Waiting 2B Scene

Tag: Interview

  • Video: Why ‘Over the Rainbow’ Takes Us to a Magical, Musical Place (PBS)

    Most of the material that I share has to do with the visual side of videography and cinematography, and that is mainly because it is where my own personal interest lies. With that being said – I read material and watch clips that branch out beyond those limitations quite frequently too, as there is so much interesting stuff to delve into when it comes to production.

    So today I am going to take a bit of a diversion from my usual programming, and share a clip on music in film: specifically a PBS Newshour report that explores the Wizard of Oz classic Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Number one on the “Songs of the Century” list compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America – there is no doubt that it has an enduring legacy. But why? Well, the premise offered by composer Rob Kapilow is quite a clever analysis which I am sure you will enjoy.

    “Words makes you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song make you feel a thought.” – Yip Harburg (paraphrased).

  • Interview: Kevin Spacey Does Impersonations (ITAS)

    It seems like celebrities are doing impersonations all the time. Co-actors try to mimic each other, vocalists mimic other singers. Such is its popularity right now, that just last month the top-ten-list juggernaut WatchMojo even gave us a top ten list dedicated to this very phenomenon. [Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen it yet].

    At the top of that particular list sits the indomitable Kevin Spacey. Now I don’t know if you realise it or not… but Spacey has actually been impersonating other celebrities for a good while now! As such, today I would love to share with you a kind of ‘from the vault’ moment from the television programme, Inside the Actors Studio.

    I quite enjoy the show – and I think that the key to its 21-year success (as at 2015) is that it offers viewers a genuine interview: all of the guests (actors, directors, writers, and such) have the opportunity to actually discuss their craft and their particular approach to it. Thus was the case in an episode with Kevin Spacey that aired in July 2000.

    In the middle of this particular interview, however, host James Lipton throws in an unexpected twist. With zero lead-time, he calls on Spacey to do some of his impersonations – and what came next was truly amazing. I hope you enjoy.

  • Article: David Boyd ASC & The Walking Dead (CreativeCOW)

    Don’t worry, there are no spoilers here. Well, not unless you haven’t watched any of The Walking Dead over the last five years perhaps. Other than that, you ought to be golden with this post.

    I have done a wide variety of media work over the years: this often means needing to up-skill. When I first tried my hand at After Effects, the free training that the team at Creative Cow offered was there to guide me through a very steep learning curve. Fast forward to right now, and I usually just check out the highlights off the latest e-newsletter. Well today I couldn’t help but notice that there were linking to a fantastic interview that they did with David Boyd back in 2012.

    Be warned, it is a little TLDR (yeah, not a video interview… it’s that old school type of article!)… but Boyd has since gone on to DP on shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as directing episodes of Sleepy Hollow, Once Upon a Time, 12 Monkeys, and four more episodes of The Walking Dead. So the dude knows his business. From CreativeCow: “David’s insights into shooting in general, and the core aesthetic of The Walking Dead in particular, are every bit as enjoyable as the day we first published it.” Yep!

  • Interview: John C. McGinley (Speakeasy)

    Like many, the hit hospital sitcom Scrubs quickly became go to viewing for me. In fact – I still really enjoy it. How much? Well let’s say that it is enough to have just completed a marathon viewing of seasons 4 to 8, and leave it there!

    Anyway…

    I think that Scrubs‘ continued appeal for many lies in the way in which it connects to the audience. Bill Lawrence seamlessly combined a unique blend of outrageous, in-your-face, slapstick humour with the kind of dramatic sincerity often left to high profile dramas. For quite a few of these moments, you will be hard pressed not to find the indomitable, acerbic, Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox somewhere near the scene. And the incredible actor who brought Dr. Cox to life was John C. McGinley.

    So today, in honour of the show and in honour of the man that brought J.D’s worst fears and highest hopes to life, I want to share this great early-2015 Speakeasy interview with McGinley.

  • Video Essay: What’s in the Box? (CineFix)

    ** Spoiler alerts a head… though if you haven’t already seen this after twenty years, shame on you. **

    It was one of the most numbing thrillers of the mid-90’s… And if you didn’t immediately think of Se7en after reading that sentence, then you really missed out on something special!

    After a fairly tried-and-true series of murder-somethings throughout the 80’s, Hollywood screenwriters really started toying with audiences by switching it up in the 90’s. Misery served as the decade opener – but it was really The Silence of the Lambs that announced things had gone to a whole new thrilling level – becoming one of the few thrillers to receive a wide array of Oscar’s, including Best Picture1.

