» Posts Tagged ‘documentary’
We may still be a mighty ways off from the ubiquitously connected, always recording (and slightly disturbing) world depicted in Eran May-raz and Daniel Lazo’s cautionary short Sight, but if Google hold good to their planned release schedule, then we may only have to wait until 2014 to be able to shoot true POV with our own set of Google Glass. For now we can vicariously experience the hustle and bustle of New York Fashion Week’s DVF Spring 2013 show as captured by designer Diane von Furstenberg and her team using a prototype set: More »
Tribeca Film Institute Filmmaker Programs Now Open for Submissions, Deadline Nov. 5
Submissions for several of the Tribeca Film Institute Filmmaker Programs opened yesterday. If you’ve been following the site, our own Ryan Koo was awarded an All Access grant from Tribeca for his upcoming film Manchild. TFI programs now accepting submissions until Nov. 5 include: TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund, TFI Documentary Fund, TFI Latin America Media Arts Fund, and Tribeca All Access. Got questions about the submissions process? Tune in today at 4 pm ET/1 pm PT for a live webinar on USTREAM UPDATE: the webinar is archived and available below. More »
It’s typical to see Q&As or ‘In Conversation’ style pieces with major directors in which they discuss their influences or share insights into their filmmaking processes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as hungry as anyone for these glimpses into their creative black boxes, but I’m not sure just how applicable their production methods are to the work of the vast majority of filmmakers. There’s a reason books such as Robert Rodriguez’s Rebel Without a Crew (which featured in our Film School on a Bookshelf) is a much loved tome amongst new directors, and that’s because it applies to those fledgling days of filmmaking, where resources are cobbled together and directorial voices are still being discovered. All this is why I believe that interviews such as Fidgit Box’s recent piece with The Mill Commercials Director William McGregor should be considered mandatory viewing for all filmmakers still in the salad days of their careers. More »
An Interview With the Creators of the World-Spanning and Visually Stunning 70mm Film 'Samsara'
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 »
Keanu Reeves and Tribeca Doc 'Side by Side' Asks: Digital vs. Film, Which Side Are You On?
Digital vs film. It’s the debate of our generation of filmmakers, and one we’ve all heard before. Some rave about the advances in digital technology and the convenience factor. Some lament the non-organic look of digital, or the fact that the on-set workflow has changed from artistry to assembly. There are merits to both of these arguments, and in the new documentary Side by Side from Producer (yes, Producer) Keanu Reeves, these arguments are explored and commented on. Click through for a great trailer featuring some of your favorite filmmakers (Scorsese, Lynch, Rodriguez, Nolan) weighing in on the debate. More »
Widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time and the man responsible for Werner Herzog eating his own shoe, for years Error Morris has provided audiences with a face on look into lives and situations we’d otherwise remain ignorant of. Whether it’s the miscarriage of justice in The Thin Blue Line, Robert S. McNamara’s frank observations on modern warfare in The Fog of War or the bizarre he said, she said played out in the press of Tabloid, Morris’ work is steeped in the multifaceted diversity of human life. In his recent short documentary Team Spirit for ESPN’s It’s Not Crazy, It’s Sport series, Morris reveals the ways in which super sports fans and their families take team loyalty beyond the grave. More »
It’s pretty typical to see a hard division between the sciences and the arts, with filmmaking sitting firmly in the second category. This despite all the science that goes into making all those shiny cameras, computers and software that keeps us all being creative, but what if there was an organic way to close the divide?
