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 ‘Directors’ 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 »
Reflections on New Classics
Posted in Chapter 5, Directors, Media Literacy, tagged Best of 2010s Films, Criterion Collection, Denis Villeneuve, Sofia Coppola, Twin Peaks on December 30, 2019| Leave a Comment »
So there are lists all over the place, of course, to mark raves and disses across the spectrum of motion picture media, for the year or the decade past. I really liked this one with a nice theme curated by the folks at Criterion: Hidden Gems of the 2010s. And it’s worth it just to see the suggestion for Twin Peaks to “become part of the core curriculum of high schools across this country.” Hahaha, we’ll see about that!
And for documentaries? Try this list from Paste, which has informative intros for their 30 choices.
There was this interesting piece from a couple of years ago picking 25 best movies for this century so far (until then, at least), and it has a link to choices from Sofia Coppola, Denis Villeneuve, and Alex Gibney, among others. Speaking of Villeneuve and Coppola, Dune and On the Rocks are both due in 2020!
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 »
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.