Under the preview of film professor Jeff Middents (friend of Media Services), AU’s Critical Approach to Cinema University College group has helped on-board new undergraduate students into the world of cinema studies. This year, as a capstone project, Middents asked his UC group to make sense of contemporary world cinema. The UC students produced a […]
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New supercut celebrates the symmetry of bookending shots
Over the course of two hours, most films show growth and change. It’s reasonable to suggest that the characters you meet at the start of the movie are not the same ones you see off at the end. Filmmakers understand that and frequently look for visual ways to tie their beginnings and endings together. Jacob […]
Continue readingDid you ever catch the Citizen Kane pterodactyls?
There are dinosaurs in Citizen Kane. No, seriously, hear us out on this. This is one of the greatest bits of film trivia we’ve heard in a while. Before the advent of greenscreen technology, many films in the 30s and 40s used “rear projection” for complicated scenery. Pre-recorded footage of a background was projected onto […]
Continue readingHave a doubleplusgood Orwell Day!
Two years ago, the George Orwell estate declared January 21st “Orwell Day” in commemoration of the anniversary of the renowned political author’s death. It’s a relatively new holiday – this is only the third one – but we can’t help but get in the holiday spirit anyway. The significance of Orwell’s work speaks for itself, […]
Continue readingA behind-the-scenes look at how colorists change raw video into beautiful film
Much of the credit for the filmmaking process understandably goes to the directors, cinematographers, and editors, but many technicians work with film behind the scenes to create the final images that you see on screen. This is especially true for colorists. Notable films such as O Brother, Where Art Thou? use extensive color correction to […]
Continue readingWatch the best films of the year in one thrilling montage
Another year in film is winding down, leaving a trail of Oscar contenders and Christmas movies as it passes into the horizon. December seems like as good of a time as any to look back on some of the great films that came out this year, everything from The Lego Movie to Gone Girl. We’re […]
Continue readingDoes The Wire work in HD? You be the judge
In a move even more controversial than their decision to launch a standalone streaming subscription service, HBO has decided to remaster classic television series The Wire in high-definition widescreen. The show, as directed by showrunner David Simon, was intended to be show in the 4:3 aspect ratio of standard-definition television sets. In the process of […]
Continue readingDrafthouse compiles the greatest movie deaths (WARNING: this is actually horrifying)
This Friday is Halloween, so we’ll be attempting to bring you spooky, scary, or otherwise horrifying posts this week! We’ll get the crazy stuff out of the way first. To celebrate the impending holiday, Alamo Drafthouse enlisted the filmmakers of the violent short film series The ABCs of Death 2 to curate a supercut of […]
Continue readingNo more lasers? PBS takes on the realism of movie space combat
We might criticize special effects for overstaying their welcome on occasion, but without CGI and crazy miniature work, we wouldn’t have space battles. Watching spaceships shoot lasers and blow up is among the greatest, basest pleasures of movies. Even the Star Wars prequels, superfluous as they may be, have a few entertaining space fights. Color […]
Continue readingCould this (eventually) be the longest film ever made?
Over the years, many films have laid claim to the distinction of being the longest of all time. Whether they’re making documentaries about a building decaying or just stitching random clips together to a feature length, filmmakers have slowly escalated their running times in a battle for this ignoble title. From 2006 to 2011, the […]
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