Tim Rhys

There’s been a lot of talk in the pages of MM recently about the ever-increasing opportunities available for moviemakers who go the self-distribution route. Indies around the country have taken notice—including MM’s own publisher, editor-in-chief and resident auteur, Timothy Rhys.As co-director of No Limit: A Search for the American Dream on the Poker Tournament Trail, a new documentary that explores the poker world behind the glare of cable TV crews and celebrity dabblers, Rhys had originally envisioned going the traditional theatrical route with the picture, or at least bringing on a mini-major distributor to handle the release. But despite serious conversations with studios like Sony Pictures Classics and THINKFilm, Rhys and his producers came to the conclusion that a straight-to-DVD route would actually deliver a faster return for their investors—even if they decide to sign with a distributor at a later time.

“Although we are initially putting the DVD out ourselves, we do expect to eventually go with a mainstream distributor,” says Rhys. So what makes Rhys so sure self-distribution can work for No Limit now? “Because we’re concentrating mainly on our ‘built-in’ demographic,” Rhys says, referring to his group’s grassroots marketing strategy, which will take advantage of the continuing popularity of poker. In fact, this “niche,” is estimated to be between 50 and 80 million people in the U.S. alone, and Rhys notes that there are hundreds of magazines, Websites, blogs, etc. all targeting this demographic.
But it’s not just the target audience that is large—so are the potential returns. “Profit per unit for the ‘grassroots method’ is roughly $8 to $20 per DVD, as compared to the roughly $2 to $3 we could expect from a traditional distribution deal,” Rhys notes.
Time will tell whether the DIY avenue will work for the No Limit producers, but so far the strategy seems to be paying off.

For more information, visit the No Limit website.

October 30th, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Joseph Greco

Writing is often called a cathartic exercise, but turning this introspective psychological act into a compelling piece of entertainment is another thing altogether. Somehow, writer/director Joseph Greco has managed to do just this with his feature film debut, Canvas. Based on Greco’s experiences growing up with a schizophrenic mother, Canvas stars Joe Pantoliano and Marcia Gay Harden in this portrait of a family struggling with the repercussions of mental illness. “I always wanted to make a realistic, yet entertaining film about the subject,” says Greco, “I needed to sublimate my harrowing experience into something useful. Make lemonade out of lemons, as they say."Having worked as an assistant for Oscar winning director James Cameron (during the filming of Titanic) and garnering awards of his own with his short, Lena’s Spaghetti, Greco felt ready to commit his story to film. The most challenging part of writing Canvas was creating a story that was both true to the experience and emotionally satisfying,” Greco comments. “I did not want a happy-go-lucky ending. There is no cure for mental illness. One in five Americans lives with mental illness every day of their lives. They are heroes in my opinion. With that said, though, I did not want a depressing movie. While writing, I decided to just tell the truth - the emotional truth.” It seems that Greco’s goal was realized--Canvas, which premiered at the Hampton’s International Film Festival, has been praised by the National Alliance on Mental Illness for its authentic portrayal of schizophrenia. Currently, Greco is working on several new screenplays, including a comedy called The Big Secret.

To learn more about Canvas, visit the film’s Website at their website.

October 30th, 2006 | Category: Screenwriter of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Royal Albert Hall, London, England

An ominous cymbal clash thrust London’s Royal Albert Hall into the cinematic Hall of Fame during the title sequence of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1956 film The Man Who Knew Too Much. In the knuckle-biting climax of the classic thriller, Jimmy Stewart frantically tries to prevent an assassination that is about take place during a performance by the London Symphony Orchestra in the city’s famous venue.  While the Hall was also used in Hitch’s original version of this film, it is the lush, full-color tumult of the remake that endured as an iconic moment in movie history.

The unique building, which can hold up to 6,000 people, sports a unique terra cotta frieze depicting “the triumph of the arts and sciences,” as well as an ornate glass and iron-wrought domed roof. Constructed by Queen Victoria in memory of her late husband, Prince Albert, the Hall first opened in 1971 and is now one of the most famous music halls in the world, as well as an icon of London architecture.

