Speaking of Mr. Bordwell…
David Bordwell has an interesting post on his site about the sorry state of action scenes in American films today. Girl on Girl action concurs. A lot. (Check both posts out; they’re pretty awesome.) I have to agree, too. They just don’t make them like they used to.
Who Wouldn’t Want to go to Film School?
Yesterday, I told you why going to film school is stupid and pointless. Today, I’ll explain why it can be smart and pointful. When I graduated from high school, I didn’t know any more about filmmaking than what I’d read in Entertainment Weekly. I knew there had to be a writer, and actors. I knew […]
Who Needs Film School?
Reader Sarah asks: I recently graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature, but am very interested in becoming involved with film production. Problem is: I live in Wisconsin. But am very close to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Not exactly the hub of film production. Anyway. The question is: where to start? Obviously, moving to L.A. seems […]
Practical Jokes
There’s a lot of downtime on a film set. Sometimes you play games. Sometimes you play practical jokes. Here are some of my favorites– A friend of mine had one of those screensavers that plays a slideshow of pictures from your computer. Naturally, he chose a file that consisted mostly of Rebecca Romijn in a […]
Merry Christmas, et al.
A while back, I had a Jewish boss. Around this time of year, he told me he didn’t understand how people could possibly be offended by “merry Christmas.” It’s just wishing someone well, after all. So, he sent me Hanukkah cards, and I sent him Christmas cards, and all was right with the world. Makes […]
Who the Hell Watches NCIS?
My parents, apparently. One of the great mysteries for those of us who make television (and if you’re feeling generous, that would include me) is who the hell watches those procedural dramas that take up a good chunk of the Neilson’s weekly top 20. I literally don’t know anyone who watches them. Then, just today, […]
You Can’t Go Home Again
I had dinner at my parents’ house, last night. I noticed that the silverware no longer had the flowery pattern I remembered from my youth. Instead, there were these new, lighter forks and spoons with no pattern at all. This minor change from the last time I was here, a year ago, struck me surprisingly […]
Travels
I just returned home for Christmas. The trip was uneventful. By which I mean, my wife and I were stuck in O’Hare airport for six hours in the middle of the night, and there was nothing to do. Did you know they have a Brachiosaurus? (My spellchecker wants me to write “brontosaurus,” which is wrong.) […]
And While We’re on the Subject…
Coincidentally, John August was also dispensing career advice today. Very few others see such a jump in pay grade as the writer, but his advice is still probably good for anybody climbing up the Hollywood ladder. The one think I take issue with is his $850 per week figure. I don’t know any assistant making […]
Where to Begin…
Reader Robert has a few questions– I have no experience in the entertainment industry – do productions ever consider or hire candidates with absolutely no experience? Having no experience is one of the key qualifications of being a PA. If you had experience, you’d find a better job. But the truth is, you do have […]
Sightings
The thing people in Los Angeles like to talk about most, besides an earthquake, is the last time they saw a celebrity. I’m not really sure why. Seeing famous people is a fairly common occurrence, here. (How we’re the 9th best city for people watching, I’ll never understand.) Just today, I passed an three-time Oscar […]
What a Waste
Making movies is a wasteful business. Back in the day, nothing was thrown out. You’d see the same Greco-Roman pillar in everything from Ben Hur to Caligula. No longer. Everything is either thrown away, or sold to prop houses. Which makes no sense to me. Why throw out the ten thousand outfits you made for […]