Shooting The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan and DP Wally Pfister shed some light on their latest collaboration

by Bob Fisher | Published Jul. 18, 2008 00:07

Flashback: Christopher Nolan is at the 1999 Slamdance Film Festival for the premiere of Following, his first feature-length film. Though he served as the writer, director and cinematographer, Nolan wasn’t interested in pursuing a career as an auteur. At the same time, he saw The Hi-Line, which premiered at the nearby Sundance Film Festival. Maybe it was destiny calling. That film's cinematographer was Wally Pfister, ASC.
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Haris Zambarloukos Defies Tradition

by Jessica Wall | Published Jul. 11, 2008 00:07

As the director of photography on this week’s limited release Death Defying Acts and the anticipated summer movie Mamma Mia!, Haris Zambarloukos is having quite a month. Both films are just steps on the ladder to success that Zambarloukos has been climbing for a while now. (No comments yet)

Daryn Okada Is on Top of the ASC

Celebrated DP wins third term as ASC President

by Jessica Wall | Published Jun. 20, 2008 00:06

Membership in the American Society of Cinematographers (attainable by invitation only) is itself an honor; to be elected president a higher honor still. Accomplished cinematographer Daryn Okada has just been elected to serve as ASC president for a third term and is well aware of the magnitude of his position, “I feel privileged to be a part of this extraordinary group of dedicated filmmakers,” he acknowledges.

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Kung Fu Panda Drop Kicks the Competition

by Jennifer M. Wood | Published Jun. 9, 2008 08:06

Seems like all those promos must have paid off—first at Cannes, then the TV commercial onslaught—as Kung Fu Panda kicked some serious butt at the box office over the weekend, out-grossing Adam Sandler's new film, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, by 50 percent. The animated action flick, featuring the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman and Jackie Chan, took in $60 million over the weekend—while Zohan earned $40 million.

Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull held strong in the number three position with $22.8 million, while last year's surprise topper, Michael Patrick King's Sex and the City, saw a more than 62 percent decline in ticket sales, with a weekend total of $21.3 million. (1 comment)

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Doorpost Awards $300,000 to “Undiscovered” Moviemakers

The Doorpost Film Project, a “contest aimed at discovering and developing moviemakers capable of producing films that inspire and influence rather than simply entertain,” just finished round one and is now left with 15 finalists who are described by Nathan Elliott, the Project's director, as “a globally, ethnically and racially diverse group of filmmakers that have one important thing in common: They're enormously talented."

Posted 07.23.08 | News/Commentary | No comments yet...