Aside from the inevitable slew of concert films, Albert Hall makes a stately appearance in several other musically-inclined movies, including Mark Herman’s Brassed Off, Scott Hicks’ Shine, and Cédric Klapisch’s follow-up to L’Auberge Espagnole, Les Poupées Russes.  For more information on Albert Hall and upcoming performances, visit their website.

October 30th, 2006 | Category: Location of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Pathé

Though American audiences might first think of roaring lions and cloud-draped mountain peaks when discussing classic studio icons, the first several decades of moviemaking were dominated by an emphatically crowing rooster, the trademark of pioneering French film company Pathé.  Founded by the four Pathé brothers in 1896, the company, then known as the Société Pathé Frères, soon became the largest film equipment and production company in the world.

Its first major coup occurred in 1902, when Pathé managed to grab the rights to the Lumière brothers’ patents and set about developing their own line of moviemaking gear.  By 1908, Pathé had revolutionized the cinema with the introduction of the pre-feature newsreel, which remained a staple of the moviegoing experience until TV news broadcasting took over in the 1960s.

Nowadays, Pathé remains at the forefront of international production and distribution; the British arm of the company still distributes over 90,000 historic newsreels.  In addition to its various subsidiary companies, the Pathé Gaumont archive supplies moviemakers with an impressive collection of classic film and news footage.  As distribution moguls continue to expand, Pathé has not only evolved with the changing landscape of the moviemaking world, but has also managed to carve out a unique niche for itself, as the guardian of cinematic history. For more information on Pathé’s many activities, visit their website.

October 30th, 2006 | Category: Exhibitor of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Madrid, Spain

Credit: Sony Pictures Classics

If a moviemaker can be named the cinematic patron saint of a city, then without a doubt, Pedro Almodóvar can claim the title for Madrid. Spain’s capital city has served as the vibrant backdrop for all of the acclaimed director’s feature films, from 1980’s Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón to his most recent release, Volver, which opens in New York and Los Angeles on November 3rd. While Almodóvar may be the most recognizable of Madrid’s champions, the city has played host to film sets as far back as 1903.Aside from Almodóvar’s work, Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others and The Sea Inside as well as Julio Medem’s Sex and Lucia rank as some of Madrid’s highest grossing films to date. Occupied since prehistoric times, Madrid’s long history is reflected in its diverse architecture from the expansive royal palace to the industrial sprawl of the Franco dictatorship. As the third most populous city in the European Union, modern-day Madrid is a bustling epicenter of European culture with a vibrant artistic scene. It’s no wonder that so many moviemakers, Spanish and otherwise, have sought out this city to bring their cinematic visions to life.

Other films featuring Madrid include:
That Obscure Object of Desire
Open Your Eyes
Lost in La Mancha
Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
From Russia with Love

October 23rd, 2006 | Category: Location of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Erin Cressida Wilson

Ty Burrell and Nicole Kidman in Steven Shainberg’s Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus.  Credit: Picturehouse Films.

Whether she’s writing for the stage or the screen, Erin Cressida Wilson has a talent for revolting against the norm. Cressida made waves with her first screenplay, Secretary, which told the story of a twisted sadomasochistic relationship with equal parts sensitivity and humor. Now, Wilson and Secretary director Steven Shainberg have teamed up again for Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, which details the highly fictionalized account of how the legendary photographer found her passion for capturing the grotesque. Fur, which stars Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey, Jr.. opens in limited release on November 10th.Aside from her cinematic work, Wilson is also an accomplished playwright, with works including “The Erotica Project” and the 2003 musical “Wilder.” Though sex seems to be a running theme throughout most of her work, the larger issue that Wilson often visits is that of repression. Whether it is Diane Arbus freeing herself from the confines of her upper-class New York existence or Secretary’sLee Holloway finding self-confidence by exploring her kinkier side, Wilson’s work never fails to celebrate the liberation that goes hand-in-hand with living outside the norm. Next on Wilson’s plate is an adaptation of the best-selling novel Can You Keep a Secret?, produced by Kate Hudson (who is also rumored to star). Here’s hoping she’ll give the chick flick genre a much-needed facelift with some of her trademark irreverent wit.

