Sarai Argueta's Posts (162)

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European Screenwriters and Designers Discuss Collaboration in Film and TV

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 24, 2020 at 4:09pm

Creators and screenwriters from Europe discussed the importance of collaboration in filmmaking during a panel in the Variety Streaming Room.

Hosted by international features editor Leo Barraclough, the conversation, titled “Lost in Translation? Visual Story Development from Script to Screen,” included creators from the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival’s Black Room and writers from the Face to Face program. Prop maker and modeler Simon Weisse, production designer Jacqueline Abrahams, and writers Jana Burbach and Hanno Hackfort took part in the panel.

Collaborative endeavors have seen an increase in European filmmaking, said Hackfort, since teams have begun to see that different departments — writers, designers, directors — often have ideas that aren’t limited to just the part of the film or television project they’re working on.

“This concept of showrunner becomes more and more important in Germany,” he said. “Then you’re not just a writer, but you can also work together with the others. It has nothing to do with controlling the others, or to be sure that your vision is transferred exactly on screen. But it’s the joy of this collaborative way of working.”

Burbach, who has a theater background, said that working on small theatrical projects instilled a sense of togetherness in her that is uncommon to bigger projects. Writing for stage, she also helped with set design and was involved in various other aspects of the production, which she carried over into working on film and television shows. Weisse said smaller, more independent projects allow such collaboration.

“On a big blockbuster production, mostly with Americans, you have to follow what is coming from the top, and you can give some ideas, but you need to be careful and to be sure that what you propose is really good,” Weisse said. “On smaller productions, on low-budget productions, you need to find solutions to make it as cheap, but as good as possible, to make good for the audience.”

But another trend in European storytelling has been a diversification of form. Burbach said that tradition in the country often involved simple storylines and explanations of plot through dialogue. But with the industry’s shift toward streaming sites has opened up new avenues for success in filming.

Pointing to her series “Bad Banks,” Burbach said people reached out and expressed their appreciation for its complexities. Tradition is difficult to break, but the filmmaking is slowly opening up to a wider range of content in the country.

“I still have these discussions sometimes with broadcasters that they’re very afraid that the audience won’t understand things,” she said. “There’s really the assumption that you have to explain everything really clearly, and that stories shouldn’t be too complex. And, so many people said to me, ‘[Bad Banks] was just amazing because it was challenging, it was confusing, it was complicated.'”

She added that young people’s shift toward streaming has forced big broadcast networks to diversify, as well. In order to keep up with the shift, companies have had to reconsider their more traditional approaches to creating shows for a European audience.

“I think that was, a very fruitful kind of disruption or panic almost when all these streaming platforms started arriving because the traditional broadcasters were really afraid to lose audience — especially young audience,” Burbach said. “So, I think it’s not only that the new players are doing different kinds of shows in different genres, with different budget. It’s not just them, but I think everybody else has also been sort of shaken up and thought about how they’re doing things, what kind of stories they’re telling.”

Article by: Eli Countrymanfor Variety

Watch the full stream below.

 

 

 

 

 

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Netflix Chooses Settlement to End Trademark Lawsuit Over 'Black Mirror'

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 24, 2020 at 3:49pm
The streamer reaches a deal with the children's book publisher behind the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series.

If only there was the opportunity to go backwards in a nonfiction story and try something different. Well …

In 2018, Netflix created an interactive experience called Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Netflix subsequently won an Emmy for the Charlie Brooker film, but also got sued by the childrens' book publisher that owns the trademark to "Choose Your Own Adventure." Earlier this year, a federal judge refused Netflix's motion to dismiss the case brought by Chooseco LLC. Then, Netflix got aggressive with a bid to cancel the " "Choose Your Own Adventure" trademark.

War doesn't have to be the only option.

Netflix Reaches Settlement In 'Black Mirror' Trademark Lawsuit | THR News
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On Monday, at a status conference before U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions III, the parties revealed that they had reached a settlement. While terms weren't released, the parties did tell the judge of one slightly unusual condition — the judge's February 2020 opinion denying Netflix's dismissal motion would have to be vacated. Sessions agreed to the demand. He chose to pretend he never questioned whether Netflix's film was explicitly misleading.

In Bandersnatch, a video game designer prepares to pitch something he wishes to create. This character explains to his father that the game is based on the work of a fictional book. The father says the author must be good because his son is always "flicking backwards and forwards." The son's response: "No, it's a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' book."

Later, when Bandersnatch was released, and audiences got the chance to take its story in different directions, commentators noted the similarity in gimmick to "Choose Your Own Adventure."

Netflix put up a First Amendment defense, but the judge didn't believe it was appropriate to dismiss the case prematurely without exploring factual issues in discovery.

Apparently, that fact-finding led to some deeper truth concerning the wisdom of further litigation. Neither side was immediately available to comment about terms. According to trademark records, Chooseco continues to maintain its mark, and in fact, has recently applied for new classes for the signature phrase including this month for downloadable animated video recordings featuring multiple choice endings.

 

 

Article by: Eriq Gardner for The Hollywood Reporter

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‘Demon Slayer’ Japanese Animation Rewrites Taiwan Box Office Records

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 18, 2020 at 4:54pm

Taiwanese audiences have lapped up Japanese anime film “Demon Slayer – The Movie: Mugen Train” in unprecedented numbers.

The film was already a mega-hit in Japan, where it has been watched by 17.5 million spectators, for a 31-day earnings total of $214 million (JPY23.3 billion) on Sunday. That makes it the fifth highest scoring film of all time in Japan.

Similarly, the numbers in Taiwan would be considered huge even in non-coronavirus times.

In Taiwan, where it is handled by animation specialist Muse Communication, the film opened in cinemas on Oct. 30 and has now gone on to earn NT$360 million ($12.6 million) in 17 days. That makes it the biggest film of the year in Taiwan, the territory’s top scoring Japanese film, and the best-selling animated feature of all time.Muse added Mandarin-language and Imax versions from Nov. 6 and managed to keep it in top spot through its first three weekends. In its third week, it is currently playing in 95 complexes, with a significantly higher screen count.

 

Both Taiwan and Japan have largely suppressed the virus outbreak and audiences have quickly rediscovered the movie-going habit, confident in the public hygiene measures taken by government and cinema operators.

Certainly, the film benefits from a relative lack of competition, especially from a lack of Hollywood tentpole releases. But the lull in studio fare has helped rekindle an interest in anime, fantasy and Asian films.

Demon-Slayer-Taiwan-poster-no-cropping-W750px-res.jpg?w=709https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Demon-Slayer-Taiwan-poster-no-cropping-W750px-res.jpg?resize=106,150 106w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Demon-Slayer-Taiwan-poster-no-cropping-W750px-res.jpg?resize=213,300 213w" alt="Lazy loaded image" width="709" height="1000" data-lazy-loaded="true" />
Taiwan poster image for hit Japanese film “Demon Slayer The Movie Mugen Train”Courtesy of Muse Communication

Only three films this year have grossed more than NT$300 million, putting “Demon Slayer’ in the same track as Korean locomotive “Train to Busan: Peninsula” and Christopher Nolan juggernaut “Tenet.”

“In Taiwan, the animated films produced by the (Hollywood) major studios, and Japanese animations, are always well-liked. Quite often their stories are simple, inspiring, positive and friends- and family-related,” Muse chairman Kang Zhen-mu told Variety. “But Japanese animation in particular has more fantasy elements. Taiwanese audiences love to see this kind of story on the big screen.”

That in turn has sparked large sales of tie-in character goods in pop-up shops and even sports running events in three cities in Taiwan, according to Anime News Network. Muse has been on the animation scene since 1992 and has branched out into merchandizing including clothes, stationery, toys, accessories, and apparel. In 2013, it added an IPTV channel with Chunghwa Telecom.

“Taiwanese audiences are very used to watch Japanese animations which have been popular for decades. And the story of ‘Demon Slayer’ is solid, touching and easy to understand, making it suitable for all age groups. On top of that, it has great music and effects as well as characters who are hot-blooded in a good way,” says Kang. “Young kids age 8-10 talk about ‘Demon Slayer’ at school. But it has crossed over to become a trend for people to watch and retell the film with peers.”

Despite the current success it is enjoying with imported content, Muse would like more viable Taiwan-originated animation. “There have been many interesting projects over these years. But very few of them had success at the box office,” says Kang. “In Taiwan, we have mature animation skills and technique, and have experience in working for overseas studios. But we still have a lot to work on.”

 

Article by: Patrick Frater for Variety
 
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Next Gen Talent 2020: The Hollywood Reporter's Rising Young Stars Revealed

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 18, 2020 at 4:11pm

From Hulu's 'Normal People' breakouts to a new Selena, meet 20 actors on the verge of next-level stardom: "It's funny how you can work for 10 years but all you need is that one project that gets attention."

Meet the up-and-coming actors atop every Hollywood agent, casting director and studio executive's wish list. These 20 rising stars are fronting their own shows, ushering in the next generation of superheroes and playing icons like Princess Diana (Emma Corrin of Netflix’s The Crown) and President Barack Obama (Kingsley Ben-Adir of Showtime’s The Comey Rule).

Some, like Normal People’s Paul Mescal and Hollywood’s Jeremy Pope, have even caught the attention of Emmy voters, earning first-time nominations for their onscreen debuts. Others, like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Danny Ramirez and Matrix 4's Jessica Henwick, are suiting up for top-secret roles in major Hollywood franchises. They join a list that, in the past, has anointed such talent as Atlanta's Lakeith Stanfield, The Queen's Gambit's Anya Taylor Joy and Lovecraft Country's Jonathan Majors, now all established stars.

