Articles – Moviemaking
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The Great Bogdanovich: The Moviemaker’s Varied Film Career Has Always Celebrated His Idols
Peter Bogdanovich has enjoyed a remarkably balanced career as both a film historian and acclaimed moviemaker. His latest documentary, The Great Buster: A... -
Wes Craven Screams Anew
Legendary Master of Horror Prefers to Be Known as a Working Stiff In honor of the late Wes Craven’s would-be birthday, we’re... -
Screenwriting 101: Script Criteria Checklist
As you probably know, finishing (or finding) a script is only the beginning of any moviemaker’s odyssey from page to screen. With... -
Fictionalizing Truth: Lee Daniel’s The Butler & More
We’ve all seen those stately biopics (usually with Oscar aspirations), in which renowned actors portray real-life historical figures (Patton, Queen Elizabeth, Gandhi,... -
Thor Freudenthal Sets Sail with Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
German-born moviemaker Thor Freudenthal started his career in visual effects and animation, working on such films as Stuart Little (which was nominated... -
Wisdom: Sol Negrin on Teaching Cinematography
Veteran cinematographer Sol Negrin, ASC understands the challenges of bringing cinematography from the set to the classroom. Now a professor at New... -
Best Of: The Most Bodacious Surfing Movies
Much like an ocean wave, the surfing movie subgenre has seen its share of peaks and valleys. The innocuous yet charming 1959... -
Things I’ve Learned As a Moviemaker: Kevin Smith
Director, screenwriter, sometimes actor, and all-around major geek Kevin Smith has deep roots in independent moviemaking, filming his first feature, Clerks, in... -
Perfectly Paranormal: Ghostbusting in Film
Where would the world be without the paranormal investigators of cinema? Overrun with evil spirits, demons and other unpleasant creatures, that’s for... -
The Way, Way Back: Coming of Age in Hollywood
Young adulthood has long represented a rich source of inspiration for moviemakers. This confusing and confused life stage offers moviemakers ample room for gross-out comedy, tender drama,...
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Inside the Issue: Acting
Flash Forward: Grace Van Patten Takes a Leap into the Unknown in David Robert Mitchell’s Under the Silver Lake
Many actors will tell you that when you read a great script, you just know. But for Grace Van Patten, it was actually not knowing that...Inside the Issue: Directing
Success in Succession: Matteo Garrone Shot Dogman Entirely in Sequence to Put Viewers in His Character’s Shoes
I wrote the script for my new film, Dogman, 12 years ago, and during those years I changed it many times, arriving at six or seven...Inside the Issue: How To
Journalism Plus: How Hail Satan?, The Brink, and Leaving Neverland Blend Truth-Seeking With Cinematic Storytelling
“Journalism Plus” is how Academy Award-winning moviemaker Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) characterizes making documentaries. If you’re a documentarian, you may not have a degree or credentials in...8