Low/no budget filmmaker blogs daily on subjects like video production, HD cameras, screenwriting, etc.
Harrison Ford has just confirmed he has joined the cast of Ender’s Game. This is one of my favorite books, even when it was just a novella.
Now, the boards at IMDB are full of disparaging comments about Harrison Ford’s acting. There’s even suggestion about Jeff Bridges taking over as Colonel Graff.
Frankly, I can’t think of a better match for the cold Colonel. Jeff Bridges was fine in Men Who Stair at Goats, but you cannot take him seriously as a military establishment kind of guy.
Canon has done quite a bit of “different” thinking when coming up with its new EOS C300 camera/camcorder. Some in-depth reviews can be found here and here.
If you are one of the people who own a DSLR from Canon, you are aware of their current trend to allow the camera to function as a camcorder as well (especially, the 5D Mark II). So the new C300 shows that the Canon can drop their hybrid approach and focus fully on a camera that is like DSLR in terms of form factor but has the feature set of a full-frame movie camera.
The important question is this: “Is Canon EOS C300 going to replace Canon X line, HVX200 or Sony’s new generation of indie video camcorders“. I think the answer is pretty clear – only if you have a pretty impressive budget! The list price of the new camcorder is 20,000 USD with the “real” price being in the 14,000-15,000 range.
So amateur filmmakers can forget about this camera but if you are shooting even a (semi) professional documentary, you could definitely go for it.
I’m talking about Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Yes, the title is quite long and the release date is still a few months off but I’m very excited about seeing Gary Oldman in a meaningful role, i.e. not as a madman (from Azkaban or wherever).
Steven King’s Dark Tower is being turned into a movie. So who’s gonna play everyone’s favorite gunslinger Roland?
Right now, the rumormill places an even bet on Christian Bale and Javier Bardem. Personally, I’m Christian’s biggest fan but at the same time, I must admit Bardem’s perfomance in No Country for Old Men was amazing. What’s even more amazing is that his character is close to Roland in a way.
Turning the book into a movie is great and all, but I’m salivating for an online RPG based on the adventures of Roland. Some of those universes simply beg to be explored personally!
After the commercial disaster that was Revolver (check out the Revolver explanations!), Guy Ritchie moved on to Hollywood projects. Sherlock Holmes was a mediocre movie, although I must admit the art direction was OK.
So the news that Guy is re-making the classic 1981 Excalibur (directed by John Boorman) is met with a lot of hostility on movie buff forums.
The funny side is to the whole thing is picturing Vinnie Jones as Merlin. Excalibur parody? Why not!
Leslie Nielsen is one of my favorite comedians (right next to Mel Brooks). He died of complications of pneumonia in a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, this according to his agent. He was 84.
Tribute to Frank Drebin, his Naked Gun character!
According to NY Times , The Hobbit has finally been green-lighted with Peter Jackson as Director (duh)!
All the usual suspects are rumored to be in the movie, e.g. Cate Blanchett is Galadriel.
Who will paly Bilbo though? Rumors place the honor at Martin Freemen’s feet.
I’m definitely looking forward to it. It looks like it will be in two parts (says IMDB).
It may seem like a remake of the absurd Bay vs Boll match. This time Michael Bay drops the M-bomb.
Yes, Michael has passed on its option to hire Megan Fox for the third installment of Transformers. Megan will probably be OK, she’s red hot property now. The same can’t be said for Michael. Even Cinematical agree to this point.
Maybe it has to do with the fact that Megan likened him to Hitler (Wonderland Magazine):
God, I really wish I could go loose on this one. He’s like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous mad-man reputation. He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he’s a nightmare to work for but when you get him away from set, and he’s not in director mode, I kind of really enjoy his personality because he’s so awkward, so hopelessly awkward. He has no social skills at all. And it’s endearing to watch him. He’s vulnerable and fragile in real life and then on set he’s a tyrant. Shia and I almost die when we make a Transformers movie. He has you do some really insane things that insurance would never let you do.
