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News & Updates
July 30, 2017
Emilia Clarke and Chewbacca Celebrate on the ‘Han Solo’ Set with an Instagram Video — Watch
We haven’t had much good news from the untitled Han Solo movie lately, but at least Emilia Clarke and Chewbacca appear to be enjoying themselves. The actress, whose time on “Game of Thrones” is nearing its end now that the series has just 11 episodes spread across two truncated seasons remaining, is looking beyond Westeros and into a galaxy far, far away; there, she took a brief Instagram video featuring everyone’s favorite wookie.
Intended to celebrate the fact that the Mother of Dragons now has 10 million followers on Instagram, the video features Joonas Suotamo (who’s taking over for Peter Mayhew and somehow has the perfect name for an actor portraying Chewbacca) in the furry suit. Clarke is all gratitude: “Those dreamboats at @starwars said yes, this fury ball of joy could help me thank you personally… @joonassuotamo you are more than just a cute nose and lotta hair to me,” she writes.
Ron Howard recently stepped in to direct the Han Solo movie after Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were relieved of their duties. Disney will release it on May 25, 2018 and presumably give it a title sometime before then.
(Or in pinewood backlot filming #untitledhansolomovie ) One CHEWBACCA (and one @emilia_clarke) wanted to THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU 10 MILLION WONDERSTAR-INCREDIBLE DREAM MAKERS for following me!!! 
✌️♥️ Yup. Those dreamboats at @starwars said yes, this furry ball of joy could help me thank you personally… @joonassuotamo you are more than just a cute nose and lotta hair to me. #allhailthewookieofourdreams #behindthescenes #behindthelove ❤️
Source: IndieWire film
July 30, 2017
‘Dunkirk’ is Still #1 and ‘Girls Trip’ Holds, but the Top 10 Plummets
“Dunkirk” and “Girls Trip” held well their second weekends, taking first and third place in the top 10, but the full list totaled $138 million — down 29 percent from the same weekend last year. And while a second weekend at #1 is great news for Christopher Nolan’s war film, at $28 million it’s the lowest #1 of the summer — and below any #1 for last summer as well.
The top spot was there for the taking for “The Emoji Movie,” Sony Animation’s latest offering (at $50 million in budget, economical). But with audiences reacting like critics (its 10 Metacritic score near record bad), the attempt to bring phone emojis to life did have one rare achievement for a new animated film: It fell Saturday from Friday, down 14 percent.
Jonathan Prime/Focus Features
Had “Atomic Blonde” performed somewhat better than half as well as the similar female action hero “Lucy” on exactly the same date in 2014, it also could have taken #1. But it fell short at $18.5 million and only #4. At $30 million and potential worldwide interest, it could be OK — but not good enough to help rescue wilting results at U.S. theaters.
“Dunkirk” did the minimum it needed to stay on track for at least a $175 million domestic total. Worldwide, it is at $234 million with some big territories waiting to open and some stronger holds elsewhere. Still, among Nolan’s films and also compared to other war films, the 44 percent drop is not stellar, even if it is better than most second weeks for top openers.
“Girls Trip”
Michele K. Short
It also pales when compared to “Girls Trip.” Its 36 percent fall is better than “Bad Moms” last year in its second weekend (and $6 million higher in gross). Earning $100 million now seems certain, with a real chance of topping the $113 million “Moms” surprised with last year. “Trip” cost $19 million to make.
“Baby Driver” (Sony) is also holding very well, now at $92 million and also guaranteed a $100 million total. And “Wonder Woman” (Warner Bros.) is down a tiny 23 percent to stay in the Top 10. It should hit $400 million by next weekend or right after.