This year’s crop of actors — a mix of fresh faces (hello, Never Have I Ever's Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and long-working actors who've recently broken out in a new way (see: The Righteous Gemstones' Skyler Gisondo) — are destined for big- and small-screen stardom.

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Netflix's 'Malcolm & Marie,' With Zendaya and John David Washington, Drops Into Oscar Race (Exclusive)

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 18, 2020 at 4:05pm
Now set for Feb. 5, the film tells the story of a director (Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) whose relationship is tested after they return home from the premiere of his latest project and await critics' responses.

Ahead of Friday's SAG Awards submission deadline, a decision has been made to release Sam Levinson's Malcolm & Marie — a two-hander which stars BlacKkKlansman and Tenet actor John David Washington and Euphoria actress Zendaya — into the current awards season, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Netflix, which acquired the black-and-white film for $30 million in September following a screening of select footage which resulted in bidding war between several distributors, will release it worldwide on its streaming platform on Feb. 5, 2021, and plans to wage a full-fledged Oscar campaign on its behalf.

A never-before-seen still of the film appears at the top of this post.

Malcolm & Marie — which Levinson wrote and directed, and which has been likened to Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — tells the story of a director (Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) whose relationship is tested after they return home from the premiere of his latest project and await the critical response to it.

The film was shot in 35 mm over the summer at Feldman Architecture’s Caterpillar House in Carmel, Cal., using a bare-bones crew due to the pandemic. The production teamed with doctors and lawyers to make sure that every aspect of their work was fully compliant with WGA, DGA and SAG-AFTRA approvals and COVID-19 safety protocols.

Levinson is also a producer of the film, while Zendaya (who today appears on the 50th anniversary cover of Essence magazine) and Washington are executive producers, as is rapper Kid Cudi and Yariv Milchan, the son of Oscar-nominated producer Arnon Milchan.

Levinson and Zendaya previously worked together on Euphoria, the HBO program for which the latter won this year's best actress in a drama series Emmy. Levinson and Washington, meanwhile, are members of revered Hollywood families — Levinson is the son of Oscar winner Barry Levinson and Washington is the son of Oscar winner Denzel Washington — as are one of the other producers, Levinson's wife Ashley Levinson, and one of the other executive producers, Washington's sister Katia Washington.

The Levinsons and Kevin Turen produced the film through their production company, which is also behind another 2020-2021 Netflix awards hopeful, Pieces of a Woman.

 

Article by:Scott Feinberg for The Hollywood Reporter

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Filmmaker Christopher Landon on 'Freaky' and the Marketing Challenge of 'Happy Death Day 2U'

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 17, 2020 at 6:13pm
The writer-director behind the body-swap movie wanted to “make the goriest Disney movie possible."

 

Regardless of what term you use, be it horror-comedy or pop-horror, Freaky and Happy Death Day helmer, Christopher Landon, clearly has a knack for making the horror genre as accessible as possible. Before he made a name for himself under the Blumhouse banner, Landon co-wrote 2007’s Shia LaBeouf thriller, Disturbia, which provided an early look at what Landon's trademark style would be with 2017’s Happy Death Day, 2019’s Happy Death Day 2U and 2020’s Freaky.

Freaky takes on the classic body-swap premise of Freaky Friday and reimagines it as a slasher-comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton. Thanks to an encounter involving an ancient dagger, Vaughn’s “Blissfield Butcher” swaps bodies with Newton’s unassuming high school student, Millie, while Newton’s Millie takes over the body of Vaughn’s Butcher. With Newton playing the Butcher character for most of the film’s runtime, Landon relied on a famous movie villain to inform Newton’s performance, which included a key downward head tilt.

“It’s a really tough role. It’s almost a thankless role in the sense that there’s so much physicality involved. Kathryn had to do so much with just gestures and glances, so we talked a lot about Terminator 2,” Landon tells The Hollywood Reporter. “In fact, I would watch clips from Terminator 2 with her and talk about how that physicality was something I was really interested in. Part of creating this ultimate iconic killer was this very intense, locked-in and focused nature, so that was super helpful.”

Despite making seven-plus times its $9 million production budget and receiving the exact same Rotten Tomatoes score (71%) and CinemaScore (B) as its 2017 predecessor, 2019’s Happy Death Day 2U was viewed as a commercial disappointment. While most movies would celebrate a similar box office ratio, Landon admits that 2017’s Happy Death Day and its $125 million worldwide gross put far-too-lofty expectations on the sequel. He also chalks it up to the challenge of marketing a vastly different sequel that ventured into sci-fi territory.

“Universal marketing, they’re geniuses and they’re wonderful partners to work with, but I think that [Happy Death Day 2U] was a tricky one to sell. What traditionally works for most sequels, which is sell the same thing, really hurt us,” Landon explains. “Because I made a movie that was quite different from the first film, they sold it just like the first film, all the way up to using the exact same song in the trailer. And so, in hiding all of the things that made the second movie unique, I think we kind of got hurt by that. But yeah, it’s weird. Any other movie would’ve gotten a sequel, or a third movie, based on our performance. And for some reason, we just didn’t.”

In a recent conversation with THR, Landon also discusses why he wanted Freaky to be “goriest Disney movie possible,” the close collaboration between Vaughn and Newton and his optimistic outlook regarding a third Happy Death Day movie.

So once Happy Death Day 2U came out, how quickly did things get moving on Freaky?

There was actually a bit of a gap because I was off writing a couple other movies. And then the Freaky thing kind of came out of nowhere, which was an unexpected pivot. My co-writer, Michael Kennedy, pitched the idea to me because I was supposed to be like a practice run for him, and he was going to go out into the world and pitch the movie. And when he started to get into the pitch, I fell in love with it and we just decided to write it together. And then, I kind of realized that I had this crazy window of opportunity. I was expecting my second child and so I thought, “Oh, it’d be great if I could write this and then shoot this movie before my son is born.” Because it gets really complicated right after you have a kid. So that’s kind of how it unfolded. It was the fastest sort of script-to-screen experience I’ve ever had.

2535_D002_00158R-EMBED-2020-1605225235-compressed.jpghttps://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D002_00158R-EMBED-2020-1605225235-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D002_00158R-EMBED-2020-1605225235-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D002_00158R-EMBED-2020-1605225235-compressed.jpg 1047w" alt="Freaky" />Brian Douglas/Universal Pictures
 
https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D002_00158R-EMBED-2020-1605225235-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D002_00158R-EMBED-2020-1605225235-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D002_00158R-EMBED-2020-1605225235-compressed.jpg 1047w" data-alt-text="Freaky"> 

How much did Paranormal Activity 4 factor into Kathryn’s casting? Or was it mostly a coincidence?

I would say it was partial coincidence. I mean, it was nice to have that home court advantage and know the person already. I really had fun working with Kathryn on Paranormal 4, and she was much younger then. But honestly, what really influenced that decision was I’ve just been following her career. I’ve really loved watching her blossom as an actor, and I’ve really respected everything that she’s done. She’s a risk-taker and someone who’s really dedicated to her craft. So that was a much bigger factor for me. It was just the fact that she was so good.

2535_D034_00013R-EMBED-2020-1605225280-compressed.jpghttps://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D034_00013R-EMBED-2020-1605225280-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D034_00013R-EMBED-2020-1605225280-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D034_00013R-EMBED-2020-1605225280-compressed.jpg 1047w" alt="Freaky" />Brian Douglas/Universal Pictures
 
https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D034_00013R-EMBED-2020-1605225280-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D034_00013R-EMBED-2020-1605225280-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D034_00013R-EMBED-2020-1605225280-compressed.jpg 1047w" data-alt-text="Freaky"> 

Who signed on first between Vince and Kathryn?

It kind of happened at the same time, which was exciting and unexpected. I was pursuing both of them at the same time because they were the two people I wanted the most. So I was fully expecting one or both to say no, and was pleasantly surprised that they agreed to do the movie.

Did you shoot the beginning first so that Vince and Kathryn had a frame of reference for when they swapped roles?

No, the schedules on these movies are challenging, and that’s a euphemism for awful. (Laughs.) So I just dedicated as much time as I could in pre-production in terms of helping them get comfortable with their roles, plural. I started by working with Kathryn, and I made these video diaries of her in character so that Vince had something to study. The video diaries really helped him start to learn her physical mannerisms, like her nail-biting, the way that she plays with her hair and how she hides her face with it, and just her gait. And vice versa. And then, when we got together in Atlanta for shooting, we just really dug into the rehearsal of it all. We also spent real time together, which is another thing that I like to do. It depends on the situation, of course, but I think that actors often benefit from just being able to bond a bit. And so there was some of that as well. But once we got on set, we hit the ground running and they both had to dive into their roles and the opposites of them as well.

2535_D016_00062R-EMBED-2020-1605225252-compressed.jpghttps://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D016_00062R-EMBED-2020-1605225252-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D016_00062R-EMBED-2020-1605225252-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D016_00062R-EMBED-2020-1605225252-compressed.jpg 1047w" alt="Freaky" />Brian Douglas/Universal Pictures
 
https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D016_00062R-EMBED-2020-1605225252-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D016_00062R-EMBED-2020-1605225252-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D016_00062R-EMBED-2020-1605225252-compressed.jpg 1047w" data-alt-text="Freaky"> 

The way Kathryn tilted her head was key to her performance as the Butcher. It was very Robert Patrick/T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Were you immediately taken by that choice?