Yes, usually I review movies, but for once, Robin Hood has not earned the right to a review. More of a rant really.
I was excited to see the Gladiator crew reunite for another movie. They even amped up the female presence by going with Kate Blanchet.
Max von Sydow is another supposed upgrade, well, let’s just say that playing Kins Osric in Conan was better.
Putting all of English history in one movie was bad enough (Magna Carta in a Robin Hood movie??). Twisting history in unimaginable ways was even offensive.
Exhibit A: French troop carriers doing the invasion were a virtual rip-off of D-day craft. Even Caesar in his invasion of Britania knew he needed ships with a keel because crossing the Channel was impossible otherwise.
I even joked to myself that if I see German machine guns on the cliffs, it will be exactly like Saving Private Ryan. Well, you know what? The English archers lined the cliff and the arrows produced EXACTLY the same effect. Even the sound effects were similar.
So my verdict? Go see any other Robin Hood movie. Or go rent Saving Private Ryan, the battle scenes are much better.
I have mixed feelings about the return of the Ridley Scott & Russell Crowe. The Robin Hood trailer seems like a remake of the Gladiator.
Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian? All my doubts are suddenly washed away by a torrent of relief!
Update: It turns out Gladiator 2.0 is about as bland as a Flash RPG game about Robin Hood.
Of course, Star Wars merchandise has little (if anything) to do with the world of independent filmmaking. However, I find the concept of Star Wars sneakers strangely attractive!
Now, Jake was pretty ripped in both Jarhead and Brokeback Mountain.
He takes it to a whole new level for the Prince of Persia. The Jerry Bruckheimer’s production seems to be of epic scope indeed, since Jake has an year to get in character: note the hair, it’s not a wig (I think).
I find it amazing that someone in Hollywood has “underwritten” transferring Prince of Persia to the big screen – as a summer blockbuster too.
Effectively, this is a $150-million one-way bet on video games. Uwe Boll shot video game movies in Canada for 10M and barely broke even. Some even claim he did it for tax purposes, as German investors could write off the losses as an “investment in art.”
I can tell you right now what the NEXT game movie blockbuster is going to be. Sam Raimi was attached as Director to a World of Warcraft movie. Blizzard makes a billion a year in revenues from their hit MMORPG, I’m certain they can fork up $150 million.
Update: Gemma Arterton has been working out and tanning quite a bit too. She confessed she had to shed 10 pounds for the role of the princess. So it’s not just Jake that is a “serious” actor as Daily Mirror put it.
I’m a big Spinal Tap fan and I just caught it on TV. Like good wine, this mockumentary gets better with age! Check out this classic segment:
You’ve probably heard that Blizzard has embarked on a quest to extend the World of Warcraft into a movie franchise.
Wired announced that Robert Rodat (the screenwriter of Saving Private Ryan) has been working on a draft for Director Sam Raimi.
That’s my first concern, when hearing about a game-based movie – the script. Uwe Boll has created a dozen of infamous movies with mediocre (putting it mildly) scripts.
I still think a Diablo horror movie based on Diablo will work MUCH, much better for Blizzard but it’s pretty obvious they want to exploit WoW’s popularity while it lasts. I hope they want to release Diablo 3 first to spark up Diablo’s popularity.
Sony HVR-Z5U is the same Sony HVR Z7U, however, Sony has fixed the lens on this one. Let’s find out if it’s such a good move.
First off, the new Sony HVR-Z5U is affordable – $4200 street price ($4950 list). It’s in the same league price-wise as Sony Z1 and a bit more expensive than Sony FX1 and Sony FX7. It’s very competitive pricing considering a Panasonic HVX200 goes for more than $4,200 – and in some stores it goes to $5,000.
Let’s examine what could make you upgrade to Sony HVR-Z7U – it usually costs about $1,200 more. Both camcorders use the same electronics. The controls and I/O are a bit different but it’s more a matter of personal preference rather than anything “measurable”. The key difference is the lens – the Z7U has a 12x Zeiss lens that can be REMOVED. Just so you know, this is where your $1,200 will be going – giving you flexibility to change the lens.
