Collected Data
"I’m not saying I’m like, ALLOWED to do this, I’m just saying this is what I do when I try to learn about staging,"
this filmmaker forgot more about staging by the time he made his first feature than I know to this day (for example, no matter how fast the cuts come, you always know exactly where you are—that's high level visual math shit).
Raiders
Raiders is a great film.
Watch: "Kill the Moon" Next Time Trailer - Doctor Who: Series 8 Episode 7
"Mere anecdotal evidence."
Netflix and Google told the hearings that Canadian content was thriving online. However, they did not provide the information the regulator was seeking to back up that claim.The regulator said the companies' refusal to provide any supporting evidence means it cannot evaluate the strength of their arguments.
CRTC to Netflix: Since you won't co-operate, we'll ignore you
Listen: "On Narrative with David Bordwell" Podcast
"We need to change the question from: “What’s the best?” to “What do I need to meet my needs?”
We need to change the discussion from “I want it to do everything,” to “I need a system that handles my current editing with room to grow in the future.” This means that we need to take a hard look at the kind of editing we are doing and what we plan to do for the future.
Configure Your System
Larry Jordan’s blog is essential reading. This is a great post about setting up an edit system.
I’ve been asked this sort of thing in the past about editing system, cameras, lighting, etc. My answer is always the same; use the best tools you can afford, BUT do NOT rely on those tools for success. Rely on your creativity and your story.
“The thing about advertising is that the end user isn’t part of that contract; the contract is between the publisher and the advertiser."
however publishers do it, there’s a ticking time bomb beneath it all. At some point, all the 15-year-olds blocking adverts now are going to grow up, Blanchfield points out. “Where’s that going to leave us in five years time?”
Blocking web ads is 'as bad as Napster', says data firm
Watch: "Human Highway" Trailer
Human Highway (Director's Cut) Trailer from Shakey Pictures on Vimeo.
The original version of this film is horrible, except for this...
(via exclaim!)The flick features a (...) collaborative version of "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" with Devo (and Booji Boy).
Which is brilliant. I’ve been dreaming of soundtrack release for years.
"1000 songs in your pocket."
One of the music industry's most iconic pieces of technology has gone the way of the Walkman, since Apple has quietly discontinued its iPod Classic players.
R.I.P. iPod Classic
My first iPod was a 15GB 3rd Generation. I’ve owned 5 iPods and it’s the only one I wish I still had.
“This word, ‘documentarian’? I am here today to declare that word dead. That word is never to be used again."
The director spent the latter half of his keynote outlining a 13-point manifesto for filmmakers:
1) Don’t make a doc, make a movie. “The art is more important than the politics,” said Moore. “Because if I make a [crappy] movie, my politics won’t get through to anybody. The art has to come first.”
2) Don’t tell me anything I already know. “Give people something new they haven’t seen before,” said Moore. “With Roger & Me I said there shouldn’t be one shot of an unemployment line. People are numb to those images.”
3) Don’t let your documentary resemble a college lecture. “We have to invent a different kind of model than the college lecture model,” said Moore.
4) Too many of your documentaries feel like medicine. “Don’t show a doc that’s going to kill [an audience's] evening,” said Moore.
5) The Left is boring. “It’s why we have a hard time convincing people to think about some of the things we’re concerned about,” said Moore. “The Left has lost its sense of humor and we need to be less worried.”
6) Why don’t we name names? “Why don’t we go after the corporations and name them by name?” asked Moore. “You will be sued. People will be mad at you. But so what?”
7) Make your films personal. “People want to hear your voice,” said Moore. “It’s what most docs stay away from, and most don’t like narration. But who’s saying this film?”
8) Point your camera at the cameras. Moore advised doc makers to challenge the mainstream media and film its coverage of various events.
9) Follow the examples of non-fiction books and television. “People love to watch [Jon] Stewart and [Stephen] Colbert,” he said. “Why don’t you try to make films that come from the same spirit? People just want the truth and they want to be entertained.”
10) Film only the people who disagree with you. The director said that while filming Roger & Me he tried to stay away from interviewing union workers to tell the story, since they were basically friends. Interviews with those who held contradictory opinions are harder to secure, but more interesting to audiences, said Moore.
11) Make sure you’re getting emotional when filming. “Are you getting mad when filming a scene? Are you crying?” asked Moore. “That’s evidence that the audience will respond that way, too… [You] are a stand-in for the audience.”
12) Less is more. “Edit, and make it shorter,” Moore advised, saying it’s okay to let audiences fill in the gaps. “People love that you trust they have a brain.”
13) Sound is more important than picture. “Sound carries the story,” said Moore. “Don’t cheat on the sound, and don’t be cheap with the sound.”
TIFF ’14: Michael Moore presents 13-point doc manifesto
I love a good Manifesto.
"This is the first year in our history that we're not actually showing a film,"
Franey explained that this will be the first year that none of the selections will be presented on celluloid—all the films are digital."That doesn't really matter though," he said, "because what we're here for is great storytelling on the big screen and most people in the audience do not know or care whether it's shot digitally or on celluloid."
Vancouver International Film Festival reveals changes for 2014
“Most people in the audience do not know or care”??? Has this guy ever been to the festival? In an attempt to gain new audience they are turning their back the audience that built the festival.
Watch: "Inner Rush" by Christopher Romeike
"Life is sweet. But that’s about to change. "
Specialty channels in Canada are facing a shakeup in their industry that will likely result in the death of at least a few of them and reduced profit margins for many others. Two issues are at play as the CRTC moves to reset television regulation in Canada: pick and pay and genre protection.
Specialty TV channels risk failing with CRTC changes
"In 2013, the time spent watching traditional television each week decreased slightly across all age groups."
Television • Average weekly viewing of traditional television remained consistent, going from 28.2 hours in 2012 to 27.9 hours in 2013. Among Canadians 18 years of age and up, average weekly viewing decreased slightly, going from 29.5 hours in 2012 to 29.3 hours in 2013. • The percentage of households subscribing to cable and satellite services decreased slightly from 85.6%, or 11.93 million, to 84.9%, or 11.92 million. • For Canadians 18 years or older, average weekly viewing of Internet television increased from 1.3 hours in 2012 to 1.9 hours in 2013.
CRTC issues 2014 report on state of Canadian broadcasting industry
The sky is not falling. Yet.
For more detail (and charts) go to the full report.
"In the digital age, we are nearing the point where an idea banished by Twitter, Facebook and Google all but vanishes from public discourse entirely"
"I've never promised that pick-and-pay would be cheaper"
There is enough political will and consumer desire to make pick-and-pay television happen, but consumers should not underestimate either the cost or the complexity of bringing the concept to life.
Pick-and-pay cable TV would offer greater choice, CRTC boss says
Careful what you wish for...
Read: "A Celestial Cinémathèque? or, Film Archives and Me: A Semi-Personal History" by David Bordwell
Fascinated by film as a teenager, I quickly absorbed the tastes that created the canon. I read books celebrating the great silent films and the major studio pictures of the 1930s and 1940s. I bought an 8mm copy of the Odessa Steps sequence and projected it on my bedroom wall.
A Celestial Cinémathèque? or, Film Archives and Me: A Semi-Personal History
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