October 23rd, 2006 | Category: Screenwriter of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Michael Apted

There aren’t many moviemakers who have as long and varied a career as Michael Apted. Born in England in 1941, Apted studied law and history at Cambridge University before embarking on his impressively diverse filmography. He’s done Bond flicks (The World Is Not Enough) and award-winning biopics (Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist), but it’s his background in television and investigative journalism that is at the heart of his lifelong project, the acclaimed UP Series.

Originally broadcast as a “World in Action” special in 1964, the series has followed the lives of a group of British men and women since the age of seven, returning every seven years to document the turns their lives have taken. The latest installment, 49 UP, premiered at the IFC Center in New York on October 6th.  Now 49 years old and well into middle-age, the largest amount of original interview subjects to date have returned to be captured by Apted’s camera, reflecting not only on the events of the last seven years, but also on the effect the documentaries have had on their lives.

For those of you who missed out on the previous chapters of this revolutionary project, you’re in luck. In honor of the return of the UP Series, First Run Features has declared October “UP Month”—and is offering a 35 percent discount through the end of the month on the box set, available through their Website. For more information, visit http://firstrunfeatures.com/upseries.html.

October 16th, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Chicago, IL

Stuck halfway between the cinematic hubs of New York and Los Angeles, Chicago, Illinois has come to represent the unique atmosphere of the urban midwest. Though, ironically, most of the Oscar-winning musical Chicago was shot in Toronto, Canada, the Windy City has played host to no small number of cinematic hits.  Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables depicts an Al Capone-era Chicago within the city’s actual streets, capturing such famous landmarks as The Grand Army of the Republic Rotunda and the Chicago Theater movie house. Likewise, John Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is as much an ode to the Second City as it is to youthful spontaneity. While Ferris and his friends play hooky, they visit Wrigley Field, the Art Institute of Chicago and Sears Tower.Several upcoming films have also included Chicago in their roster of locations, including Marc Forster’s Stranger Than Fiction, Gabriel Range’s Death of a President and Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers.

Other famous flicks with Chicago as their backdrop include:

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
The Blues Brothers
A League of Their Own
Road to Perdition
North by Northwest

October 16th, 2006 | Category: Location of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Guillermo Arriaga

Alfonso Cuaròn, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu are three names that might come to mind when thinking of contemporary Latin auteurs. But Guillermo Arriaga’s growing reputation as one of the most intelligent screenwriters in the business has secured him a place on this list as well.A regular collaborator with Iñárritu (he wrote the screenplays for Babel, 21 Grams and Amores Perros), the Mexico City native also won the Best Screenplay award at Cannes in 2005 for Tommy Lee Jones’ The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Throughout his written work (Arriaga is also an accomplished novelist), themes of death and fate dominate the story, and the screenwriter is a self-proclaimed “thanatic” (i.e., obsessed with death) who draws heavily on the dense language of Shakespeare and, more recently, William Faulkner.

Arriaga’s most recent project, Babel (which won Iñárritu a Best Director award at Cannes), returns to the theme of connectivity by following the stories of several families living in Morocco, Tunisia, Mexico and Japan. As in 21 Grams, the lives of the characters gradually intertwine, leading to a poignant commentary on the barriers established by language and culture. With his next film, Jorge Hernandez Aldana’s The Night Buffalo, in post-production and The Buyer’s Club recently announced with director Marc Forster attached, audiences can look forward to more difficult and riveting work from one of the rising stars of modern screenwriting.

October 16th, 2006 | Category: Screenwriter of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

It was almost as if a voice whispered, “If you build it, they will come,” into the ear of Doug Hawes-Davis. Frustrated with the lack of venues for independently-made documentary films, Hawes-Davis sought to fill the void by collaborating with several friends to create the week-long Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in 2004. Luckily for them, the people came. With lines outside the Wilma Theater in the cold Montana winter and 75 sold-out screenings of both new and classic docs, Big Sky became a yearly tradition for members of Missoula’s large arts community.Big Sky continues to grow, as evidenced in the fest’s third outing this past February. The combination of panel discussions, an awards show and, of course, an impressive lineup resulted in a 50 percent increase in attendance and moviemakers traveling from around the world for the weeklong celebration of nonfiction films. But perhaps most impressive is the fest’s mission, in the form of an open letter on Big Sky’s Website: “We are thrilled to bring the theatrical experience of artistic, entertaining and compelling nonfiction film to Missoula,” the fest writes. “Viewers have the opportunity to experience human stories that otherwise would never be shown in this area. These films allow us to connect with and better understand one another, the world and ultimately ourselves.” Big Sky Documentary Film Festival: Changing lives one movie at a time. For more information visit www.bigskyfilmfest.org.

