News & Updates

  • Darren Aronofsky on Why Digital is Not a Replacement for Shooting Film

    Posted by on October 16, 2014

    By Paula Bernstein | Indiewire

    From his low-budget debut feature, "Pi," which he shot on grainy black-and-white 16mm film, to "The Wrestler" and "Black Swan," which were both shot on 16mm color film, to "Noah," which he shot on 35mm, Darren Aronofsky is one a handful of directors working in Hollywood today who continues to use film over digital.

     aaronOf.jpg

    In advance of his being awarded the 2014 honorary Maverick Award at the upcoming Woodstock Film Festival, Indiewire spoke to the director about his thoughts on working with film vs. digital.

    Paul Thomas Anderson, Christoper Nolan and other film directors have been vocal about the need to keep film alive. Where do you fall on the film vs. digital debate?

    The biggest issue I have with video is the death of the eyepiece. I shot a small project on video recently and everyone is staring at a TV screen. That was really shocking to me -- that the operator was working off of a monitor and not putting his eye against an eyepiece -- because the technology of that is really great and getting a ground glass where you can look through the lens is not really happening, which is really scary to me because that power of staring through the lens at your actors through the actual light that's happening -- losing that part of the process terrifies me because when you're staring at a TV screen, you're not fully focused on the universe of what's happening through the lens in the same way you are when you look through an eyepiece. So that's a real issue and was a real issue for me as a filmmaker. 

    But look, film is amazing. The alchemy is so amazing when you shoot something and you don't know what you have until 24 hours later or sometimes if you're shooting in a really weird location, sometimes much longer. There's something almost like gambling. There's this adrenaline where you're waiting for the magic of the chemicals to unleash the image.

    With video, that type of magic is gone and it's the instant gratification thing where you're almost looking at your finished image in front of you. I don't think it's just nostalgia. I think something happens in the chemistry that is part of the process.

     noah.jpg

    But having done "Noah" in 35mm, it's a very tricky time and it's a very difficult time. It's hard unless you have tremendous resources to pull it off now. I think when we did "Noah," it was basically the same exact price to do video or film and the studio was like 'you choose,' which was probably one of the few times where that's happened because the price difference was negligible between the two.

    There were other issues, but a big issue that came up was we couldn't find a second AC to work on our 35mm film because they're not being trained in that art any more. They're all being trained in how to service a video camera and then when [Hurricane] Sandy happened and we were shooting and the lab shut down because we lost electricity in lower Manhattan, it caused other problems. The chemical baths went bad and it took us a long time to get going.

    So there's that risk and that danger, but then the upside is these incredible versatile cameras that you can do amazing things with as far as where you can place them and work them and use them. I think it would be incredible if both options stayed alive for as long as possible. Chris [Nolan] called me when there was a campaign to help Kodak and I did what I could with the relationships that I have because I think it's a great art form and that if it dies, something is going to be lost. It's not a pure replacement. I really took advantage of film on "The Wrestler" and "Black Swan," which were both shot in 16mm film for the aesthetic of the grain. If you look at Matty's (cinematographer Matthew Libatique) work on "Noah," we really worked with what the film stock could do for us. I think the art form changes and the story changes as the media changes.

  • PRODUCED BY: NEW YORK at Time Warner Center

    Posted by on October 09, 2014

     PBNY1200x630_(2).png

    For six years, the Produced By Conference has sold out in Los Angeles. On October 25, the industry’s top forum for producers arrives in New York for one day only.

    How has digital distribution changed the business plan for independent film? What do you need to know to produce video games?  How do you create and sell content for young audiences? What does it take to get a series greenlit for cable TV? Produced By: New York gathers dozens of the most celebrated names in the entertainment business to answer those and other key questions. Where else will you be able to hear from figures like Harvey Weinstein, James Schamus, Donna Gigliotti, Terence Winter, Bruce Cohen, Mark Gordon, Jenni Konner, Lori McCreary, Stephen Totilo, Tom Fontana, Gary Lucchesi and yes, even Cookie Monster on the same day?

