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News & Updates
May 21, 2018
Young Guru’s “Music Tech: A Gateway to Awaken America’s Youth” Featured Session at SXSW 2018 [Video]
“If you don’t see where innovation is going and if you aren’t able to write what it is, you are always going to be behind someone else.” – Young Guru
In Music Tech: A Gateway to Awaken America’s Youth w/ Young Guru, Opportunity Hub Chairman & CEO Rodney Sampson facilitates a conversation with legendary audio engineer and Chief Music Strategist of The Marketing Arm, Young Guru, centered around empowering the next generation of STE(A)M students to follow their artistic passions and take pride in their intelligence.
“What traditionally has been STEM is now STEAM, because we have to add the arts. . . The science, technology, engineering, the math, that’s great, but also arts is the way of learning.”
The conversation begins with Young Guru describing his early experiences with music technology, which awakened his interest in engineering at a young age. He shares stories of using his knowledge to repair electronics for people in his neighborhood and get DJ gigs. This moment where a dormant interest is germinated in a young adult — and the roadblocks that can stop it from happening — becomes the focus of much of the session. The conversation takes a bird’s-eye view of the types of changes that need to happen on both the local and national level to encourage young students to embrace their interest in STEAM learning.
“Once you find the thing that you love, problem-solving becomes fun. Find that thing that you would do if you had all the money in the world. For me, that’s making music.”
Watch the video above for the full talk, including information on Young Guru’s new project Sleeping Giants. Also, check out his SXSWorld interview for more stories from his career working with some of rap’s greatest artists. Learn from a diverse group of visionaries at SXSW — browse more 2018 Keynotes, Featured Sessions, Red Carpets, and Q&As on our YouTube Channel.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and SXSW News for the latest SXSW coverage, recaps, announcements, and stay tuned for information on SXSW 2018.
2018 SXSW Featured Speakers Young Guru & Rodney Sampson – Photo by Levi Thompson
The post Young Guru’s “Music Tech: A Gateway to Awaken America’s Youth” Featured Session at SXSW 2018 [Video] appeared first on SXSW.
Source: SxSW Music
May 21, 2018
SXSW 2018 Featured Session The Bleeding Edge: A New Generation of Horror [Video]
In 2018 SXSW Featured Session The Bleeding Edge: A New Generation of Horror, four unique storytellers came together to discuss all things horror, including the the ever-changing genre, creative visions, and the numerous platforms on which to view the content.
“There is no formula for making a good horror film — to me, you just need to make a good film and if you do that, it will stand the test of time.” – Leigh Whannell
Unlike most SXSW sessions, The Bleeding Edge did not have a moderator, so filmmakers Jason Blum, Vera Miao, Steven Susco, and Leigh Whannell had a very intimate and candid conversation amongst themselves and audience members. Many of these panelists were attached to films that world premiered at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival. Blum produced Unfriended: Dark Web (screened at SXSW as Untitled Blumhouse-Bazelevs) and Upgrade. Susco wrote and directed Unfriended and Whannell wrote and directed Upgrade, which earned the Audience Award in the Midnighters category. Additionally, Blum has produced a number of films that have premiered and screened at the film festival in past years, including Insidious (2011, Whannell as a screenwriter), Creep (2014), and Hush (2016) to name a few.
The subject of identity was a major point of interest at the beginning of the session: “A lot of my identity is in the work that we do as a company, because I like the work that reflects my politics for instance, or my feelings about the world, or my feelings about race, sexism and all of those things I feel are reflected in the movies and TV shows that we chose to do,” said Blum.
Although the focus of the session was on horror, towards the end the filmmakers began to talk about making movies across all genres and their personal experiences with the craft. “I try to make it as personal as possible,” said Miao. “That doesn’t mean my movies are autobiographical, but I think it goes to this notion of innovation, which I might flip and say it’s about vision and vision comes from having a voice. And as a filmmaker, it’s a craft, you have to practice it, you have to find your voice. You have to hone it.”
Watch the video above for the full The Bleeding Edge: A New Generation of Horror Featured Session. Browse more 2018 Keynotes, Featured Sessions, Red Carpets, and Q&A’s on our YouTube Channel.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and SXSW News for the latest SXSW coverage and 2019 updates.
