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Learn the Finer Points of Comedy and Criticism with Comedian Mike Birbiglia and Ira Glass

09.3.12 @ 11:56PM Tags : davidpoland, dp30, filmcourage, filmmaking, interview, iraglass, mikebirbiglia

A few weeks ago Joss Whedon released a great video sarcastically addressing a growing concern involving independent films taking away precious screens from bigger Hollywood movies (like Whedon’s Avengers). Sleepwalk With Me, written and directed by comedian Mike Birbiglia and co-written and produced by This American Life’s Ira Glass, was singled out by Whedon as a particularly egregious offender. If your sarcastic nerve is broken you might not have found the humor in it, but Birbiglia and Glass have since responded. Now we have the pair sitting down with Film Courage and DP/30′s David Poland talking about their careers and the making of Sleepwalk With Me. More »

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An Interview With the Creators of the World-Spanning and Visually Stunning 70mm Film 'Samsara'

08.30.12 @ 12:45PM Tags : 4k, 4kprojection, davidpoland, documentary, dp30, filmmaking, interview, markmadgidon, ronfricke

This past weekend I went to go see the opening of Samsara in glorious 4K at Seattle’s Cinerama. The word “breathtaking” is often bandied about in movie reviews to the point where it’s become cliché, but believe me when I say that this movie is truly breathtaking. Shot on 70mm film in 25 countries over 5 years with no dialogue or narration, the film is essentially a visually rich cross-section of life around the globe. David Poland of DP/30 recently interviewed the makers of Samsara — director Ron Fricke and producer Mark Magidson (the same filmmakers behind Baraka and Chronos) — to talk about the shooting and editing of the film and their thoughts on film and digital technologies. More »