    Built around sessions like “Window Shopping: Customizing Financial Models in the Era of Hybrid Distribution,” “The Ms. Factor: The Power of Female-Driven Content” and “Tax Credit Financing – The New Essential Element,” Produced By: New York likewise provides opportunities for networking, socializing, and the popular small-group Mentoring Roundtables. If you’re producing entertainment content in New York, you owe it to yourself to be there.

    Registration is open and sessions are filling up, so REGISTER NOW as an Industry/Affiliate/Partner at producedbyconference.com. NALIP members receive $25 off with this discount code: PBNY14NALIP. (*Note: code expires 10/10)

  • Screamfest Horror Film Festival

    Posted by on October 09, 2014

     TheHouseAtTheEndOfTime_3_(2).jpg

    Screamfest Horror Film Festival runs Oct. 14-23 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres. La Casa del fin de los Tiempos (The House At The End Of Time) directed by Alejandro Hidalgo will have its U.S. premiere on Sat., Oct. 18th at 4PM. This is not only his debut feature film but also the first Venezuelan film of Suspense and Terror. Screamfest is showcasing a few other talented Latin directors in its shorts competition, Colombian director Alexander Quezada tells a story that from irony portrays a reflection of how things work in a small Latin American society in his hilarious short film Zuga Zombie on Sunday, Oct. 19th at 2:30PM. Mexican film students Antonio Yee and Molo LoBiondo compete in the Student Shorts Program on Saturday, Oct. 18th at 12PM. Last year’s winning short film LUNA was directed by the very talented Antonio Perez.

    Screamfest showcases the best genre cinema from around the world. For the full schedule and tickets - Opening night is Oct. 14th with the world premiere of PARLOR followed by the opening night party at Madame Tussauds. Tickets are available on the website. 

    LOGO_2014_(2).jpg

  • The 2014 NCLR ALMA AWARDS Live!

    Posted by on October 09, 2014

    nclr.png

    The National Council of La Raza (NCLR)—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Through its network of nearly 300 affiliated community-based organizations, NCLR reaches millions of Hispanics each year in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Founded in 1968, NCLR is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization headquartered in Washington, DC, serving all Hispanic subgroups in all regions of the country. It has state and regional offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, and San Antonio.

    NCLR and the NCLR ALMA Awards

    In 1995, NCLR created the NCLR ALMA Awards as part of its strategy to promote fair, accurate, and balanced portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry. The name “ALMA” (“American Latino Media Arts” and Spanish for “spirit” or “soul”) represents the determined spirit of the Latino community and reflects both the spirit and scope of the awards program. The NCLR ALMA Awards is the only nationally broadcast English-language show recognizing the accomplishments of Latinos in American entertainment and media. The NCLR ALMA Awards remains a unique television entertainment special with a cause: to highlight how inclusion strengthens the entertainment industry and diversity strengthens our country—an integral part of NCLR’s mission.

    The Vision

    NCLR’s vision is a strong America where economic, political, and social advancement is a reality for all Latinos, where all Hispanics thrive and our community’s contributions are recognized. To achieve this vision, NCLR focuses on conducting programs and engaging in advocacy in several key areas.

    The 2014 NCLR ALMA Awards Live on MSNBC, Tune in October 10 | 10E / 7P

  • Pepsi Will ‘Do What Hollywood Can’t’ via Digital Video

    Posted by on October 09, 2014

     pepsi.png

     via video ink

    Where Hollywood is failing to meet the needs of today’s content consumers, PepsiCo’s CMO of global consumer engagement, Frank Cooper III, says others in the entertainment world will pick up that slack. As he told TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman at its annual media conference, TheGrill, “If [Hollywood] doesn’t evolve, someone will fill that place of telling stories, especially across these new delivery systems.”

    So who’s filling that storytelling space so far? According to Cooper, it’s the likes of Maker Studios and Fullscreen…but it’s not their direction that PepsiCo brands are heading in when it comes to video content.

    Maker and Fullscreen represent the aggregation content model, gathering creators and networks that needn’t have anything in common other than the fact that they put out popular videos. PepsiCo, on the other hand, is leaning towards a model that’s “about having a particular cultural point of view and then drawing in creators around that,” explained Cooper. He considersAwesomenessTV an example of this POV-first structure.