The Bleeding Edge: A New Generation of Horror – Photo by Kaylin Balderrama
The post SXSW 2018 Featured Session The Bleeding Edge: A New Generation of Horror [Video] appeared first on SXSW.
Source: SxSW Film
May 21, 2018
Stylish Illustrations for the Vespaclub
Stylish Illustrations for the Vespaclub
Ale Giorgini is an illustrator from Vicenza, Italy with a beautiful and I’s say unique style. It is very clean, like vector style but with so much personality that it makes it stand out. I have seen a lot of vector illustrations, especially with thick strokes like Ale’s ones and some times they get a bit too common almost clip-art look. It’s not the case with Ale’s work. You can see the attention to details, the curves everything makes sense. For this post I will feature some of the print work he did for the Vespaclub. Just look at how some curves and lines match the whole perspective adding movement to the composition. Simply awesome!
Illustration
Art prints are available at my on line store: https://www.alegiorgini.com/shop
abduzeedo
May 21, 2018
Source: Abduzeedo Illustration
May 20, 2018
Paul Schrader’s ‘First Reformed’ Is a Hit, and the ‘2001’ Reissue Finds New Box-Office Life
Two very different films — Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” and a 70mm reissue of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” — stand out among the new releases this weekend. The first represents a critical career high for a director who made his first film 40 years ago, while the revival is from a director who died 19 years ago, and made one of the the most modern films in 1968.
Standout documentary “RBG” joins them, but other well-reviewed films are seeing more mixed results. However, there’s enough viable titles to fill screens while Marvel gets nearly all of the theatrical attention.
Opening
First Reformed (A24) – Metacritic: 83; Festivals include: Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York 2017
$100,270 in 4 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $25,067
Schrader has a long career as a screenwriter (“Taxi Driver”) and director (American Gigolo”), but his career has seen spotty critical and audience reception. “First Reformed,” with Ethan Hawke as a clergyman experiencing spiritual crisis, changed that: It’s received among the best reviews of any film this year. Playing at major New York/Los Angeles locations (and thriving without Lincoln Plaza, where normally this might have played in Manhattan), this is an impressive result considering the more rigorous subject matter.
What comes next: With clear adult appeal established as well as strong reviews backing it, expect this to see ongoing arthouse success at a minimum, with A24 attempting to replicate some level of their usual wider release.
“Pope Francis: A Man of His Word”
Focus Features
Pope Francis: A Man of His Word (Focus) – Metacritic: 63; Festivals include: Cannes 2018
$480,000 in 346 theaters; PTA: $1,389
The first of this year’s Cannes premieres to be released, Wim Wenders’ study of the current pontiff went with a national release targeting his flock. However, it received only a fraction of the interest earned by other religion-themed films.
What comes next: This will stay at the current level for another week before further expansion the following Friday.
On Chesil Beach (Bleecker Street) – Metacritic: 62; Festivals include: Toronto 2017
$36,563 in 4 theaters; PTA: $9,141
Saorise Ronan came to fame in “Atonement” from a novel by Ian McEwan, who also wrote “On Chesil Beach.” The 1962 romance is the second in two weeks with “Lady Bird” star Ronan (“The Seagull” earlier). It opened in four prime New York/Los Angeles locations to mixed initial results.
What comes next: Additional cities roll out starting this week.
“That Summer”
IFC Films
That Summer (IFC) – Metacritic: 64; Festivals include: Telluride 2017, Berlin 2018
$6,018 in 1 theater; PTA: $6,018
The Beales — mother and daughter — were subjects of the Maysles Brothers’ “Grey Gardens” in the 1970s and an HBO film recreating their story. This documentary adds newly seen footage from an even earlier period. It opened at the IFC Center to middling results, but the subject likely will get this future interest in multiple venues.
What comes next: Los Angeles debuts this Friday.
“2001: A Space Odyssey”
2001: A Space Odyssey (Warner Bros. reissue)
$200,000 in 4 theaters; PTA: $50,000
Backed by Christopher Nolan, this rare 70mm reissue on the 50th anniversary of Kubrick’s classic did very strong business in four cities (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco) as it begins play at limited theaters over the next few weeks. (Few have the technology to show it.) These are stellar numbers, particularly since (aside from Arclight Hollywood) these theaters are not usually among the initial top-platform locations.
What comes next: Starting June 1 and through the summer, more than 20 new dates are planned across the country.
