Archive for April, 2009
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
We all here at the magazine were stunned last month when Ray Pride contacted us from Greece, where he was covering the Thessaloniki Film Festival for us, to tell us that he’d been attacked by a mob just hours before. We were happy to hear from him and relieved that he came out of it, for the most part, with only minor injuries.
He recounts what went on that evening in a post over at Movie City Indie.
An excerpt:
Along the eight blocks to [my friend's] apartment, a square bristles with a crowd of middle-aged men listening to an energetic older man. A rank of blinding bright white lights stands between the speaker and the Byzantine edifice behind him. This is the square of Agia Sofia, the “Church of the Holy Wisdom.” It’s a neighborhood I know well; I feel safe. The words of his urgent peroration that I understand are mostly along the lines of “homeland” and “patriotism.” Riot police stand at the perimeter of the gathering. I have my DSLR camera with me, walk past without even framing a picture. I move along. “Homeland.” “Patriotism.”
Journalists watch, movie reviewers watch, photographers watch, used to seeing. Seeing without being seen, as well. I was about to get a simple lesson in observation. The speaker’s voice resounds through the shutters of the flat several blocks away. “Homeland. “Patriotism.” I take the same route half-an-hour later, 9:15, after dark. Observing, I reach toward my unzipped camera bag, more to protect its contents than to take out any equipment. Three, then four middle-aged men are abruptly in my face shouting in Greek, “Who are you?” “Who sent you?” “What are you doing?” I’m surrounded. I move to protect my bag as punches fly and fall.
Sloppy punches and kicks from a dozen men in a mob scrum are always to be preferred over two guys in an alley. If you get dragged free soon enough, it’s more roughing up than being beaten stupid. Still, there’s blood. The velocity of the event? Under two minutes, I would guess.
I was told … Read the rest
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
While its not reinventing the wheel aesthetically, Barry Ptolemy’s Transcendent Man, an engrossing feature length profile of inventor and futurist Ray Kurtzweil, is a thought provoking look at the man’s lifework and almost unimaginable predictions. Kurtzweil, who a few years ago wrote the controversial speculation on the emerging fusion of biology and technology The Singularity is Near,, has long suggested in other books like 1999′s The Age of Spiritual Machines and 1987′s The Age of Intelligent Machines that in the future humanity as we have previously conceived of it will be permanently augmented by technological intervention, both caused by man and by artificial intelligence which will surpass our own intellectual capabilities. Merging with us, in Kurtzweil’s mind, will thus end the separation between the two previously mentioned disciplines.
Ptolemy, a first time filmmaker, sticks to a well worn doc gameplan. He mixes found footage and stylized verite with Errol Morrisesque interviews of the subject, topping it off with animated and CGI illustrations to visualize some of Kurtzweil’s most bracing ideas. Ptolemy’s counterpoint to these are smaller profiles of individuals who dispute Kurtzweil’s wildest claims and his largely utopian vision of the implications of artificial intelligence. Hugo De Garis, an inventor who is currently at work on an “artificial brain” being paid for by the Chinese Government, suggests that by the late 21st century the world will be torn asunder in a war between those who will accept artificial intelligence surpassing man’s and those who will do anything to stop it. Wired Magazine Co-founder Kevin Kelly and a host of others offering critiques of Kurtzweil’s sincere belief that he and most other humans will eventually live forever.
Obsessed with escaping death following his father’s demise from heart disease in his late fifties, the sixty year old baby boomer from Queens, who was widely recognized as a genius since his teens, has never faced a challenge he didn’t think he could master with his intellect. The film glides easily into the world he inhabits and offers a fascinating portrait of a dynamic and deeply afraid man, a holder … Read the rest
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Linda Wissmath is the Equpment Supervisor, School of Film/Video, California Institute for the Arts, and she attended NAB this year and kindly offered to share her thoughts with Filmmaker readers. Wissmath’s take on several new cameras is a nice tie-in to Roberto Quezada-Dardon’s piece in the new Filmmaker on directors making movies with their new DSLR cameras.