The lens on the Sony HVR-Z5U is a fixed 20x Sony “G” zoom lens. In this, Sony is consistent – all its camcorders in this range have sported a similar lens – all the way back to (my beloved) Sony VX2000.
If you’re easily impressed by ZOOMs, Sony estimates the 35mm equivalent is 29.5mm – 590mm! Impressive! If you go with the Z7U, it stops at about 380mm. So in practical terms, you get a lot more tele from the fixed 20x lens. Frankly, I’m not a big bird watcher, so zoom isn’t that important to me. However, if you plan to shoot architectural videos, you might need a wider lens (or adapter).
Same as the Sony Z7U, this camcorder uses the new Sony’s ClearVid CMOS with 1440×810 photosites. Through extrapolation (i.e. software), Sony achieves 1080 resolution. The sensor deliver very similar picture to full resolution 1920×1080 sensors which cost a LOT more.
So in conclusion – do you need it? If you already have a Sony Z1 or comparable, you probably don’t need to upgrade just yet (unless money is no object).
If you’re in the market for a new camera, the Sony HVR-Z5U is a very solid choice and comes highly recommended from all the reviewers I follow. The only caveat is the fixed lens but let’s admit it, at $4,200 you won’t find a camera with a removable lens anyway.
Michael Rubin, an author of books on Mac and editing, has decided to give away his Droidmaker book for free!
The book describes in detail the development of nonlinear editing (NLE) and computer graphics. The book is written from his perspective of working with Lucasfilm and Pixar.
I think this could be a valuable tool for independent filmmakers too, after all, the cost of doing computer effects has been falling steadily.
Roman Polanski found himself in jail facing extradition to the USA, when he tried to attend a film festival in Switzerland.
According to the NYT: “Roman Polanski lost his first bid to win his freedom Tuesday as the Swiss Justice Ministry rejected an appeal by the 76-year-old to be immediately released from prison, an official said.”
Galli told The Associated Press that the risk was too great for the government to accept bail or other security measures in exchange for the release of the filmmaker who is wanted by U.S. authorities for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
Polanski was apprehended Sept. 26 as he arrived in Zurich to receive an award from a film festival. Authorities in Los Angeles consider him a convicted felon and a fugitive, and Switzerland says there has been an international warrant out on him since 2005.
His legal representatives are also asking Switzerland’s highest criminal court to free Polanski. Galli said the Justice Ministry has submitted a letter to the tribunal explaining why it opposes release even on bail.
So the Oscar-winning director remains in jail with very little chance to get himself off the hook (again, that NYT story). At the time of his arrest he was working on The Ghost, a movie starring Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor.
Blizzard have just announced that Sam Raimi joins the team working on a Warcraft movie. Now, I can understand where their excitement is coming from. After all Sam Raimi has turned the Spiderman franchise into a goose that lays golden eggs.
And on the surface, you could say that Warcraft and Spiderman aren’t that different. Both are cartoony and appeal to nerds.
However, I can’t imagine what a scrip meeting will be like … in Blizzard’s Global domination HQ. Sam will want to limit the protagonists to a reasonable trio, with one being a love interest and one being the comic relief (see Conan). Blizzard will argue that a party of three will get nowhere even if they have been twinked up. Plus, PVP isn’t balanced in groups of three.
A Diablo movie on the other hand will be Sam Raimi’s dream come true. After all, he made his name with the Evil Dead (at least in my book). Total nightmare, one protagonist… hell, he could use the already excellent Diablo 2 cinematics as a jumping point!
Worst of all, when the Warcraft movie gets awful reviews, Uwe Boll will be telling everyone that he was the first to come up with the recipe for turning a good game into an awful movie.
Karl Malden stars in one of my favorite movies – Patton. Admittedly, the role of general Omar Bradley isn’t the one he’ll be remembered for… but frankly, A Streetcar Named Desire isn’t on my favorite movie list.
What an amazing career – spanning 60 years! Rest in peace.
Recent Comments