Master Makeup Artist Robin Mathews
To the delight of millions of younger fans, a closeup of the beautiful Kristen Stewart fills the screen in Eclipse, the latest entry in the Twilight series. To realize that image, behind-the-scenes on set in Canada, her makeup artist, the proficient Robin Mathews, had to carefully adjust Stewart’s natural complexion to play her... »
Get Low Director’s First Feature Attracts All-star Cast and Crew
Get Low, a small-budget gem now in theaters, is directed by long-time cinematographer Aaron Schneider, his first time at the helm of a feature film. He had previously won an Oscar in 2004 for best short, Two Soldiers, which he directed. Schneider is also credited as the editor of Get Low. »
New Study: How To Fight The Production Flight From Hollywood
California needs to seriously amp up efforts to reverse the flight of film production from the state, according to a new report from the Milken Institute, an economic think tank located in Santa Monica. The study, “Film Flight: Lost Production and Its Economic Impact on California,” paints a picture of a steady erosion in... »
Director Kory Martin Juul Creates White Tiger Legend Almost Single-Handedly
Literally a one-man army, acclaimed visual effects artist, director and producer, Kory Martin Juul relied extensively on the PhaseSpace motion capture system for production on his new animated martial arts film, White Tiger Legend. Through creative use of the system, and his own martial arts training, Juul was able to capture 572 shots for... »
ILM Bends Fantasy into Reality in The Last Airbender
M. Night Shyamalan brings Nickelodeon's popular animated series, The Last Airbender, to the big screen in a live-action adventure created with the help of the visual effects, 3D matte painting and animation artists of Industrial Light and Magic. Although the team was faithful to the original television show, incorporating key elements, they also needed... »
ARRI Ships first ALEXA Cameras
ARRI announced that the new ALEXA camera is now shipping. Initial delivery priority is being given to customers who purchased the D-21 camera when it was unveiled at IBC 2009, and the company reports that production is being ramped up to meet the pent-up demand. »
Framestore Creates CG Rodent Rappers For Kia
Framestore recently spent three months creating 45 photoreal CG rodent rap stars for David & Goliath's new Kia Soul spot, "This or That." The spot was directed by Partizan's Antoine Bardou-Jacquet. »
Neil Marshall’s Epic Thriller Centurion Takes Editshare’s Lightworks into Battle
EditShare announced that award-winning editor Chris Gill utilized Lightworks to edit Neil Marshall's latest adrenaline-fused thriller, Centurion. Released in the United Kingdom in April 2010, and scheduled for a domestic release in August 2010, Centurion relays the gripping tale of a Pict camp raided by Romans, in an effort to rescue a captured General... »
Below-The-Line Trends: Hybrid Visual Effects Techniques – The Wolfman
As evidenced in films including The Wolfman which many viewers will first see on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def in its release on Tuesday June 1, the new modus operandi in visual effects production for feature films includes a hybrid of techniques and the use of several vendors to service all of the needs of... »
NAB 2010
So let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way first – you couldn’t get on the show floor at NAB this year without tripping over some teetering Rube Goldberg contraption with two lenses on the front. While the idea of stereoscopy was there in force, though, I expected at least a couple of... »
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Director Series
Get Low Director’s First Feature Attracts All-star Cast and CrewAugust 2010 | By Jack Egan
Get Low, a small-budget gem now in theaters, is directed by long-time cinematographer Aaron Schneider, his first time at the helm of a feature... »
Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois show How to Train Your Dragon
April 2010 | By Mary Ann Skweres
Helmed by Oscar-nominated writer/director Chris Sanders and writer/director Dean Deblois (Lilo & Stitch, Mulan), the DreamWorks Animation SKG production of »
Exclusive Film Reviews
Up in the AirDecember 2009 | By Len Klady
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) has an amiable disposition that belies the fact that it’s best to stay out of his path. You see he’s... »
The Young Victoria
December 2009 | By Len Klady
The enduring image of Queen Victoria, whose reign dominated the bulk of the 19th century, is of a benevolent, elderly grandmother. Though she was... »