The Top Ten
1. Dunkirk (Warner Bros.) – Week 2; Last weekend #1
$28,130,000 (-44%) in 3,748 theaters (+28); PTA (per theater average): $7,505; Cumulative: $02,836.000
2. The Emoji Movie (Sony) NEW – Cinemascore: B; Metacritic: 10; Est. budget: $50 million
$25,650,000 in 4,075 theaters; PTA: $6,294; Cumulative: $28,650,000
3. Girls Trip (Universal) – Week 2; Last weekend #2
$20,086,000 (-36%) in 2,648 theaters (+57); PTA: $7,585; Cumulative: $65,525,000
4. Atomic Blonde (Focus) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 63; Est. budget: $30 million
$18,554,000 in 3,304 theaters; PTA: $5,616; Cumulative: $18,554,000
5. Spider-Man: Homecoming (Sony) – Week 4; Last weekend #3
$13,450,000 (-39%) in 3,625 theaters (-505); PTA: $3,710; Cumulative: $278,357,000
6. War for the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox) – Week 3; Last weekend #4
$10,375,000 (-50%) in 3,374 theaters (-726); PTA: $3,075; Cumulative: $118,688,000
7. Despicable Me 3 (Universal) – Week 5; Last weekend #6
$7,726,000 (-41%) in 3,030 theaters (-495); PTA: $2,550; Cumulative: $230,426,000
8. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (STX) – Week 2; Last weekend #5
$6,800,000 (-60%) in 3,553 theaters (no change); PTA: $1,914; Cumulative: $30,626,000
9. Baby Driver (Sony) – Week 5; Last weekend #7
$4,050,000 (-33%) in 1,961 theaters (-542); PTA: $2,065; Cumulative: $92,046,0003,540,0
10. Wonder Woman (Warner Bros.) – Week 9; Last weekend #9
$3,540,000 (-23%) in 1,651 theaters (-320); PTA: $2,144; Cumulative: $395,444,000
Source: IndieWire film
July 30, 2017
‘The Princess Diaries 3’ Might Happen ‘As a Tribute’ to Garry Marshall, Says Author Meg Cabot
Before she was Rachel Getting Married or Fantine, Anne Hathaway was Mia Thermopolis, Princess of Genovia. According to the author who wrote the books the two “Princess Diaries” books are based on, a return to that fictional kingdom may be the next chapter.
Meg Cabot, who’s written 14 books in the young-adult series, mentions the idea of making a third movie “kind of as a tribute” to director Garry Marshall, who passed away last year. “So, who knows? [It] could happen, as we say,” she tells Entertainment Weekly.
Cabot is “not allowed to say” what a new film might be about, however. “I would love to sit and talk about [it], but I can’t. I’m not allowed. But it’s really more following the movie than the books, so if she — the last version I read, she definitely did not find out that she has a biracial younger sister … which I personally would’ve thought was hilarious, but that was not the direction they were going.”
2001’s “The Princess Diaries” was followed three years later by “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement,” and the two films are credited with launching Hathaway’s career. Read Cabot’s full interview here.
Source: IndieWire film
July 30, 2017
Angelina Jolie Says the ‘First They Killed My Father’ Audition Game Was Just ‘A Pretend Exercise in Improvisation’
A strange, disturbing story recently circulated about Angelina Jolie’s upcoming drama “First They Killed My Father”: As part of the audition process, children from “orphanages, circuses and slum schools” were made to play a game that involved placing money in front of the kids and asking what they needed it for.
It was part of a Vanity Fair profile on the actress, director, and activist. But Jolie now refutes that detail in a statement provided to the Huffington Post.
“Every measure was taken to ensure the safety, comfort and well-being of the children on the film starting from the auditions through production to the present,” wrote Jolie, who most recently directed “By the Sea.” According to the Vanity Fair cover story in which the story first appeared, “the director would pretend to catch the child” who had just taken the money, “and the child would have to come up with a lie.” Many who read this were outraged.
“I am upset that a pretend exercise in an improvisation, from an actual scene in the film, has been written about as if it was a real scenario,” Jolie added. “The suggestion that real money was taken from a child during an audition is false and upsetting. I would be outraged myself if this had happened.”
“First They Killed My Father” is slated for a Netflix release.
Source: IndieWire film
July 30, 2017
‘Detroit’ Tops Limited Openers, Along With ‘Inconvenient Sequel’ and ‘Menashe’
It’s a strong group of limited releases for a July weekend: Kathryn Bigelow’s “Detroit,” “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” and the Yiddish-language “Menashe” all performed well, as did Sony Pictures Classics’ “Bigsby Bear.”
Opening
Detroit (Annapurna) – Metacritic: 86
$365,455 in 20 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $18,273
Kathryn Bigelow’s first film since “Zero Dark Thirty” is the first released by Megan Ellison’s production company through its own distributor. With reviews nearly as strong as “Zero” and “The Hurt Locker” but shifting to the home front in this recounting of the Detroit riots exactly 50 years ago, this opened in 10 markets ahead of its wide release this Friday. This is a tough subject, however well received, and Annapurna and its team has a challenge opening this outside of the festival/awards season and finding a wide swath of African-American and other upscale audiences.
