Spotlight #15 – The Future, the Past & Breakthroughs
We're in our last month of one of the probably longest years ever, but that doesn't mean we're slowing down. And even though the situation is unprecedented, unpredictable and tough, we still can see the progress this year brought and some positive highlights in our community.
This Week's Bullets
- LOTR is the trilogy that made Jiří want to make movies. The original trilogy just went through 4K restorations, including new grading, upscaled VFX and more and is up to grabs
- Oscar Isaac is on fuckin' fire lately. In addition to starring in Star Wars, he was just confirmed as a lead cast for the movie adaption of video game Metal Gear Solid
- We all know that Oscars are pushed back by 2 months due to, you know, covid, but Academy announced they are exploring how to make the ceremony in-person
- Oscar-nominated Elliot Page, formerly known as Ellen Page, came out as trans in a social media post earlier this week and showed us why he's the community's icon
This Week's Curated Articles
4 Lessons on Being a First-Time Director from a First-Time Director
Are you secretly dreaming about starting a career as a director, but you don’t have the guts? Well, Eric Schultz demonstrates that if you have the courage and determination, that's the biggest part of the job. And no matter if you are or are not the expert on directing, it is sufficient for the first step to be the expert on your own movie.
The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century (So Far)
Let's confess, how many times did you watch a movie and said to yourself: "Oh my, have I ever seen a better actor?" For me (Pavel), it's not that common, but it happened a few times. New York Times critics A. O. Scott and Manohla Dargis got together to pick their top 25 actors of 21st century. Take a look, maybe you'll find your top in there.
And to support this acting topic, we serve you an article with the 23 best breakthrough performances of 2020 by IndieWire. We hope you’ll find inspiration for long winter's nights.
How to Approach Passion Projects & Personal Screenplays: Advice from a BAFTA Nominated Producer
Nick Taussig is a writer, screenwriter and a BAFTA-nominated film producer (for example Stardust, Chasing Perfect or Churchill). Since he's quite a renaissance author, he talks, besides other topics, how his producer’s experience influences his writing and vice versa and also why it is good to keep in mind the production process from the beginning (approves 3/3 Spotlighters).
HBO Max: Warner Bros. Chose Its Future, Theaters Want to Pretend It Didn't Happen
We don't think that anybody anticipated such move from WB. Instead of going for maximizing profits from theatrical release, WB is looking to elevate their HBO Max platform to the level of Disney+ or Netflix. Let's say that not everyone is thrilled about it (talking about AMC, or some directors).
What needs to be mentioned is that this decision still might change, but it sure shows which direction are studios considering. Streaming is not going anywhere and it's about time we accepted that.
Awards & Festival Window
How to Nail Your Festival Premiere in the Time of COVID
We were already conspiring in previous newsletters how the festivals are accommodating to the current situation. Well, if you're thinking about what you should do with your new movie, here are some collected tips about what works for the creative premiere and what does not. And by the way, Sundance will be creative this year, too.
This Week's Recommendation
The Best TV Scores of 2020
Music is one of the biggest emotional triggers you can have in the film, and if 2020 had something to offer, it was a great year for music composers – we finally see filmmakers are giving opportunities to new names in a bigger scale than before. Just take a moment to think about some of your favourite TV shows (or movies), and I bet you can hear the atmosphere that comes with it. IndieWire took it upon themselves to choose top 10 scores from the last year. Let us know which one you loved!
Trailer of the Week
Music, a film by Sia - coming in early 2021
Sia's directorial debut is coming to screen in February 2021. After publishing a trailer, she experienced a backlash from the autistic community (as the film centers around an autistic girl) about not representing them accurately, about being offensive that a non-autistic actors plays such character and so on. Sia defended her choices quite fiercely on Twitter. How about we wait for the movie and judge afterwards, or what do you say?