A new, collaborative, open source editing platform

I came across this website which presents quite an interesting future revolution in NLEs. Take a look at Novacut Pro Video Editor.

Trailer: Another Earth

Trailer for the upcoming movie Another Earth directed by Mike Cahill. Reviews applauded it being a truly compelling film. Out in July 2011. Premiered at Sundance Festival 2011.

On the night of the discovery of a duplicate planet in the solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident. - IMDB.com

Check the trailer below:



Sundance Interview:



Featurette - Meet the Artists:

Trailer: Biutiful

The lastest film by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Biutiful starring Javier Bardem. This film, like the characters and locations, is characterized by opposing elements that create conflicts both outside and within the main characters. Unlike Iñárritu's previous film, all of which included multiple narratives and span across countries, this film is centred around one single character in one single city, Barcelona.

Have a look at its trailer:

Trailer: Le Quattro Volte

"L'uomo e':

1) un minerale
2) un vegetale
3) un animale
4) un essere razionale

Abbiamo in noi 4 vite distinte...e quindi.."

A documentary by Italian director, Michelangelo Frammartino.

Trailer: Poetry

Trailer for South Korean drama film Poetry directed by Lee Chang-dong.

Trailer: Cave of Forgotten Dreams

From the director of Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog, a spell-binding documentary about reconnecting with our past.

The Art of the Title

An interesting montage of how the titles of films evolved in time.

A Brief History of Title Design from Ian Albinson on Vimeo.

theartofthetitle.com includes an array of film and tv title design from all around the world in order to honour the creative artists behind the titles which we are so familiar with and we've seen over and over again in a matter of minutes (or seconds) in our favourite films.

Click here to visit the official site.

Walter Murch says...

"Film editing is now something almost everyone can do at a simple level and enjoy it, but to take it to a higher level requires the same dedication and persistence that any art form does."

Walter Murch, ACE
- Film Editor & Sound Designer


2 time Oscar Winner:

1. - The English Patient (Best Film Editing - 1997)
2. - Apocalypse Now (Best Sound - 1980)

Cartoon Movie, Lyon 2011

A very interesting forum that took place in Lyon, France, between the 2-4 March that brought together 700 professionals in the animated feature field. It is very interesting to note that it took place in the very place where cinema was born.

Official Poster of the Event. Designed by Jean-Loup Felicioli.

Presently, Euronews is featuring the event on its Lifestyle section. Watch the feature online here.

Visit the official site here.

Here are some videos (trailer & extract) of already produced animated features:

Chico & Rita
by Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal & Tono Errando



Une vie de chat | Extrait 1 | Au cinéma le 15... by Folimage
A Cat in Paris
by Alain Gagnol & Jean-Loup Felicioli



To view the entire list of selected projects, click here.

Science of the Movies: Motion Control

Yesterday's Science of the Movies episode on Discovery Science Channel, tackled the subject of Motion Control, and host Nar Williams, with his unique take on things, explored how this works in various situations.

Motion Control is described as ways of how you could bring your camera undercontrol with the ability to repeat the same movements precisely through the use of a computer.

MILO

Meet Milo...the super robo-cam.  Here is how Milo can perform the same movements (zoom, track, dolly, rotate on its axis...) and actions (including focusing) in the same way precisely every time.  All Milo needs is one faithful controller.

Here is a video tutorial on the industry's leading software used for Motion Control, Flair by MRMC:



Here is a showreel made entirely of Motion Control footage:

Sergei Eisenstein says...

"The most important thing is to have the vision. The next is to grasp and hold it. [...] You must hold and fix it in your memory and senses. And you must do it at once."

- Sergei Eisenstein
Soviet Filmmaker
(from Film Form, p. 261)

Trailer: I'm Here

Ordinary is no place to be.

Another work of art by Spike Jonze, director of Where The Wild Things Are.

I'm Here Trailer from We Love You So on Vimeo.

Trailer: Nostalgia for the Light

A seemingly interesting documentary which I'm sure is worth a view. From what I have read, parting from the vastness of the universe, the documentary turns its focus "in an opposing and inward" point of view.

Visit Official Site

Good editing is NOT invisible

Since D.W. Griffith, classical film editing has followed suit his style of invisible editing, where editors were trained in hiding edits behind techniques like the Match Cut and Cutting on Action. Now, we meet Dr Karen Pearlman who argues that good editing is NOT invisible in the following clip. Personally, I believe that like a piece of clothing can't exist without seams, the same a film can't exist without editing. Even if there are no cuts at all, the story and story structure are the elements that move the story forward and a source of motivation for each cut (or choosing of not cutting at all). What do you think?




This video clip was retrieved from this site

Documentary: Don't text while driving

This morning, during one of my lectures, a student of mine presented to this class this short documentary he came across. What struck me mostly about this, about the structure of it, is how it was treated. The message is so clear and subliminal but very powerful at the same time. Who would guess that the senders of information are AT&T?

Short Film: Bro

A touching short film about a teenager coming in terms with his brother's disability. I loved it for its simplicity and the how the director managed to exert such powerful acting from the main actors. You could say, you can almost be walking in the main character's shoes. Worth a watch!

Directed by Chris Dundon.

Watch now on BBC film network