The big news in acquisition this year is the pressure being put on the video divisions of companies by their DSLR divisions. These divisions appear to stay very separate, and even though Canon had their DSLR cameras at NAB there seemed to be a little contention between the “video” sales people at Canon who kept strictly to answering questions about their own products. All the Canon DSLR Camera video features were developed either for photojournalists in mind (Mark ll 5D) or soccer moms (Rebel T1i), but filmmakers have recently embraced these low priced DSLR cameras with their great, large image sensors and ability to swap out lenses despite their lack of basic video controls.
CANON EOS 5D MARK 2 DSLR: The Canon 5D is already in use by our students, Darrell in our photo department reports that his students are shooting lots of HD video mode on these cameras since purchasing three last fall. It has an amazing sensor (36x24mm cmos), great blacks and does incredible in low light. This is 1080 30P using the latest H264 video codec at a data rate of over 38 megabits. Rumor has it photojournalists suggested 30p which makes for transcoding issues. Also the camera lacks manual aperture control without finessing and locking within a range and playing with gain. There’s also some rolling shutter issues with fast movement. That said, droves of filmmakers feel it’s worthwhile to jump through these hoops and get amazing resolution, which was very impressive to see at NAB. Another rumor is that the Mark 5d is really shooting at 29.97 with the wrong header of 30p.
On the latter issue, here are two comments from users posting at the DV Info Forum:
“I’ve actually read that the guys over at Cineform
… Read the rest
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
Today one of the most anticipated panels for filmmakers in the Tribeca Talks series took place. Moderated by Hollywood Reporter‘s Steve Zeitchik with a panel consisting of IFC’s Ryan Werner, 42 West’s Cynthia Swartz, Bomb It director Jon Reiss, YouTube’s Sara Pollack, Tribeca Enterprises’ Geoff Gilmore and Oscilloscope’s David Fenkel (pictured above right-left), the group discussed the alternative distribution and marketing models currently on the minds of filmmakers and the industry alike.
Like most panels on this subject no one has the answer on how filmmakers can make money outside of the traditional forms of distribution. YouTube has begun their Screening Room page recently that’s showcasing shorts and feature films for free. And though Pollack notes that there have been over 30 million views to the page, filmmakers aren’t really seeing much money, if any. Then there’s IFC which has been the trailblazer in VOD distribution. Werner says that they moved to the VOD platform and created Festival Direct (which are festival favorite titles they release only on VOD) because they couldn’t take chances on some films that they loved on the festival circuit by spending P&A to give it a traditional theatrical release. “It was a response to what we saw at festivals,” says Werner of IFC’s VOD model. “We couldn’t take a chance on them [theatrically] so this was the only way to release them.”
Gilmore also noted that a real change is needed on what the industry views as a success. “When sex, lies was bought everyone would have been happy to make a $2 million gross,” he says. “Now everyone wants to have a Slumdog Millionaire.” He says that the “hit-driven” mentality has to be toned down and that the system that has been in place for the last 30 years (theatrical to home video to paid cable) is outdated and that everyone is waiting for that one online model that is profitable. YouTube could soon have the answer.
Pollack told how when Magnolia released Wayne Wang’s The Princess of Nebraska and A Thousand Years of Good Prayers close to one another in 2008, … Read the rest
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
At the midway point of the Tribeca Film Festival most covering it are walking around with a look of relief as this year’s slate of a tolerable 85 films has made it a less strenuous undertaking to get a good grasp of what the fest has to offer (and it’s nice to step in an air conditioned theater during this heatwave). Here are four titles that have stuck out for me.
Entre nos
A tour-de-force performance by Paoloa Mendoza, who also shares writing and directing credits with editor Gloria La Morte, this very personal tale follows a Colombian woman’s struggle to provide food and shelter for her two kids after the father leaves them. With no source of income Mariana (Mendoza) sells empanadas on the street and collects cans, but when she can’t pay the rent they have to spend their nights sleeping on park benches or in dingy hotels when they have enough money. The film does not get preachy about the family’s situation or tries to shock the audience with the lengths the mother will go to get money, instead we watch an inspiring story of what a mother does during an unthinkable situation to provide her kids with a better life while also teaching them about pride and the value of family.