Week Two
The Seagull (Sony Pictures Classics)
$65,949 in 13 theaters (+7); PTA: $5,073; Cumulative: $180,865
This stellar actress-led adaptation of Chekhov’s play added a handful of cities. It is getting at best modest results as it begins to expand.
“Beast”
Beast (Roadside Attractions)
$102,250 in 31 theaters (+27); PTA: $3,298; Cumulative: $181,264
This murder thriller set on the remote Island of Jersey moved into multiple new cities with a modest response. A specialized future ahead.
Revenge (Neon) – also streaming
$11,204 in 15 theaters (-22); PTA: $747; Cumulative: $82,562
Coralie Fargeat’s feminist action story is getting most of its viewing at home, with fewer theaters playing this weekend and minimal business.
“Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat”
Boom for Real: The Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat (Magnolia) 2-38041
$(est.) 20,500 in 9 theaters (+7); PTA: $(est.) 2,778; Cumulative: $(est.) 58,500
The initial expansion for Sara Driver’s documentary about the early days of the iconic 1980s New York street artist had a mixed response in its initial dates.
Always at the Carlyle (Good Deed)
$11,999 in 7 theaters (+6); PTA: $1,714; Cumulative: $27,177
The second weekend for this documentary about the stylish Manhattan hotel in Los Angeles and other new theaters fell short of its respectable initial exclusive Manhattan gross last weekend.
Mountain (Greenwich)
$4,000 in 1 theater (no change); PTA: 4,000; Cumulative: $39,068
The New York-exclusive run for this Australian documentary on extreme mountaineers saw a respectable hold in its second weekend. Los Angeles opens this Friday, with other cities to come.
“RBG”
Ongoing/expanding (grosses over $50,000)
RBG (Magnolia) Week 3
$1,280,000 in 375 theaters (+196); Cumulative: $3,881,000
The third weekend for this breakout documentary about the Supreme Court justice remained in the overall top 10 a second week, with a near doubling of theaters. The per-theater result dropped by about half to about $3,400, not unusual with expansion; that’s still an impressive result.
Disobedience (Bleecker Street) Week 4
$498,612 in 247 theaters (+147); Cumulative: $2,018,000
Chilean director Sebastian Lelio’s follow-up to his Oscar winning “A Fantastic Woman” has gone wider. With Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams as women in love in a conservative London synagogue, this already has posted a higher gross. The quickly expanding film is finding interest, but the grosses suggest it remains more of an arthouse than crossover item.
Isle of Dogs (Fox Searchlight) Week 9
$325,000 in 288 theaters (-758); Cumulative: $30,723,000
Wes Anderson’s second animated film looks to end up fifth best among his nine releases, a little below “Rushmore” in adjusted grosses, and about $6 million ahead of his earlier “The Fantastic Mr. Fox.”
“The Rider”
SPC
The Rider (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 6
$169,640 in 90 theaters (+5); Cumulative: $1,112,000
Per-theater average decreased about a third, with about the same number of still limited theaters. With earlier grosses modest though steady, this drop suggests that word of mouth is uneven at best for Chloe Zhao’s highly acclaimed story of coming of age in the modern west.
Let the Sunshine In (IFC) Week 4; also streaming
$94,602 in 49 theaters (+15); Cumulative: $347,909
Claire Denis’ French middle-aged romantic ensemble film continues to get theatrical play while it also streams for home viewing. This will end up an above-average subtitled release.
The Death of Stalin (IFC) Week 11
$61,432 in 56 theaters (-74); Cumulative: $7,814,000
Months after its March release, this acclaimed comedy has defied the odds against political satire finding an audience. That its creator also found gold with “Veep” helps explain its success.
Also noted:
You Were Never Really Here (Amazon) – $30,272 in 32 theaters; Cumulative: $2,453,000
Finding Your Feet (Roadside Attractions) – $15,075 in 30 theaters; Cumulative: $1,377,000
The Guardians (Music Box) – $10,599 in theaters; Cumulative: $35,550
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Source: IndieWire film
May 20, 2018
Cannes 2018: The 11 Best Movies of This Year’s Festival
The 2018 Cannes Film Festival has ended, but the movies are very much still with us. This year’s festival started with a Netflix controversy and hosted major activism around women in the film industry. But despite the many conversations swirling around the festival environment, Cannes was still a film festival. So how were those movies, anyway?
