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Four Pieces of Unbreakable

A critical analysis of four pieces of M. Night Shamalan’s “Unbreakable” by Jim Emerson.
VIA: Jim Emerson

Why doesn’t anyone respect me as a Director?

In here Q&A column, Heidi Van Lier deals with a director who feels like he’s getting snubbed for lesser directors.

…This question came from a twitter message I got a few weeks ago, the filmmaker was convinced that other directors, “of lesser talent”, were for some reason getting “more respect” than […]

Citizen Kane: Opening with Bogdanovich & Ebert commentary

The opening scene from Orson Welles’ 1941 film “Citizen Kane”, starring Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten.
Roger Ebert’s commentary on Citizen Kane is without a doubt the best DVD extra ever. Not only do you get the best film ever made, you get the best film school you’ll […]

What About Directors Do You Hate?

Andrew Salomon grabs a few quotes on the foibles of Directors - from an Actor’s standpoint.

…A few years back, I had just come off this Off-Broadway play when I was immediately hired for an independent film. The filmmaker had absolutely no clue how to deal with actors. In fact, at […]

On Directing Actors for Film/Video

By IQ forum member: KillerCordova
Before we start, know this, I can only teach what I know, and I know only what I was taught, and a small bit more. I acknowledge that this isn’t complete, but it’s worked well for me, and hopefully it’ll work well with refining your technique […]

How Good Directors Work With Good Editors

Norman Hollyn discusses the relationship between Directors and Editors

…One of the biggest complaints I hear from editors (after lack of work and oppressive schedules) is when directors treat them like “a pair of hands” meaning that they use them merely to push buttons and not make creative contributions. Quite often […]

Nonprofessional Actors Give European Films a New Realism

Tobias Grey examines the trend in Europe of using everyday people in films to achieve realism.

…When the Italian film director Matteo Garrone began formulating how he wanted to make “Gomorrah,” his unflinching portrait of the Neapolitan Mafia, his inspiration came from a movie made more than 60 years earlier. It […]

Building a Spectacular Spec Reel

Jessel Monteverde breaks down how to build a success Spec Reel to break into the world of advertising: Submitted by Gospel John
Part1:
…There is absolutely nothing more important to a commercial director’s career than a demo reel. Not education. Not connections (although this is important). And not experience.
A jaw-dropping reel […]

Good Shooting Guide: The Basic Principles.

The BBC’s Training & Development site has a excellent course on improving your sound, making the available light look good, ensuring your shots cut together, making the best use of time, understanding cameras better and more.
…Do you need to shoot a sequence and are not quite sure where to start? […]

Visual Language of Schindler’s List

Cineobscure is one of my favorite sites. Among other things they offer insightful visual breakdowns of landmark films such as Jaws, War of the Worlds, Christine, Aliens, Braveheart, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Tombstone and of course Schindler’s List.

…Spielberg, along with long time collaborator Janusz Kaminski […]