Yeah, I was. It’s a really tough role. It’s almost a thankless role in the sense that there’s so much physicality involved. Kathryn had to do so much with just gestures and glances, so we talked a lot about Terminator 2. In fact, I would watch clips from Terminator 2 with her and talk about how that physicality was something I was really interested in. Part of creating this ultimate iconic killer was this very intense, locked-in and focused nature, so that was super helpful. And Vince, who’s a very physical actor, brought a lot of stuff to the table and would work with Kathryn during our rehearsals because he understood the physicality of the Butcher. There was a hand-off, you know. Vince had his own interpretation of how he moved and operated, and he would show that to Kathryn so that she could get that part down.

Were there any tropes from body swap movies that you eagerly avoided?

I avoided watching body-swap movies because all I needed to know was what I had learned from the original Freaky Friday and the remake with Lindsay (Lohan). As I traditionally do, I was playing with a much bigger bag of tropes than just the body-swap thing. So a lot of what I was drawing from was from horror movies in general. The goal and what I was really after was how can I make the goriest Disney movie possible. (Laughs.) And that’s what I was after because most body-swap films are cute by nature. So it felt like easy-picking in terms of getting to exploit that, perverse it and invert it.

2535_D026_00009R-EMBED-2020-1605568954-compressed.jpghttps://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D026_00009R-EMBED-2020-1605568954-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D026_00009R-EMBED-2020-1605568954-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D026_00009R-EMBED-2020-1605568954-compressed.jpg 1047w" alt="Freaky - Vince Vaughn and Uriah Shelton" />Courtesy of UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
 
https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D026_00009R-EMBED-2020-1605568954-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D026_00009R-EMBED-2020-1605568954-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2535_D026_00009R-EMBED-2020-1605568954-compressed.jpg 1047w" data-alt-text="Freaky - Vince Vaughn and Uriah Shelton"> 

The dynamic between Booker (Uriah Shelton) and Vince’s Millie was absolute gold, especially the scenes with a 6-foot-5 Vince Vaughn sitting in a tiny car. Was it tough to keep everyone from breaking during those car moments?

What’s interesting about it is that my approach from the beginning was not to play this for laughs. I wasn’t going to try and make it a body-funny comedy moment. I wanted it to have a certain kind of sincerity and sweetness to it. And as soon as everyone kind of got the setup, we set up this really beautiful two-shot that has this very slow and steady push. I also think everyone in the crew quickly understood that we were playing this for real and not as a joke-y scene. The power of the scene is that Millie, as a character, feels seen by someone for the first time. The exterior doesn’t matter anymore because Booker actually sees her for who she really is. The added benefit and bonus is that she’s in a different body, which becomes a different thing. So, in some ways, the scene does play with some humor, especially at the top of the scene when Booker asks if he can come and sit next to her. There are some really fun things that I'm playing with, but by design, it's a scene that was not intended to be a big laugh riot scene. It plays sincerely and I think that the crew and the audience appreciated that. We actually had one opportunity to test the movie in a pretty rough stage before everything shut down, and I was really nervous about that scene because I didn’t know what the audience was going to say, to be honest. I was definitely sort of, “This could go either way.” But they cheered, and I realized in that moment that it was working on all the levels that I wanted it to. It was funny. It was emotional. It was sincere. It was sweet. And they got it. And so, for me, it is my favorite moment in the film. And yeah, I think it’s fun.

happy_death_day_2_u-behind_the_scenes-christopher_landon-publicity-embed-2019-compressed.jpghttps://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2019/02/happy_death_day_2_u-behind_the_scenes-christopher_landon-publicity-embed-2019-compressed.jpg 928w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2019/02/happy_death_day_2_u-behind_the_scenes-christopher_landon-publicity-embed-2019-compressed.jpg 928w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2019/02/happy_death_day_2_u-behind_the_scenes-christopher_landon-publicity-embed-2019-compressed.jpg 928w" alt="Happy Death Day 2 U-Behind the Scenes-Christopher Landon-Publicity-Embed-2019" />Christopher Landon and Jessica Rothe on the set of Happy Death Day 2U.   |   Michele K. Short/Universal Pictures
 
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This is such an awful question, but if you could body swap for a short while with any of your movies’ characters, who would you like to spend some time as?

(Laughs.) Oh my gosh. Wow. I think I would say Tree (Jessica Rothe). I loved writing that character. But I think my secret true answer is probably Danielle (Rachel Matthews). (Laughs.) She’s so funny and is such a blissfully awful person, and I think there’s definitely something liberating about that. But I love Tree because she’s complex and fearless. There are so many layers to that character that I admire and connect to, so I think it would be a lot of fun to just be her. By the way, that means I really need to be Jessica Rothe. (Laughs.) That’s really the veiled way of saying I want to be Jessica Rothe, but I’ll take Tree.

Throughout the first half of your career, you wrote scripts that other people would direct, and between principal photography and post-production, the final product can differ quite a bit from your original work. Did those early screenwriting experiences inform your decision to become a director?

Oh, they definitely did. I mean, I’m an introvert by nature, as most writers are. For a long time, just the idea of having to step out and be the face and voice of a movie terrified me. But yeah, I had experiences where either I was a little bit disappointed in the way that things were being done, or I had experiences where I kind of felt like I was being sidelined a little bit. So I just decided that I needed to step out and go for it and make some of these movies myself. I think the hardest part about it is that even when you’re writing popcorn movies, they’re still personal. You put a lot of yourself in these things, and so it is really difficult to hand them over to other people sometimes. But I’ve also had great experiences. Disturbia is an example of a film where I was overjoyed with how it turned out, and I think that D.J. (Caruso) did a kick-ass job. So there were good experiences too, but ultimately, it’s a lot more rewarding and enriching to just be able to do it yourself.

happy_death_day_2u_still_7-compressed.jpghttps://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2019/02/happy_death_day_2u_still_7-compressed.jpg 1296w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2019/02/happy_death_day_2u_still_7-compressed.jpg 1296w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2019/02/happy_death_day_2u_still_7-compressed.jpg 1296w" alt="Happy Death Day 2U Still 7 - Publicity - H 2019" />Michele K. Short/Universal Studios
 
https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2019/02/happy_death_day_2u_still_7-compressed.jpg 1296w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2019/02/happy_death_day_2u_still_7-compressed.jpg 1296w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2019/02/happy_death_day_2u_still_7-compressed.jpg 1296w" data-alt-text="Happy Death Day 2U Still 7 - Publicity - H 2019"> 

So this is the part of the interview where I start pressuring Jason Blum to make a third Happy Death Day movie. I know you’ve titled the potential film Happy Death Day to Us, but out of curiosity, was the Happy Death Day Tree title ever seriously considered? That title really took off during 2U’s press tour.

No. (Laughs.) It wasn’t considered, and it’s funny because I always had this concept of what the third movie would be in my head. So the title really does directly reference what the movie is about. When I saw that the Happy Death Day Tree thing kept popping up, I was like, “Oh, of course, that’s clever and makes a ton of sense,” but at the same time, part of what I was trying to do with the second movie and definitely what I would love to do with the third is subvert expectation. So I don’t think anyone could possibly imagine where the third movie would go and therefore, I think the title needed to reflect that. So, much to fans' disappointment, it is not Happy Death Day Tree. (Laughs.)

I raised this point to Jessica recently, but the downside of the first movie exceeding any and all expectations was that it likely placed unrealistic expectations on the sequel’s box office performance. And yet, the sequel still made seven times its production budget, which is a figure that most movies would celebrate. Do you agree that the first film’s box office overperformance created starry-eyed expectations for the sequel?

Absolutely. 100 percent. When you have a really successful movie, you’ve set that bar really high and so everyone’s expectation was there. And what was really difficult, challenging and ultimately heartbreaking for everyone involved, but especially for Jessica and I, was that all of our tracking — literally up to opening weekend — said that we were going to perform in the similar sort of lane. But the audience just didn’t turn out the way they did before. It’s not a failure because you made a good point, which is that the movie actually made a lot of money. By the way, Universal marketing, they’re geniuses and they’re wonderful partners to work with, but I think that it was a tricky one to sell. What traditionally works for most sequels, which is sell the same thing, really hurt us. Because I made a movie that was quite different from the first film, they sold it just like the first film, all the way up to using the exact same song in the trailer. And so, in hiding all of the things that made the second movie unique, I think we kind of got hurt by that. But yeah, it’s weird. Any other movie would’ve gotten a sequel, or a third movie, based on our performance. And for some reason, we just didn’t. What’s interesting about both movies is that they’ve had quite an afterlife, and I think a lot of people, post-theatrical, found the second movie and then really liked it. I got a lot of messages on social media from people saying, “Holy shit, I wish I had seen this in theaters. It was good,” which is sort of bittersweet, but you never know. There still might be a path to a third movie, but that is entirely in Universal’s court. They know that everyone involved in the first two films wants to do a third one, but they have to be the ones that feel a need or a justification to do it.

Was Real Genius on your mind as you wrote Happy Death Day 2U?

Totally!

As soon as the quantum reactor was introduced, as well as Steve Zissis’ character, I felt like I was picking up what you were putting down.

(Laughs.) 100 percent. Yes.

Happy Death Day 2U resumes the story right where the first one left off. What was the biggest headache in terms of continuity?

I had two big headaches, but the biggest one was the hospital location. They gutted that location after we shot the first movie because they were going to turn it into like an office building or something. So when we went back, it was gone, and with a limited budget, it was a nightmare because we had to rebuild it. We had to recreate those hallways and hospital rooms. So that was a big, big, big problem, but I was able to repurpose footage from the first movie and integrate it into the second movie pretty seamlessly, I think. So that was a big one, and some of it was just hair continuity. It seems simple, but it’s not. Sometimes, trying to create a wig that matches is really tough. So there are things that I can spot sometimes where I’m like, “Oh god, that doesn’t look great.” But yeah, that was the hardest part. We got very lucky on that film because all of our background actors came back and looked the same. So it could’ve definitely been much harder, but I felt like luck was on our side.