Early on, this year’s program was assailed for lacking star power and many A-list auteurs, but in retrospect, not of that skepticism really gelled with a selection that ranged from newcomers to veterans, and from stars to fresh faces — and it all cast an exciting spotlight on movies from around the world. Here are the best of the bunch.
“Arctic”
“Arctic”
Cannes
This may be a low bar to clear, but Joe Penna’s directorial feature debut is one of the best movies ever made about a man stranded in the wilderness. Mads Mikkelsen, throwing himself into an Iceland shoot that could probably have made for a compelling survival story unto itself, gives a career-best performance as a downed pilot named Overgård. We join his nearly wordless ordeal at some point after his plane has crashed into a deep white valley in the middle of nowhere. At first, it seems like a familiar setup, but the cast soon doubles in size when Overgård is forced to care for the helicopter pilot who crashes while trying to rescue him. Maybe there are some places where people just aren’t supposed to fly.
“Arctic” is such an involving experience because Penna finds ways to infuse real drama into potentially mundane details; we always know where the characters are and what’s at stake with each step, so that watching Mikkelsen turn a sled into a makeshift shelter achieves the excitement of a major setpiece. It’s broad stuff, and well-trod terrain for a movie that takes place in uncharted territory, but it cuts straight to the difference between endurance and survival. Movies like this are typically only exciting because the hero might die. “Arctic” is so compelling because Overgård might not. —DE
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Burning”
“Burning”
Eight years had passed since Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong brought another movie to Cannes. Lee, a precise filmmaker whose patient character studies are among some of the richest in world cinema today, doesn’t need to rush. Of course it was worth the wait: Combing forces with Haruki Murakami by adapting his short story “Barn Burning,” Lee develops a haunting, beautiful tone poem about working class frustrations, based around the experiences of frustrated wannabe writer Lee (a superb, understated Ah-in Yoo) who thinks he’s found an escape from his loneliness when he encounters Haimi (energetic newcomer Jean Jong Seo), a lively woman from his past with whom he sees romantic possibilities. That situation gets complicated by the arrival of Ben (Steven Yeung), a wealthy and assertive stranger with an American name who represents everything Lee wants in life. The filmmaker develops a fascinating, allegorical mystery around these circumstances as the drama builds to a shocking confrontation that asks as many questions as it answers. “Burning” is at once a social parable for lower class struggles and an intimate portrait of struggling for companionship and assertiveness in an indifferent world. That’s typical Lee Chang-dong territory, and it’s a thrill to have him back. —EK
“Capernaum”
“Climax”
“Climax”
Wild Bunch
Gaspar Noé returned to Cannes by conquering the one area of the festival he had yet to screen, winning the top prize at Directors’ Fortnight for his trippy LSD-gone-wrong dance saga “Climax.” This visually striking achievement, picked up by A24 during the festival, funnels the director’s penchant for acrobatic camerawork into an alternately snazzy and disturbing look at the dissolution of community in a single, claustrophobic setting. The camera twirls around, peering up and down at its doomed characters as they careen into the depths of a drug-induced frenzy, as hypnotic beats dominate the soundtrack. But no matter its nauseating effects, Noé’s remarkable psychedelic ride is his most focused achievement, a concise package of sizzling dance numbers and jolting (often quite violent) twists that play like a slick mashup of the “Step Up” franchise and “Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom,” not to mention the disorienting cinematic trickery of Noé’s own provocative credits. After so many movies designed to divide people, it’s exciting to watch the provocateur entice his audience with catchy rhythms before dragging them to hell. This wild, unpredictable achievement will get people talking, which is nothing new for Noé, but it could also win him some fresh admirers. If so, they’re long overdue, and welcome to the party. It’s wild place. —EK
“Cold War”
“Happy as Lazzaro”
Alice Rohrwacher’s surreal follow-up to her previous Cannes winner “The Wonders” expands on her ongoing study of the way rural life is constantly threatened by urban progress. But this time, she expands on her naturalistic style with a welcome dose of magical realism, following the tale of Lazzaro (extraordinary discovery (Adriano Tardiolo), a peasant who serves an affluent family in the countryside. The life of Lazzaro and his peers seemingly exists out of time, until sudden events sent him traveling into a future state where he doesn’t quite belong. A fascinating, poetic statement on the endless march of time, “Lazzaro” fulfills the promise of Rohrwatcher’s earlier achievements while cementing her status as one of Italy’s greatest working directors. —EK
This article continues on the next page.