Figures at the four core New York/Los Angeles theaters that normally play platform runs came in with a per-theater average of around $30,000, though that’s far below “Zero” and somewhat less than the summer time release of “Locker.” What is notable initially is that two of its three best grosses were Detroit theaters that otherwise would never be part of a limited opening, and that these and similar African-American oriented locations had decent Saturday increases over Friday. (Taking out the Thursday preview showings, Saturday was a credible 28 percent over Friday).
This remains a risky release, more so without the awards-environment trappings to propel it. Next weekend will tell the real story of its potential.
What comes next: Around 2,800 theaters will show this starting Friday.
“An Inconvenient Sequel”
Courtesy of Sundance
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (Paramount) – Metacritic: 67; Festivals include: Sundance, Cannes 2017
$130,000 in 4 theaters; PTA: $32,500
Davis Guggenheim’s “An Inconvenient Truth” in 2006 opened also in four theaters, to an adjusted initial PTA of around $95,000. The sequel, again with Al Gore placing the climate crisis front and center, had diminished returns, but strong enough to be way ahead of nearly all documentaries this year. Paramount along with Participant Media again are giving this the full weight of their support, which will be seen even more as it heads toward nationwide expansion this Friday.
What comes next: The 2006 initial effort got to over $30 million adjusted, one of the top documentaries ever along with two Oscar wins (including Best Song). This won’t have the same response, but it still should have a presence above most similar films ahead.
“Menashe”
Menashe (A24) Metacritic: 81; Festivals include: Sundance, Berlin, New Directors/New Films 2017
$61,409 in 3 theaters; PTA: $20,470
One of the top grosses for a subtitled film in recent months, here it’s an American independent film in Yiddish and shot in Brooklyn. A custody battle dictated by orthodox religious norms is the story here, and though the audience initially looks niche, strong reviews and A24’s backing could propel this to higher results.
What comes next: National expansion starts Friday.
Brigsby Bear (Sony Pictures Classics) – Metacritic: 68; Festivals include: Sundance, Cannes, Seattle 2017
$45,060 in 3 theaters; PTA: $15,020
A 20-something man obsessed by a TV show from his youth and his re-entry into the world is the story for this Sundance-premiere film, which received favorable though not rave reviews in its prime theater openings in New York and Los Angeles. It will need word of mouth to sustain these runs, though it could be one of those specialized films that works better as it expands beyond coast cities.
What comes next: SPC will get this out to any possible theater that might be right for this.
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (Kino Lorber) – Metacritic: 74; Festivals include: Sundance, Hot Docs, Seattle 2017
$10,500 in 2 theaters; PTA: $5,250
One of two rock-related documentaries to open this week, this one focuses on the surprisingly strong presence of Native Americans (both from the U.S. and Canada) including Jimi Hendrix and Robbie Robertson.
What comes next: Dates in at least 40 markets are planned around the country ahead.
Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk (Abramorama) – Metacritic: 65
$6,480 in 1 theater; PTA: $6,480
This Green Day-produced documentary about the niche San Francisco area punk scene played very limited shows at New York’s IFC Center, which makes this number stand out above the raw numbers.
What comes next: Similar event showings around the country begin this week.
Also available on Video on Demand:
Person to Person (Magnolia/Sundance 17) – $(est.) 18,000 in 3 theaters
“Landline”
Week Two
Landline (Magnolia)
$140,000 in 38 theaters (+34); PTA: $3,684; Cumulative: $140,000
The impact of an affair on a 1990s New York City family is the center of this Amazon-acquired Sundance film, which quickly expanded to adequate results in top markets.
The Midwife (Music Box)
$78,896 in 27 theaters (+24); PTA: $2,992; Cumulative: $112,571
Catherine Deneuve’s co-lead role in this French drama is propelling this to a credible showing for a subtitle film these days in its second weekend.
“A Ghost Story”
Ongoing/expanding (grosses over $50,000 in under 1,000 theaters)
A Ghost Story (A24) Week 4
$382,128 in 329 theaters (+286); Cumulative: $941,347
A major jump for David Lowery’s return to indie films with two big stars in Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara. Despite its pedigree and good reviews, this appears limited to niche interest.