Now that you’ve conquered time loops, body swapping and found footage, is time travel the next device to receive the Chris Landon treatment?

(Laughs.) You know what? It’s kind of weird that you say that because, yeah, I am producing a movie that definitely deals with time travel. So your crystal ball is accurate.

 

Article by: Brian Davids for The Hollywood Reporter

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Spike Lee to Direct Movie Musical About Viagra

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 17, 2020 at 6:09pm

Spike Lee’s next project will be a movie musical about the origin story of Viagra, Pfizer’s erectile dysfunction drug.

The Entertainment One film is based on David Kushner’s Esquire article titled “All Rise: The Untold Story of the Guys Who Launched Viagra.”

Lee is directing the untitled musical from a screenplay he wrote with Kwame Kwei-Armah. The movie will feature original songs and music penned by Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, the duo behind the Tony-winning musical “Passing Strange.”

In a statement, Lee said, “First And Foremost,I Thank Ms. Jacquelyn Shelton Lee. I Thank My Late Mother For As She Would Say Taking “My Narrow,Rusty Behind” Dragging,Kickin’ And Screamin’ To The Movies When I Wuz A Nappy Headed Kid Growing Up In Da Streets Of Da People’s Republic Of Brooklyn. I Did Not Want To See Corny People Singin’ And Dancin’. I Instead Wanted To Play With My Friends On Da Block,Stoop Ball,Stick Ball,Punch Ball, Soft Ball, Basketball,2 Hand Touch, Tackle Football, Coco Leevio, Johnny On Da Pony, Hot,Peas And Butter, Crack Top,Down Da Sewer And Of Course-Booty’s Up. All The Great New York City Street Games That Might Be Sadly Lost Forever. My Father,Bill Lee,Jazz/Folk Bassist,Composer HATED HollyWeird Movies,Henceforth And What Not,Me Being The Eldest Of 5 Children I Became Mommy’s Movie Date. She Was A Cinefile. Thank You Lawdy She Didn’t Listen To My Ongoing Complaints About Musicals. So Finally Going Into My 4th Decade As A Filmmaker I Will Be Directing An DANCIN’,ALL SINGIN’ MUSICAL Spike Lee Joint And I Can’t Wait. My Moms Has Been Waiting TOO!!! And Dats Da Rodgers And Hammerstein Truth,Ruth.”

Matt Jackson’s Jackson Pictures will produce with Lee’s 40 Acres and Mule Filmworks. Joanne Lee of Jackson Pictures and Kushner are executive producing. Zev Foreman and Ilda Diffley are overseeing for eOne.

Lee recently directed the movie version of David Byrne’s hit musical “American Utopia,” as well as war drama “Da 5 Bloods” for Netflix. The prolific director behind acclaimed films like “Do the Right Thing,” “Malcolm X” and “She’s Gotta Have It” won his first Oscar for 2018’s “BlacKkKlansman.”

British playwright and director Kwei-Armah has directed London stage adaptations of “Twelfth Night” and “Tree.”

Lee is represented by ICM. Jackson Pictures is represented by CAA and Manatt. Kwei-Armah is represented by The Gotham Group and United Agents. Kushner is represented by The Gotham Group. Stewart and Rodewald are represented by Verve.

 

Article by: Rebecca Rubin for Variety

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Finn Cole Talks Bank-Robber Drama ‘Dreamland,’ Being Drawn to Sociopathic Characters

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 16, 2020 at 3:53pm

Finn Cole gets to channel Bonnie and Clyde in “Dreamland,” a Depression-era drama that finds the “Animal Kingdom” actor playing a naive teenager who falls for Margot Robbie’s bank robber on the lam.

It’s familiar territory for Cole, who previously played gangsters in “Animal Kingdom” and “Peaky Blinders,” but “Dreamland” also represented a big step forward for the actor, who gets top billing in a movie alongside an Oscar-nominated star. Cole threw himself into the role, losing weight in advance of a steamy shower scene with Robbie, and researching the Dust Bowl to get a sense of the extreme poverty that led people to turn to crime. “Dreamland” premiered in limited release on Nov. 13 and will debut on demand on Nov. 17.

Cole spoke with Variety about working with Robbie, his attraction to sociopathic characters and what to expect from “Animal Kingdom’s” next season ( be warned: spoilers abound in that part of the interview).

Why did you want to make "Dreamland"?
Coming-of-age stories are always appealing, especially as a young man who’s still trying to figure out this complicated world. The time period was also attractive. Everything in that era of the 1930s was built to last — cars, buildings, weapons. There was so much passion in everything that was created. The design on vehicles, the costumes, it’s like a different world. And as I started to uncover who was involved, my enthusiasm grew and grew.

What kind of research did you do?
I read a lot of books about the period and looked at photographs from the time. The images give you a sense of how poor people really were. It was so dry and there was dust everywhere. It was a filter that was covering the landscape. My character’s finances were quite tight and he came from poverty. So there was a bit of weight loss involved, a bit of dieting and lots of jogging. That added to the onset feeling of deprivation.

How much weight did you lose?
I guess they thought I was on the heavier side. I’d been working out a little bit before I auditioned for the role. I probably lost about 10 kilos in total. I needed to do it before I got my kit off onscreen.

What was Margot Robbie like to work with?
When I was on the train going in for my audition in London to meet Margot, I was very nervous. I had prepared as much as I could, but I worried I was going to forget the lines. That’s credit to how impressive I thought Margot was, because I don’t usually get like that. As soon as she walked into the room and we got to know each other, that immediately dropped. She’s got a welcoming personality and from day one I felt like we were collaborating together. She listened to everything I had to say. I learned so much from her. I believe she made me a stronger actor.

Your character starts off reading lots of pulp novels and mythologizing gangsters. Over the course of the film, his views about criminal life change dramatically. How would you describe his arc?
He’s very naive and innocent when the film starts. He wants to find some purpose in his life. Then he thinks he may have found it. His stepfather is a cop. He wants to find this lady and get this bounty. When he does come across her unexpectedly and she manipulates him. As he grows into himself a little bit more and gets the confidence to ask questions of this lady he’s in awe of, he understands what this criminal lifestyle is like, but he’s committed at this stage and he doesn’t want to be a failure like his father was. We see a new character come to life as that confidence grows.

Your film and television work, such as "Peaky Blinders," "Animal Kingdom" and now "Dreamland," tends to center on people who get seduced into a world of crime. What attracts you to those roles?
I’m fascinated by personalities that succeed in that way of life and those that fail in that way of life. I’m really intrigued about why and what makes someone be able to make these decisions and not feel remorse or guilt. I like to look into what makes a human being take that path. Maybe that makes me slightly sociopathic, I don’t know. You don’t hear many stories about people who grow up, have normal lives, pay taxes and pay bills, have mortgages and have kids. You hear stories about Billy the Kid for a reason.

At the risk of sharing spoilers, "Animal Kingdom" closed out Season 4 with the death of Smurf (Ellen Barkin). How is the Cody family coping?
We’re back to figuring out how to survive without our leader. Without spoiling it, there’s a lot to be excited about in the upcoming season. We start to see these characters coming out of their shells a little bit more and explore different parts of their personalities. There’s a lot more action going on, too.

What's it like to not have Ellen Barkin on set?
We miss her dreadfully. She was a great leader and a great teacher. It’s been weird, but that’s part of the creative process to try to figure out as characters how to move on and be better.

 

Article by: Brent Lang for Variety 

 
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Lynne Ramsay to Direct Stephen King Adaptation 'The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon'

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 16, 2020 at 3:47pm
Village Roadshow Pictures is backing the project that adapts King's 1999 book.

 

Lynne Ramsay, who last directed the acclaimed thriller You Were Never Really Here, has come aboard to direct The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Village Roadshow Pictures' adaptation of the Stephen King novel.

Christine Romero, the former wife of late horror filmmaker George A. Romero, is producing with  It producer Roy Lee of Vertigo Films as well as Ryan Silbert of Origin Story and Jon Berg through Stampede Ventures.

Published in 1999, Tom Gordon tells of a young girl named Trisha McFarland who gets lost while hiking with her mother and brother in the woods. Nine years old and scared of the dark, the girl winds up stumbling through the woods for days, wandering farther and farther from civilization even as she tries to make her way back home. As she walks, dehydration, hunger and exhaustion cause her to hallucinate, causing her to talk to her idol, a baseball player named Tom Gordon. But she also begins to believe that she’s being stalked by a supernatural beast, and soon her ordeal becomes a test of both her sanity and her ability to fight for her life.

Christy Hall, who co-created Netflix’s I’m Not Okay With This, wrote the script with Ramsay.

Andrew Childs will executive produce and Village Roadshow Pictures’ exec vp of content, Jillian Apfelbaum, will oversee production, which is expected to begin shooting next year.

Ramsay is a frequent player on the festival scene thanks for award-winning films such as 2011’s We Need to Talk About Kevin, which starred Tilda Swinton, and more recently, You Were Never Really Here, which starred Joaquin Phoenix and received a seven-minute standing ovation at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. She also served on the jury for the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals.

Ramsay is repped by Ziffren Brittenham.

 

Article by: Borys Kitfor The Hollywood Reporter

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New road trip movie 'Sacramento' starring Michael Cera has locals scratching their heads

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 16, 2020 at 3:40pm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — First "Lady Bird" and now ... "Sacramento"?

