by Shawn Swanky | May 23, 2013 | Shawn's picks
The Bechdel Test evaluates a filmmaker’s use of female characters in a movie. To pass, the movie must satisfy these criteria: 1) Are there at least two women characters with names? 2) Do they talk to each other? 3) Do they talk to each other about something other than a man? The video below revelas just how many movies fail the test.
by Shawn Swanky | May 23, 2013 | Shawn's picks
The average shot length (ASL) of a director is an interesting way to compare filmmaking styles. Below are two charts from Vashi Nedomansky’s filmmaking blog. The first compares the ASL of six famous directors. The second compares the ASL of eight Stanley Kubrick movies.
by Shawn Swanky | May 20, 2013 | Shawn's picks
Production Designer Jack Fisk has described Paul Thomas Anderson as a “jazz musician who plays characters.” But what is it like to work with a modern jazz filmmaker? Below is a nice interview with several key collaborators from “The Master.” Listen to Jack Fisk (Production Designer), David Crank (Production Designer), Leslie Jones (Editor) and Mark Bridges (Costume Designer) compare notes on what is required to play in PTA’s band.
by Shawn Swanky | May 13, 2013 | Shawn's picks
A nice collection of famous scenes that for various reasons were unscripted. From “Here’s looking at you Kid” to “Leave the gun, take the cannoli” these moments are a nice reminder that sometimes the filmmaking gods reward living in the moment.
by Shawn Swanky | May 7, 2013 | Shawn's picks
Roger Deakins is as close to “cinematographer royalty” as one can get Hollywood. The Coen Brothers favourite has lensed such movies as, “Barton Fink,” “The Big Lebowski,” and “Fargo,” as well as “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Skyfall.” Below is an interview Deakins did with “Cinematographer Style.” Highlights include his explanation of how different lenses affect the audience and his personal approach to choosing lenses.
by Shawn Swanky | May 7, 2013 | Shawn's picks
Danny Boyle recently took a few moments to discuss the current state of cinema. His comments address the lack of “sophisticated, complex and pleasurable movies” being made for adult audiences today. Like Steven Soderbergh last month, Boyle is reflecting a growing sense of dissatisfaction within the ranks of the movie-making and movie-watching community.