Spike Lee films have always stood out for their pacing. “Oftentimes, there isn’t a frame of open space,” says Lee’s longtime editor Barry Alexander Brown. He calls it getting rid of “the business.”
“Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins and DP James Laxton invest a lot in the visual aesthetics of their films. We spoke with Laxton about their approach to “If Beale Street Could Talk.”
For the launch of his newest album, Mike wanted a video that would capture attention while providing a look at his quirky sense of style. He ended up with the Adult Swim-worthy clip for “Escape the Noise.”
Some filmmakers invest heavily in creating spec spots, but if the work achieves an aesthetic or quality that matches the best primetime ads, the effort is well worth it.
One of the touchstones of Guillermo del Toro’s filmmaking is a vivid use of color. Explore some of the most notable ways the ‘Shape of Water’ director has used color to tell his remarkable stories.
Shooting a feature in a single location may appear logistically simpler, but it can be quite the opposite — especially if you’re trying to squeeze as much tension into your project as you can.
Regardless of whether it’s a small documentary or a large production with several dozen crew members, a shot list is key to keeping your production machine well-oiled.
The filmmaking world lost a legend with the passing of Jonathan Demme. A master of the close-up, Demme wasn’t the first director to get up in the actors’ faces, but he was certainly one of the best when he did.