Maudie (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 16
$350,934 in 228 theaters (-5); Cumulative: $4,670,000
U.S. gross nears $2 million for this Canadian/Irish co-production with Sally Hawkins as an oddball artist in a remote village.
Lady Macbeth (Roadside Attractions) Week 3
$179,307 in 104 theaters (+64); Cumulative: $467,273
A mediocre expansion for this drama of aristocratic 19th-century adultery.
The Little Hours (Gunpowder & Sky) Week 5
$125,334 in 96 theaters (-18); Cumulative: $1,201,000
The nuns continue their mixed-result run, with a drop from their gross last weekend.
The Beguiled (Focus) Week 6
$(est.) 100,000 in 144 theaters (-187); Cumulative: $(est.) 10,429,000
Sofia Coppola’s Southern Gothic remake is winding down, with $11 million looking like its total.
Lost in Paris (Oscilloscope) Week 7
$57,000 in 41 theaters (-2); Cumulative: $329,348
Canadians out of their elements and the comic effects continue steady play in niche theaters.
The Hero (The Orchard) Week 8
$68,091 in 85 theaters (-106); Cumulative: $3,855,000
Also late in its run, Sam Elliott’s lead role as an actor facing mortality will end up at a credible $4 million.
Beatriz at Dinner (Roadside Attractions) Week 8
$59,840 in 68 theaters (-48); Cumulative: $6,833,000
Miguel Artesta’s cutting-edge drama with Salma Hayek and John Lithgow keeps playing after two months and nearly $7 million total.
Also noted:
Paris Can Wait (Sony Pictures Classics) – $32,613 in 44 theaters; Cumulative: $5,524,000
The Women’s Balcony (Menemsha) – $31,545 in 19 theaters; Cumulative: $1,032,000
City of Ghosts (IFC) – $14,520 in 19 theaters; Cumulative: $104,263
The B-Side (Neon) – $7,270 in 7 theaters; Cumulative: $129,670
Source: IndieWire film
July 29, 2017
Watch This Epically Unfair Battle Between a $50 Camcorder and a $50K Cinema Camera
This camera comparison video is totally unfair, but it does teach us a little about why expensive cinema cameras cost so damn much.
Usually when you watch cameras battle it out in a comparison video, you’re looking to see which one has the best image quality, color, and dynamic range. However, the team over at Corridor Digital put two contenders in the ring, a $50 Sony Handicam and a $50,000 RED Epic Dragon cinema camera, knowing full well that one would utterly clobber the other, but also knowing that such a drastic difference in image quality could teach us all about why the cost of pro-level cinema cameras is so high.
Okay, the Dragon is better than the Handicam. (Where’s my award for excellence in cinematic journalism?) That’s obvious, but that’s kind of the point of the entire video. It’s not about figuring out which camera performs better, it’s about figuring out where cinema cameras out-perform consumer/prosumer cameras specifically and explaining why they do.
Source: NoFilmSchool
July 28, 2017
Why Creating a Great Visual Content is a Must-Have in Today’s Communication Landscape
Marketing is about Telling Stories where Your Customer Plays the Hero and Your Product – the Magic Wand
Even though you might not realize it, marketing is really just another communication medium. You’re taking thoughts and ideas and presenting them to people in a form that is easy to digest and to support.
It’s really not all that different from something like a feature film when you really think about it, only instead of telling the story of “boy meets girl, they fall in love and get married” what you’re really telling is the story of “here is why this particular product or service is going to change your life.”
As is true with any communication medium, the way in which a message is perceived often affects its ultimate impact. You could have an objectively good idea on your hands, but if you present it in the wrong way you’re going to do a lot more harm than good.
These ideas are ultimately why great visual content is so important, especially in an era dominated by digital technology and social media networks. Visual content isn’t just about pretty pictures – it’s about a better, more natural, more effective way to communicate with the widest possible audience.
Make no mistake: creating visual content is ESSENTIAL in today’s communication landscape for a number of compelling reasons that are more than worth exploring.