October 10th, 2006 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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The Château de Versailles

Credit: copyright Sony Pictures Entertainment

In the 320-odd years of its existence, it might seem surprising that a scant five feature films have been shot at the sumptuous Château de Versailles in France. Constructed as the residence of King Louis XIV, the chateau became the epicenter of French politics as well as the most extreme example of the decadence that characterized aristocratic life during the King’s reign.From its famed Hall of Mirrors to the expansive gardens, Versailles is perhaps the most luxurious backdrop imaginable, and has been replicated in countless films. But Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, opening October 13th, is one of the few productions that has had the privilege of filming on the actual grounds. The film, which follows the life of the infamous French queen (played by Kirsten Dunst), makes the most of the chateau’s lush surroundings, in particular the “Petit hameau” where the real-life Marie Antoinette played at being a shepardess in the decade before her death. Coppola’s film has a decidedly modern edge, with a young, hip cast and a rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack; nevertheless, the use of the queen’s actual home adds an authenticity to a film which otherwise shies away from the historical events surrounding her life.

Aside from Marie Antoinette, French films Angélique et le roy (dir. Bernard Borderie), La Fayette (dir. Jean Dréville) and Liberté, égalité, choucroute (dir. Jean Yanne) have filmed at Versailles, as well as a 1938 version of Marie Antoinette (dir. W.S. Van Dyke II), starring Norma Shearer in the title role and John Barrymore as her husband, Louis XVI.

October 9th, 2006 | Category: Location of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Anne Aghion

Credit: Allan Ashworth

After producing two internationally-acclaimed documentaries on Rwanda, award-winning journalist-turned-documentarian Anne Aghion set her sights on capturing the experiences of scientists and students working in the still mysterious Arctic landscape.

The film, entitled An Antarctic Spring,began production in August 2006 and will continue throughout the fall. Aghion and her small crew live and work at the McMurdo Station research community, which has greatly impacted Aghion’s methods as a director: “Aside from the three of us on the crew, there’s no one to really talk to about all that’s going on—so that alters the creative process for me.”

In addition, there are a number of technical limitations: Low temperatures, condensation on camera lenses and the tunnel vision forced by thick jackets and hoods. Yet, despite this, Aghion seems dedicated to giving the audience a glimpse of what life in Antarctica truly entails.

“If we can convey the difficulty and the laboriousness of it all, it’ll already be something,” she says. “It’s kind of a Sisyphus situation for everyone in Antarctica; you have to be prepared to perform the same activity over and over again and not be bogged down by the futility of your efforts.”

An Antarctic Spring is set to premiere in 2008 on the Sundance Channel and the Franco-German network ARTE to celebrate the International Polar Year. From more information, visit www.livingantarctica.org.

October 8th, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Terry Gilliam

Terry Gilliam, Brendan Fletcher and Jodelle Ferland on the set of the movie Tideland.

Over the course of his career, Terry Gilliam has come to be known as one of today’s most visually innovative directors. From his early days with “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” where his cut-out animations gave the show a uniquely whimsical appeal, to the cult masterpiece Brazil, Gilliam has proven that in the right hands, darkly intelligent films can also be massively entertaining. More recently, Gilliam has appeared in Louis Pepe and Keith Fulton’s documentary Lost in La Mancha and directed The Brothers Grimm, starring Heath Ledger and Matt Damon. His newest film, Tideland, will be released on October 13.

