In earlier posts, mediateacher.net has featured posts that highlight lessons that can be learned from study of movies from the Star Wars franchise, particularly with Rogue One and innovative work in sound design. Along with the superbly detailed book The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film by J.W. Rinzler, there is this YouTube video that explores how George Lucas arrived at his final cut of Star Wars through the work of his editors Paul Hirsch, Richard Chew, and Marcia Lucas) and which can be very eye-opening to students about the development of story and the power of the editing process (and all of the stages of movie production) in arriving at the definitive version of a film.
Archive for the ‘Chapter 8’ Category
Editing Lessons with Star Wars
Posted in Chapter 1, Chapter 8, Directors, Resources, tagged Biggs, Editing, George Lucas, J.W. Rinzler, Marcia Lucas, Paul Hirsch, Star Wars on February 24, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Exploring Acting Through a Different Lens
Posted in Animation, Chapter 8, tagged Acting, Darryn King, Josh Cooley, Pixar, Toy Story 4, Woody on August 31, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Developing dynamic and moving performances can be one of the greatest challenges for actors and directors working in collaboration. Let’s add to the mix another set of creators who generate performances in motion pictures: animators.
Here are some interesting resources that highlight the extensive work of animators in developing compelling and well-defined characters through drawn or CG images. First, there is an excellent article on the work of Pixar animators for a new movie featuring a beloved character: Woody in Toy Story 4. Along with Tom Hanks’s exceptional voice work, a team of animators led by director Josh Cooley (at least for this fourth installment of the franchise) worked diligently to capture the wide range of emotions and traits seen in Woody and the rest of the Toy Story gang, and this is explored extensively in this piece by journalist Darryn King.
To investigate the ties between acting and animated film, it is critical to explore the creations of the Japanese master director Hayao Miyazaki. Here are two articles on Miyazaki: an interview from The Telegraph and an overview of his career and the films of Studio Ghibli.
From “Cumo” by Emily Fabrizi
Speaking of performance through animation, here are two films from students of mine. Cumo is an exceptionally crafted and delightful piece of animation by high school senior Emily Fabrizi that is highly worthwhile to explore for its reliance on performance — and without dialogue! Another animated movie that weaves a strong character-driven portrait — and once again without any dialogue — is this award-winning college project by my former student Brendan Kirschbaum: Solo. Both shorts feature many elements worthy of study for nuances in performance, all crafted by animators.
Get a grip!
Posted in Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 8, Directors, Women Mediamakers, tagged Ben Stiller, Cara Buckley, Escape at Dannemora, Jessica Lee Gagné, Media Professions, Melanie Ragone, Melissa Beaupre, Movie Grip, Tana Dubbe, Vanessa Alexis on April 12, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Agnes Varda making first feature “La Pointe Courte”
Couldn’t resist that title. In Chapter 8 of Moving Images, students explore the positions that correspond to the filmmaking tasks for which they have been developing skills throughout their work with the textbook. These jobs have been in a pretty constant state of flux for a number of years as the processes of the digital media pipeline and business of media production continue to evolve and transform.
Recently a very interesting piece by Cara Buckley on gripping appeared in the New York Times: “What is a Grip? The Few Women Doing the Job in Hollywood Explain.” Check out this article to find some answers along with insights and inspiration.
On a topic related to a core theme of this article, mediateacher.net notes the deeply sad news of the passing of Agnès Varda, one of the most important filmmakers of this era and a truly inspiring creator and visionary.
And to continue with another follow-up (related to the earlier references in multiple ways!) to working in the movie industry, here is an interview with Jessica Lee Gagné, the cinematographer of the stunningly shot Escape at Dannemora, a Showtime 7-part miniseries directed by Ben Stiller, released a few months ago to widespread acclaim. Amazing work both behind and in front of the camera.
The Evolution of Ghostbusting
Posted in Chapter 8, tagged Ghostbusters, Ivan Reitman, Paul Feig on April 30, 2016| Leave a Comment »
An interesting then / now filmmaking comparison will be on hand this summer with the new version of Ghostbusters directed by Paul Feig and starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon (with the classic original having been directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis). Here is an article that provides some insight into decision making processes that students do not often think about: art direction and visual design. Props, vehicles, sets, and more aspects of the world that the filmmakers are creating are featured in this discussion with director/screenwriter Paul Feig and production designer Jefferson Sage. Put on your Proton Packs and get ready to bust some ghosts!
Celebrating Shorts and a bit more
Posted in Animation, Chapter 8, Women Mediamakers, tagged Bear Story, Emmanuel Lubezki, Ennio Morricone, Gabriel Osorio, Mad Max: Fury Road, Margaret Sixel, Pato Escala, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Stutterer, The Revenant on February 29, 2016| 1 Comment »
Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala for Bear Story
Want to see those Oscar shorts? Most of them, including the winners of Live Action Short — Stutterer — and Animated Short Film — Bear Story — are available here. In fact, Bear Story marks the first time a Chilean film has ever won an Oscar, which was movingly noted by its creators, Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala.
For the documentaries, it is not possible to go to one single source to watch all of the nominated shorts, but the winner directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, will be available to HBO subscribers next week since it was produced by the renowned HBO documentary division.
Related to celebrating things, I will add an expression of joy for Emmanuel Lubezki‘s astounding third win in a row for cinematography (after having shot an incredible series of features with Alfonso Cuarón, particularly Children of Men, Y Tu Mamá También, and A Little Princess) shooting essentially without lights. And add to that a resounding cry of triumph for the maestro, Ennio Morricone, for such a well-deserved victory and one of the most touching moments of the night. It was a genuine pleasure to see him up there receiving his award with such a wonderful address and message to his respected peer, John Williams. What a composer. Ennio Morricone has scored hundreds of movies, and there are so, so many that are absolute masterpieces. Here is one you have probably never heard of: Gli Scassinatori. Check it out and you will see what I mean. Il maestro, indeed.
Margaret Sixel and George Miller
Among the many victories for Mad Max: Fury Road (also so well deserved all around) was Film Editing for Margaret Sixel. Yes, it was a woman who was in charge of editing that furious voyage of footage! And did anyone notice how many women were among the winners on stage, and not just in acting categories? For the big winner at the end, Spotlight, it was two women who were speaking from among the film’s producers, Blye Pagon Faust and Nicole Rocklin.
