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News & Updates
July 8, 2018
Terry Gilliam Says ‘The Man Who Killed Don Quixote’ Was ‘Made Because of Adam Driver’
There may be no film in existence that endured a more torturous production than “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” which Terry Gilliam attempted (and failed) to make several times over the course of two decades before finally bringing his passion project to Cannes this year. Its behind-the-scenes story isn’t over — Gilliam recently came out on the losing end of a legal battle with his former producer — but the long-delayed movie has, at the very least, seen the light of day.
To hear Gilliam tell it, that’s largely thanks to its star: Adam Driver.
“This film was made because of Adam Driver,” Gilliam declares in an interview with RogerEbert.com. “I had never seen him do anything, aside from Star Wars, where he’s doing this [opens mouth in screaming pose] a lot, and I was like, ‘Okay, fine. I don’t care.’”
“But my daughter, who is one of the producers, said, ‘You gotta meet him,’ and I did initially because he was ‘hot’ [at the time]. You meet the people who are ‘hot’, because that’s how you’ll get the money you need,” Gilliam continues.
“The minute I met him, I thought that there was a quality about this guy that was unlike any other actor I had met. There was a stillness and a genuineness, there was nothing actor-y about him, and he proved to be so much better than I ever imagined.”
Gilliam also refers to his leading man as “such a strange actor, because if you just stand him there, he’s kind of goofy looking — he’s tall and gangly, with a big nose and ears that stick out. He doesn’t look like a movie star, but by the end of this film, he looks like one of the most romantic leading men I’ve seen in a while. He just transforms himself, and it’s not coming from anything external, it’s all coming from inside. It’s fantastic to watch.”
Driver is far from the first actor to take on the role: Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor, and Jack O’Connell have all been attached at one point or another. “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” was even the subject of a documentary, “Lost in La Mancha,” that charted Gilliam’s failed attempts to complete the film.
Source: IndieWire film
July 8, 2018
Tom Holland Pays Tribute to ‘Spider-Man’ Creator Steve Ditko: ‘He Made So Many People Happy’
Following the death of Steve Ditko on Friday, tributes have been pouring in to the 90-year-old comic artist. Ditko co-created both “Spider-Man” and “Doctor Strange” with Stan Lee, making him one of Marvel’s most influential figures — even though he left the company in the late 1960s after an apparent falling out with Lee. Now Tom Holland, who currently plays the web-slinger onscreen, has paid his respects to Ditko.
“We all want to leave our mark on the world – this guy crushed it. He made so many people so happy and changed lives – most of all, mine! Thank you Steve – your life lives on man, thank you,” Holland tweeted. He first appeared as Spider-Man in “Captain America: Civil War” before reprising the role in both “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Avengers: Infinity War”; another Spidey sequel, “Far From Home,” is set to be released next year.
Holland’s tenure was immediately preceded by that of Andrew Garfield, who played the friendly neighborhood crimefighter in “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Reception to the films was muted, though Garfield’s performance was praised. Prior to that, Tobey Maguire brought the superhero to the silver screen with three films directed by Sam Raimi.
We all want to leave our mark on the world – this guy crushed it.
He made so many people so happy and changed lives – most of all, mine!
Thank you Steve – your life lives on man, thank you #SteveDitko— Tom Holland (@TomHolland1996) July 8, 2018
Source: IndieWire film
July 8, 2018
4 Camera Techniques All Beginner Filmmakers Should Know
If you’re new to filmmaking, here are some basic camera techniques that you’ll want to work on.
In the early days of cinema, around the late 1880s, the camera was a stationary storyteller. The technology at the time relegated it to capturing scenes played out right in front of it (usually in a wide shot) because the tripod allowed for zero movement. However, in 1903, director Edwin S. Porter and cinematographer Blair Smith were one of the first filmmakers to incorporate a pan into a film (The Great Train Robbery), and since then, cinematic technology has continued to reach new heights, giving directors and DPs more and more ways of harnessing the power of the moving camera.
So, what’s the deal with this history lesson? Well, it’s simple. Today, we have gimbals and ball heads and friggin’ miniature RC quadcopters that can shoot aerials of an entire city, so we often take simple camera movements for granted, like the pan, tilt, dolly, and boom. In this video, Fandor’s Jacob T. Swinney goes over these four different camera moves in hopes of explaining their significant contribution to storytelling.
Source: NoFilmSchool
July 7, 2018
Danny McBride’s 1999 Student Film ‘Eddie Noble and the Heroes’ Offers a Preview of His Comic Genius — Watch
Before he was starring in movies like “Pineapple Express,” creating the series “Eastbound & Down” and “Vince Principals,” or writing a “Halloween” sequel, Danny McBride was a mere film student at the North Carolina School of the Arts. As his thesis, the funny man wrote and directed a short film called “Eddie Noble and the Heroes” — a 20-minute preview of his talents that, thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can watch below.