Mike Paterson, the filmmaker behind the Large Hadron Collider series of documentaries Colliding Particles, recently launched 94 Elements, a documentary project with chemistry woven into its very fabric. Using the periodic table of elements as a base, 94 Elements explores the very pertinent questions of consumption, sustainability and environment through the lens of the elements by commissioning directors to capture stories from around the world which document how we use the things we do, where they come from and how much we have left: More »
Although predominantly known as a photographer, Ireland’s Ross McDonnell established a solid reputation in the world of documentary filmmaking following his debut feature (co-directed with Carter Gunn) about the world of US beekeepers old and new, Colony. While his new piece Remember Me, My Ghost may be shorter in form, it’s no less effective as a piece of revelatory cinema: More »
Focus Forward Filmmaker Challenge Offering Largest Short Documentary Prize Ever: $100K to the Winner
Alright NoFilmSchoolers, it’s time to fire up your brains, set up your lights, check your mic levels, and turn on your cameras! GE and Cinelan are joining forces to bring you Focus Forward, a contest that challenges you to make a short non-fiction film on the theme of invention and innovation. There’s some serious money up for grabs, with $200k in cash prizes in all. Morgan Spurlock has more info: More »
Home may not always be where the heart is, but it is the place where we — and the strangers who came before us — live out our lives, building some of our most abiding memories in the process. Los Angeles based director Laura Yilmaz mixes a whole host of animation techniques (stop motion, hand drawn, pixelation, rotoscoping) with family interviews in Places Other People Have Lived to deconstruct the relationships which play out in the various rooms of the house her family called home for over 25 years. More »
Ever wished you could just chat with one of your filmmaking heroes, hear their thoughts on various films, and get a list of recommended viewing? Well this comes pretty close to doing that for me. A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies is a 4 hour documentary film produced by the BFI (British Film Institute) back in 1995. In it Scorsese takes you through almost 70 years worth of American films, mentioning notable picks, not only for their aesthetic merit but by how they reflect cultural tensions of their day as well as changes in the art of film. If you’re ready to watch some great stuff, discover new filmmakers, and learn something beside one of the masters of our artform, check this out: More »
We live in interesting times when it comes to content creation and distribution. Whether it’s movies being simultaneously released for a fee and free, or using web apps for content delivery, creators are experimenting with ways in which they can maximize both exposure for their films as well as returns for their investors. Amanda Lin Costa gives an overview of some of the main new types of digital distribution, from iTunes to VOD, and the experience filmmakers have had with them — both the good and the bad. Great food for thought for anyone considering their project’s digital distribution options: More »
It’s an exciting time for filmmakers and storytellers who are exploring ways to enhance their stories via the web. One of the new genres to emerge is the “web” or “connected” documentary. In essence, these are documentary projects that try to engage viewers via interactive tools — from customizing the experience depending on when and where it is accessed, to providing a “choose your own adventure” structure. This isn’t your typical documentary, and if you’re not wary as you undertake one of these projects it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Ben Moskowitz provides important tips to keep in mind as you explore interactive tools; and if you haven’t experienced a connected documentary, we’ve got a couple for you to check out: More »
In conjunction with General Electric and Cinelan, Vimeo has launched a new short documentary series entitled Focus Forward, and they’re opening the series up for submissions. There’s a $100k Grand Prize at stake — along with a premiere at next year’s Sundance — as well as an additional $100k in prizes. The details: More »
'PressPausePlay' is a Free and Timely Feature Film on Art and Technology
PressPausePlay is a feature-length documentary on “hope, fear, and digital culture” that has been making the festival rounds for a while and is now available gratis on the internet. It’s highly recommended viewing at any price — you can buy it for $14.99 on iTunes or rent it for $3.99 on Amazon
Disney has released a 25-minute documentary following Pixar chief/director John Lasseter over the course of a day of work. I know, I know, this isn’t DIY/indie film at all, but come on… everyone loves Pixar. Except maybe the Cars movies, for which this is being released as a promo — the Cars films are, for me at least, a tad crass with their commercialism. And while the first part of the doc is mostly focused on Lasseter’s personal life, it does get into the group movie making/creative process at Pixar — which includes reviewing shots on an iPad on the way to work in what looks to be a custom Pixar app (note: driver required). I found it to be an interesting look behind-the-scenes, but if you only interested DIY filmmaking, feel free to skip this free 25-minute documentary: More »
In addition to the baby brother to the F3, the NEX-FS100, Sony has also officially announced the HXR-NX70, a rain- and dust-proof camera with 1080p/60p capabilities, a built-in GPS, and 96 gigabytes of built-in flash memory. In conjunction with the weatherproofing and long recording times (up to 40 hours to internal memory), a 26mm-equivalent wide-angle 10X zoom lens should make this camera great for shooting documentaries. Here’s an overview of the $3,200 (list) camcorder: More »
The Economist has teamed with PBS NewsHour to create The Economist Film Project, an open call for feature-length documentaries (40-90 minutes) and shorts (6-40 minutes) shot in the past five years. They’re planning on featuring three docs every month (focusing on, but not limited to, stories pertaining to current events), offering exposure and distribution in lieu of prize money or other rewards. Here’s their call for entries: More »
For every filmmaker I know who is a social media maven, there are at least two who are skeptical about Twittering and Facebooking their projects into existence (or at least, into popularity). I think it’s a common misperception that using Twitter and Facebook somehow comes at the expense of the actual filmmaking part of… well, filmmaking. I myself was a late adopter of Twitter (follow me here), and I understand the line of thought that goes into being a social media luddite. But the fact is, to reach an audience a hundred years ago, you would literally have to get out a soapbox and stand on it to shout at people passing by on the street. Now there are instantaneous, free tools of mass communication and some are worried that these tools are more trouble than they’re worth? In this light, Mashable has a nice story that rounds up many options for how social media has changed the game for (documentary) filmmaking, and it goes beyond just Twitter and Facebook: More »
Prison Valley is an interesting French documentary/interactive experience that examines Canon City, Colorado — home to 13 prisons, one of which is the first Supermax prison (widely considered to be the new “Alcatraz”). The web doc consists of brief filmed segments interspersed with interactive sequences, and offers a glimpse at where documentary film may be headed in the online space. Unfortunately it seems that I can’t embed a sequence, so here’s the blurb: More »
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