    “Brands that are within the Pepsi system are moving more towards that model,” Cooper said, “because a brand has to stand for something…that’s where the action is for us.” Thus, PepsiCo is working on platforms where its brands can put out content under a certain cultural niche. Brands need to engage viewers with a story, these days, and PepsiCo’s will be telling theirs online.

    A multitude of PepsiCo brands already have YouTube channels, from Pepsi (of course) and Lays to Gatorade and Starbucks.

    Notably, the marketer also has a partnership with Maker Studios, an aggregator, to co-create branded content through the [email protected] program.That deal was announced during the MCN’s Newfront in May.

    Here’s an excerpt of Cooper’s interview at TheGrill:

     

Get the latest from NALIP news in your inbox. Sign up right here.

  • Rodrigo Reyes' PURGATORIO, Opens Friday at Laemmle's Noho

    Posted by · October 09, 2014

    purg.jpg

    PURGATORIO

    A Journey Into the Heart
    of the Border

    A film by Rodrigo Reyes

    (US/Mexico, 80 min.
    In Spanish with English subtitles)

    Opens Friday, October 10 
    Laemmle's Noho 7
    5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA
    www.laemmle.com / (310) 478-3836

    Watch the trailer / Buy Tickets / Official Website

    Reyes’ provocative and riveting essay film reimagines the U.S./Mexico border as a mythical place comparable to Dante’s purgatory, and leaving politics aside, he takes a fresh look at the brutal beauty of the border and the people caught in its spell.

    By capturing a stunning mosaic of compelling characters and broken landscapes that live on the both sides of the border, the filmmaker reflects on the flaws of human nature and the powerful absurdities of the modern world. An unusual border film in the auteur tradition of caméra-stylo, Purgatorio ultimately becomes a fable of humanity, an epic and visceral experience with powerful and lingering images.

    Winner, Best Documentary - New Orleans Film Festival
    Winner, Michael Moore Award - Ann Arbor Film Festival
    25 New Faces of Independent Cinema - Filmmaker Magazine
    Official Selection - MoMA's Documentary Fortnight
    Official Selection - Guadalajara Film Festival

    A Matson Films release

  • Cristela Alonzo On Being the First Latina to Write and Star in Her Own Show

    Posted by · October 09, 2014

    64594-wppt_main_1873062030.jpg

    BY Kiko Martinez

    Comedian Cristela Alonzo admits she’s been a bit surprised at how much control the ABC network has given her with her new semi-autobiographical sitcom Cristela, which debuts this week. Despite her initial disbelief, it’s a position as a decision maker she feels she needs to have if her new show is going to become a staple in the TV landscape.

    On the show, Alonzo, who was born in San Juan, Texas, plays the title character, a Mexican American graduate student working as an unpaid intern in a prestigious law firm and hoping to reach her American Dream to become a lawyer and move out of her sister’s house. Before her big break with the ABC series, Alonzo wrote for the Comedy Central show Mind of Mencia and was a featured stand-up comedian on shows includingLast Comic Standing and Gabriel Iglesias’ Stand Up Revolution.

    We sat down with Cristela to talk about TV shows she grew up watching and what she thinks the key is to making Cristela a success on ABC.

    Why do you think it has taken so long for a Latina stand-up comedian to get her own sitcom?

    I think it took long because it’s hard to get a TV show on the air, period. I think you stand out more when you’re brown. I mean, the chances of anyone of any race getting their own show are like .001 percent. It’s a longshot either way. I think with Latinos, we are just at that time where we’re finally a big enough number that you can’t ignore that we’re here anymore. We’re such a big part of the country that you have to have something, someone [on TV] that represents who we are. That’s what I like the most about the ABC fall schedule – it’s so diverse. I think it’s the only network that does such a great job at representing what the country looks like.

    Growing up, was there anyone on TV you could identify with yourself?