Source: IndieWire film
May 20, 2018
Cannes Film Festival 2018: Winners and Losers Inside the Perfect Storm
Cannes must serve many masters. Over 70 years, the festival has expanded to fulfill many sets of expectations: red-carpet black-tie glamour from the biggest movie stars, breaking news and celebrity interviews for the 4,000 global press, a vital film market for international buyers and sellers, and of course the films that will be assessed by the media and world’s most exacting critics.
But this year, festival director Thierry Fremaux found himself in a perfect storm. With a shrinking smart-film market that offers narrow margins of error, a Cannes acceptance can inspire equal measures of pride and terror. Fremaux probably should have changed the timing for critics’ screenings years ago, before so many festival regulars — from Canadian enfant terrible Xavier Dolan to lauded French auteurs Jacques Audiard and Olivier Assayas — opted out of attending in favor of the less-risky, Oscar-friendly fall festival circuit.
Spike Lee at Cannes
“Cannes can be brutal if you don’t get the right reception,” said Spike Lee, who soaked up applause for “BlacKkKlansman.” “That’s hard. It’s good to get the flip side.” Indeed: Lee came out of Cannes with the Grand Prix and strong buzz for an August opener. “I’ll say that as an African-American filmmaker, I was completely taken by the film,” said juror Ava DuVernay at the post-awards jury press conference, “as a person who has imbibed every Spike Lee film and seen everything he’s ever made.”
While the Palais’ flapping seats are long gone, boos and nasty tweets remain. In the end, the festival proved kinder and more accommodating to the media, who responded by happily accepting simultaneous evening viewings of the nightly gala premieres with roomier theaters — even if they had to file every night and missed more parties. “We love you,” Fremaux said to the media at the Cannes press dinner. “We are writing the future together.”
“Shoplifters”
Finally, Cate Blanchett’s jury had plenty of strong auteurs to assess, from Lee’s incendiary “BlacKkKlansman” (Focus Features) and Best Director Pawel Pawlikowski’s bittersweet period romance “Cold War” (Amazon Studios) to two poverty-row melodramas, Hirozaku Kore-eda’s “Shoplifters” — which won the Palme d’Or and a Magnolia deal — and Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum” (Sony Pictures Classics) which scored the Jury Prize. “Honestly, it was like the summer camp of my dreams,” gushed juror Kristen Stewart. “It felt like a consolidated 10-day film school.”
Clearly, Fremaux fought to bring two old Cannes favorites to the Croisette. Brit veteran Terry Gilliam prevailed over his legal woes (as well as a minor stroke) to screen “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” for buyers (after Amazon Studios dropped out) and press, who seemed receptive and grateful that the long-cursed movie finally had its day.
But why did Fremaux go to battle for “The House that Jack Built” as the film to return the once-banned Lars von Trier to the Cannes fold? The grizzled Danish provocateur seemed shaky and querulous on the red carpet and during (limited) interviews on his decidedly Out of Competition title, which alienated as many people as it pleased. He has every right to make his transgressive serial killer movie, but that material is well-trod ground. Matt Dillon’s rampaging attacker who mangles and mutilates a series of female victims struck a grotesque note at a festival that also tried to argue that it was becoming more welcoming to women.
“Under the Silver Lake”
A24
Riley Keough, who played one of the unfortunate women in “The House that Jack Built,” also turned up as a film noir femme fatale in another misogynistic movie, “Under the Silver Lake” (A24), that was tarnished under the Competition spotlight. No wonder she chose not to attend. Cannes Critics’ Week regular David Robert Mitchell’s meandering follow-up to breakout “It Follows” underwhelmed. Boasting multiple A-list indie producers, “Under the Silver Lake” is a classic case of a post-hit filmmaker running with the chance to finance his pet project. There’s plenty to like in the shapeless showbiz navel-gazer (that bears some resemblance to last year’s surreal “mother!”), as Tony-nominated Andrew Garfield, who’s starring on Broadway in “Angels in America,” carries the movie as best he can. But unless Mitchell goes back into the editing room, this movie will be DOA with audiences.
