Monday, July 28, 2008

No New Robin Hood and The Old School

Geek is the new cool

Ok, let's talk film. I don't know about this Comic Con thing. It's prett much turned into a circus. It is trying to be a good spring board event to launch projects and now, it appears to be out of control. There are tens of people who are there specifically trying to video tape trailers so that they can rush to put them on you tube. I say to all this, does it realy matter? Some of the film that is getting hyped at Comic Con will have a small shelf life as it is. I mean Pineapple Express? At Comic Con? The target audience for that film with most likely wait for DVD. Superman Returns was at Comic Con a while back, they released some secret footage for FANS ONLY. However now that film is all but forgotten. So I can say is that it is a way for Comic Book fans to indulge, but as a launching pad for other ideas, its a lot of fluff. I may be wrong, if so please comment. Whoever.

BBC We we we!

Here's a nice story. Ridley Scott, the really talented director of Alien and Gladiator has posponed his project Nottingham indefinitely. I am not suprised about this. I was surprised the thing got greenlighted in the first place. I mean this idea of another Robin Hood was a much needed as a new Paris Hilton film. Why are we wasting polyethelene for film on her anyway amazes me. Anyway, yet the studio and Scott blame other factors than the obvious factor of the script having problems. They say that is not green enough yet to film in the forest in England. Now since when has backround location ever been a problem for filmmakers? We can film space films with ease and yet Scott is worried about the greenery.

Well this too is fluff. This two is nonsense that is used to cover up what is really going on. Remember they will never tell us the truth in fear up us laughing at them. Yet we as Hollywood players know way better and we can read between the lines. Well the article does say that the script has problems. But they cover it up with these other excuses. I wish they would just say that they have a crappy script not because the writers suck, but because there is nothing new to say about this subject. Yes that BBC show is cool to watch, I have seen it and it is good. But the success of that is no reason to dip into a tired subject. It is just too painful for everyone involved.

This use of shadow is no accident

I saw a great show over the weekend on my new favorite channel, Ovation TV. The show was a special where Martin Scorsese talks about his favorite moments in film that have infulenced him. I don't remember the name, but he talks about film pre 70's. i don't really follow film pre 70's film so this was an education for even me. I know imagine that. Well there is a bunch of things to say about this. One, Scorsese mentions that film is just a manipulation of light. And it is. The first thing that comes to my mind about this is the use of shadow. Directors to now use shadow like they can. If you remember the teaser trailer for Indiana Jones 4, you see Spielberg use a shadow when he introduces Harrison Ford. Now this is no accident. This is careful directing. More directors need to use shadow.



One of the best directed films in my opinion ever, is Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. This film is a marvel in directing. It is fiercely wonderful in its manipulation of the camera. These birds are not dangerous. They are just a lot of birds flying around making noise. Yet, due to the sound, camera and performances, we are made to believe that these birds are deadly. And man does this work. I am going to start to talk about pre 70 film. That is film before the revolution of the 70's where Jaws changed everthing. Film was an art form at one time. It took time, care and effort to produce a qualit work of art.



In the clip above Frank Capra, the lengendary director of It's a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. He says that film should be the work of one man. Its should never involve a committee. This is the way it should be I think. Film should be one person's vision. Now we have focus groups and execs that direct the film more than the director does. Execs listen to the Miley generation before they listen to the director. And this happens all the time. As a filmmaker, you have to study the classics and learn to use your shadows and light. It may not make you rich, but it will make you better than them. Cause THEY are ruining the art of film. And I would like to believe it still exists. Until Tomorrow, Let's talk film!