June 2021 – Below the Line

The Academy Confirms the Rules for the 94th Annual Oscars

June 30, 2021 Staff Comments Off

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Board of Governors has approved the eligibility rules and campaign regulations for the 94th Academy Awards. As expected, and previously announced, the eligibility period for Academy Awards consideration will return to the standard December 31 deadline, so that a feature film must have a qualifying release date between March 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. With theatrical exhibition still impacted by the pandemic this year, eligibility requirements for the […]

Review: The Forever Purge Lets Loose the Very Killer Instincts it Decries

June 30, 2021 J. Don Birnam Comments Off

Amongst the many violent productions in Blumhouse’s expanding film library, The Purge series stands out as perhaps the most visually and viscerally aggressive. Set in a dystopian, future United States where all crime, including murder, is legal for 12 hours, the series has become a sort of political commentary of the evils that could befall our society should certain policy and political problems are not remedied. But with each passing […]

F9 Cinematographer Stephen F. Windon, ACS, ASC, on the Evolution of The Fast Saga

June 30, 2021 Daniel Eagan Comments Off

Since its first entry in 2001, the Fast and Furious franchise has earned some $6 billion, making it one of Universal Studios‘ most valuable properties. F9: The Fast Saga opened in North America on June 25 with $70 million, and has earned almost $400 million worldwide, so far. The plots have evolved from drag racing in East L.A. to international spy conspiracies, while the cast has expanded to include Jason […]

Hump Day News Update: Production is Back! General Hospital Star Stuart Damon Dies, and More News

June 30, 2021 Edward Douglas Comments Off

This was a pretty exciting week for those who have been following production and how things have slowly geared up and reopened under COVID-19 protocols over the past year, because it certainly seems like production is close to back to where it was before COVID shut it all down last March. Four major productions, including three anticipated sequels, began this week with some of the filmmakers and studios sharing the […]

The Visual Effects Society Announces Special 2021 Honorees

June 30, 2021 Staff Comments Off

Today, the Visual Effects Society (VES), the industry’s global professional honorary society, announced the Society’s newest Lifetime members and this year’s recipients of the VES Founders Award. The names of this year’s VES Fellows, Honorary members and inductees into the VES Hall of Fame will be announced at a later date. The honorees and Hall of Fame inductees will be celebrated at a special event in October. Award-winning Visual Effects […]

Review: Black Widow Kicks Off MCU Phase Four With a Messy Family Reunion

June 29, 2021 J. Don Birnam Comments Off

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had to wait over a year for the start of the so-called “Phase Four,” the post-Tony Stark, post Infinity War world of the bulging Marvel movie franchise that has made billions and enthralled the world with 23 prior movies and counting. The wait is over, as Scarlett Johansson will finally be back on the big screen as the titular Black Widow. Whether the wait […]

Director Series: Chris McKay Transitions to Full-Sized Living Actors for The Tomorrow War

June 29, 2021 Edward Douglas Comments Off

Director Chris McKay cut his teeth in animation, spending the second half of the ‘00s, as editor, co-producer and co-director, doing stop-animation series for the Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” brand that culminated in the highly-popular Robot Chicken. In 2017, McKay directed The Lego Batman Movie, released by Warner Bros. Pictures, which was a much bigger full CG animated movie, which already has a sequel lined up for next year. Even […]

How Editor Paul Trewartha Helped Shape Edgar Wright’s Doc, The Sparks Brothers

June 28, 2021 Edward Douglas Comments Off

Edgar Wright’s The Sparks Brothers will be seen as a great achievement for a lot of reasons, not just because it manages to take the nearly 50-year career of Ron and Russell Mael, collectively known as Sparks, and compiles it into a sharp, entertaining and very funny 2+ hour documentary. Much of the heavy lifting was done by Film Editor Paul Trewartha, who literally had so much material to work with […]

Mary J. Blige’s My Life Composer Mervyn Warren Writes Complementary Score to Her Music and Animated Sequences

June 28, 2021 Robin Milling Comments Off

In 1994, Mary J. Blige released the album My Life, a confessional collection of songs relaying her battles with abuse, depression, and addiction. Through the years it became an anthem to her fans, who, facing similar demons, found solace in Blige’s lyrics and music. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Grammy®-winning LP, Director Vanessa Roth brought the singer, and the most influential players in her life together to tell […]

Over the Weekend 6/28/21: Daytime Emmys Winners, John Langley Dies, F9 Box Office Boom, and More News

June 28, 2021 Edward Douglas Comments Off

It was a relatively quiet weekend since our Friday End of Week Production Notes with the biggest news on Friday night, June 25, being the handing out of the annual Daytime Emmys by the Television Academy. The big winners were the long-running soap opera General Hospital, which won for Outstanding Drama Series, while actor Maurice Benard won for playing Sonny Corinthos on the show. The Young and the Restless won a Primetime Emmy for its writing, […]