September 10, 2017

How ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Uses Shallow Focus to Show Oppression

“As a slave in an authoritarian state…your only agency is mental.”

In recent years, shallow depth of field has become cliché. Seen almost as a shorthand for the “film look,” it’s used constantly by beginners to give an almost instantaneous boost to their production values despite the many potential flaws in composition, lighting, and overall quality of their filmmaking. However, shallow focus shouldn’t be written off as a cheap device to make images look more cinematic—instead, look at the many gifted directors and cinematographers who utilize this technique to tell more dynamic stories through their visuals.

In this video essay, Evan Puschak of Nerdwriter does just that by highlighting the brilliant way director Reed Morano and DP Colin Watkinson use shallow focus to effectively communicate the devastating oppression and totalitarian theonomy in Hulu’s hit TV show The Handmaid’s Tale.

Though shallow focus has its obvious visual merits, Morano and Watkinson use it more for its narrative potential. Puschak notes three ways in which they do this:

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Source: NoFilmSchool

September 9, 2017

‘Motherland’: Ramona Diaz on the Many ‘Leaps of Faith’ That Got Her Film Into Sundance and Theaters

This director found a way to shoot her documentary where every day was a “revelation.”

Ramona Diaz’s latest documentary does not hold your hand. In fact, it throws you right into the heart of chaos: the busiest maternity ward in the world, Fabella Hospital in Manila, Phillipines. Like many of the patients and staff in a place that averages 60 births a day, you are a little bit overwhelmed upon entrance.

It’s not the easiest viewing experience, but it is effective. So effective, in fact, that Diaz walked away from the film’s Sundance 2017 premiere with a jury award for “Commanding Vision.” And the director exhibited a commanding vision indeed, insisting from day one that the film be shot fully fly-on-the-wall without a single interview. The resulting work should be given to every film student as a modern example of vérité mastery.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

September 9, 2017

VR web browsing needs revolution more than evolution

Although some applications make web browsing in VR relatively comfortable, we’re going to need a whole new type of website to make it the best way to access information online.

The post VR web browsing needs revolution more than evolution appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

September 8, 2017

Weekly Rewind: Apple’s new campus, Lilium’s flying cars, Lowe’s comic books

In the tech world, a lot happens in a week. So much news goes on that it’s almost impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of it. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of the top tech stories from this week.

The post Weekly Rewind: Apple’s new campus, Lilium’s flying cars, Lowe’s comic books appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

September 8, 2017

What does the Hydrogen One look like? Red partnership offers a glimpse

So what does a holographic smartphone display look like? Red’s new partnership with Leia for the Hydrogen One offers some clues, including a slim profile, a small impact on battery life, and a “privacy screen.”

The post What does the Hydrogen One look like? Red partnership offers a glimpse appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

September 8, 2017

RED Unveils Tech Behind Hydrogen’s Holographs

The secret to RED Hydrogen’s holographic display has a name and that name is Leia.

When RED announced it was going to release a smartphone, it was big news. Even bigger news was that the Hydrogen would feature a holographic display. Of course, we all wanted to know more about that feature, and with RED’s recent announcement of its strategic investment with a company called Leia, we have more insight into that technology than we did before. So without further adieu, here are the details we have.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

September 8, 2017

9 Most Anticipated Films in TIFF 2017’s Edgy Lineup

Here are the films we’re most excited to see at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.

The 10-day Toronto International Film Festival, fondly known as TIFF, has grown from a subcultural gathering for Canadian cinephiles to one of the largest and most internationally renowned film festivals on the circuit. With a projected 500,000 attendees and over 300 films being screened this year, TIFF is a reliable pit stop for Oscar hopefuls and buzz-generator for international indie gems. This year, TIFF programmers cut the lineup by 20%; as a result, the lineup is more refined—and edgier—than ever. The selected films represent a world embroiled in complex issues, from the migration crisis to the definition of modern masculinity to the geopolitical and interpersonal conflicts in which all of us are implicated in some way or another.

Below, we’ve selected nine movies we can’t wait to see.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

September 8, 2017

Unsplash Awards: A little sat down with Founder Mikael Cho

Unsplash Awards: A little sat down with Founder Mikael Cho

AoiroStudio
Sep 08, 2017

Source: Abduzeedo Interviews

September 8, 2017

Unsplash Awards: A little sit down with Founder Mikael Cho

Unsplash Awards: A little sit down with Founder Mikael Cho

AoiroStudio
Sep 08, 2017

Source: Abduzeedo Interviews