Much of what happened at Cannes stayed in Cannes, but one moment traveled. Organized by the French #TimesUp organization 5050 x 2020 and supported by the Cannes Festival, the memorable image of Cannes 2018 was 82 women standing on the Palais red carpet to protest women’s inequality in the movie business — on their way into the gala for Eva Husson’s well-mounted Kurdish women-at-war movie, “Girls of the Sun,” one of only three films directed by women in the Competition.
“Capernaum”
Fremaux has caught flak for undervaluing female filmmakers, from those shunted into sidebars Directors Fortnight and Un Certain Regard, to ones whose films never got shown at the festival at all. He’s getting blasted as an icon for a generation of white male privilege, even as the festival played along with the many women’s panels and protests about how to advance women in the industry going forward. The festival promises more transparency and parity ahead.
Of the three films directed by women in the Competition, Italian Alice Rohrwacher’s lyrical folk fable “Happy as Lazzaro” landed the best reviews (RT: 90 percent), sharing the screenwriting prize and scoring a Netflix buy. Husson’s much-criticized “Girls of the Sun” (RT: 31 percent), a straightforward but badly-structured war movie about women fighting back, left Cannes empty-handed.
Nadine Labaki’s heartwrenching poverty-row saga “Capernaum” (RT: 63 percent) took home the Jury Prize. Sony Pictures Classics stepped up May 10 to land the likely Lebanese Oscar submission for a reported $1.3 million based on the script. SPC didn’t attend the Paris screening, which didn’t have subtitles, but Gaumont did, and uncharacteristically outbid French buyers; the venerable distributor doesn’t often buy art films, so that drove up the price.
Were there other strong women contenders that could have been included? As Blanchett stated from the day-one jury conference, adding more women programmers is key. Debra Granik’s superb father-daughter Oregon survival drama “Leave No Trace” (Bleecker Street) played well in Director’s Fortnight, where many Sundance titles wind up.
Cannes 2018 brought a sense of gears shifting in more ways than one, as an older generation of leaders yields to new ways of doing things. At the “Solo” afterparty, Academy governor and Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy, who is spearheading several #TimesUp initiatives, stated flatly, “It’s the end of an era.”
Zinzi Evans and Ryan Coogler at Cannes photo-call
James Gourley/REX/Shutterstock
Adding Ryan Coogler and Christopher Nolan to the mix with in-depth conversations, a beach screening for “Black Panther” and a Nolan intro to a 70 mm presentation of “2001: A Space Odyssey” (with scratchy analog sound) was a popular move. Both events were packed. Coogler was happy to thank the festival for embracing “Fruitvale,” which provided his first trip outside the United States, while Nolan has never been able to show his films at Cannes; Warner Bros. sees no need to gain festival cred to boost ticket sales. This was a clever way to get the receptive Brit to the Croisette.
Kevin Macdonald’s documentary “Whitney” (July 6) played like gangbusters at the midnight screening at the Palais, attended by the late singer’s brother Pat Houston. Although the films are very different, Roadside Attractions made the call to screen it at Cannes and follow the “Amy” playbook, recognizing that the film’s shocking reveal of Houston’s sexual abuse by Dee Dee Warwick would break at Cannes.
On the other hand, bringing in Gary Oldman after winning the Oscar for “Darkest Hour” felt like a desperate old-news move, but not nearly as much as carting in John Travolta to celebrate the 40th anniversary of “Grease” with a screening as well as new B-movie “Gotti,” which scored execrable reviews. At Cannes’ official dinner for press, Fremaux demurred, suggesting he had nothing to do with booking that “unofficial” movie.
Alden Ehrenreich at Cannes
Cannes also felt the need to showcase Disney/Lucasfilm’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story” in order to give the international press hordes and the celebrity-starved paparazzi something to do. (Ron Howard has accompanied three out-of-competition movies to Cannes: “Far and Away,” “The Da Vinci Code,” and “EDtv.”) The Carlton Beach afterparty boasted Donald Glover chatting up Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Alden Ehrenreich — who reminded me he debuted at Cannes in Francis Coppola’s “Tetro” almost a decade ago — his movie love-interest Emilia Clarke, Lucasfilm’s Kennedy and her eminence grise, Lawrence Kasdan. (“I’ve relied on him for years,” she said.)
