Articles by Daniel Eagan

Avatar: The Way of Water
Awards

Avatar: The Way of Water Editor Stephen Rivkin on Shaping the Sequel’s Story, Cutting the Movie Twice, and James Cameron’s Approach to 3D

December 27, 2022 Daniel Eagan Comments Off on Avatar: The Way of Water Editor Stephen Rivkin on Shaping the Sequel’s Story, Cutting the Movie Twice, and James Cameron’s Approach to 3D

With a worldwide haul of nearly a billion dollars after just 10 days in global release, it’s safe to say that James Cameron‘s long-awaited Avatar: The Way of Water — the first of four planned sequels to 2009’s mega-hit Avatar — is on its way to becoming another smashing success. Years in the making, the sequel once again stretched the technologies of moviemaking. Motion capture was just the first step […]

Violent Night
Crafts

Violent Night Stunt Coordinator Jonathan “Jojo” Eusebio on Training David Harbour to Deliver Season’s Beatings, and His Love for Hong Kong Action Movies

December 21, 2022 Daniel Eagan Comments Off on Violent Night Stunt Coordinator Jonathan “Jojo” Eusebio on Training David Harbour to Deliver Season’s Beatings, and His Love for Hong Kong Action Movies

What’s Santa Claus doing sitting in a dingy bar? “The whole planet runs on greed,” he complains to patrons before downing another shot and lamenting the long, reindeer-led journey ahead. Later that evening, he will encounter a family held hostage by Christmas-hating crooks. Before the night is over, Santa will prove once and for all whether the stories about him are true. Directed by Tommy Wirkola (Netflix’s The Trip, the […]

Top Gun: Maverick
Camera

Top Gun: Maverick Duo Joseph Kosinski and Claudio Miranda Discuss Challenging Sailing Scene at Camerimage; Tease Formula One Project

November 24, 2022 Daniel Eagan Comments Off on Top Gun: Maverick Duo Joseph Kosinski and Claudio Miranda Discuss Challenging Sailing Scene at Camerimage; Tease Formula One Project

Director Joseph Kosinski and Cinematographer Claudio Miranda teamed up to introduce Top Gun: Maverick to a rapturous audience at the 30th EnergaCamerimage International Film Festival over the weekend. Viewers cheered the movie’s aerial battle sequences and continued applauding throughout the closing cast credits. Camerimage is famous for its enthusiastic fans, but even by festival standards, the response was overwhelming. Kosinski and Miranda sat for a post-screening Q&A session, where the […]

Smile movie
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Smile DP Charlie Sarroff Reveals Which Films He Turned to for Visual Inspiration, and How He Made Sosie Bacon’s Heroine Feel Vulnerable and Lonely

October 27, 2022 Daniel Eagan Comments Off on Smile DP Charlie Sarroff Reveals Which Films He Turned to for Visual Inspiration, and How He Made Sosie Bacon’s Heroine Feel Vulnerable and Lonely

Paramount’s hit horror movie Smile has exceeded everyone’s expectations, especially considering it was originally intended for the studio’s streaming service. The film has grossed nearly $170 million worldwide on a reported production budget of just $17 million, extending Paramount’s year-long winning streak. Expanded from writer-director Parker Finn‘s short film Laura Hasn’t Slept, the feature stars Sosie Bacon, whose laser-focused performance as psychiatrist Rose Cotter has resonated with viewers. Also crucial to […]

100 Foot Wave
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100 Foot Wave DP Mike Prickett on Drones, Water Safety, and the Relationship Between Shooters & Surfers

October 20, 2022 Daniel Eagan Comments Off on 100 Foot Wave DP Mike Prickett on Drones, Water Safety, and the Relationship Between Shooters & Surfers

HBO’s limited series 100 Foot Wave focuses on Garrett McNamara as he sets out to conquer the world’s tallest waves. Filmed in various surfing locations around the world, the series features jaw-dropping footage of some of the most extreme swells of all time. A top surfer for decades, McNamara is joined in Nazaré, Portugal, by elite athletes such as Kai Lenny, CJ Macias, Andrew Cotton, and Maya Gabeira — all […]

Jenel Stevens
Crafts

The Woman King Stuntwoman Jénel Stevens on Doubling Viola Davis and the Importance of Having Proper Rehearsal Time

October 19, 2022 Daniel Eagan Comments Off on The Woman King Stuntwoman Jénel Stevens on Doubling Viola Davis and the Importance of Having Proper Rehearsal Time

The continued box office success of The Woman King is, first and foremost, a tribute to its star, Viola Davis. The film has grossed $76 million worldwide to date, and it has been Davis’ commitment to the project — both in her portrayal as the Agojie warrior Nanisca and as the film’s producer — that has impressed moviegoers around the world. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the film’s hard-hitting battle sequences […]

Black Bird
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Black Bird DP Natalie Kingston on Finding Both the Visual Tone of the Show and Empathy for a Serial Killer

September 22, 2022 Daniel Eagan Comments Off on Black Bird DP Natalie Kingston on Finding Both the Visual Tone of the Show and Empathy for a Serial Killer

Based on actual events, the Apple TV+ series Black Bird is a cut above standard true-crime fare, elevated by showrunner Dennis Lehane and exceptional performances from Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser. Egerton stars as Jimmy Keene, a small-time hood who is facing a 10-year prison stretch when the feds (Greg Kinnear and Sepideh Moafi) offer him a deal — if he agrees to enter a maximum-security prison, befriend a serial […]

Ms. Marvel
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Ms. Marvel and The Old Man DP Jules O’Loughlin on His Preferred Lenses and Putting the Audience Into the Shoes of the Characters

July 28, 2022 Daniel Eagan Comments Off on Ms. Marvel and The Old Man DP Jules O’Loughlin on His Preferred Lenses and Putting the Audience Into the Shoes of the Characters

Few cinematographers are lucky enough to work on one hit series, let alone two. Jules O’Loughlin, ASC pulled that off despite several disruptions, including COVID. In the Disney+ superhero series Ms. Marvel, Jersey City native Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) discovers an ancient bangle that not only gives her superpowers but opens a portal to aliens with evil designs on Earth. O’Loughlin shot Episodes 4 and 5 in Thailand. Meanwhile, FX’s […]

Mayor of Kingstown
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Mayor of Kingstown Production Designer John Willett on Shooting in a Prison During a Pandemic & Designing Depressing Sets

July 15, 2022 Daniel Eagan Comments Off on Mayor of Kingstown Production Designer John Willett on Shooting in a Prison During a Pandemic & Designing Depressing Sets

The fading town of Kingstown, Michigan is a town that’s supported by prisons — seven of them in all, housing 20,000 people, within a 10-mile radius. The prisons, and the economic infrastructure that supports them, have replaced former factories and warehouses. Prison isn’t just a way of life to these people, it’s their entire life… and sometimes, death, too. The Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown stars Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky, […]

Buster Reeves
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Reacher Supervising Stunt Coordinator Buster Reeves on How to Stage a Knife Fight on a Fire Escape, Plus That Epic Prison Brawl

June 21, 2022 Daniel Eagan Comments Off on Reacher Supervising Stunt Coordinator Buster Reeves on How to Stage a Knife Fight on a Fire Escape, Plus That Epic Prison Brawl

Bestselling author Lee Child has written more than 20 books about Jack Reacher, a former Army MP who is a magnet for trouble, and the character has built an enormous following. In fact, two Reacher novels were previously adapted into Tom Cruise vehicles. Fans who have been begging for a more physically accurate version of Child’s hero had their prayers answered with Amazon Prime’s eponymous series Reacher. The first thing […]