3 of Them is the semi-accurate backstory of Coward of the County. In 1977, Larry Gatlin had an oddly heated interaction with songwriter Roger Bowling. The result was an insanely slanderous Kenny Rogers mega-hit. The lesson: don't mess with a grudge-holding songwriter.
WE LIVE!! Not only that; we actually got off our butts and did a little filmmaking. We just got back from another epic trip to Paducah and the Rivers Edge International Film Festival where we debuted our newest short. That means today is online premiere day.
3 of Them is a behind the scenes account of the making of Kenny Rogers’ hit song, Coward of the County. The song itself is a bit weird, but chances are you didn’t know just how much weirder the backstory is. Allow us to share…
How about another free screenplay for your reading pleasure? This should be an intriguing one. James Mangold took an interesting direction for the best (by far) solo Wolverine film; borrowing from Mark Millar's Old Man Logan story in the comics. Without further ado, here is your link...
Let's keep the free screenplay train rolling. This week, James Gunn shared his Guardians of the Galaxy 2 script with us for the low price of nothing. So if you're looking for something a bit more fun and blockbustery than last week's screenplays, this one may be your jam.
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Script by James Gunn
It's that time of year again! I'm under the firm belief that the best way to improve your own writing is to read and study the work of great writers. Well, as luck would have it, we are now incredibly and improbably provided free access on a yearly basis to screenplays vying for Academy Award nominations. So, without further ado, here is your inspirational fodder for 2017...
Sign up for a month's free trial at The Great Courses Plus: http://ow.ly/TBV430beO1W The Great Courses Plus is currently available to watch through a web browser to almost anyone in the world and optimized for the US market. The Great Courses Plus is currently working to both optimize the product globally and accept credit card payments globally. Cinematic sound isn't limited to explosions, musical cues, or the Wilhelm scream. Let's take a few minutes and explore a more theoretical and storytelling-oriented approach to on-screen sound. Press the CC button for film titles. Interview w/Ben Burtt- see the Criterion edition of 'Modern Times' Sources/Further Reading- Composing in Sound and Image by Jonathan Rosenbaum - http://bit.ly/2h70G7h Nightmare Alley: Do We Hear What He Hears? by David Bordwell - http://bit.ly/1MT5g0b You can follow me through: Twitter- twitter.com/andymsaladino YouTube- youtube.com/c/theroyaloceanfilmsociety Music by Chillhop: youtube.com/chillhopdotcom Nothing But Luv by aso: soundcloud.com/aricogle/nothing-but-luv Listen on Spotify: http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify
Your filmmaking lesson for the day comes courtesy of the fine folks at The Royal Ocean Film Society. (And they have to be massive Wes Anderson marks with a name like that, right?) Anyway... we can never have too many reminders of the importance of sound in film. In fact every legendary filmmaker I've ever seen weigh in on the subject agrees that, if they have to choose, audio is more important than visuals; that an audience can acclimate to weird or sub-standard cinematography, but never bad audio.
Here is a fantastic resource for you writers out there: FREE links to the screenplays of every Oscar contender.
Screenwriting is a completely unique discipline. It feels as if you have to rewire your brain to think in script form with all its formatting peculiarities. If I were trying to explain or teach someone how to do it, simple instructions would be nearly impossible on the more subjective elements. How much detail should I give in my action blocks? Should I include any camera/framing directions? Personally I've found nothing is better for finding the sweet spot and getting your mind into the creative rhythm of a script than reading an abundance of screenplays by the writers I enjoy the most or from a specific film that I loved; to see how it translated from page to screen.
In this Cinematography Lighting Techniques Tutorial we create three professional "looks" using only 1 light source and one wall as the background. 3D Lighting Diagrams Created with Cine Designer http://www.cineDesigner.com The first two looks are present in this music video I shot a long time ago.
My favorite cinematography tips are the simple kind because whether I'm on the job or making a short film, we are normally 1) short on time 2) short on manpower 3) short on equipment. So, anytime I can improve my shots and add style in fast and easy ways, I'm going to take notice.
