You might have missed that a new Steven Spielberg movie came out this year. The BFG was a bit of a flop, a surprise considering the beloved director at the helm. As movie studios are learning, director choice holds less and less sway over audiences as studios recruit new talent to headline their films somewhat […]
Continue readingTag Archives: film production
Every Frame a Painting looks at the surprisingly unmemorable state of modern film soundtracks
Every Frame a Painting continues to be one of the best online film criticism video series. Usually the channel looks at editing and composition, but this time, creator Tony Zhou turned his sights to a very difficult film question: why are modern film soundtracks so uninspiring? Zhou puts forward a cohesive argument, with the Marvel […]
Continue readingWhat does a filmmaking class from Werner Herzog look like?
We just love this picture so much. Credit to sarkos on Tumblr. Last year, the startup company MasterClass began offering six-hour online video lectures hosted by luminaries in their fields. You can learn about acting from Kevin Spacey or signing from Christina Aguilera, complete with assignments to complete on your own. We don’t know how […]
Continue readingHow do you adapt an unfilmable novel?
Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Hossein Amini has a reputation for adapting scripts from books that could never translate into films. His screenplays for The Wings of the Dove and especially Drive took novels that would be incoherent if adapted literally and made them natural fits for the screen. So how does one go about writing something […]
Continue readingLearn the secrets of directing from Adam Nimoy this Thursday
image via School of Communication website Maybe you’ve had to direct a student film for class. Exciting! But that means you have to direct people, and if you don’t have experience managing a set, you may be awkward to work with your actors without accidentally being a jerk. You need to learn the best way […]
Continue readingVanity Fair turns blockbuster movie credits into a budget list
A $200 million movie budget almost seems abstract. We can say that a whole bunch of that money went to the effects, but what does that actually mean? How much does the assistant director figure into it? Does Robert Downey Jr. just get $180 million and everyone else splits it up? Vanity Fair made a […]
Continue readingThe next time you need a camera, check KitSplit
The AU Library is happy to lend out cameras, tripods, and microphones for students, staff, and faculty working on film projects, and SOC students also have the option to borrow equipment from the Media Production Center. But what happens if you graduate, or if you need something higher-end or specialized? You’d normally rent from a […]
Continue readingWhy do TV characters who love coffee not actually drink coffee?
Want to ruin every television show you’ll watch for the next week? Look at the cups people drink coffee from. Critic Myles McNutt has noticed the prevalence of people drinking coffee on TV. It’s an easy way to make characters seem relatable and gives them a reason to stand around or meet together. But something […]
Continue readingGraduated and moving onto filmmaking? Kodak may have a deal for you
Congratulations to everyone who graduated this weekend! We have no doubt you’ll go on to do great things. In particular, we want to talk to AU’s graduating film students, many of whom may be looking to start film projects. If you’re considering going down that path, you might need a little crowdfunding money. And if […]
Continue readingBig-budget independent television is still a dream
This year, Louis C. K. debuted Horace and Pete, an original dramedy television show that he independently produced and released exclusively through his website. The show itself is apparently very good, but its production model caught much of the attention: C. K. financed the entire thing himself, something never attempted for a show with production […]
Continue reading