The big tomato just keeps receiving cinematic nods, it seems, this time in a film that takes its name directly from California's capital city.

Deadline broke the story on "Sacramento," which is being billed as a road trip movie directed by Michael Angarano, and starring himself, along with Michael Cera and Maya Erskine.

 

The catch? The road trip in question only takes about six hours to complete, depending on your route of choice.

Here's how Deadline described the plot of "Sacramento":

"Due to shoot early next year, the film will follow Rickey, an energetic and free-spirited young man who convinces Glenn, his long-time friend who's settled into domestic life, to go on an impromptu road trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento, bringing their past into question and their future into light."

That means, unlike Sacramento native Greta Gerwig's Oscar-nominated film, the majority of "Sacramento" will presumably take place outside of the city itself.

But in just a few years, America's Farm-To-Fork Capital may have its name forever tied to a piece of media that explores very little of its culture.

"Lady Bird," in many respects, has become a symbol of pride for the city. It was, in Gerwig's words, "a love letter to Sacramento." And a lot of people here love it back.

What remains to be seen is who exactly Angarano is writing to in his second directorial project — and whether or not Sacramento is ready for another love.

Angarano's directorial debut was "Avenues," which he also wrote and starred in. The 2017 film runs an hour and 16 minutes and was rated a 6.3 out of 10 by reviewers on IMDb.

The reception of "Sacramento" will depend upon the route taken by the film's protagonists. Not the path of their character development, mind you, but the literal road chosen for their brief expedition.

Two choices seem apparent: take Interstate 5 all the way up or reroute to Highway 99 for a drive through the Central Valley. Locals are split on that one, but one thing's for certain — it's not much of a drive either way.

Patrick Redford of Defector Media seemed to sum up the thoughts of many Californians.

"I am sorry but LA to Sacramento is not a road trip it's like a medium long day of driving ... ." Redford wrote on Twitter.

 

Indeed. And it's a drive that many in the Golden State take up on a semi-regular basis. On a good day, I-5 will get you from point A to point B in 5 1/2 hours.By definition, it is a trip via the road. But when we think of the road trip genre and its conventions, the journey is usually significantly longer, almost epic in scope. We think, perhaps, of the cross-country trek in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road." We do not generally envision six hours of travel.

But that is not to say that there are no destinations of interest to be seen over those six hours, give or take for traffic.

"If this movie doesn't include a stop at the In-N-Out Burger in Kettleman City they're filming it wrong," Mike Naple wrote on Twitter.

That particular In-N-Out location is a favorite pit stop among travelers along I-5, and is practically the halfway point between Sacramento and Los Angeles — although if that's the highlight of the trip, it might not be worth it after all.

If filmmakers decide instead to go with Highway 99, then audiences could get a glimpse of the Central Valley's largest cities — Modesto, Merced, Fresno and even Bakersfield, which, by the by, made it into "On the Road." Why not "Sacramento"?

Daniel E. Jackson, however, expressed little faith in the project, notwithstanding the possibility of a Bakersfield cameo.

"As someone who usually makes this drive 3-4 times a year, y'all DO know there's absolutely NOTHING on this drive and it's boring AF, right???" he asked on Twitter. "Just making sure we're on the same page here."

Even Sacramento Film Commissioner Jennifer West had a take on "Sacramento," and, like many others, predicted a rather slim role for the city itself in its namesake film.

"B Roll at best," she said.

 

Article by: Vincent Moleskifor The Sacramento Bee

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‘Black Panther’ Smashed Ceiling for Women Cinematographers, ‘Lady Cameraman’ Director Says

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 13, 2020 at 4:23pm

Julia Swain’s documentary “Lady Cameraman,” about to be shown at the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival, celebrates female cinematographers – including Rachel Morrison, Reed Morano, Mandy Walker and Natasha Braier – and their success stories, including Morrison’s work on blockbuster “Black Panther.”

“ ‘Black Panther’ smashed the ceiling in terms of women hopefully being able to shoot much bigger films in the future,” Swain tells Variety. “Now, a woman has shot a Marvel movie and that’s something that can happen again – same thing with seeing Rachel getting nominated for an Oscar [as the first female cinematographer ever for ‘Mudbound’]. When it comes to commercials or television, they don’t let you shoot something unless you have already shot it, which is an interesting Catch-22 situation. It speaks to the general attitude that hopefully will change, because women have this immense determination to go and figure out how to do things. They can be trusted with money.”

Shot by Swain and Teodora Totoiu, “Lady Cameraman” challenges some industry stereotypes, including claims that the physical demands of the work make it harder for women to succeed.

“It’s a physical job, at least at the beginning – when you are operating your own stuff, you are hustling really hard. But it’s a bit of an excuse to be honest,” she says. “If you have a good crew and a well-balanced camera, it’s really not an issue. As Rebecca Rhine [national executive director of the International Cinematographers Guild] says in the film, it’s a myth that women don’t want to do physical jobs.”

Swain, who recently wrapped yet another feature as a cinematographer, Nell Teare’s “Sonny,” was determined to tell the story ever since she noticed that among all the acclaimed DPs teaching at her school, only one was a woman: Walker, who lensed “Australia” and Disney’s live-action version of “Mulan.”

“That made me wonder about the history of women in cinematography. I wanted to dig deeper because I didn’t know it myself!,” she says. “There is still this unconscious bias that people have and it doesn’t mean they are monsters. Because there are fewer women in cinematography, unfortunately sometimes what we do can reflect on us as a group. At the same time, I really think we are getting more chances.”

Arguing there is a real community forming, with female cinematographers pushing each other to have diverse crews and sharing resources, as well as more and more women getting proper representation, Swain is adamant they can really have it all – also when it comes to their personal lives.

“This is one of the things I am learning from this movie – vulnerability really connects us. There is this weird stigma about mixing work and family. Yes, you want to be professional, but you can have both. Being able to show that family aspect, show how beautiful it is to be a mom and a DP is really empowering,” she says. “Our career is based on momentum, we try to climb up the ladder and there is this fear of missing out on an important opportunity. But we can have both and it’s something these women are proving.”

Admitting that she has faced some reluctance in the past, also from other crew members, in “Lady Cameraman” Swain wants to point out that times they are a-changin’. Mostly for the better.

“I don’t think it’s the same world that Brianne Murphy came up in. If someone said something as crazy as ‘you will get into this union over my dead body,’ it would be a huge problem. We have the visibility to draw attention to it and call it out,” she says, referring to Murphy’s experience once she decided to join her local union branch. Widely regarded as a pioneer figure, she went on to become the first woman to join the American Society of Cinematographers.

“This story isn’t told in the film, but Brianne would call herself ‘Brian’ to get some jobs. She would change her voice on the phone and then show up to set, as at that point they couldn’t get rid of her anymore,” says Swain. “When people walk away from this film, I hope that everyone can name dozens of female cinematographers. And feel more comfortable about our future in film, knowing that we have done it in the past and that we are doing it now.”

Article by: Marta Balaga for Variety

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Jon M. Chu to Direct ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Live-Action Movie

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 13, 2020 at 4:15pm

The “Lilo & Stitch” ohana is expanding, with Jon M. Chu in talks to direct Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation.

Disney has yet to announce if the movie will release in theaters or on Disney Plus, the studio’s subscription streaming service. “Lilo & Stitch” has not set a screenwriter or any cast members.

Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback, the company that recently backed Disney’s “Aladdin” remake, are producing the film, with Rideback exec Ryan Halprin serving as an executive producer.

The original movie, written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, was released in 2002. The animated family film follows a 6-year-old Hawaiian girl Lilo and her teenage sister Nani, who adopt a blue extraterrestrial creature nicknamed Stitch. The movie popularized the song “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” and familiarized audiences to the concept of ohana, which means family — and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

 

 

Article by: Rebecca Rubin for Variety

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Inside Hollywood’s Expensive and Exhausting Road to Making Movies During Coronavirus

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 13, 2020 at 4:07pm

Every day at Pinewood Studios in London, where “Jurassic World: Dominion” just wrapped a months-long shoot that was upended by a world-altering pandemic, a voice booms over the PA system five hours into filming to remind cast and crew members to change their masks.

“It doesn’t happen all at once, it’s not like a factory,” Alexandra Derbyshire, an executive producer on the Universal Studios film, says with a laugh. “It’s just a reminder.”

The nudge to swap out facial coverings may be gentle, but it exemplifies just how seriously films are working to prevent their sets from becoming coronavirus hotspots. As the pandemic approaches the year mark, those who make movies are coming to terms with the fact that film sets big and small will look very different for the foreseeable future. Pfizer’s recent announcement that its coronavirus vaccine had promising results lifted hopes around the industry that business might eventually return to normal, but most doubt that it will be a silver bullet. Shooting movies has become more expensive and more time consuming, and that’s not likely to change.

And rising coronavirus cases also mean that despite the great strides film sets have made in cobbling together thorough safety protocols, the pandemic is a force that can’t be contained. That may result in another round of widespread shutdowns, which could soon halt filming in places like London and Georgia.

