Feeds:
Posts
Comments

The Michael Jordan of American Filmmaking is Back

August 11, 2017 by carlcasinghino

Soderbergh on set of “Logan Lucky”

“Really?  Can’t be.  Say it ain’t so, Steven.”  That was what many of us said when Mr. Soderbergh declared that he was retiring from directing movies.  And for those who had followed, studied, or were inspired by his unique career and creative output, it seemed that this might certainly turn out to be a bit of a joke from a world-class jokester.  Well, that indeed appears to be the case, and of course, he never really retired by any stretch of the term (such as with Behind the Candelabra, The Knick, and more).  Here is an excellent article on Soderbergh right now one week before the release of his promising new movie, Logan Lucky (written by the decidedly mysterious Rebecca Blunt — is this another Soderbergh joke?).

Posted in Chapter 5, Directors | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Screenwriting with Taylor Sheridan

July 28, 2017 by carlcasinghino

In a variety of posts, mediateacher.net has highlighted screenwriting resources, pitch notes, the work of current screenwriters (including Spike Jonze), and an original interview with writer Pamela Gray; for this summer’s screenwriter perspectives to explore, we recommend checking out the work of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Taylor Sheridan.  Until just a few years ago, he had been working as an actor; you may have seen him in Walking Dead.  

In one article he offers tips to aspiring screenwriters, and here he discusses his exceptional screenplay for the acclaimed recent movie Hell or High Water.  He also wrote the script for Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve (whose other films include Arrival and the upcoming Blade Runner 2049).  For his latest script, Wind River, Sheridan is also directing. 

Posted in Chapter 7 | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Virtual Horizons of Storytelling

June 30, 2017 by carlcasinghino

Gaming and the immersive environments of virtual reality continue to be among the most interesting storytelling arenas for young media creators, and this article — Virtual Reality is a Disappointment? Not in the World of Video Gamers — points out some of the stops and starts with recent developments in VR and gaming-based storytelling.  For an example of a mediamaker working on a specific project (pictured at right), check out this article on Nonny de la Peña’s virtual reality project Hunger.  

Posted in Chapter 1 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

The Tilda

June 30, 2017 by carlcasinghino

By grace of the particular brand of her presence in Bong Joon-ho‘s Okja, it is clear that “The Tilda” is a distinct genre unto itself, from Doctor Strange to the films of  Derek Jarman to Michael Clayton, Broken Flowers, and more.  And beyond the power of Tilda Swinton, there is much more to explore, clearly, in the newest work by one of the most dynamic of 21st century directors, Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer, Mother, and The Host).

Posted in Chapter 5, Directors | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Diving into Movie Music with Score

June 29, 2017 by carlcasinghino

The vital roles of music and sound design in moviemaking are key components of Moving Images and have been featured in numerous posts on mediateacher.net, including pieces about composers Jeff Beal, Cliff Martinez, and Henry Mancini, among others.  Score, a documentary about composing for film by director Matt Schrader, opened this month and should serve as a solid resource to media literacy educators.  Score provides film history, profiles of and interviews with film composers (from Quincy Jones to Rachel Portman to Trent Reznor and many more), and exploration of the process of composing for motion pictures.

Composer Bear McCreary with his Hurdy-Gurdy

Here is an interview with composer Bear McCreary (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, 10 Cloverfield Lane) and Matt Schrader in which they note film scores that they believe to have “changed the way we hear movies.”  What would be your picks?  Check out the article and you will see theirs!

Posted in Chapter 3, Music & Sound Design | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Some more notes with Patty Jenkins

May 31, 2017 by carlcasinghino

Here is a follow-up to the Women Pioneers of the Cinema: Patty Jenkins and the Wonder Women post from a few days ago (see below).  For Mekado Murphy’s New York Times “Anatomy of a Scene” series, Patty Jenkins narrates a key scene from Wonder Woman, along with a nice tip of the hat to a strong inspiration for her — Richard Donner’s Superman from 1978.

Posted in Chapter 5, Women Mediamakers | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Communicating the Product: Advertising Media, Part 3

May 29, 2017 by carlcasinghino

In Chapter 3 of Moving Images and a number of mediateacher.net posts (for example, check out Part 2 from this series or the Kevin Goff interview), we have discussed cutting edge moving image creation designed to produce advertising, public service messages, issue-driven content, and a wide array of visual storytelling.  Here is a very interesting current resource: the TBrandStudio Selects for 2017 from the world of animation.  The chosen mediamakers are: Nice and Serious, Block & Tackle, Bhakti Patel, Mighty Oak, and Pete Levin.

Posted in Animation, Chapter 3, Women Mediamakers | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Older Posts »