    You know, because I grew up in McAllen, we would watch Televisa a lot. The comedy I liked was Roberto Gómez Bolaños – Chespirito. I liked how big the character was. I think from him I learned how to be big – to be silly and not be ashamed of it. I also connected with the show Roseanne because Roseanne’s family struggled. My family struggled. Even though she was white and I was Latino, our families had the same problems. That’s what makes a good show. It doesn’t target one group. It tells a story everyone gets. So, for me, when I saw the show I was like, “Oh, yeah, they can’t afford to buy Becky the dress she wants because it’s expensive.” I totally got that.

    I love Roseanne. I have this theory that on the show, the chubbier she is, the better the season. As the series continued, I think she got too…

    Glamorous.

    Yeah, and then the writing changed and the show jumped the shark when the family won the lottery.

    Oh, I stopped watching it when they won the lottery. It was a different show. She had this appeal in the early seasons. She was like everybody. I understand a lot of celebrities lose weight because they have the opportunity to get in shape and become healthier, but when you get so polished, you can’t tell the story of a blue-collar family anymore. I’ve had people ask me, “Why would you do network TV if all the popular shows are on cable?” Well, this story is about a working-class family, so I wanted to be on a channel that working-class families can get. If they have to, they can get an antenna and watch the show. I can’t tell the story of a poor family on a premium channel that you have to pay $20 a month to watch.

    We’ve had Latino-themed shows on network TV before. Some of them worked for a while like The George Lopez Show and some of them fell off the face of the earth like Rob. How do you think Cristela is going to change the current TV landscape?

    Well, when this project was first announced, a lot of the feedback I got was from people who were afraid [the show] was going to be stereotypical or the network was going to make me change it somehow or they were going to make it into what they though a Latino show should be. But with this process, I have been surprised with how much power they have let me have, which is all of it. From the beginning, I told myself that in order to do this show right, you have to be honest. You can only tell stories you know and be authentic in that way. The moment you stop being authentic, people won’t want to watch it because they know you’re fake. Why does anybody want to watch something that’s not real? With this show, I have a say in everything. I even help decorate the set. I went around and took [props] off the set that I thought were too much. Everything that felt like home, I wanted to do. Even with storylines, something would get pitched and I would say, “Well, my family wouldn’t do that. Let me explain to you why.” What I loved is that the only thing they needed from me was an explanation to why not. The moment I gave them that explanation, they were fine with it, which shows how much faith they had in me. I think you need that to have a show like this succeed.

    I’m assuming it’s a little easier to get exactly what you want when you’re one of the writers of the show.

    I write on the show because I want to make sure the show is done right. I don’t want to give up that power because I know that the name of the show is my name. I have to represent it. I mean, whether this show fails or succeeds, I want to do it my way and make sure I did everything I could to keep it authentic.

    Speaking of authentic, the scene in the pilot episode where someone mistakes you for a cleaning lady in the law office hit close to home for me. One time, I went to a black-tie affair and as I was walking to the restroom, this lady snapped her fingers at me and pointed to her plate. She thought I was one of the waiters. How should have I responded to that? I really had no idea what to say and didn’t want to embarrass her, so I just pointed to the kitchen and walked off.

    It’s so funny because I’ve had people ask me why I had that scene in the pilot. The people that ask me are people that have never experienced that. Some of those people would tell me, “Oh, but that doesn’t happen anymore. We’re past that.” I’m like, “No, it still does happen and it happens quite a lot.” I wanted to have that scene in the show because I want people to know that it still happens. For me, what I find most important in those situations – and what the character does in the show – is that I don’t take it serious and I make everything lighthearted. Once I let it get to me, I give those words power. The moment that happens, then they win.

    Would you have signed on to this show if, instead of playing this intern at a prestigious law firm, the producers wanted you to play a maid?

    I wouldn’t have. If I had been offered a show to play a maid I would’ve turned it down because I feel like those stories have been told enough. I want to make sure I’m telling stories about other people we haven’t seen before.

    Even a devious maid?

    (Laughs) Even a devious maid. I just feel like that’s a project for other people. I just want to tell stories about everyday Latinos struggling to get by and trying to achieve the American Dream. I want to show audiences that we’re just like everyone else.

    Don’t miss the Cristela season premiere on Friday, October 10 at 8:30pm on ABC.

    Check this on on Remezcla.