How the magic gets made
From the crafts and tech masters
‘Godzilla Minus One’ Director Could Land a Rare VFX Oscar Nomination
This weekend the visual effects branch presented its annual bakeoff, a pre-nomination-voting event featuring its category’s 10 shortlisted movies. Branch members got a look at an impressive and diverse range of work from big-budget tentpoles such as Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, to the $15 million Godzilla Minus One from Japan’s Toho, to […]
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Wim Wenders on Why He Turned to 3D for His Documentary ‘Anselm’: “It’s a Great Medium”
German filmmaker Wim Wenders still remembers the epiphany he had when viewing the experimental concert film U2 3D at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. It was one of the earliest live-action digital 3D productions — Avatar was still two years away from its defining 2009 release — but at that screening he saw 3D’s potential […]
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‘Maestro’ DP Matthew Libatique on Telling Leonard Bernstein’s Story Onscreen With and Without Color
To tell the love story of Leonard Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre, Maestro director Bradley Cooper reteamed with his Oscar-nominated A Star Is Born cinematographer, Matthew Libatique, and used various film looks, starting with black-and-white before moving to color and a widescreen aspect ratio. Cooper, who also stars as the renowned composer and conductor […]
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‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Makeup Department Head Reflects on Challenges and Responsibilities: “There Were a Lot of Emotions”
A long shooting schedule, continuity, COVID protocols and a large cast were all challenges met by the hairstyling and makeup teams for Martin Scorsese’s epic Killers of the Flower Moon, which was shot on location in Oklahoma from April through September 2021. Of course, their commitment to telling an authentic story was the first key responsibility […]
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Pixar Bracing for Possible Layoffs This Year
Layoffs are expected to hit Disney-owned Pixar Animation Studios later this year. Tech Crunch, which first reported the news, suggested that this could affect as much as 20 percent of Pixar’s 1,300 workforce, though The Hollywood Reporter understands this estimate is higher than what is actually being planned. According to Tech Crunch, layoffs may include […]
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‘Maestro’ Editor Michelle Tesoro on Conducting the “Truthful” Story of Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre
Maestro was editor Michelle Tesoro’s first collaboration with director Bradley Cooper, who also stars as iconic composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein in the now-streaming Netflix drama. While they worked closely on the edit — “Bradley loves to be in the cutting room,” she notes — Tesoro says their work always centered on character and performance […]
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Dolby Atmos; Barco, Christie, Imax Laser Projection to Be Honored at Academy’s SciTech Awards
Advances in theatrical exhibition will be among 16 achievements that will be recognized during the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards presentation Feb. 23 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. “This year, we honor 16 technologies for their exceptional contributions to how we craft and enhance the movie experience, […]
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‘Nimona’ Leads Annie Awards Animated Feature Competition With Nine Noms; Snubs Include ‘Wish,’ Which Was Shut Out
In a competitive year in animation, Nimona, based on the graphic novel by ND Stevenson, leads the 51st Annie Awards feature competition with nine nominations includes best feature, direction and writing. In the top category for best feature, the International Animated Film Society ASIFA-Hollywood — which hands out the annual animation prizes — also nominated […]
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An Animated Short That Sends Up Hollywood Bigwigs
If you’re a fan of animation, you know the name John Musker, whose four decades at Disney included writing and directing such classics as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Moana. Since retiring from the studio in 2018, he independently pursued an idea for a playful hand-drawn short, which he populated with caricatures of dozens of […]
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CES: New Martin Scorsese Promo Touts Filmmaker Mode For TVs
The UHD Alliance — a coalition whose members include Hollywood studios and consumer electronics manufacturers — came to CES to preview the latest advances to Filmmaker Mode, a TV setting that effectively disables post-processing such as motion smoothing and aims to allow consumers to view content in the way that the filmmakers intended, including with […]
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IATSE Chief: Workers “Ready to Fight” in Upcoming Contract Talks With Studios
IATSE international president Matthew Loeb did not rule out a potential 2024 crew strike when several of his union’s contracts come due this year in an appearance on Tuesday. “Nothing is off the table, and we’re not going to give up our strength and our ability because they [studios] think they sapped us and everybody’s […]
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CES: DP Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki Filmed Endangered Whales to Test New Sony Camera
Cinematographer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, known for winning three consecutive Oscars for Gravity, Birdman and The Revenant, got to know some special subjects for his latest project. Lubezki teamed with conservation photographers Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen to helped Sony launch its soon-to-be-released Burano digital cinema camera, billed as a new tool with the image quality of the Sony Venice […]
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‘Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget’ and ‘Migration’: Two Animated Features That Cry Fowl
As 2023 came to a close, a pair of animated movies — Aardman and Netflix’s Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and Illumination/Universal’s Migration — delivered stories featuring carefully designed chickens and mallards, respectively, that leaned into simplicity to be expressive. Dawn of the Nugget is the sequel to famed British animation studio Aardman’s 2000 stop-motion […]
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‘Barbie,’ ‘Oppenheimer’ Among Costume Designers Guild Award Nominees
The Costume Designers Guild (IATSE Local 892) has revealed the nominees for its 26th CDG Awards, which will be handed out Feb. 21 at Neuehouse Hollywood. Nominations for features and TV include categories for contemporary, period and sci fi/fantasy costumes. Feature nominees across those categories include Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Little Mermaid, […]
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How ‘All of Us Strangers’ Cinematographer Created a Sense of “Organic Nostalgia” With His Camera
When reading scripts, South African cinematographer Jamie D. Ramsay says he looks for “personal anchor points” that allow him to “channel an honesty of creativity.” And to paint a portrait of loneliness and loss in Searchlight’s All of Us Strangers, which follows Londoner Adam (Andrew Scott) in his relationship with Harry (Paul Mescal) amid frequent […]
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‘The Bear’ Costume Designer on How One Dapper Suit Marks the Turn of Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie
“I’m wearing the suit because it makes me feel better about myself,” says The Bear’s Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). In a rare show of vulnerability, the often irritating yet charismatic hothead acknowledges his fears and insecurities while embracing the value of teamwork and acts of service. Initiated by a weeklong “stagiaire” (unpaid intern) stint at a […]
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