    By the time 1995’s Se7en rolled around, few thought that the thriller would turn out to be any good. Especially coming from by a first-time screenwriter and a director who had cut his teeth on music videos – and then had bombed in his “contribution” to the Aliens franchise. But the film wasn’t just good. It became a modern genre classic. And that, in no small part, came down to this very scene… a scene that Brad Pitt (among others) had to fight New Line Cinemas to keep in the film. In EW, Pitt was quoted as saying,

    “With Se7en, I said, “I will do it on one condition – the head stays in the box. Put in the contract that the head stays in the box.” Actually, there was a second thing, too: “He’s got to shoot the killer in the end. He doesn’t do the ‘right’ thing, he does the thing of passion.” Those two things are in the contract. Cut to: Se7en has been put together, and they’ve tested it. They go, “You know, he would be much more heroic if he didn’t shoot John Doe – and it’s too unsettling with the head in the box. We think maybe if it was the dog’s head in the box…” “

    And so today, in honour of it’s twentieth birthday – it is with great pleasure that I am sharing this excellent Video Essay by the CineFlix team – Se7en’s “Box Scene” – Art of the Scene:

  • Interview: William Goldman (The Writer Speaks)

    Given that I have been reading his book, it ought to come as no surprise that I have finally stumbled upon an interview with William Goldman.

    Released back in 2013 by The Writer Speaks – you get access to quite an influential Hollywood writer and author for an hour and a half.  Deciding to watch this through is definitely a commitment – however, deciding not to would be ill-advised. Honestly, it is less time consuming than reading through the books – and it is worth watching. So do yourself a favour and check it out already. 🙂

  • Audio Interview: Kay Cannon – Comedy Writer of Pitch Perfect 2

    Continuing my series of resource links, today I wanted share a piece that discusses the recently released movie, Pitch Perfect 2. For those who don’t know (or don’t care, I guess), this comedy sequel is about about a cappella singers (which, for what it’s worth, made more than US$70 million at the box office on its opening weekend . That is more than the first Pitch Perfect took in over its entire theatrical release in 2012 – as well as being the biggest debut ever for a movie musical).

    As the title suggests, today’s link is to an audio interview done with Kay Cannon: writer of Pitch Perfect 2. Well before Pitch Perfect came on the scene though, Cannon sunk her teeth into writing for comedy television – such as NBC’s hit 30 Rock (she won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedic Series for her work on 30 Rock on three separate occasions) as well as Fox’s New Girl.

    From NPR’s Bullseye with Jesse Thorn, this is a fascinating insight into the world of comedic writing for film and television in particular… and it is a great reminder that all of you writers out there are an indispensable part of the production process.

    https://soundcloud.com/bullseye-with-jesse-thorn/kay-cannon

  • Interview: The Directors (The Hollywood Reporter)

    Continuing with my new series of resource links – from video essays, to cinematographer interviews, how-to tips and the like – today I want to do another throwback. This time, I want to take you back three years to an extraordinary round-table style interview with a few of Hollywood’s great directors: Quentin Tarantino, David Russell, Ben Affleck, Ang Lee, Tom Hooper, and Gus Van Sant. Be warned though, it is an hour-long! With that being said, if you are something of a cinephile like me, then let me assure you that it is an hour well spent. Especially when we get insights such as this gem from Tom Hooper:

    “There’s a very curious and complex relationship between time pressure and instinct in that we all hate the time pressure… It’s the hidden narrative of most films. The audience when they’re watching it don’t realise that most of the decisions have been made in relation to time pressure, and that you’re fighting this battle with a ghost that the audience never see. And yet, it’s the time pressure that means that the only thing you can do is work on instinct…”

    Anyway, in terms of film stock – these are a group of better people than me, and they are waiting to spend the next hour with you! So quit wasting time with me, jump on in, and enjoy the rarefied air that these Hollywood directing alumni have on offer!

  • News: Blackmagic Design Show Off at NAB (13-mins)

    Continuing with my new series of resource links – from video essays, to cinematographer interviews, how-to tips and the like – I needed to get this additional post out today as it was too good not to share immediately. Anyone involved – and/or interested – in video production will have already heard the news out of NAB (come one, why wouldn’t you keep abreast of the NAB happenings?) that once again Blackmagic Design has shifted the world of camera production with the announcement of their new 4.6K and 15-stop URSA Mini which is due for release later this year.

    If, like me, you are kind of itching to get a look under the hood of this new toy – then you will be pleased to check out this interview with the BMD Director of Sales Simon Westland as he takes us through some of the new camera’s functionality. Enjoy!