Far from what you’d expect of McBride, the film is like a childhood fantasia that begins onstage as a crowd of kiddos watches a troupe of theatrical superheroes. 10 years later, we see the effect this performance has had: Eddie and his friends are now would-be vigilantes attempting to keep their neighborhood save from evildoers. Very ’90s in both form and content, it brings to mind films like “Small Soldiers” and even “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
McBride has always been more than just an actor, though he’s better known for appearing in “Tropic Thunder” and “This Is the End” than he is for co-creating his two HBO shows. After “Halloween,” which he’s co-writing with frequent collaborator David Gordon Green (who’s also directing), McBride will next be seen onscreen in “The Angry Birds Movie 2.”
Source: IndieWire film
July 7, 2018
How to Recreate the Eye Zoom Transition from XXXTentacion’s ‘Sad’ Video
This spinning eye zoom transition might take quite a bit of work to create, but it’s so worth it.
One of the greatest things about music videos is that they often give filmmakers a chance to experiment with the medium and explore their own creativity. Just take a look at director JMP’s work on XXXTentacion’s posthumously released music video for his hit single “Sad.” It’s full of symbolism and controversial imagery (namely the fact that he’s seen attending his own funeral…eerily coincidental) but it also has some pretty interesting technical tricks, like the eye zoom transition that occurs near the end of its runtime.
Whether you’re a fan of XXXTentacion’s music or just a lover of a great transition, this tutorial from Jordy Vandeput of Cinecom walks you through the steps of creating the very stylish in-camera transition used in the late rapper’s music video.
But before we get to the tutorial, check out the music video to see the eye zoom transition in action. It occurs at around the 4:49 mark.
Source: NoFilmSchool
July 7, 2018
Oculus Go vs. Lenovo Mirage Solo
Pitting the Oculus Go vs. Lenovo Mirage Solo with Daydream is our latest quest to find the best mid-tier, standalone virtual reality headset. They’re both lookers with lots of great content, but how do they compare?
The post Oculus Go vs. Lenovo Mirage Solo appeared first on Digital Trends.
Source: Digital Trends VR
July 7, 2018
Got 2 Minutes to Learn 6 Easy In-Camera Transitions?
In-camera transitions can give your project plenty of style without costing you a dime.
A good transition can add a lot of flair and production value to your project. Of course, you can try your hand at designing one in post, an endeavor made easier if you have at least some experience working with Premiere Pro, After Effects, or some other NLE. However, in-camera transitions are often faster, easier, and more fun to pull off—and you’ll spend considerably less time editing in a dark room (which is always good). In this quick video, the team over at Mango Street shows you how to do six different in-camera transitions that are sure to make your next project sexy as hell.
Though it’s not entirely essential, building up your arsenal of in-camera transitions is a smart move to make as a filmmaker. There are so many clever and unique ways to use the space around you, as well as the objects, people, and even light within them, to create some pretty cool ones, but just to give you a place to start, here are the six in-camera transitions mentioned in the video:
Source: NoFilmSchool
July 6, 2018
How to Maintain Focus on a Moving Subject When You’re Shooting Solo
If hiring a focus puller is out of the question, here are some techniques you can use to keep focus on a moving subject all by yourself.<p>What is one …
Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed
July 6, 2018
Watch: Stanley Kubrick Interprets the Ending of His ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’
Confused by the ending of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’? Let Stanley Kubrick explain it to you.
The pinnacle of science fiction cinema and the ultimate experience enhanced by an ample supply of hallucinogens, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Hailed by Andrew Sarris of The Village Voice as a “major film by a major artist,” the film won the Academy Award for Best Special Effects at the following year’s Oscar ceremony. It is almost universally considered a masterpiece.
After having a recent theatrical run overseen by mega-fan Christopher Nolan—in which an “unrestored” 70mm print attempts to take us back to what it would’ve felt like to watch the film in 1968—now feels as good a time as any to revisit 2001. If you’re intimidated by that proposal, finding yourself more befuddled than enthralled by film’s end, perhaps you would request the director himself’s interpretation of the film, particularly its psychoactive, time-jumping ending. Thanks to a recently discovered interview with Kubrick, that’s now very much a reality.
Source: NoFilmSchool
July 6, 2018
‘Sharp Objects’: DP Yves Bélanger on Letting Available Light and the Subject Shape Your Cinematography
For DP Yves Bélanger of the HBO miniseries ‘Sharp Objects’, following the moment is central, even in a narrative.
Sharp Objects, the new HBO miniseries adapted from Gillian Flynn’s novel and directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, could best be seen, at first, as a collection of highly nuanced parts. Some of these parts represent characters with complex backstories and even more complex exteriors. Some of these parts are mini-narratives that draw interest and then intensify. As the series develops, all of these parts draw closer and closer to each other until they join, forming a mural that is both otherworldly and distinctly familiar.
“We don’t add any extra light. So, the subject, the location, creates a different visual effect, because we respect it.”
Source: NoFilmSchool