Plow through our staff’s top picks of the past month’s indie film art and business coverage.
“A New Manifesto for F(i)lm:” A (Satirical) Excerpt from Ayoade on Ayoade (by Richard Ayoade)
“No more actors,” cautions Richard Ayoade in his satire of self-scrutinizing artists’ autobiographies. “They are all cowards. From now on just use fishermen and cobblers.”
In this detailed interview, DP Linus Sandgren goes deep into everything visual in La La Land: from making custom Panavision lens and shooting in scope, to capturing single-take dances and observing the colors of the sky.
These doc moviemakers had some clear rules: No interviews, no narration and nothing stylized unless it captures “the truth.
“It’s a Steadicam that I’m carrying and I’m running,” cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen recalls of shooting the single-location cinematic adaptation of Fences. “Denzel [Washington] kept saying, ‘My direction to you is this is like music, music.’”
Acting and activism have long been the yin and yang to Tippi Hedren’s storied career in the arts and, later, in animal rights initiatives. In this interview, she reflects on her courageous work in the proverbial lion’s den—be it on set with Hitchcock or in the political arena fighting for the jungle cats with whom she once shared the screen.
John Cassavetes was notorious for being intensely private, which is why this interview with his dear friend and fellow indie film titan Peter Bogdanovich is an essential window into the essence of his artistic and personal selves.
In our new video series Frame of Mind, moviemakers walk and talk you through their films’ key scenes. Here, Darren Lynn Bousman discusses shooting on location in New Orleans; why he used no close-ups to introduce his villain; how he cut down talky dialogue; and capturing the hyper-stylized “adult fairy tale” vibe of his latest indie horror feature, Abattoir, in two exclusive clips.
Maren Ade and Sandra Hüller discuss the “constellation of actors” in casting, the awkward hilarity of singing and nude scenes and the highs and lows of familial dysfunction in Toni Erdmann.
The Age of Shadows writer-director Kim Jee-woon explains why it’s harder to create tension with an on-screen conversation than with an action sequence.
The Rental House Rules: How to Get the Most of Your Equipment Rental House (by John Bucher)
The camera rental house is the indie moviemaker’s secret weapon. Use yours wisely.
“I’d be acting to a little puppet, just to get the perspective right. And I’m thinking, ‘What the fuck am I doing?'” The ever-candid Liam Neeson on his two new films.
“We would have another screening and everyone would say, ‘What did you do to that scene?! Put it back!’” Jennifer Lame on cutting on Avid, sculpting the flashbacks, and that music.
Exiled from Iran for baring her body, actress Golshifteh Farahani is opinionated and courageous. Now she’s stealing scenes in Jim Jarmusch’s wonderful Paterson. MM
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Heather Graham wrote, directed and stars in the new film Chosen Family, and chosen family…
San Luis Obispo International Film Festival executive director Skye McClennan opened the festivities Thursday by…
Cinematographer Robert Humphreys got creative with lighting to recreate the warm glow of fire and…
Hugh Grant went full-send on his homemade audition tape for his Tony the Tiger role…
A 1950s dinner party that gets spiked with LSD and characters who decide to flip…
Zendaya is opening up about the challenges of starring in the new Luca Guadagnino movie…