You should see this: Once
Once, by John Carney
Why you should see it: Because once again a small little movie has proven that you can tell stories of love and great drama with very little production effort, without big names but with two video cameras, two of the most loveable movie characters in years and truthful, good music. An academy award in 2008 for the best original song verifies my last statement I guess.
(Watch their acceptance speech: click for video. There is an annoying ad on this website. Click the red PLAY button first, close the ad window and than hit the green PLAY button. Enjoy!)
Memorable quotes: Her: "How come you don't play during daytime? I see you here everyday." - Him: "During the daytime people would want to hear songs that they know, just songs that they recognize. I play these song at night or I wouldn't make any money. People wouldn't listen." - Her: "I listen."
Note: These are not actors playing musicians but musicians playing themselfs. There is a great difference! Don't you forget that and go buy the soundtrack and the two other albums that evolved from the pairing of irish singer/musician Glen Hansard and czech singer/musician Marketa Irglova. They're called "The Swell Season" in case you've wondered...
Film class: Understanding colors in film
Hey folks! Sorry for the long period of no blog postings .. at all. As I posted on the 16th of November our daily business kept us too busy to take care of our blog. We do apologize! (again)
This time in film class I show you a video from the guys over at Red Giant Software who are very well known - within the visual effects business - for their high end software plugins for Adobe After Effects and other vfx software.
Not to long ago they've produced a very neat tutorial on understanding colors in film for their plugin Magic Bullet Colorista. If you live through the cheesy ad in the beginning and the long introduction of the tutorial's host you'll get a very compressed but informative insight on how colors are used and balanced in todays Hollywood blockbusters.
So, if you're interested in that kind of stuff and want to tech-geek-out for the next 20 minutes .. be the guest of Stu Maschwitz and his delightful tutorial "Creating a Summer Blockbuster Film Look".
Random word of the day
Due to a lot of producing and filming we had to put the blog on hold for the last few weeks. We do apologize but we also would like you guys to know, that we know...
You should see this: Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Anvil! The Story of Anvil, by Sacha Gervasi
Why you should see it: Because it's not about if theses guys rock or if they should have been huge stars. The real rock 'n roll drama here is that they had and have it in there hearts - today maybe even more than back in the days - were so close to the fame and never made it.
Memorable quote: "It goes far beyond writing a good song. It has nothing to do with a song. It has to do with a matter of attitude, what you're willing to settle for, who you're willing to work with and having a good time with my life - enjoying my life. That's the most expensive thing in life. The most valuable things in life are your relationships, the people that you know, the places you've been and the experiences you've had."
Note: Nevermind when Lars Ulrich, Slash or the other celebrities are blabbering their lying, douchy and bootlicking comments into the camera. The reality speaks for itself, when Michael Schenker (guitar player of the Scorpions) is introduced.
MTV VMA Design 2009
Again Prologue from Los Angeles produced the MTV Video Music Awards visuals. Director Ilya Abulhanov combines photographic images from New York with elements of contact prints and very well and subtle composed visual effects within the image to a very stylish and fresh motion design. Far away from the usual motion graphics/designs we are so used to see these days. Well done!
Check out the rest of the VMA stuff at the Prologue website and also Ilyas previous work for the 2009 OFFF festival which is obviously the preliminary stage to the VMA design but unique and beautiful in its own way.
In a related story watch the making of this years VMA overall winner Single Ladies by Beyonce:
via Motiongrapher
Trailer – Super Street Fighter IV
Don't get excited about Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kylie Minogue reuniting on the screen for another Street Fighter feature film incarnation. This is a trailer for the actual video game.
Really neat stuff in the beginning - never mind the horrible typo animation (what has happened there?!) - and well edited character previews after that.
via Sehsucht Blog
You should see this: Hunger
Hunger, by Steve McQueen
Why you should see it: Steve McQueen's (not THE Steve McQueen) film about the eventually deadly hunger strike in a Northern Ireland Prison in 1981 is a tour de force in acting and photography. Lead german born actor Michael Fassbender sells the role of the irish strike leader Bobby Sands with such a physical abandonment and acting talent by which you only get a hint of what was going on back then and still feel mentally raped. Honored with several BAFTAS and other awards.
Memorable quote: "Putting my life in the line is not just the only thing I can do. It's the right thing."
Note: Don't bring your kids or food to the screening. Seriously. Don't.
Tck Tck Tck campaign
They announced it in Cannes this year and here it is - the first strike of the Khofi Annan led group
http://www.timeforclimatejustice.org.
60 celebs singing "beds are burning" - all heading for the UN climate conference this december in Copenhagen. Tape yourself saying "Tck" and upload the clip!
Trailer – Up In The Air
Jason Reitman's newest directorial work Up In The Air is about to come to a cinema near you and because of that you should have a look at the trailer...
Up In The Air stars George Clooney as a businessman traveling the world who is about to reach the single goal in his life: five million frequent flyer miles. Of course achieving this is getting interrupted by his company downsizing and forcing him to spend more time at home just when he met his favorite frequent flyer woman .. and so on. A romcom it is. But don't be misguided by the premise of this movie, because judging by Thank You For Smoking and Juno which are Reitmans last two films and the reviews this ain't going to be as generic as it sounds.
