In May 2017, it felt surprisingly close. It seems as if with each passing week, there’s a stronger case to be made that we live in the Matrix. Here’s to repairing our sanity with help from our staff’s top 10 picks of the past month’s indie film and business coverage.
1. Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker: James Ivory (by James Ivory)
“Trust your fellow artists. Why would you hire them unless you do?” James Ivory shares words of wisdom for the 30th anniversary of his classic film Maurice.
To break down a script for production, you assign scene numbers and page counts, then break each page into eighths. Easy, right? Not so fast.
“Our film cost $100,000 to make. We grossed $96,000 a little bit more than a year into our release (and we’re still making deals).” Moviemaker Liz Manashil breaks down her film Bread and Butter‘s numbers for us.
“I cringe when people say ‘labor of love.’ I love what I do, but I also love vacations, whales and chocolate lava cake. Making a film is running a business,” says sophomore moviemaker Leah Warshawski. Treat it as such!
This VFX supervisor (The Wolf of Wall Street, Boardwalk Empire) runs through things you need to know when shooting VFX elements.
The next time you watch an impressive and emotionally arresting 30, 60 or 90-second commercial, think about how you can apply your skills to that moviemaking medium.
What do Orson Welles’ F for Fake and an episode of South Park have in common? On Welles’ birthday, watch this video essay to find out.
8. Criterion Crash Course: Woman of the Year (by Kyle Turner)
Rom-com gender politics, palpable screen chemistry—George Stevens’ Woman of the Year has much to teach moviemakers about both and more. Let’s break down Criterion’s new edition.
Is Cate Blanchett the most versatile actor of her time? Her new film Manifesto, in which she plays 13 different characters, is a pretty convincing argument.
For her documentary Losing Sight of Shore, about the all-women, record-setting Coxless Crew, Sarah Moshman had to teach the crew to film themselves while crossing the Pacific. MM
These 10 mob movie slang terms will be familiar only to true fans of gangster…
These actors quit while they were on top, following the old showbiz rule: Leave 'em…
As Shane Gillis prepares to his Saturday Night Live — which once fired him before…
Some old scary movies don't feel scary anymore. Here are 12 exceptions.
Watching the Ryan Gosling action film The Fall Guy, one thing stands out: The lack…
These seven horror remakes tried to improve on movies that were quite good to begin…