The House of the Devil
Using the horror genre to develop his own style of filmmaking, Ti West (The Roost, Trigger Man) delivers a slow-brewing horror that’s so authentic if you came across it on TV you’d think the film was made in the late ’70s. Using all the traditional elements that are in horrors — the shy, conscientious brunette in the lead (Jocelin Donahue), the disturbing family she encounters, the ditsy friend (Greta Gerwig) — West uses most of the film as a tension builder by using long tracking shots and a chilling score which leads to a horrific climax that’s worth the wait (though I’m a little disappointed with the last scene).
Dazzle
The return of Dutch filmmaker Cyrus Frisch to Tribeca after premiering … Read the rest
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
I received a warning email from a friend telling me that at least two cases of apartment rental fraud have been reported in the days leading up to the Cannes Film Festival. These involve fake rental agencies that are advertising on the ‘net, collecting 100% deposits, and then vanishing overnight. The Cannes Chamber of Commerce is on it, and there is info (in French) on their website. In short, if you are traveling to Cannes, book in either a hotel or through an agency or renter who you are sure is reliable. In fact, it might be worth a call to the Chamber of Commerce before you make that wire transfer to an agency you are not familiar with.… Read the rest
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
The Sundance Institute has announced 12 projects for its annual June Directors and Screenwriters Labs, which take place at the Sundance Resort in Utah from June 2- 26. Congrats to all the directors and writers, including the two on the list — Benh Zeitlin and Andrew Okpeaha MacLean, who appeared on our 2008 “25 New Faces” list.
From the press release:
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute today announced the 12 projects selected for its annual June Directors and Screenwriters Labs, taking place at the Sundance Resort in Utah from June 2-26, 2009. Under the leadership of Michelle Satter, Director of the Sundance Feature Film Program, and the artistic direction of Gyula Gazdag, the projects selected for this year’s program include emerging filmmakers from the United States, China, India, Morocco, Latin America, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. The core of the Feature Film Program, these Labs provide an opportunity for filmmakers to develop distinctive new work under the guidance of accomplished Creative Advisors in an environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, and risk-taking.
The projects and participants selected for the Directors Lab from June 2-20 are:
· All Fall Down/Jonathan Wysocki (writer/director), U.S.A.
· Beasts of the Southern Wild/Benh Zeitlin (co-writer/director) and Lucy Alibar (co-writer), U.S.A.
· Goodnight Moon/Elgin James (writer/director), U.S.A.
· My Brother the Devil/Sally El Hosaini (writer/director), U.K./Egypt
· Porfirio/Alejandro Landes (writer/director), Brazil/Ecuador
· The Narrow Frame of Midnight/Tala Hadid (writer/director), Morocco/U.S.A.
· On the Ice/Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (writer/director), U.S.A.
· The Story of Ram/Ritesh Batra (writer/director), U.S.A./India
These Fellows will be joined at the Screenwriters Lab from June 21-26 by the following projects and participants:
· The American People/Keith Davis (writer/director), U.S.A.
· Hello, I Must Be Going/Sarah Koskoff (writer) and Todd Louiso (director), U.S.A.
· Land/Jan-Willem van Ewijk (co-writer/director) and Abdelhadi Samih (co-writer), Netherlands/Morocco
· Little Wings/Emily Tang (co-writer/director) and Chow Keung (co-writer), China
“We’re thrilled to be supporting such an exciting and inspired group of emerging independent artists,” said Satter. “Their work explores the richness of the human condition in an
… Read the rest
Monday, April 27th, 2009
It was a really nice evening last night at the new Cooper Square Hotel where actress Katie Holmes hosted an IFP 30th Anniversary Spring Event. The event was co-chaired by producer Hunter Gray (Memorial Day, Zero Bridge, Momma’s Man, Half Nelson, pictured at right) and producer Anthony Bregman (Synecdoche, New York, Sleep Dealer, Friends with Money, and Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s upcoming The Extra Man, which stars Holmes, pictured at left). In his remarks, Bregman talked about Holmes’s long history with independent and specialty films, including roles in The Ice Storm, Go, Thank You for Smoking and Pieces of April. I’d add to that her part in one challenging studio film, Wonder Boys, which is a movie that keeps getting better with time. Holmes was a gracious host and it was great of her to be part of an event that will support the IFP and all of its year-round programs. As for the evening, it started with a cocktails on the hotel’s spectacular roof deck and went until midnight with a crowd consisting of both long-time friends of the IFP as well as quite a few new supporters. Below are Holmes’ comments from the red carpet.
