"Other Worlds Than These" episode 012.

012: Cinematography.com

Cinematography.com is a great resource for all of your cinematography-related questions. The site's forum membership includes several industry professionals, and they're always willing to share their knowledge with the less-experienced. Whether your query is about film cameras or digital cameras, on-set lighting or post-production issues, it has probably already been answered at Cinematography.com. On the off-chance it hasn't, you can register with the forum and post the question yourself.

Darkness DVD.

Meant to mention this a while back...

Not long after I wrote about Hearts of Darkness, the Apocalypse Now documentary, Paramount announced (finally) a DVD release.

Said DVD is now available. Don't just sit there -- go get it.

Wade scout.

Trap and I went out to the quarry at Wade on Sunday to do a little scouting. Mainly, we were trying to find some areas with enough scale for some wide shots. We didn't find anything as cool as the dry lake bed in Vegas, but, for a rock quarry... not too shabby.

Here are a few photos, with Trap posing for scale...

"Things..." episode 012.

012: Critics are your friends.

Some filmmakers have an antagonistic relationship with the critical community. I don't get that. Critics write about movies. They might write positively or negatively about a particular film, but they're still writing about movies.

Before people can watch a movie, they have to know that movie exists. You can advertise a movie, but that's expensive. The only thing a review costs is a DVD screener and some postage. And maybe a little pride, in the case of a negative review. But if you're making indie movies, you have more pride to spare than cash.

Critics don't just write about which movies are "good" and which movies are "bad." They write movie news stories and interviews, too. So there's always the possibility that a positive or even mixed review can turn into an interview, or at least a notice when the movie is screened in theaters, released to DVD, or shown on television. Or maybe a separate story for each of those events.

I've stayed in touch with several of the critics who praised Hide and Creep. I've met a few of them in person, even drank a few beers with one of them. I just received an email from a critic who wants to help me find a new distributor for Hide and Creep. Good critics are like good filmmakers -- they love movies and want as many people as possible to see good flicks.

There's a lot of talk these days about how inexpensive technology has made it possible for just about anyone to shoot a movie. More movies means the independent movie scene is more competitive. It is less often mentioned that inexpensive technology has also made it easier for people to write about movies, creating more opportunities for people to read about any given movie. Make life a little easier for all those critics -- send 'em a screener of your movie. They might respond by making life a little easier for you.

*I'm not talking about random hecklers, but actual critics who write actual reviews with complete sentences and everything.

Something in The Mist.

Take a few truly terrifying horror setpieces. String them together with some slightly heavy-handed social commentary. Cap it all off with an awful, ill-conceived ending, and you have The Mist.

Here's Ebert's two-star review. Not that he and I necessarily give the movie two stars for the same reasons...

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 011.

011: Grindhouse.

I was going to direct you to Grindhouse, a great example of filmmakers working to give their audience maximum bang for the buck. When it played in theaters, Grindhouse included two full-length feature films (Planet Terror and Death Proof), plus a few fake "preview of coming attraction" trailers.

I guess people thought Grindhouse was too good of a deal, because they mostly didn't go see it.

As a result, the powers that be (Dimension Films), didn't release a Grindhouse DVD. They released the two features separately. And you have to look around on the internet to find the trailers.

Like this one (particularly appropriate for today):

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UH3ihpscL8M

That link is not even safe for work, by the way.

If Dimension ever releases a real Grindhouse DVD, check it out.

And have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Brothers Coen, 2007 edition.

For a movie with such a pessimistic world view, No Country For Old Men manages to be awfully funny. That's no real surprise, considering No Country is the latest film from Joel and Ethan Coen, two guys who know a little something about pessimism and comedy. It's also no surprise that No Country is really, really good, as the Coens' filmography also includes Miller's Crossing, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski.

Check out Ebert's four-star review.