February 2021 – Below the Line

End of Week Production Notes 2/26/21: Paramount+ Launch Announcement, Next Fincher Flick and More News

February 26, 2021 Edward Douglas Comments Off

There must have been something in the air this past week as almost every studio and streamer seemed to have news about new projects in development, actor and filmmaker attachments or just general announcements. Part of it might have been the European Film Market (EFM) taking place in (virtual) Berlin next week, but it might also be because New York Governor Andrew Cuomo finally announced that New York City movie theaters would […]

Artist Profile: Composer Nathan Halpern on Swallow and In the Same Breath

February 26, 2021 Edward Douglas Comments Off

Below the Line likes to shine the spotlight on some of the fresher new voices coming from the independent film space, as is the case with composer Nathan Halpern, who has done some amazing work over the past ten years or so. Halpern scored Chloé Zhao’s second film, The Rider, in 2017, and Bing Liu’s doc Minding the Gap a year later – both films receiving a number of accolades […]

Guild of Music Supervisors Announces 11th Annual Award Nominees

February 26, 2021 Staff Comments Off

The Guild of Music Supervisors has announced the nominees for its 11th annual awards, celebrating outstanding achievement in the craft of Music Supervision in film, television, games, advertising, and trailers. The 11th Annual Guild of Music Supervisors Awards ceremony will take place virtually on Sunday, April 11. Maureen Crowe, the founding President of the Guild of Music Supervisors, will receive the organization’s prestigious Legacy Award, honoring those music supervisors who have excelled within the craft […]

Art Directors Guild Announces Nominations for 25th Annual Awards

February 25, 2021 Staff Comments Off

The Art Directors Guild (ADG) announced (via Variety) the nominations for the 25th Annual Art Directors Guild Awards, recognizing excellence in production design, the ceremony to be held virtually on April 10. Ryan Murphy had previously been announced to receive the Cinematic Imagery Award for his films and television consistently representing the highest level of production design. The ADG is a good barometer to see what the art directors in Hollywood and elsewhere […]

Trial of the Chicago 7 Editor Alan Baumgarten on Editing a Sorkin-Scripted Film

February 25, 2021 Daniel Eagan Comments Off

Writer and director Aaron Sorkin tried for years to make The Trial of the Chicago 7, a fact-based drama about the aftermath of riots during the 1968 Democratic Convention to nominate a Presidential candidate. With an ensemble cast, shifting timelines, conflicting narrative threads, and Sorkin’s trademark information-packed dialogue, Trial was not an easy sell. Originally planned for a theatrical release through Paramount Pictures, Trial became a Netflix project instead. Despite […]

Wooden Camera Launches New Canon EOS C70 Accessories

February 24, 2021 Staff Comments Off

Wooden Camera has announced a full range of accessories compatible with the new Canon EOS C70, adding to the line of modular parts to help further the customization camera operators need to fit their personal requirements. Some of the accessories including a contoured Top Plate to expand the C70’s rigging surface and a Mini Top Handle to improve handheld agility. Both of them feature a multitude of ¼”-20, ⅜”-16, and ARRI Standard mounting points […]

DIRECTOR SERIES: Tim Story Shifts to Animated Hybrid for Tom & Jerry

February 24, 2021 Edward Douglas Comments Off

Director Tim Story has been making movies for over two decades, but it wasn’t until around 2002 when Story’s ability with comedy came to the forefront as he directed Ice Cube’s Barbershop in 2002. That was followed by the odd couple pairing of Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah for a remake of Luc Besson’s Taxi, and then a foray into superheroes with 2005’s Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel. Probably […]

Craft Spotlight: Matt Kasmir on the VFX for George Clooney’s The Midnight Sky

February 24, 2021 Edward Douglas Comments Off

George Clooney’s The Midnight Sky, adapted from Lily Brooks-Dalton’s 2016 apocalyptic novel, Good Morning, Midnight, is the type of movie where you would expect there to be a lot of VFX. From the harsh, windy and snow-swept Arctic environment where Clooney’s lone scientist Augustine is stationed, to the spaceship Aether, where some of the last remaining astronauts – played by Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir and Tiffany […]

Next PNYA Post Break Offers Career Advice in Branding and Social Media

February 23, 2021 Staff Comments Off

The next free webinar in the Post Break series held by the Post New York Alliance (PNYA) is called “Leveraging Your Career: Personal Branding and Social Media,” and it will take place on Thursday, February 25 at 4pm EST. FindSpark CEO and Founder Emily Miethner, I/O Psychologist and ICF Certified Coach Dr. Nicole C. Scott and Editor/Producer Steve Hullfish will discuss how the pandemic has altered employment models forever and what individuals […]

Promising Young Woman Costume Designer Nancy Steiner on Creating a Character’s Persona Entirely with Clothing

February 23, 2021 J. Don Birnam Comments Off

Newcomer writer/director Emerald Fennell has received widespread acclaim—including a Best Director Golden Globe nomination—for her feature directorial debut, Promising Young Woman, and rightly so. It’s a film that stuns viewers with its daring, original, and unexpected take on the hot button but fraught issue of sexual abuse. The movie is anchored by an arguably career-best performance by Carey Mulligan, who stars as Cassie, a seemingly troubled woman who roams the […]