Collision Course

Cinematographer Ed Wild brings distinctive lighting to a film set full of high-tech auto gear and extensive car chases in Collide

By Valentina I. Valentini

As thrilling and challenging as it is for any cinematographer to shoot Jaguars racing down the Autobahn highway system in Germany or capturing BMWs flipping over multiple times, cinematographer Ed Wild was also tasked with creating very different and distinct lighting palettes for scenes in the action thriller/love story Collide. Written and directed... Read more

Darkest Before Dawn

If you’re suffering from comic book overkill, you’re in for a treat watching Gotham on Fox, a sinister city captured in gritty realism by DP Crescenzo Notarile, ASC, AIC

By Iain Blair

Fast-paced and somber, the Fox show Gotham expertly balances several storylines at once, featuring David Mazouz as a young Bruce Wayne, Ben McKenzie as Detective James Gordon and Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock, Gordon’s sidekick cop partner. The show is as much about the criminals as the good guys, and the iconic Batman characters are still on screen,... Read more

A Boy And His…Dog?

The ARRI ALEXA Plus and the DepthKit supply the tools for the proof-of-concept short MILES, powerful visionary work that earned a huge development deal and a greenlight as a full-length feature

By Kevin H. Martin And Simon Wakelin

The story for The Terminator evolved from an initial image in the mind of writer/director James Cameron, that of a gleaming metal skeleton emerging from billowing flames. For filmmaker Oliver Daly, his proof-of-concept short film MILES came about in a similar fashion, the vision of a mechanized creature keeping pace alongside a motocross biker sparking... Read more

Sundance 2016

The Sundance Film Festival welcomed the world to Utah once again, continuing its mission to introduce us to a diverse mix of highly entertaining and culturally significant work from around the globe

Simon Wakelin

While films continually flickered on screens around Park City, the movie market set to work, but acquisitions seemed to be a mixed bag this year. While huge bids were made on quality material—among them, Fox Searchlight’s record-breaking deal of $17.5 million for director Nate Parker’s Grand Jury Prize- and Audience Award-winning The Birth of... Read more

The Shape Of Things To Come

The 2001 File reveals how Stanley Kubrick exploited the arts and sciences to visualize 2001: A Space Odyssey

By Kevin H. Martin

Sir Christopher Frayling’s extensive illustrated volume, The 2001 File: Harry Lange and the Design of the Landmark Science Fiction Film (Reel Art Press, 2015), documents the design evolution for all manner of vessel and future construct in Stanley Kubrick’s groundbreaking space film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Frayling, author of Ken Adam Designs the... Read more

Road Trippin’

A fascination with Charles Manson serves as the backdrop for Manson Family Vacation, an exploration of family and friendship for estranged brothers who go on a creepy adventure following the death of their father

By David Alexander Willis

Somewhere in the darkly gray area between buddy comedy, road trip movie, family drama and suspense-thriller lies Manson Family Vacation, the compelling story of two brothers who not only have lost their connection to each other, but also to their lives. One brother is angst-ridden Nick Morgan, played by Jay Duplass, the real-life brother of writing/directing/producing... Read more

No Pain, No Gain

Salvatore Totino, ASC, AIC, tackles Concussion’s tale of sudden impact with the ARRI ALEXA XT

By Kevin H. Martin

Concussion examines the hot-button issue of how repeated impacts to the skulls of professional football players in some cases led to death from brain trauma now known as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). The documentaries Head Games and League of Denial preceded this film, both highlighting football-related brain injuries, with the latter featuring... Read more

Through The Woods, Darkly

How director Jason Zadaand cinematographer Mattias Troelstrup, DFF, stepped outside their comfort zones and into The Forest

By Valentina I. Valentini

A few years ago, Jason Zada got the idea to make Facebook scary. Take This Lollipop, a short-form interactive experience that won Zada an Emmy®, used Facebook pictures and messages of existing users to integrate them into a horror story all their own making. It was viewed by over 100 million people globally and garnered 13 million Facebook Likes, making... Read more

Hearts In Darkness

DP Reed Morano, ASC, takes the directorial reins in a gritty exploration of grief and hope in Meadowland

By Kevin H. Martin

If you were to try summing up Cinedigm’s release Meadowland in just one word, “unflinching” certainly is among the first that comes to mind. The feature film directorial debut of cinematographer Reed Morano, ASC, chronicles the painful journey of schoolteacher Sarah and uniformed police officer Phil (producer Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson) as they... Read more

Pushing The Limits

Robert Gantz, ASC, goes with the ARRI ALEXA XT to deliver a true cinematic look for the TV series Limitless

By Iain Blair

2011 saw the release of the indie hit thriller Limitless, a critical and box office success directed by Neil Burger. The film followed a struggling writer, played by Academy Award® nominee Bradley Cooper, with the ability to access 100% of his brain’s power after taking a drug called NZT. A new CBS series of the same name picks up where the movie... Read more