Tideland, described by Gilliam as “‘Alice in Wonderland’ meets Psycho,” will screen at New York’s IFC Center for a one-week exclusive engagement. As a precursor to the event, IFC Center will present “Movie Night with Terry Gilliam” on Wednesday October 4 at 7:00pm, with the legendary moviemaker and “Monty Python” alum in-person to present a special surprise screening of one of his favorite films. After the screening, Gilliam will discuss his work and the movies that have influenced him in a Q&A session with the audience.

October 2nd, 2006 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Austin, Texas

Douglas McGrath’s Infamous was one of many movies shot in Texas’ capital city of Austin.

“Austin is just simply not like the rest of Texas,” boasts the Website for Austin’s visitor’s bureau. As the capital of the second largest state in the nation, Austin is proud of its artistic reputation—and so it has inevitably played a role in many of the best films to come out of Texas in the last 50 years. Both Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater have based numerous projects here, including From Dusk Till Dawn, Sin City, SubUrbia and A Scanner Darkly. Linklater even serves as the artistic director of the Austin Film Society and both moviemakers are involved with the organization’s offshoot, Austin Studios. Several upcoming movies will feature Austin and its surrounding areas, including the new Truman Capote film Infamous, Linklater’s Fast Food Nation and Mike Judge’s Idiocracy.Other films that pay homage to “The Live Music Capital of the World:”

Blood Simple
Capote
Home Fries
Kill Bill, Vol. 1
Office Space
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Waking Life

October 2nd, 2006 | Category: Location of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Peter Morgan

Peter Morgan wrote the screenplay for Stephen Frears’ The Queen, starring Helen Mirren.

While some might say that dabbling in several different careers is a risky undertaking, screenwriter Peter Morgan has shown himself to be a particularly talented jack-of-all-trades. With successful scripts written for both TV and film and a hit show in the West End and on Broadway, in a few short years Morgan’s voice has emerged as a witty and articulate one, adaptable to a variety of mediums.Though he dabbled briefly in acting during his college years, Morgan quickly found his passion lay in creating stories rather than starring in them. His first play got him talent-spotted at the Edinburgh Festival, and at the age of 21 Morgan found himself in the screenwriting business. Merging the fictional world with the very-real modern political landscape has become Morgan’s forte, best illustrated in the slew of projects being released this fall.

Following their successful pairing for the hit U.K. TV series “The Deal,” Morgan has again teamed up with director Stephen Frears for the royal drama The Queen, starring Helen Mirren as the titular Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II as she deals with the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death. In addition to The Queen, which won Morgan the Best Screenplay prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival, Morgan also co-wrote Kevin Macdonald’s The Last King of Scotland with Jeremy Brock, which is already garnering loads of critical acclaim. With these two sure-to-be-hits landing in theaters this week, we’re guessing that as long as there’s a need for intelligent and captivating movies with a political twist, Peter Morgan will remain one of the indie world’s most in-demand scribes.

October 2nd, 2006 | Category: Screenwriter of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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Colorado Film School

Though it might not be the first place that comes to mind when discussing film production hotspots, Colorado has an extensive history of involvement in the moviemaking world. Colorado was the first U.S. state to form a film commission, hosts the acclaimed STARZ Denver International Film Festival each year and, with the increasing success of the Colorado Film School (CFS), has also proven to be a prime location for those looking to learn the moviemaking craft.The Colorado Film School is a merger between the Community College of Aurora and the University of Colorado Denver and Health Sciences Center. According to CFS director Frederic Lahey, this gives the program both vocational and academic credibility. “We are a hands-on school constantly engaged in production in our classes and as an institution,” he says. “Our equipment and facilities easily surpass all but a few of the major graduate programs in the world, and our growing and talented faculty is committed to student success.”

With a number of resources and a diverse and beautiful landscape to shoot in, CFS provides students with some of the best tools for becoming fully-fledged moviemakers outside of New York and L.A. Says Lahey: “The ideal CFS student is an original storyteller who is focused and driven by a sense of professionalism, who listens to and observes the world around them.” With small classes and an emphasis on first-hand experience, graduates of CFS are sure to enter the workforce with enough experience to get them well on their way to a moviemaking career.

For more information visit www.coloradofilmschool.net.

October 2nd, 2006 | Category: Film School of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

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