In any environment, blockbuster filmmaking is an extremely tedious and labor-intensive process that requires hundreds upon hundreds of hands: from actors, directors and extras to hair and makeup artists and catering staff. In other words, it’s the stuff of nightmares at a time when a deadly airborne virus is circulating. Derbyshire likened the post-pandemic set to “a glamorous war.” “Jurassic World: Dominion” was the first major production to resume filming after coronavirus forced film sets to shut down. And in many ways, the blockbuster franchise wrote the rulebook for pandemic productions, consisting of intense and scrupulous measures — like electronic temperature checks, routine swab tests, daily safety briefings and color-coded zones to organize cast and crew — that will likely become de rigueur for movie sets across the globe.

jurassic-world.jpghttps://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/jurassic-world.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/jurassic-world.jpg?resize=300,200 300w" alt="Lazy loaded image" width="1000" height="667" data-lazy-loaded="true" />
Before getting on set, “Jurassic World: Dominion” cast and crew members have to go through electronic temperature checks.John Wilson

Masks and physical distancing are commonplace everywhere these days. But to protect against a flare-up, sets are divided into different “zones” to distance the crew accordingly. After each person arrives on set and goes through a temperature testing station, they are given wrist bands that correspond with the color zone they’re assigned to work that day. The “green zone,” at least on “Dominion,” houses key cast members, the director and producers and is able to operate like a normal film unit (or as normal as it can get during a pandemic) because they take the most extensive precautions. Anyone working in the green zone gets tested for coronavirus three times a week, a necessary practice that Derbyshire calls “phenomenally expensive.” Instead of crowding around monitors, everyone has their own iPad to individually monitor what’s happening on camera.

 

 

“Social distancing is the hardest part because the nature of filmmaking is so collaborative,” Derbyshire says. “It’s quite difficult to speak to someone at two meters.” So the production hired extra people on set responsible for keeping others at more than an arms-length. “That’s not a fun job,” she says. “It’s really annoying.”

Aside from coronavirus testing, perhaps the most necessary – and priciest – expense was renting out space for principal cast and crew members to limit their exposure to the outside world. Despite being holed up in one of London’s finest hotels for the shoot, Derbyshire celebrated the opportunity to finally sleep in her own bed after 19 long weeks in isolation.

Actress Vinessa Shaw, who recently completed filming on the independent thriller “We Need to Do Something,” predicts that “set bubbles are going to be the norm.” Of course, the average movie won’t require isolation accommodations as elaborate and costly as a major blockbuster.

“It’s great,” Shaw says, “because we shot this in 18 days. You can [still] manage your life.” For TV shows or mini-series, it could be more challenging because seasons are shot over a longer period of time. “People might not always be willing to go on lockdown or quarantine every time for longer periods of time. Ten days is manageable. But six or seven months is different.”

There’s no question that studios need to take drastic measures to make sure film sets remain coronavirus free. Yet that means there’s been at least one topic that’s a constant conversation (yes, even more than usual) during the pandemic: Money. Rigorous procedures, like routine testing, precise ventilation, additional signage and hygiene on set (sinks, sanitizer stations and face masks are always readily available) have sent price tags soaring. But for the most part, Hollywood hasn’t batted an eye.

“[Universal] hasn’t questioned any of it,” says Derbyshire, who called the financial undertaking “extraordinary” and estimates the extra expenses are in the millions. “Dominion,” which is a larger-scale production than most films, had approximately 90 additional sinks, 200 hand sanitizer stations and completed an estimated 50,000 swab tests throughout the shoot. “It’s an enormous investment.”

But not all productions are fortunate enough to be backed by one of the largest film studios in Hollywood. For the upcoming movie “Rift,” producer Kevin G. Lee estimates he had to allocate 10% to 15% of the budget to coronavirus-related expenses. “Every production needs to consider just how much you’re going to have to prepare for it,” he warns.

rift.jpghttps://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rift.jpg?resize=150,84 150w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rift.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rift.jpg?resize=125,70 125w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rift.jpg?resize=681,383 681w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rift.jpg?resize=450,253 450w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/rift.jpg?resize=250,140 250w" alt="Lazy loaded image" width="1000" height="563" data-lazy-loaded="true" />
The masked filmakking team behind the upcoming indie “Rift.”

Lee and the film’s team of producers — Tammie Renee, Kendrick Foxx and Ty Donaldson of TLK Filmworks — assembled a 70-person crew to film their feature in Atlanta. The team had planned to shoot an entirely different project, but had to scrap their original blueprint once they failed to get production insurance to cover pandemics. They had already booked locations, so they reverse engineered the process to craft an entirely new movie, titled “Rift,” that utilized the spaces they had previously secured. That was when the real work began.

The movie was shot at warp speeds, with just five days on set. To pull off a safe production, the team had to foot the bill for three rounds of testing (each test costs $150 per person), HEPA-filtered ventilation for the set, and hotel stays for the main cast and crew in order to create a pseudo-bubble. All that was accomplished on a budget under $300,000.

“We were very fortunate in our planning and in our crew to be able to accomplish this, but I don’t know how many people can continue to do that, especially at this price point,” Foxx says. He offers that unions should consider subsidizing costs. “If not, you are going to slam into either hitting a brick wall with the lack of content or having people taking chances and not being as safe.”

That particular problem may be long-lasting, Foxx predicts. “In Georgia, being a right to work state, I’m seeing a lot of my producer friends are doing a lot of non-union projects — they still do their COVID tests but they’re not required to test us frequently,” he said. “Right now, I think everybody’s still trying to get their sea legs and understand this new world that we’re in, and really have to embrace that this is where we are. We can’t fantasize and romanticize about yesterday. Those days are gone.”

Operating under strict conditions does have some positives. “Jurassic World’s” Derbyshire says the level of organization needed results in more precise filmmaking and less on-the-fly decisions. Take supporting actors, for example. In pre-pandemic times, if more background actors are needed, the crew would need to find 10 to 20 people on a day’s notice. Now, people are required to produce three negative tests before arriving at Pinewood Studios. That takes at least an extra week’s worth of planning.

 

 

And even with heightened precautions, there have been some high-profile setbacks. Netflix had to briefly shut down “The Harder They Fall,” Robert Pattinson’s positive coronavirus test meant “The Batman” temporarily halted production, and Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling” paused filming after crew members contracted the virus.

With about three weeks left of material to shoot, “Jurassic World: Dominion” had to cease filming after a string of positive coronavirus cases on set. “When you have a positive case, immediately that person and anyone surrounding them has to be taken out of the mix,” Derbyshire said.

“Somebody central tested positive, so part of our film had to stop,” said Derbyshire, who was not permitted to say who on set tested positive. “The person didn’t have symptoms and immediately tested negative, but that doesn’t change our protocol. You have to err on the side of caution. There’s a risk there.”

WE-NEED-TO-DO-SOMETHING-BTS.jpghttps://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/WE-NEED-TO-DO-SOMETHING-BTS.jpg?resize=150,84 150w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/WE-NEED-TO-DO-SOMETHING-BTS.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/WE-NEED-TO-DO-SOMETHING-BTS.jpg?resize=125,70 125w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/WE-NEED-TO-DO-SOMETHING-BTS.jpg?resize=681,383 681w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/WE-NEED-TO-DO-SOMETHING-BTS.jpg?resize=450,253 450w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/WE-NEED-TO-DO-SOMETHING-BTS.jpg?resize=250,140 250w" alt="Lazy loaded image" width="1000" height="563" data-lazy-loaded="true" />
Director Sean King O’Grady on the set of “We Need to Do Something.”Cinnamon Triano

Director Sean King O’Grady faced a similar fate on his new film “We Need to Do Something.” As the owner of Atlas Industries, a Michigan-based film and television company, he was at an advantage considering he owned a soundstage. But despite laborious measures, including an on-set health safety adviser, O’Grady received word that a crew member tested positive for the virus just two days into shooting, demonstrating the complications of even the most well-executed plans amid a pandemic.

“The reality is that people live with other people,” he says. “They’ve got kids in school, spouses who have jobs and they’re exposed to the outside world.”

As a small production, he notes, money was tight. “We can’t afford to get shut down and start again and get shut down and start again. We decided to create a true bubble and we moved all the cast and crew into the hotel,” he says. After quarantining for a week, cast and crew members needed three negative tests before they were allowed to restart production.

“Making movies in 2020 is not for the faint of heart,” O’Grady says. “But it’s possible.”

 

 

Article by: Rebecca Rubin, Angelique Jackson, Jazz Tangcay for Variety

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Leonardo DiCaprio’s 10 Best Oscar-Worthy Performances

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 11, 2020 at 3:40pm

Considered to be one of the greatest actors of his generation, Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio celebrates his 46th birthday on Wednesday. With a career that has spanned nearly three decades, he’s delivered some of the most memorable characters and performances, many of which were noticed by the Academy.

With six acting nominations, most recently for last year’s “Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood,” and winning for 2016’s “The Revenant,” DiCaprio shows no signs of slowing down yet. He’s set to re-team with Martin Scorsese on an adaptation of “Killers of the Flower Moon” alongside Robert De Niro, currently set for some time in 2021. We may get a double dose of DiCaprio next year, because he’s also filming “Don’t Look Up” from Oscar-winning writer and director Adam McKay, alongside an all-star cast that includes Meryl Streep, Timothée Chalamet, Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill and Ariana Grande. That will make its bow on Netflix.

Let’s take a look at his 10 best Oscar-worthy performances of his career thus far. Some of these were nominated by the Oscars, some were not.

If you think we missed any, share them in the comments or on social.

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Lensing Creativity Goes Remote

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 11, 2020 at 3:35pm

Necessity is the mother of invention, and nothing proves this proverb more true than the evolution of film and television production technology in the age of COVID-19. While the field has always changed rapidly even in normal times, the pace of change and adaptation has accelerated over the past six months.

This adjustment has posed many questions. Beyond personal protective equipment, mandatory testing, on-set safety monitors, walking lunches and corona contingency fees, will the pandemic have enduring effects in the creative, collaborative endeavor that is filmmaking? The technology to work remotely has essentially been in place for some time, but will the pandemic finally push us over into a new normal?

