Spotlight #18 – Last Volume of 2020

This is our last Spotlight in the historic year of 2020. But we will be seeing each other again, in a week, in a brand new 2021.

We would like to take a moment to appreciate all of you who read our newsletter. You gave us a shot, shared your e-mail and blessed us with carving out a time to read what we wrote. When we started, it was just an experiment. Can we make use of articles we read every week and can we stick to it?

I was afraid we might not. But we pushed through and wrote every single Sunday. We hit some bumps in the road, and we're still learning so much, we're making mistakes, but it's fun, it's an experience, and it is something we do enjoy.

As we mentioned last week, we started publishing on Instagram as well, and we're working on a website that will not only aggregate Spotlight in a blog form but also will be home to our original content. That should come to live around February 2021. I hope you will be there with us.

We hope you took your time to rest and gather some energy over the Christmas so you can come back swinging in 2021. We wish you all the best and see you soon!

This Week's Bullets

• Minari is making some waves! People are not happy about being put in an International Film category for Golden Globes, and they are not quiet about it. Plus, Steven Yeun is making a mark.
• Pixar released their first movie with an African-American lead – voiced by nobody else than Jamie Foxx. Now take a minute and listen to him talking about his career.
• Do you remember that WB/HBO Max deal? It seems like Dune might be saved by Legendary fight against non-theatrical release.
• It seemed like Shia LaBeouf's career might have a second chance following his Honey Boy. Now it doesn't. Variety learned that apparent "scheduling conflict" in Olivia Wilde's "Don't Worry Darling" is more of "Zero Asshole Policy" of the said director. Wilde declined to comment, but it's well known that Shia is a "hard person to work with". Just ask FKA Twigs, she might use even stronger wording.
• Independent filmmaker and journalist Du Bin, who chronicled China rights abuses, was detained last week, says his sister, for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". Here we go again, China, rounding up journalists.
• Take a look at some of the behind the scenes of movies made in 2020.
• Everybody makes mistakes. Even Variety. They put out a digital misprinted poster for Cherry starring Tom Holland.
• Raindance put together 10 tips for student filmmakers working on their fist short films.
• PS: Got some bucks with no use? How about buying MGM Studios, the home of James Bond franchise?

This Week's Curated Articles

What Will Brexit Mean for Filmmakers?

So, it’s finally here – Brexit. Even though Britain formally left the EU on January 31, they have a deadline till December 31, 2020, to, well, figure the shit out. Because the Brexit itself was quite a surprise for everyone and nobody knew how big impact it will have on a film industry (but of course it was kind of expected), it needed quite a time to put things together, arrange exceptions and put it in order.

Time has passed, and we have even more questions than answers. What we can bet on is that Brexit will bring more expenses to everyone. Here are some assumptions what it will cause and how it will affect foreign film industry workers or international co-productions. So, dear fellas, let's hold our hats and hope for the best.

Tips and Tricks for Screenwriters from Love Actually & The Crown

Let's stay in Great Britain for a moment longer, shall we? If you are messing in your head with a thought of writing your own script, we want to encourage you to do so and start right here, right now. Use this Christmas time to finally start and here are some tips what works. Doesn’t matter on which side of the barricade you are when it comes to Love Actually, what matters is that the film works and it is a great example of a multi-POV narrative.

And what makes it work so well is the amazing cast of course. But again, the cast wouldn’t be there if the characters would not be written so well. Trust me and check this article, so you can finally puzzle out why everyone loves it.

Another example is The Crown, Netflix series written by Oscar-nominated Peter Morgan. This critically-acclaimed drama was supposed to be a feature in the beginning, but Morgan sensed something more in it and it would be a pity to diminish it to just 120 minutes.

In this article, you can read some tips on how to work with the topic and material given and also, what are the hidden gems in it. And what Peter Morgan says about his screenwriting path?

I just practised. You will probably write a good screenplay on your eighth attempt… I’m 44 (at the time of this quote) and have been doing this for 20 years. I’ve been successful only in the past five. Be patient, tenacious.

Amen to that, brother.

21 Trends Filmmakers Should Track in 2021

Looking back at 2020, we can say it was a year that changed our lives, for better or worse. Judge it right now would be premature, as we need to have distance from it, like a... decade. But we can look at trends that made their way into filmmaking. Here is our pick of three that are the closest to our hearts:

• Social Impact
• Diversity
• Civil Media

The Best Films and Performances According to Over 200 Critics From Around the World - Year in Review

We’re in the middle of the Christmas holidays, so we still have enough time to watch another awarded movies made in 2020. Traditionally, IndieWire sent its “year-review survey” to 231 critics and journalists from all over the world to finally form a year-review chart with many categories.

One of them is Best Performance, which we really appreciate because, for this category, they were picking up a performance, no matter the gender. There’s still a lot of things to work on though, but anyway this step is praiseworthy. Peace in our soul for beating this goal!

Awards & Festivals Window

'Riders of Justice,' starring Mads Mikkelsen, to Open 50th Rotterdam Film Festival

Mads Mikkelsen is on fucking fire lately. Another Round, where he starred, won EFA in several categories. He replaced Johnny Depp as a Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts franchise. And now, comedy Riders of Justice will open the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam.

The festival will be staged in two parts this year: the first, in a hybrid format, running February 1–7, and the second, hopefully, a physical event, June 2–6. The awards ceremony will take place on February 7.

This Week's Recommendation

The Best TV Shows of 2020 (NY Times)

There is an ungodly amount of "Best of 2020" articles around the internet, and it was hard to pick one that we could serve you. We chose NY Times because they got 3 categories – The Best TV Shows of 2020, The Best International TV Shows and The Best TV Shows that Ended in 2020.

To keep it short, we chose 3 of 2 categories (can't pick International TV Shows as we must first see them all) to share with you, starting with The Best TV Shows of 2020:

• What We Do in the Shadows
• Better Call Saul
• I May Destroy You

The Best TV Shows that Ended in 2020

• BoJack Horseman
• Last Chance U
• The Good Place

And just in case you want more than one recommendation, take a look at Screen Rant's choices or Vulture's article about the same.

Trailer of the Week

LAND – Directorial debut of Robin Wright

This week’s trailer window belongs to Land, an upcoming drama movie by Robin Wright, her directorial debut, in which she also stars as one of the main characters.

A story about how bereaved woman seeks out a new life in the wilderness should have its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021. We all can enjoy all of these impressive landscapes of Canada not much longer after the premiere, exactly on February 12. So what, you also can’t wait to see?