Disney motion picture chairman Alan Horn hung with Kennedy’s fellow Academy Governor Nancy Utley, who admitted there wasn’t much for Fox Searchlight to acquire in this year’s market. Before long she will likely be working for Horn. Cannes needed those magnificent exploding fireworks over the Mediterranean.
Fremaux isn’t responsible for the global film market, which is shrinking swiftly while streamers like Netflix grow, but is pushed up by China and Korea. France is in a bubble with protections that feed producers, exhibitors and television channels. The action in screening rooms for buyers and in meetings at the Grand Hotel was visibly diminished, along with fewer posters on display at the Carlton and along the Croisette.
“Cold War”
Last year’s outspoken juror, producer-actress Jessica Chastain, kicked up some attention with her “355,” bringing her starry cast — Fan Bingbing, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz and Lupita Nyong’o — to the Croisette for a photo call heard round the world. Her film sold to Universal for $20 million.
Focus had a strong festival, bringing Oscar-winner Oldman as well as launching “BlacKkKlansman” and Wim Wenders’ out-of-competition documentary “Pope Francis: A Man of His Word” before its May 18 opening in North America. Amazon Studios got a boost for Best Director Pawlikowski’s “Cold War,” a sure Polish Oscar nominee.
Netflix reportedly went after Asghar Farhadi’s “Everybody Knows,” starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, which went to Focus; Mads Mikkelsen vehicle “Arctic,” which Bleecker scooped up; and Colombian drug-trade drama “Birds of Passage,” which went to The Orchard. Netflix pays well, but usually demands worldwide rights which are often unavailable. And producers sometimes fear leaving money on the table by taking only one check from Netflix and abandoning the buzz and branding of a theatrical release.
Netflix contented itself by paying $30 million for the animated feature “Next Gen,” starring Charlyne Yi and Jason Sudeikis. And as the awards were announced, Netflix sent out a press release that it acquired the award-winning “Happy as Lazzaro” and transgender drama “Girl.”
Even after refusing to bring its out-of-competition films to the festival, Netflix had a strong presence with the much-discussed absence of Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” and two Orson Welles films. Even Serge Toubiana, the new president of Unifrance, admitted that while he loved seeing a Jean-Luc Godard film in Competition (“The Image Book” won a rare special prize), the movie would be best served with a Netflix, not a theatrical release. (Wild Bunch’s Vincent Maraval agrees.) Mubi picked it up. And word is that “The Image Book” will play in France on television via Arte, and not in theaters. What about France’s rules against playing films in Competition that don’t show in theaters?
Even now, the French are working to overhaul their archaic distribution system. Toubiana says that by next year, laws dictating a 36-month theatrical exclusive window will be changed as exhibitors, distributors, and producers negotiate new terms. “The majority of people want change,” Toubiana told me. “They want to make the windows shorter — four months, six months maybe? It’s a fight. Most films are staying in theaters three weeks, maybe four.” Still, that won’t change Cannes’ stance against Netflix, which still sits at the end of a long set of French windows.
Ultimately, where critics and festival programmers were well fed, the media needing to deliver robust features complained about not having enough meaty stories. Cannes cannot live on the Competition alone, and many were left wondering if we’re heading for a smaller, less-glossy Cannes. Critics love this bastion of art film, but someone has to pay them to come here. It’s a vicious circle.
“Cinema has lost a part of itself,” said Toubiana. “We have to acclimate to this new period of cinema.”
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Source: IndieWire film
May 20, 2018
3 Ways to Diffuse Light Without Breaking the Bank
Learn how to diffuse light cheaply and effectively.
Knowing how to diffuse light is an important skill to master when shooting a film because it allows you to soften hard shadows to give your subjects a nice, even spread of light. However, many new filmmakers 1.) don’t know how, 2.) think they know how, but didn’t learn correct information, and 3.) think that diffusers are well outside of their price range. To help with all three of those issues, Todd Blankenship of Shutterstock Tutorials shares a few tips on working with diffusers, including how to set them up and what kinds of material are both effective and inexpensive. Check it the video below to learn more:
If you’re worried about having to spend your rent money on diffusion, don’t be. As you can see from the video, as well as tons of other videos, cheap stuff like shower curtains, T-shirts, sheets, garbage bags, and wax paper do a pretty good job of diffusing light. Hell, at $15 a pop, even professional 24″ 5-in-1 reflectors are too cheap to pass up.