Here are three highly stylized looks using only one light. Yes, they are often used in music videos as the title says, but you should flex that imagination and use them for any application that fits.
The Netflix hit went old-school for its opening credits. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com to get up to speed on everything from Kurdistan to the Kim Kardashian app.
I know I'm not the only film geek that has been burning through Stranger Things and wondering just what process they used to make those retro titles. Did they turn back the dial and do it optically? Recreate the look digitally? ...Turns out a little of both. Check out the whole story with this nice little piece by Vox.
We run into a lot of good filmmaking advice on the webs and the least we can do is share it, right? Hence a new Tuesday feature on ye olde blog.
Tony Zhou put together this great video essay on how to make visual comedy; specifically a comparison of Edgar Wright's style versus most contemporary American comedies. For the most part I think Tony is spot on. Scott Pilgrim was released four years ago and I still think it's a decade ahead of the rest of us. (Full disclosure: I love Edgar and the fact that he isn't making Ant Man makes my heart hurt.)
If you love visual comedy, you gotta love Edgar Wright, one of the few filmmakers who is consistently finding humor through framing, camera movement, editing, goofy sound effects and music. This is an analysis and appreciation of one of our finest comedic voices. For educational purposes only. You can donate to support the channel at Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/everyframeapainting And follow me here: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tonyszhou Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everyframeapainting For further reading/viewing, I highly recommend David Bordwell's essay on funny framings: http://davidbordwell.net/blog/2007/04/30/funny-framings/ And David Chen's video essay on Wright's use of close-ups: https://vimeo.com/85311313 And Ryan Gosling Won't Eat His Cereal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohJtvuCAsp4 Music: Sex Bob-omb - We Are Sex Bob-omb Primal Scream - Loaded Tubthumper - Kick Out the Jams Rob Viktum- 4/17/75 Pete Woodhead & Daniel Mudford - You've Got Red on You / Shaun of the Dead Suite DJ Shadow - Why Hip Hop Sucks in '96
Now, let me interject that Wright didn't invent all of his tricks. You can see plenty of direct reference to guys like Sam Raimi in his work. And most of his films are heavy on action which lends itself to whip pans and sound effects. The same style would be off-putting in a subtle, character driven comedy. However, the point still stands. Look at Wes Anderson who also uses pans and close-ups to similar effect (as well as symmetry and lateral movements) while achieving a different comedic tone. Look at the long takes and masterful blocking of Blake Edwards. The important takeaway is that these directors mine every possible nook and cranny of their gags.
If you don't employ every tool you have visually and aurally, you're leaving laughs on the table. American comedies definitely tend to be lazy or at least stylistically impaired and let the dialogue do all the work.
So, basically, don't be lazy. Like Tony says, everyone's sense of humor is different but no one can argue for lazy filmmaking. If you have a good joke, there's a better way to shoot it. Find the extra laughs and use what could be the boring parts of your script to get creative. Just like the great example of how Edgar moves Simon Pegg from one city to another in Hot Fuzz.
These days, years into the DSLR revolution, shallow depth of field rules the indie filmmaking scene and for good reason; it's a beautiful aesthetic. But now, let's all take a step back and remember that all that bokeh should just be one weapon in your storytelling arsenal.
Let's remind ourselves that deep focus can be a powerful tool as well. This clip is from Citizen Kane. (I know, I KNOW, but the film really is a technical clinic.) So, let's take a look and then I'll make a couple of observations.
Buddy Swan as the young Charles Foster Kane in Orson Welle's 'Citizen Kane.' Haunting photography starkly shows the solitude of the boy, hinting at the forces which will shape his life.
It's an amazing long take (or oner) by Gregg Toland. The first thing that jumped out at me is how carefully crafted the blocking and framing are. When everything is in focus, you need different methods to direct the eye, otherwise you've just got a big ugly mess of a hundred things going on.
It's why most of us hate deep focus. We associate it with a video look because rarely do we construct our scenes and shots as carefully as this one. The window frames the child, there are three staggered levels of depth in the actors' blocking, and even the contrast of wardrobe against the backgrounds sets our subjects off; dark against snow, light shirt against the wall, then dark again in the foreground.