Numerous existing technology trends are being suddenly supercharged by the necessities imposed by the coronavirus. Shooting close to home has never been more appealing, and that impulse aligns neatly with ongoing advancements in LED backings and virtual production. In the world of image processing, connectivity solutions such as those offered by Moxion, Frame.io and Sohonet were already bringing immediacy and super-high resolution to a wide variety of devices without regard to location — and now those virtues are suddenly in much higher demand. And remote collaboration solutions including PIX are looking positively prescient.

 Cinematographer Greig Fraser, an Oscar nominee for “Lion,” has been pioneering virtual techniques with his work on “The Mandalorian,” and more recently, “Dune” and “The Batman.” He says that on recent commercial product­ions during the summer months, COVID’s initial peak, the restrictions have been very smartly managed.

“There are definitely small compromises that need to be made, but we are always making compromises in some way, shape or form,” he says. “You don’t have the money or the time, or the freedom. You’re always juggling different factors, and in that sense, this is another factor. It’s not easy, and I’m really looking forward to the day when we can walk onto a set without masks and give each other hugs. But it’s not life-changing or industry-stopping. We all have to take responsibility for our actions much more than we ever have.”

Fraser adds that the methods and tools he used on “The Mandalorian” have continued to evolve, and filmmakers’ skill and understanding of how to exploit them grows with every application. In many cases, COVID may be accelerating that process. One particular tool that Fraser has found especially handy on those commercials was a 3D virtual reality headset showing faraway location images shot with a 360-degree camera.

“On ‘The Mandalorian’ we worked quite a bit with 3D VR headsets,” he says. “Now, I’m using them to go on location scouts. We did a commercial in Atlanta, and the location manager could walk around while sending a live feed to me in Los Angeles. It’s a massive game-changer. You can spend a day scouting multiple locations instead of sitting in a van or a plane for much of that time. VR scouting with 3D models, which can be blended into actual location imagery, is also an extremely efficient way of working. I’m using it as much as I can, frankly.”

Remote collaboration solutions have been around for some time, but the pandemic has made such communication tools essential. Director David Fincher’s team found that the PIX production backbone, a tool they’ve helped develop over the years, facilitated safe group creativity but also enhanced efficiency on the forthcoming “Mank.” All production information is made available to principals, from casting photos and script versions to dailies and VFX pulls.

“Fortunately, we have not missed a beat,” says producer Cean Chaffin, who has made nine films with Fincher.

“We are working now exactly how we mostly could have been working the past 10 years, which is working from home during post. Even when we were in the same building, David was often responding exclusively through PIX. His preferences and concerns are there for everyone to refer to. You don’t have to go find that one email, or remember a comment someone made on their way out the door. Many of our collaborators are working in a variety of locations and countries, and David needs to be available to them, and them to him.”

Post supervisor Peter Mavromates says: “It’s easy for David to get opinions and feedback from the people that he trusts because they’re only a click away, even if they’re a world away physically. Information is flowing.”

Pandemic concerns are affecting on-set choices as well. On the set of “Them: Covenant,” director of photography Checco Varese found the right remote head to be a crucial tool made even more essential by social distancing. On that shoot, he carried two Arri SRH-3 stabilized remote heads — a tool that previously might have been brought in to accomplish a specific shot.

“Using these remote heads means that the dolly grip no longer needs to be in close proximity to the actors, who are the only people on the set who cannot always wear a mask,” Varese says. “It helps put everyone at ease, which is a major concern with the actors. And in reality, it allows us to work more efficiently while creating a more cinematic feel for the show. These remote heads are great tools even without COVID. Even if the pandemic were over tomorrow, I’d still keep it on all the time. We’re not shooting television anymore. The quality expectations are continually rising.”

DP Lawrence Sher, Oscar-winner for his camerawork on “Joker,” recently finished helming three episodes of “Rutherford Falls,” a comedy for Peacock created by Michael Schur (“The Good Place,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”). Sher also made extensive use of remote heads, thereby minimizing the number of crew members near the actors. The relative lack of control and unpredictability of shooting on location was counteracted by stage work whenever possible. Even transportation on the single day of practical location work was exponentially more complicated.

“We did all the daily testing, and we used the pod system,” Sher says. “One of my concerns as a director was that with masks, you can’t see each other, you can’t read faces as well. You can only see the eyes. But we were still able to convey our meanings to each other. I think that after the pandemic, having a single camera operator might find its way back in, because you still need the humanity. But in the short term, the remote heads allowed us to accomplish the shoot and stay safe.

“The experience was both surprising and hopeful,” Sher adds. “Even if some of these restrictions are going to be with us for a while, at least it shows that we can still keep making content and entertaining people and getting everyone back to work, which is amazing. It was weird, but frankly I thought it would be more disruptive and harder than it was. Filmmaking took over. It was a credit to the adaptability of our industry. I’ve always truly admired film crews as some of the most resilient people. They come together with special skills for complex, high-tech, multimillion-dollar operations that spring up overnight, and solve the problems. And I think the way we’re dealing with COVID is no different.”

 

Article by: David Heuring for Variety

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Michael Bay, Jake Gyllenhaal Teaming for Thriller 'Ambulance'

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 11, 2020 at 3:30pm
Dylan O’Brien and Eiza Gonzalez are circling roles.

 

Michael Bay is speeding along with his next project. The filmmaker will direct Ambulance, a contained thriller that has Jake Gyllenhaal in talks to star.

The project is described as a three-hander that tells of two brothers who steal an ambulance that is already in a heightened state with a female paramedic and a patient who is in critical condition. Gyllenhaal would play the older brother. Sources say that Dylan O’Brien is circling the part of the younger brother and that Eiza González is circling the role of the paramedic. Sources caution, however, that no deals have been made.

Chris Fedak, known as co-creator of Fox's Prodigal Son, penned the script, which is described as having elements of action-thrillers such as Speed and Training Day. Bay envisions the film as a character-driven project that will be a departure from his standard explosion-heavy fare. Endeavor Content is packaging Ambulance, and Universal is in final talks to act as distributor. The project would be a negative pick-up, meaning the studio will be mostly hands off and will acquire it fully made.

Bay last directed Netflix's 6 Underground and was weighing Ambulance and directing a big-budget video game adaptation at Sony, but the contained thriller won out, as it lends itself more to a COVID-friendly shoot. Ambulance is eying a shoot in Los Angeles, where the Bay-produced thriller Songbird shot in the era of COVID-19.

Gyllenhaal starred in last year's Spider-Man: Far From Home and recently signed on to play former Paramout chief Robert Evans in Francis and The Godfather, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Godfather.

Bay and Gyllenhaal are repped by WME.

 

Article by: Aaron Couch and Borys Kit for The Hollywood Reporter

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Zombies, Sex and Thrills: AFM Returns to Its Roots Amid Pandemic

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 9, 2020 at 4:39pm

COVID-19 has sparked a boom in the kind of genre fare the market was built on — but will it last?

For independent producers, it is the worst of times. The pandemic has shut down or emptied cinemas, new COVID-19 protocols have added 5 percent-10 percent to the budget of every production — provided you can even find a place safe enough to make your movie — and financiers, insurers and bond companies are running scared, none willing to cover the losses that would ensue should the world enter a second lockdown.

But then, there's After We Collided. The young-adult erotic drama, the sequel to the 2019 sleeper hit After, produced and sold by Voltage Pictures, is on track to gross $50 million at the box office, almost all of it from still open theaters outside the U.S.

And there's Greenland. The Gerard Butler starrer, financed and distributed by Anton, earned $34 million internationally and scored a major domestic SVOD deal with HBO Max.

More recently, there's Honest Thief, the by-the-numbers Liam Neeson action thriller — shopped to buyers at the American Film Market in 2018 by The Solution Entertainment Group — which has topped the U.S box office charts two weeks running, taking in $7.5 million in its first 10 days in release.

There's even Peninsula, the Korean zombie actioner from director Yeon Sang-ho that grossed a blockbuster-worthy $27 million at home — where theaters have bounced back from the COVID-19 slump — and also picked up a decent $1.2 million in the U.S., via release from Well Go USA.

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Courtesy of STXfilms
Gerard Butler actioner 'Greenland' ($34 million)
https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/GREENLAND_SG_00024R_rgb-EMBED-2020-1604010836-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/GREENLAND_SG_00024R_rgb-EMBED-2020-1604010836-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/GREENLAND_SG_00024R_rgb-EMBED-2020-1604010836-compressed.jpg 1047w" data-alt-text="GREENLAND"> 

For the producers, sales agents and indie distributors scheduling their Zoom meetings ahead of this year's all-virtual AFM, the fact that the moneymakers right now are YA sex dramas, Butler and Neeson thrillers, and Asian zombie flicks should give them hope. AFM, after all, was initially set up to finance movies for the so-called ancillary markets — basically home video and international. Amid the pandemic, those markets are just about the only game in town.

"It used to be the focus was on theatrical. Buyers were taking more aggressive bets on strong directors, on auteurs, with the idea that if it worked in theaters, the ancillaries would come," says Brian O'Shea of veteran sales outfit The Exchange, which is introducing Bruce Willis' action film Apex to AFM buyers. "Now it's almost the opposite — buyers are looking for the safety of a movie with a strong ancillary. If you have a Liam Neeson or Jason Statham or Gerard Butler project, you know you'll get very aggressive bids."

For the first time in years, independent producers are on the right side of the supply-demand chain. The global COVID shutdown means film production, effectively, stopped from March through August while demand — driven by bingeing, locked-down consumers — skyrocketed.