It’s About Supporting the Way the Mind Works
Part of the reason why visual content is so powerful in the first place ultimately comes down to the way the human brain actually operates. Keep in mind that in a given day, 90% of all information sent to the brain by your senses in visual nature. This goes a long way towards explaining why according to most studies, 65% of people are visual learners. They simply understand and retain more when it’s taken in visually versus what they read or hear.
A number of studies have been done over the years that support the idea that visuals are one of the most effective methods of communication that we have. Consider the fact that the human brain can interpret images in just 13 miliseconds, or that people following directions with text AND illustrations do 323% better than people just trying to follow along with text.
We’ve always been visual learners – it’s an idea as old as the human race itself. The Internet and marketing in general are only finally starting to catch up with what we’ve always known. What is marketing if not an effort to get someone to follow directions, meaning that you’re trying to entice someone to make a purchase or take a particular step?
If the people do far better at following directions with images than they do with just text alone, it stands to reason that this is something you would want to get behind.
Visual Communication Gives You More Control Over Your Message
Visual communication is also inherently more powerful than traditional text because it gives you a far greater level of control over what matters most of all: your message.
Consider the example of a video (in this case from my video series), when you take an idea and present it in the form of a 1000 word blog post, there are a lot of factors you can’t control. You can’t control how people are perceiving certain ideas. You can’t predict how they’re going to emphasize certain words for maximum impact. You can’t control how fast they read. All of these could potentially dilute your message.
When you take that same message and present it in the form of a video created with a tool like Visme, on the other hand, suddenly you eliminate all of these X factors. A narrator can emphasize certain words for impact. Compelling visuals can keep someone watching. You can control pace, which you can control the rate at which ideas are conveyed to keep people from getting too overwhelmed (or again, to underline a particularly important point).
It’s the Direction We’re Headed In
Statistics like these also go a long way towards explaining the direction that marketing and the Internet in general is already headed in. One study estimates that people tend to form a first impression in a mere 50 milliseconds – because the brain processes visuals much faster than it does simple text, it stands to reason that a visual first impression will almost always be more powerful than a block of words that you hope someone reads.
Likewise, the vast majority of all people already just skim the content they read online. Most people don’t make it past the headline and when you get past the first paragraph of something, those numbers start to drop off very quickly. According to some studies, it takes just eight seconds for someone to get distracted – though others have that number as low as 2.8 seconds.
For marketers, it’s true that these are all challenges – but they’re ones that great visual content helps to solve essentially all at the same time. Remember that by as soon as 2018, an estimated 84% of all communications will be visual according to Inc.com. They also predict that 79% of ALL Internet traffic will be video content by about the same period of time.
Visual content is a necessity in today’s communicate landscape because it checks a lot of boxes in one fell swoop. It’s instantly attention grabbing, compelling and engaging. It translates a message into a medium that the brain is already receptive to and it’s one that people have already said that they want more of.
If you’re looking at a tool that promises all of this and more, it would be a huge mistake not to take full advantage of it. Yet that’s exactly what you’re doing by failing to incorporate high quality visual content into your campaigns.
Want to know more?
Join me on August 3rd @ 2:30PM ET on Visual Storytelling Today live video show. I’ll be talking more about why visual content is a must-have in today’s communication landscape, including sharing an effective end-to-end process, examples, and actionable tips you can apply to your business.
Register FREE here.
Already have questions you want me to address? Sweet! Tweet your questions using: #myVSI
Source: Visual Storytelling
July 28, 2017
If You’re a Filmmaker, You May Not Like the TSA’s New Airport Screening Protocol
If you’re traveling with camera gear, expect your next trip through airport security to be more time consuming.
Other than long layovers and cancelled flights, going through security is the most annoying thing about being in an airport, and now it’s about to get even more so. The TSA announced Wednesday that they have plans to raise airport security with brand new domestic screening procedures targeting electronic carry-on items.
These stronger security measures will require travelers to place all electronics larger than a cell phone inside bins for X-ray screening. This is the same exact protocol the TSA has enforced for electronics like laptops, but these new screenings will include smaller items such as tablets, handheld game consoles, and yes, even cameras.
TSA Acting Administrator Huban A. Gowadia says in the press release:
Source: NoFilmSchool
July 28, 2017
The A.V. Club
IMAX is officially going to start pulling back on 3-D releases, so we can all stop having to make sure we’re buying tickets for the 2-D screening.
Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed