Broken Border

Filmmaker Matthew Heineman examines the line between good and evil for Cartel Land

By Neil Matsumoto

Trying to make a documentary about the drug war is a near-impossible feat. Mexican drug cartels have existed for decades, with both Mexican and U.S. governments trying to limit the violence on both sides of the border. During Felipe Calderón’s administration (2006-2012), the official death toll of the drug wars was at least 60,000, with at least... Read more

Shoot The Piano Player

Cinematographer Larry McConkey takes a bare-bones approach to capturing master pianists in Virtuosity

By Neil Matsumoto

At the age of 23, the great American pianist Van Cliburn shocked the world when he won the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow during the height of the Cold War in 1958. The event actually opened doors to cultural relations between the East and West. For a classical musician, Cliburn carried rock star status, playing for every U.S.... Read more

Wasted Youth

For While We’re Young, cinematographer Sam Levy tames the electronics for a more analog feel

By Neil Matsumoto

Getting old sucks. In While We’re Young, director Noah Baumbach’s seventh feature film, middle age isn’t sitting well with Josh (Ben Stiller). At 44, he’s stuck in a rut, creatively blocked on the esoteric documentary he has been working on for years and trying (unsuccessfully) to have a child with his wife, Cornelia (Naomi Watts).... Read more

Banshee – Fear & Loathing In Amish Country

DP Christopher Faloona shoots in a town without pity in Cinemax’s Banshee

By Kevin H. Martin

After seeing Richard Brooks’ end-of-the-era Western The Professionals, producer Elliott Kastner told screenwriter William Goldman he wanted to make a picture in the same vein, "a movie with balls." That led to the pair collaborating on Harper, a private-eye flick that reinvigorated the played-out genre, investing it with a genuine edge. ... Read more

Going Rogue

Director Christopher McQuarrie and DP Robert Elswit, ASC, go big for Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation

By Iain Blair

Tom Cruise has always prided himself on doing his own—often very risky—stunts. On the last Mission: Impossible outing, he blithely hurled himself off a Dubai skyscraper, which is the tallest building in the world. So when Christopher McQuarrie, the director and screenwriter of the latest installment in the multi-billion-dollar franchise, half-jokingly... Read more

Look, Up in the Sky – It’s The InterDrone Film Festival

The InterDrone Film Festival will let drone shooters show their best aerial footage at the International Drone Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas

By Neil Matsumoto

You just bought your new drone, mastered the technology, and captured some stunning shots. What’s next? Ah, an audience! BZ Media LLC just announced the InterDrone Film Festival, which will showcase some of the best aerial shots from drone shooters in six categories, including Natural Wonders, Cityscapes and Architecture, Action Sports, Acrobatics/Technical... Read more

Pocket Production House

Director Austin Reza used an iPhone 6 to capture the Bentley sponsored short film, Intelligent Details: The Bespoke Driving Jacket

By Neil Matsumoto

Last year, director Austin Reza and his production company Reza & Co. made waves by creating a short documentary about the Bentley Mulsanne car. What made the film unique is that Reza captured the entire documentary with the iPhone 5S and edited his footage in the backseat of the Mulsanne with iPads. Reza is back with a new film, Intelligent Details:... Read more

Wim Wenders’ New Film, “Every Thing Will Be Fine” Finished In DaVinci Resolve

Shot in 3D by German director Wim Wenders, Every Thing Will Be Fine was finished in DaVinci Resolve

By Neil Matsumoto

Blackmagic just sent out an interesting press release on Wim Wenders’ latest project, Every Thing Will Be Fine, which was shot in 3D and finished in DaVinci Resolve. Fremont, CA – May 5, 2015 – Blackmagic Design today announced that Every Thing Will Be Fine, directed by legendary German director Wim Wenders and starring James Franco,... Read more

Punk’s Not Dead – Revenge of the Mekons

Director Joe Angio profiles a heroic punk band in Revenge of the Mekons

By Neil Matsumoto

"The Mekons are the most revolutionary group in the history of rock ‘n’ roll," wrote legendary rock critic Lester Bangs, reviewing their 1982 album, "The Mekons Story." That’s high praise for a band you’ve probably never heard of. Formed in the late ’70s by art students from the University of Leeds during... Read more

Blurring The Lines – Shooting HBO’s The Comeback

Cinematographer Clark Mathis becomes part of the show in HBO’s The Comeback

By Iain Blair

There’s reality TV, and then there’s The Comeback, a bitingly satirical reality-show-within-a-reality-show hall of mirrors that first aired back in 2005 on HBO. Now, the show has returned for a second season with Lisa Kudrow, its star and cocreator (with Michael Patrick King), as Valerie Cherish, the oft-humiliated actress forced to choose... Read more