"For six months, nobody made anything and everyone consumed as much as they could on streaming. So there is a gap," says producer Jonathan McCoy, who has recently begun shooting on Lionsgate horror title Cobweb, starring Antony Starr and Lizzy Caplan. "And it is going to continue like that because only so many things can get made right now."

The independents, or mini-majors like Lionsgate, have an advantage over the studios at the moment because even when studio features can be shot, continued COVID uncertainty means it's anyone's guess when these movies will be released. The list of studio releases that have been bumped — Dune, Wonder Woman 1984, Black Widow, The Batman, No Time to Die — is long (and seemingly growing by the day). Indie productions that can get to market quickly will face less competition.

German mini-major Constantin Film brought forward the release of several of its titles — including the Milla Jovovich starrer Monster Hunter — to fill the void left by studios pushing their 2020 tentpoles to next year. Constantin scored a COVID hit with After We Collided. The feature, which grossed nearly $10 million in Germany, has been the No. 2 title in the territory since the lockdown, behind only Warner Bros.' Tenet (about $18.8 million).

Constantin executive board chairman Martin Moszkowicz noted that even if cinemas operate at lower capacity, indies can still make the number work. "As long as there are few films being released, you can adjust for that, by just opening on more screens," he told THR, speaking before new lockdowns in Germany were announced Oct. 28.

Provided the cinemas stay open. In early October, Constantin set a Dec. 3 release date for Monster Hunter in Germany. On Oct. 28, the German government announced it would be re-shuttering cinemas nationwide Nov. 2, for at least four weeks. Making plans during COVID-19 can be a fool's errand.

Insurance is another major uncertainty plaguing indie producers, who unlike studios do not have existing pre-COVID contracts. There is no insurance company willing to cover the risk of another COVID-19 lockdown, where production would halt entirely. Some countries, including Germany and the U.K., have set up government-backed funds as a stopgap to allow shovel-ready shoots to go ahead. U.S. productions have to rely on angel investors willing to risk everything if things go wrong.

"Voltage took a big risk with us, because we have insurance for everything but no insurance if we have to shut down because of COVID," says After producer Brian Pitt, speaking from the Nu Boyana Studios set in Bulgaria, where he is shooting After 3 and 4. "Voltage rolled the dice. Others might not have been as willing to."

TESSA-AND-HARDIN_093f4663-f66d-ea11-94c2-0e563b5fb261-EMBED-2020-1604010843-compressed.jpghttps://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TESSA-AND-HARDIN_093f4663-f66d-ea11-94c2-0e563b5fb261-EMBED-2020-1604010843-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TESSA-AND-HARDIN_093f4663-f66d-ea11-94c2-0e563b5fb261-EMBED-2020-1604010843-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TESSA-AND-HARDIN_093f4663-f66d-ea11-94c2-0e563b5fb261-EMBED-2020-1604010843-compressed.jpg 1047w" alt="After We Collided" />
JOSH STRINGER/OPEN ROAD FILMS
YA drama After We Collided ($50 million)
https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TESSA-AND-HARDIN_093f4663-f66d-ea11-94c2-0e563b5fb261-EMBED-2020-1604010843-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TESSA-AND-HARDIN_093f4663-f66d-ea11-94c2-0e563b5fb261-EMBED-2020-1604010843-compressed.jpg 1047w, https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TESSA-AND-HARDIN_093f4663-f66d-ea11-94c2-0e563b5fb261-EMBED-2020-1604010843-compressed.jpg 1047w" data-alt-text="After We Collided"> 

For those investors in indies willing to take the chance, and for those buyers logging in to virtual AFM, the current market — where a limited supply of new films faces decreasing competition from studio tentpoles and a growing demand from consumers — offers a unique, perhaps fleeting, opportunity.

"If you look at the schedule for 2021, it is hugely overcrowded [with studio titles]," said Moszkowicz. "At the moment, we have little competition, and there is a lot of capacity. I'm not sure things will stay that way."

 

Article by: Scott Roxborough for The Hollywood Reporter

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FilmLA Chief on Why (and How) Film and TV Production Endures Amid the Pandemic

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 9, 2020 at 4:36pm

Paul Audley opens up about the state of filming in L.A., when we can expect to see normal production levels again and the biggest challenge in bringing the industry back.

FilmLA typically sets up an exhibit booth at LocationEXPO, an annual event for dozens of film commissions, government agencies and production managers around the globe. But like many in-person gatherings in the age of COVID-19, the event, which runs concurrently with AFM, is going virtual. Paul Audley, president of the nonprofit that tracks filming in the greater Los Angeles area, is welcoming the change. Here, Audley talks with The Hollywood Reporter about the state of filming in L.A., when we can expect to see normal production levels again and the biggest challenge in bringing the industry back.

There are a lot of places productions can film now. What is your pitch to have folks shoot in L.A.?

I think one of the biggest advantages for Los Angeles right now is that it has a series of really robust protections in place, and because you can come here and get everything — cast, crew, any kind of supplies you need. Everything is in place. And unlike many jurisdictions, there isn't a quarantine requirement for those cast and crew because they're already here and following the public health guidelines.

What exactly does filming look like in L.A. at the moment?

What we're seeing in greater Los Angeles is about 46 percent of normal as of right now compared with what we'd see in a normal year. The good news is we started to see a return of television and feature films that through June, July and August had really been on the sidelines waiting for all the industrywide guidelines to be completed. So these productions that employ more people and spend more money in the economy have come back, and we expect them to continue working and growing as the year goes on.

When will we see normal production levels again?

We're all hopeful that the progress on things like vaccines will continue and that by March, if there's widespread vaccination available, then the industry can return to full normal at that point. But I wouldn't anticipate seeing full return to production before late spring of 2021.

What's been one of the biggest challenges in bringing filming back?

The challenge that the [protocols] create is that it's more expensive and it takes longer to do filming than it would have in a normal environment. But everybody seems willing to do that, and it's good to be back at work. What we're hearing from county public health is that the industry has been a model of creating real safe environments for this work to take place, and we've seen very little reports of any kind of problems around COVID. Because they're pre-testing most people, there really haven't been any number of outbreaks on sets that you might think of as spreader events. That just has not happened.

 

Article by: Bryn Elise Sandberg for The Hollywood Reporter

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Sandra Oh Talks Early Career as Korean Canadian Actor in Exclusive Documentary Trailer

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 9, 2020 at 4:30pm

An upcoming documentary following the early career of an aspiring Asian American actor unveiled a new trailer that features a conversation with Sandra Oh among other trailblazing actors of East Asian descent.

“Searching for Anna May Wong,” produced by Quentin Lee, traces the journey of actor Natasha Tina Liu, who raises the question, “If trailblazing actor Anna May Wong were still alive today, would she still face the same racism and challenges she experienced during her time in Hollywood?”

The half-hour film also features interviews with James Hong, Tzi Ma, Amy Hill, the late Elizabeth Sung, Jake Choi, Ludi Lin and Anna May Wong’s grandniece, Anna Wong. The interviewees remember the late Chinese American actor’s career and speak out on the challenges Asian American creatives still experience in the industry.

 

“Historic Asian American figures like Anna May Wong really came up despite all the odds,” Lin said. “They had to be rebels, freedom fighters as well as artists. We’re at another crossroads now, and it’s very important to me that I don’t fall short of their legacy.”

“Searching for Anna May Wong,” co-directed and edited by Denise Chan, is set to screen at the Laemmle NoHo 7 Theatre from Nov. 20 to 26, and will be available for free streaming on its website and Asian American Movies on Nov. 27.

“For the past three years, ‘Searching for Anna May Wong’ has been a challenging journey to say the least,” Lee said in a statement. “Because most of the talent involved came on board as a favor to me, this previously unfinished project has been weighing on me. To not let my friends’ efforts go in vain, I had no choice but to finish the film by crook or by hook. I’m most grateful to Denise for coming on board as an editor and co-director, and Natasha for helping us finish the film.”

 

 

article by: Janet W. Lee for Variety

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Blue Ivy Carter to Narrate ‘Hair Love’ Audiobook, From Oscar Winner Matthew A. Cherry

Posted by Sarai Argueta on November 9, 2020 at 4:21pm

Blue Ivy Carter, the child of Beyonce and Jay-Z, will narrate the audiobook for “Hair Love,” based on Matthew A. Cherry’s Oscar-winning short film.

Cherry announced the news on social media, posting a clip that samples the four-minute long audiobook.

 

The touching tale, which follows an African American dad attempting to do his daughter’s hair for the first time, took home an Academy Award in 2020 for best animated short film. Last May, it was released as a children’s book with illustrations by Vashti Harrison. Cherry’s short film — which he wrote, directed and co-produced with Karen Rupert Toliver — will also be developed into an animated TV show at HBO Max called “Young Love,” based on the characters from “Hair Love.”

Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge praised “Hair Love” when it was released earlier this year, calling it “a way of boosting pride and understanding alike.”

“Cherry imagines an instantly engaging […] way to untangle and potentially reshape a number of African American stereotypes,” he wrote.

Dreamscape Media produced and published the audio edition of “Hair Love,” which is available now in the U.S. and Canada.

The 8-year-old Carter already has numerous accolades under her belt. She won the BET Her Award in 2020 for the song “Brown Skin Girl,” making her the youngest recipient of a BET Award. She also nabbed an NAACP Image Award for the same single, which is a collaboration with Beyonce, WizKid and Saint Jhn. Carter also appeared in Beyonce’s visual album “Black Is King,” which debuted on Disney Plus in July. With Carter’s audiobook performance, there’s a chance she could contend for a Grammy nomination for spoken word. Her mother has 24 Grammy Awards and her father has 22.

Article by:  Rebecca Rubinfor Variety

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