Last week’s news that Zach Braff had successfully raised over $2 million via Kickstarter to fund Wish I Was Here, his sophomore outing as a director after 2004’s well-received Garden State, got me thinking. Has Zach managed to pull off every producer’s dream – funding your film for free? For those who’ve been living under a rock for the past year…
Catcalls and plaudits for Peter Jackson’s 3D HFR (High-Frame-Rate for the technically challenged) version of The Hobbit remind film makers everywhere that people, not machines, create the magic of movies. 3D HFR may well be “the next greatest thing” in the film business. Or maybe it’s not. But knowing matters less than you might suppose. Over 120…
When making a film of any sort, the time inevitably comes to credit cast and crew… in addition to the end credits, it has become film tradition to also bookend the movie with an opening title sequence. It’s your opportunity to capture the audience’s attention and set the mood and tone of your creation, all within the first…
In late 2012 Technicolor released Colour Assist, a grading package drawing on the company’s multi-decade experience in working with colour in motion pictures. The new version announced today brings with it support for Final Cut Pro X users. Here’s the full press release: Technicolor, a worldwide technology leader in the media and entertainment sector, today announced that its…
Anyone who watches movies knows that almost every film comes with a gaggle of ‘producers’. In addition to the Producer(s), most credit sequences are stacked with titles such as Executive Producer, Associate Producer, Co-Producer, and even Co-Executive Producer. So when any question about ‘types of producer’ arises, most people jump right in to an explanation of these…
Once mighty Kodak has taken a pretty severe beating of late and while the company has retreated from consumer photography, it remains committed to its presence in the motion picture space. As part of this commitment, Kodak has announced a call for applications for its 2013 student scholarship program. Here’s the press release: ROCHESTER, NY…
In the first episode of the series, veteran cinematographer Dean Cundey (“Apollo 13”, “Back to the Future”, “Jurassic Park”) talks through his experience with Craft Truck. Dean Cundy is not just a man who has traversed pretty much every genre -horror, action, drama, comedy, western, etc – but also always shown a commitment to storytelling first. Cundey just knows…
The idea of crowd-funding independent films has received a lot of attention of late, with several filmmakers singing praises of the ability to shortcut the cumbersome financing process and go straight to the audience. But the crowd-funding route isn’t an automated route to budget riches. Producer and marketing consultant James J. Heath looks at the Top 5 Crowd-Funding Mistakes…
ILM would like you to think so. A recent post to their YouTube channel shows just how little of the final sequence of ‘The Avengers’ was actually shot in New York City (where the action actually takes place). The use of virtual sets has been common for more than a decade now, yet in all that time it’s proven…
It’s a problem that seems to be shared by both quantum physics (a subject about which I know a ton, seriously) and documentary filmmaking – does the act of watching something change it in some fundamental way? How can someone act, react and respond “normally” to life when they’re aware those actions, reactions and responses are being…
News of a music video completion dropped in our inbox this morning where some cash prizes, cool phones, and a chance to have your work premiere at the 2013 edition of Sundance London. Here’s the blub: We’re running the Nokia Music Short Film Competition, in association with Sundance London – and we thought your love of film,…
With the recent release of Tarantino’s eighth feature as a director, the guys over at Film Doctor take a look back over his career to date, and how the once video store clerk has achieved and maintained his seat at the table of top directors. “Quentin Tarantino was born Texan, but bred Californian. From his early school years ,…
