CES 2019, Part 3

Making room for more

Michael Guncheon

While large 8K displays, 4K with HDR and the odd intelligent toilet seemed to capture all the attention at CES, if you took the time you could find something special. To capture footage for 8K and 4K that can be displayed in HDR, cinematographers often shoot in raw. (Shooting with log works, too.) Those raw files can take up a lot of hard drive space.... Read more

To Gimbal Or Not To Gimbal, That Is The Question

How important is moving your camera to you? More importantly, how important is moving your camera well to you?

Dan Brockett

The Arri Alexa Mini On A Freefly Movi 15 gimbal is used in high-end film and television. How important is moving your camera to you? More importantly, how important is moving your camera well to you? I guess a good context to place these questions into is where do you come from with your shooting? Have you studied the language of cinema and are pursuing... Read more

CES 2019, Part 2

Real Production Is Still Big And Heavy!

The 3.4-pound Panasonic EVA 1 rides on a Fisher 10 Dolly. I recently shot on a few days for a feature documentary. I was not the DP for the production; I was merely a camera operator. It was a fun and interesting shoot with an iconic musician performing with their band for the production’s cameras. Read more…

Dan Brockett

CES 2019, Part 1

Does CES predict the future?

Michael Guncheon

Every year, I head out to the desert to look at technology. Why the desert? That’s where Las Vegas is, and that’s where the Consumer Technology Association holds its annual CES show. CES used to stand for Consumer Electronics Show, but the CTA wants us all to call it simply CES. I guess that’s because some of the innovations over the years haven’t... Read more

Is Green Screen Creative Or A Cop-Out?

Is green screen always the best way to capture your shot?

Dan Brockett

Is green screen always the best way to capture your shot? I shoot green screen. Quite a lot of green screen at times. As a cinematographer, I have to be honest, having to utilize green screen isn’t my favorite type of shooting. It’s my job to help a director visualize a scene, scenario or environment. If you think about it, most scenes can be broken... Read more

Sundance 2019: Power of Story—Pushing Boundaries

The Sundance Film Festival also entertained audiences over the past 10 days with dozens of offscreen events, including conversations with the next wave of storytellers.

By Simon Wakelin

The 2019 installment of the longstanding “Power of Story” series rolled at Sundance with some great conversations, including the “Power of Story: Pushing Boundaries,” an insightful lecture that gathered filmmakers Rick Alverson (“The Mountain”), Mads Brügger (“Cold Case Hammarskjöld”), Kitty Green (“Casting JonBenet”),... Read more

Sundance 2019: It’s A Wrap—Top Prizes At Sundance Go To “Clemency” And “One Child Nation”

The 2019 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony wraps this year’s event, handing out prizes to 28 of 121 feature-length and 73 short films that were showcased during the festival’s 10-day event

By Simon Wakelin

All told, 28 awards were handed out at the Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony in Park City for 23 films comprising the work of 27 filmmakers last night. Diversity and female filmmakers were the big winners, with 13 films directed by one or more women, eight by one or more people of color and one by a person identifying as LGBTQI+. Here are some... Read more

Sundance 2019: “Knock Down the House”

While many documentaries are focused on climate, the environment and our changing habitat this year, “Knock Down the House” investigates the modern face of American politics, following a new and passionate group of insurgents that are fighting to be heard and for change.

By Simon Wakelin

The Rachel Lears’ documentary “Knock Down the House” played to a packed theater audience, an emotionally-stirred crowd following four female insurgents fighting tooth-and-nail against longtime political incumbents from the left. The bulk of the film focuses on a campaign by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who ran as a progressive to win New York’s... Read more

Sundance 2019: “Memory—The Origins of Alien”

“Memory—The Origins of Alien” premiered this week in the Midnight Category of Sundance, a compelling documentary examining the many influences that went into the making of “Alien,” an iconic science fiction masterpiece directed by Ridley Scott.

By Simon Wakelin

If you’ve seen Alexandre O. Philippe’s “78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene” then you know what a love for cinema the director holds. While his “78/52” examined the hypnotic screen murder scene that profoundly changed the course of world cinema, Philippe’s “Memory—The Origin of Alien” revels in the history behind the making of... Read more

Sundance 2019: Composer And Artist Kathryn Bostic on “Clemency”

We discuss the art of sound and examine the challenges of creating the soundtrack for “Clemency,” a film examining the spirit of a prison warden (played by Alfre Woodard) who is tasked to carry out executions at a maximum security prison.

By Simon Wakelin

Years of carrying out executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams. As she prepares to execute yet another death-row inmate, she is forced to confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, a move that ultimately connects her to a man she is sanctioned to kill. Such is the powerful storyline of “Clemency,” from... Read more

Sundance 2019: Sundance Sales—Amazon, Hulu, A24, Apple And More

Major sales are revealed at Sundance 2019 in Park City, while award-winning standout work begins to be honored as the festival winds down.

By Simon Wakelin

As the Sundance Film Festival draws to a close, we’ve learned which films have been purchased by major studios. The festival has also begun to hand out awards. Here’s what we’ve learned: Major Film Acquisitions Amazon Studios has paid $13 million to acquire US-domestic rights to Nisha Ganatra’s “Late Night,” a film written, produced and... Read more