid (Elephant Eye Films)
Souléymane Sy Savané in Goodbye Solo (Roadside Attractions)


Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

Everything Strange and New
Frazer Bradshaw, director; Laura Techera Francia, A.D. Liano, producers

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench
Damien Chazelle, director; Jasmine McGlade, producer

October Country
Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher, directors/producers

You Wont Miss Me
Ry Russo-Young, director/producer

Zero Bridge
Tariq Tapa, director; Tariq Tapa, Josée Lajoie, Hilal Ahmed Langoo, producers

# posted by Jason Guerrasio @ 10/19/2009 01:14:00 PM

Comments (1)