So it's officially Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival season here in Birmingham, and I'm already hurting. And I haven't even seen a movie yet. I thought tonight might be the end of me, as I was working on too much beer and not enough sleep. Then Interplanetary actor Michael Shelton went down to Marty's and brought me back the best damn grilled cheese sandwich I've ever had in my life.
Thanks, Michael.
Speaking of Mr. Shelton, I'm playing a set with his band, Michael Shelton and the Effect, tomorrow for Sidewalk. We'll be at the Speakeasy at 8:00 p.m. -- stop by if you're in the neighborhood.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
"Other Worlds Than These" episode 003.
003: The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.
If you're a fan of films and filmmaking, you should check out the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. Sidewalk, Birmingham, Alabama's original film festival, celebrates its ninth year this weekend.
From what I can tell, this year's fest features a particularly strong batch of features and short films. I can personally vouch for The Ten, Murder Party, Blood Car, and Lunch, and I'm excited to see Great World of Sound, American Fork, and Cup of Joe, among others.
It's not just about watching movies, though. Sidewalk is known as a social film fest where filmmakers and film watchers can freely interact. If you'd like to pick the brains of all different kinds of filmmakers, Sidewalk is a great place to do it.
The Sidewalk guys were nice enough to ask me to moderate a panel on horror/comedy movies featuring the Murder Party and Blood Car filmmakers. So I guess I'll be doing a little brain-picking myself. If you make it to the festival, try to stop by my "SideTalk" panel. It'll be at 4:00 on Saturday afternoon.
If you're a fan of films and filmmaking, you should check out the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. Sidewalk, Birmingham, Alabama's original film festival, celebrates its ninth year this weekend.
From what I can tell, this year's fest features a particularly strong batch of features and short films. I can personally vouch for The Ten, Murder Party, Blood Car, and Lunch, and I'm excited to see Great World of Sound, American Fork, and Cup of Joe, among others.
It's not just about watching movies, though. Sidewalk is known as a social film fest where filmmakers and film watchers can freely interact. If you'd like to pick the brains of all different kinds of filmmakers, Sidewalk is a great place to do it.
The Sidewalk guys were nice enough to ask me to moderate a panel on horror/comedy movies featuring the Murder Party and Blood Car filmmakers. So I guess I'll be doing a little brain-picking myself. If you make it to the festival, try to stop by my "SideTalk" panel. It'll be at 4:00 on Saturday afternoon.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Night shift.
We spent 20 or so hours of the weekend filming at DeSoto Caverns. Call time for both days was 7 p.m., which means we didn't finish Saturday's shooting 'til around 7 a.m. on Sunday. It was kind of weird, wrapping up the shooting day, coming out of a cave into the light of morning.
Many thanks to the Johnny, Tim, and Al at DeSoto Caverns for their hospitality. And many thanks to the weekend's cast and crew for putting in the long hours.
Some photos from underground...
Many thanks to the Johnny, Tim, and Al at DeSoto Caverns for their hospitality. And many thanks to the weekend's cast and crew for putting in the long hours.
Some photos from underground...
"Things..." episode 003.
003: Film and where to buy it.
A reader recently asked about a good place to order motion picture film stock. As I mentioned back in February, it can be difficult to find these days (especially 16mm, even though it seems like plenty of people are using it).
For Interplanetary, I've been ordering Fuji color stock (plus a little Kodak black and white) from the good folks at Film Emporium. They always seem to have whatever I need on hand, their prices are good, and the customer service is excellent. I expect all their salespeople are solid, but I can vouch for Darren in particular.
As for whether to use Fuji or Kodak color stock, the Fuji is a much better deal -- $112 for 400 feet of Fuji vs. $136 for a comparable Kodak roll. I've used both (we shot Hide and Creep on Kodak), and I like the look of both. There are subtle differences between comparable stocks (say Kodak's Vision2 500T vs. Fuji's Eterna 500T), but I can't see that Kodak's is any better than Fuji's, much less $24 a roll better.
A reader recently asked about a good place to order motion picture film stock. As I mentioned back in February, it can be difficult to find these days (especially 16mm, even though it seems like plenty of people are using it).
For Interplanetary, I've been ordering Fuji color stock (plus a little Kodak black and white) from the good folks at Film Emporium. They always seem to have whatever I need on hand, their prices are good, and the customer service is excellent. I expect all their salespeople are solid, but I can vouch for Darren in particular.
As for whether to use Fuji or Kodak color stock, the Fuji is a much better deal -- $112 for 400 feet of Fuji vs. $136 for a comparable Kodak roll. I've used both (we shot Hide and Creep on Kodak), and I like the look of both. There are subtle differences between comparable stocks (say Kodak's Vision2 500T vs. Fuji's Eterna 500T), but I can't see that Kodak's is any better than Fuji's, much less $24 a roll better.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Maybe I'll just write one movie review.
A few weeks ago, I said I wouldn't be writing any movie reviews. Then Wade Kwon asked me to write a review of The Ten for his web site, since Wade is on top of all things Birmingham, and The Ten will be opening Birmingham's Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival next weekend.
So I wrote a movie review. But just for Wade. For this blog, I'll keep to the practice of linking to other reviews.
Speaking of, Death Proof came out on DVD Tuesday. It's not a perfect movie, but it's worth watching just for the awesomeness that is Kurt Russell.
Here's Vern's brilliant (and profane) Ain't It Cool News review.
So I wrote a movie review. But just for Wade. For this blog, I'll keep to the practice of linking to other reviews.
Speaking of, Death Proof came out on DVD Tuesday. It's not a perfect movie, but it's worth watching just for the awesomeness that is Kurt Russell.
Here's Vern's brilliant (and profane) Ain't It Cool News review.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
I love my mom.
Mom just called to let me know that she's put together a new space suit for us, plus several space suit accessories, two days ahead of schedule. Even though I didn't ask for any of it 'til the last minute.
My mom rocks.
(And my dad does, too. He delivered all the raw materials to Mom for me on Monday, plus he bought me lunch!)
My mom rocks.
(And my dad does, too. He delivered all the raw materials to Mom for me on Monday, plus he bought me lunch!)
"Other Worlds Than These" episode 002.
002: American Cinematographer magazine, www.TheAsc.com.
Are you a camera nerd? Have you ever consulted a dept-of-field table? Do you own a light meter? Heck, do you even know what a light meter is? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, American Cinematographer might be the magazine for you. Through interviews with directors of photography and other camera crew members, AC covers everything involved in getting an image from the real world to the silver screen, from the lights, lenses, cameras, and film stock used on the set to the processing and color timing in post-production.
American Cinematographer isn't the cheapest magazine around, but I think it's well worth the subscription price. If you want a free, in-depth sample, you can read many past magazine articles in their entirety at www.TheASC.com. For starters, check out these stories about Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and the original 1977 Star Wars.
Are you a camera nerd? Have you ever consulted a dept-of-field table? Do you own a light meter? Heck, do you even know what a light meter is? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, American Cinematographer might be the magazine for you. Through interviews with directors of photography and other camera crew members, AC covers everything involved in getting an image from the real world to the silver screen, from the lights, lenses, cameras, and film stock used on the set to the processing and color timing in post-production.
American Cinematographer isn't the cheapest magazine around, but I think it's well worth the subscription price. If you want a free, in-depth sample, you can read many past magazine articles in their entirety at www.TheASC.com. For starters, check out these stories about Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and the original 1977 Star Wars.
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