Film Strategy

Actor, Peter Coyote, has written a letter that I think should be spread far and wide. Read it in full here . My favorite part* is the recommendation he makes, which is this: There is a simple way leading actors might bring a second, more flexible and targeted weapon into the fray on behalf of your colleagues which incidentally, would provide the ancillary benefit of insuring that you consistently play opposite actors of the highest caliber. If you were to include language in your contracts specifying that, in your films, the “quotes” of your peers must be recognized as a negotiating floor for their compensation, if you publicized that fact, and, if you kicked back a modest amount, say on salaries over six million dollars a film to make that money available, each and every actor negotiating to play opposite you would be empowered to demand the fair compensation that he or she has won for their work. (my bold ) People in general, and specifically lawyers, are accustomed to doin

Originally published in Filmmaker magazine  and written by Sarah Salovaara. David Lowery doesn’t necessarily dole out directing tips in his  production diary  for the upcoming Disney remake of  Pete’s Dragon,  but they do seep through in the details. Currently on day 11 of 70 of the New Zealand-based production, many of Lowery’s entries touch upon the fluidity of the filmmaking process. Most recently, he recounts nailing a precisely planned sequence, only to forfeit his original design for another: Today we were back in the woods at Battle Hill, shooting a sequence that I’d planned out very carefully last summer and had no interest in altering. It was two shots, with a very precise cut point, and a camera move that required counting out loud to get the timing right. We got it exactly as I’d intended. I cut it together there on set and it worked fine and so we we moved on to the next shot, which I’d also planned out somewhat extensively. It was designed to be a long, long shot,

RIP to the legendary Iranian filmmaker, Abbas Kiarostami . I can only think of two ways to honor the man; by watching his films and studying his filmmaking philosophy and methods. Here are some of his movies that I recommend: Taste of Cherry , Close-up , and The Wind Will Carry Us . In the meantime, here's a quick glimpse into Kiarostami's filmmaking philosophy and methods courtesy of Martin Snyders' article, " Here’s What It’s Like to Make A Short Film with Abbas Kiarostami in 10 Days ": After graduating from Columbia University and toiling for years as a screenwriter, I finally made my feature film debut in 2013 with an independent, romantic comedy called "Missed Connections." The film won multiple audience awards at festivals, reached number one on iTunes’ independent sales charts and The Playlist  even suggested  me as a "filmmaker to keep an eye on." Things were looking up. I went to Hollywood, represented by a major talent a

Even a famous actress like Shirley MacLaine finds making indie films difficult.  I discovered this in an article she recently wrote about her experiences making the film, Wild Oats . Despite the difficulties, why making movies is a useful experience: Making a movie is the most useful experience I’ve found for getting to know more about myself. But you don’t have to be an actor or work in show business to have that experience. We’re all creating our lives every day. We are the actors and writers and directors and producers and financiers of our lives. So I’d say that means that our life itself is an art, one we’ve chosen to take part in. It’s like a movie we’ve chosen to make. Both need financing. Did anyone assure us when we were born that the money would be there?No. Did anyone assure me when I began Wild Oats that the money would be there? No. So why did I do it? Ambition? Adventure? Challenge? Fame? Because they asked me to? I’m not sure the “why” even matters now. How tax

The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the  world  and has become  Central and Eastern Europe’s  leading film event.  Here are 2015's winners: Crystal Globe Winner (Grand Prix) Bob and the Trees  (USA, France) – director, Diego Ongaro Bob and the Trees  is a 2015 verite drama film that won the  Crystal Globe  at the  Karlovy Vary International Film Festival .  Shot in  The Berkshires ,  Bob and the Trees  follows farmer and logger Bob Tarasuk (played by himself), his son and business partner Matt (Matthew Gallagher), and Bob's wife Polly (Polly MacIntyre) as they work to earn money during winter.   The film, Diego Ongaro's feature-length directorial debut, premiered in the noncompetitive Next  section of the  2015 Sundance Film Festival  in January 2015, where it was met with warm critical reception. According to the website, "Bob and the Trees is proud to be one of the first feature films shot on the Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera." No

The  68th annual  Cannes Film Festival  was held from 13 to 24 May 2015.   Joel  and  Ethan Coen  were announced as the Presidents of the Jury for the main competition.  It was the first time that two people chaired the jury.   Since the Coen brothers each received a separate vote, they were joined by seven other jurors to form the customary nine-juror panel.  The  Palme d'Or  was awarded to the French film  Dheepan  directed by  Jacques Audiard .  French film director  Agnès Varda  was presented with the honorary Palme d'Or at the festival's closing ceremony. She is also the first female filmmaker to ever receive the award. THE CATEGORIES Main Competition The selections for the jury were the following: English title Original title Director(s) Production country Dheepan   Dheepan Jacques Audiard France The Measure of a Man La Loi du marché Stéphane Brizé France Marguerite & Julien Marguerite et Julien Valérie Donzelli France Chronic Chronic Michel Franco