Source: NoFilmSchool
May 19, 2018
Learn How to Use Magnets, Gear Ties, and Suction Cups to Create This DIY Car Mount
Today’s magic word is “triangulation.”
Car mounts for your camera rig aren’t always expensive—you can usually buy a single suction cup system for, like, 20 bucks. The problem with them, though, is that, while they take care of the issue of actually mounting a camera to your car, they don’t take care of the issue of making your footage as stable as possible. This is where triangulation comes in. More expensive car mounts use additional rods to add support to your camera rig on multiple sides so it doesn’t sway, a formation that looks like, you guessed it, a triangle.
In this tutorial, Michael Lohrum, the DIY Camera Guy shows you how to not only build your own DIY GoPro car mount but also how to triangulate it with support rods and magnets— which are all kinds of fun. Check out the video below:
The video, nor the video’s description, offers a list of materials, so, while I’ve done my best to name all of the supplies Lohrum used in the tutorial, I might’ve missed a few:
Source: NoFilmSchool
May 19, 2018
Cate Blanchett Calls Spike Lee’s Cannes-Winning ‘BlacKkKlansman’ a Film ‘That Is Quintessentially About an American Crisis’
After awarding “BlacKkKlansman” the Cannes Film Festival’s coveted Grand Prix just now, the festival’s jury led by Cate Blanchett revealed why Spike Lee’s film about an “American crisis” spoke to such a diverse group in so meaningful a way.
“Obviously, this is an international film festival,” said Blanchett at a press conference following the ceremony. “We talked a lot about when a film transcends the limitations of its culture. Spike has made a film that is quintessentially about an American crisis and yet all of us felt connected to it. That, we felt, really elevated its importance even more.”
Fellow jury member Ava DuVernay offered her thoughts as well. “As an African American filmmaker, I was completely taken by the film,” she said. “I’ve imbibed every film he’s ever made. It was startling and stunning. But when I walked into the jury room, I decided to listen to my jury members. It was a robust dialogue…emotion and energy from these artists from all over the world.” DuVernay noted the different gender and sexual identities of the group, but added that “we were united by the love of cinema … There were questions specifically about the African-American experience and this moment we’re in, in America.”
For fellow juror Léa Seydoux, “it was fundamental to us that we award that film. The world is changing and we believe that the film stunningly portrays these changes, and we felt it was absolutely necessary to give it a prize. It’s a great film that conveys a message.”
Blanchett also addressed Jean-Luc Godard, whose “The Image Book” won an unprecedented Special Palme d’Or. “We saw the film and we could not stop talking about it,” she said. “We had a very short amount of time. We tried to meet once a day. It lingered with us, confused, provoked, angered and excited us.
“It actually began to influence our perspective on the festival. We felt that as an artist who is continuing to experiment and be alive to the art of cinema we felt that this film was profoundly important. It’s not an honorary Palme d’Or. Of course it’s in the context of his body of work as an artist.”
Source: IndieWire film
May 19, 2018
Netflix Acquires Cannes Winners ‘Happy as Lazzaro’ and ‘Girl’ After Falling Out With Festival
After pulling its films from the festival and giving the impression that it might leave the Croisette with little to show for it, Netflix has gone ahead and acquired two Cannes prizewinners: “Happy as Lazzaro” and “Girl.” Alice Rohrwacher’s follow-up to her Grand Jury Prize–winning “The Wonders” shared the Best Screenplay award with Jafar Panahi’s “3 Faces,” and Lukas Dhont’s film won both the Camera d’Or for best first film and Best Actor laurels in the Un Certain Regard section for Victor Polster.
The streaming service now owns the rights to both films in North America and Latin America. It’s been in a sort of dispute with Cannes over the festival’s decision to disqualify films that don’t receive theatrical releases from its vaunted Competition; last year Netflix had two movies in Competition: Noah Baumbach’s “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)” and Bong Joon-ho’s “Okja.” Notably, as a competition film at this year’s festival, “Happy as Lazzaro” would not have been able to play at Cannes if Netflix had acquired it prior to Cannes.
No release dates have been set for “Happy as Lazzaro” or “Girl.” Other big winners at the festival include Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Shoplifters,” which won the Palme d’Or; Spike Lee’s Grand Prix–winning “BlacKkKlansman”; and Pawel Pawlikowski, who won Best Director for “Cold War.”
Source: IndieWire film