For more info on the IFP’s programs or to become a member (which also gets you a subscription to Filmmaker Magazine), visit its website. And to see an interview with Holmes on the red carpet, click here.
(photo: Dimitrios Kambouris, Wireimage.)… Read the rest
Monday, April 27th, 2009
There comes a time in every star’s career when he or she has to come to terms with the fact that they may not be relevant anymore. Most often actors don’t have to come to this career roadblock as quickly as actresses because, frankly, it’s a sad fact no one wants to write roles for a 30-plus women, though they have no trouble finding roles men that age — except if they are action stars.
In the time Jean-Claude Van Damme was roundhouse kicking his way into the worshiping teens in the 90s he was as big a box office draw as Stallone, Schwarzenegger or Willis. But since then half of that quartet moved on (Willis to dramas like The Sixth Sense; Schwarzenegger to politics) while Stallone tried dramas (Copland) and failed which led to him to go back to the action thing (for better or worse) and resurrect his iconic characters Rocky and Rambo. Though for Van Damme drugs and personal problems dropped him off the Hollywood map and onto direct-to-DVD titles or films that only play in Europe or Asia, where he’s still a draw.
This forces the now mid-40s Van Damme to assess his relevancy and what the Muscles from Brussels concludes is no one likes anything more than a star with a sense of humor.
Mabrouk El Mechri‘s JCVD is in no way a spoof on Van Damme’s career, but instead a study on the world’s obsession with celebrity — those who want to be near it, and those who crave to have it. The film opens with Van Damme being, well, Van Damme. In a beautifully choreographed sequence, he punches, kicks and shoots his way out of insurmountable odds to save the girl. But when the scene is botched by a gaffe by the set department we see how much everyone really cares about being on a Van Damme film when even the director doesn’t care what happened. Why does Van Damme go through this abuse? We jump cut to find out he’s in a custody battle for his … Read the rest
Monday, April 27th, 2009
The IFP is announcing today Envision, a two-day forum jointly produced by the IFP and the U.N. in which film and both live and virtual discussion will be used to address significant global issues. There will be 12 screenings, presentations and panel discussions, according to the press release, “rooted in the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.” The release goes on to say, “In our debut year, there will be a special focus on the MDG’s impact on women. The UN’s Millennium Development Goals are to: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health’ combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development.”
A website for Envision has just launched where you can see some of the trailers, register for a pass, or view the schedule of events.
Among the participants will be Gayle Ferraro, director of To Catch a Dollar: Muhammad Yunus Banks on America (working title), who recently blogged for this site from the Skoll World Forum. In a program moderated by Dan Cogan of Impact Partners, she and two women involved with the Grameen Bank in Queens (Grameen American Center Manager Alethia Mendez and a borrower, Patricia) will discuss the complexities of being a subject in a socially conscious doc.
From the description:
Documentary filmmakers must become adept at bearing witness to events as they unfold, without influencing outcomes or forever disrupting the lives of individuals who aren’t seeking the limelight. The presence of a camera thrust into any of our lives could at best make us self-conscious, at worst, negatively and permanently expose our lives to unwarranted scrutiny and judgment. There is a delicate balance of trust that must exist between documenter and subject. How does an NGO find a voice for a issue or a situation that will meet the needs of a filmmaker to tell a compelling story that will be typically 60 – 90 minutes and likely seen on television worldwide or the internet? Understanding the dynamic complexities and length of this relationship are
… Read the rest
