Spotlight #22
This Saturday we lost another legend, a household name – Larry King. He died at the age of 87. Over the span of his career he clocked in more than 6 000 shows! During those, his trademarks were RC2 microphone, suspender and his specific humour. Some of the classic examples of interviews are Marlon Brando, Beatles reunion or Lady Gaga.
In the past week, we've also witnessed an emerging app called Clubhouse, an audio drop-in, taking over the internet! We have to confess we're already there and we would like to explore the app, host weekly shows there, and invite you to join us! Hit us up on the Instagram @behindtheslate.co (or @iamjirifusek) if you'd like to get an invitation!
This Week's Bullets
- Have you heard? Paramount+ (rebranded and extended CBS All Access) is set to go live on March 4. That's not all though – Cinedigm, a platform focusing on independent films, just acquired Fandor, a streaming service, including 4 600 film assets, that was in hibernation mode for the last two years.
- Ben Affleck and Sacha Baron Cohen discussed their acting experiences of Way Back, Borat and Chicago 7. In another article, the cast of One Night in Miami (premiered on Jan 15 at Amazon Prime), revealed their feelings about playing such important historical figures.
- A repeated joke is not funny anymore, people. No Time to Die release is postponed, again. The new date is October 8, 2021.
- Did you know that George Lucas was on the radar of industry whole 10 years before Star Wars, while still a film student? Variety went through their archives to celebrate their 115th anniversary.
This Week's Curated Articles
Personalise Film Advertising : PR tricks
We all know that having a well done project is not enough nowadays. If you want to succeed, you need to learn how to sell it properly. And if you want to be well-versed in it, here are some tips.
To not just survive, but to survive with honour, the trick is to personalise your film advertising campaigns. Social media is a great tool because it is (relatively) cheap and notes that no one knows the project better than you.
Top 25 Original Screenplay Box Office Hits of All-Time
Have any of you thought about writing a screenplay which will one day turn onto the big screen? I guess most of you, because it’s natural. And this is not just a screenwriters’ thing, every filmmaker wants to be part of such a success. But to have a perfect result, you need to have a perfect base.
“Original screenplays matter. They’re important, no matter what anybody tells you about the odds of original screenplays getting produced.” Check out some advices and the list of 25 box office hits based on original screenplays! Psssst, you can also read them.
On Director–Editor Relationship: Sofia Coppola & Editor Sarah Flack
You hear all the time about the importance of the director-editor combo. The synergy of those two could be a blessing or a curse. The director Sofia Coppola and editor Sarah Flack had the luck to find each other on the 'Lost in Translation' movie and are putting films together ever since.
Flack says:
As we worked on ‘Lost in Translation,’ it occurred to me that we had a great similar of taste and artistic rapport. A friend of mine said to me after ‘Lost in Translation’ came out, ‘You’ve finally found a home for your sensibilities.’ I thought that summed up about how I felt about it.
Producer Roundtable: Andy Samberg, Ashley Levinson, Charles D. King and More on the Streaming Rise Amid COVID
Just as last week, we got you a Roundtable in this one. But today it's a producer's one! Get ready to listen from producers of Chicago 7, Dune, Mank, Palm Springs, Minari, Pieces of Woman or Malcolm & Marie. Most of them had to adapt to a new normal and they haven't enjoyed a theatrical release.
They talk about the challenged, things they'd like to fix in the industry, what actor would they love to cast in the movie (and couldn't) and so on. Don't read this for long, go and watch the video!
Awards & Festivals Window
28th Czech Lion Awards: Nominations
The Czech Lion Award is the highest award of achievement in film awarded in the Czech Republic. It all began in 1993 and this year it will be the 28th year! Let’s confess, who wouldn’t want to have this unique crystal statuette designed by Rony Plesl at home? The nominations are here, check them out.
Unfortunately, nowadays there could be lots of pieces which would rather deserve The Stuffed Lion for the Worst Film award, but let’s hope it’s because of the pandemic. So, what are your favourites?
Cannes Film Festival Likely to Be Postponed Until July
Cannes Film Festival might be postponed again – this time from May to July, somewhere between 5th and 25th. Organizers are also considering a slight extension to the festival due to the plethora of strong films in the pipeline. Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux suggested that one possibility is to start the festival one day earlier and end it one day later, which could mean that Cannes would start on a Monday, and end on a Sunday.
Although a Cannes bow in late June had been discussed, it appears this slot will be taken by the Cannes Lions, the annual advertising market, which is still scheduled to run June 21-25. A source at the Cannes Lions said there are no plans in place to postpone the event to October, as it did last year before it was cancelled altogether due to the pandemic.
With the Cannes Lions still on track to run June 21–25, it’s feasible that the Cannes Film Festival could be assembled in time to roll out in early July. One industry insider says it would take only a few days or roughly a week to set up the film festival.
This Week's Recommendation
Sundance 2021: 15 Must-See Festival Films You Can Stream at Home
Ever wanted to visit Sundance Film Festival? This year it will visit you at home. Not much of a surprise, right. This year the lineup includes of course some familiar names like Betsy West and Julie Cohen, Sion Sono or Ana Katz, but more than a half of the participants will be newbies.
So, if you are clueless where to start and what films to see, check the article. There is a guide on how to get to the tickets, too. See you there!
Trailer of the Week
Fake Famous (2021): Official Trailer | HBO
This just might be a ride! A social experiment exploring social media influence and turning nobodies into an internet-famous somebodies. By buying fake likes, comments and followers, the 3 protagonists are flooded by eager brands, offering them free gifts and money for advertising.
At the same time, we watch how the new lifestyle affects people who, in the beginning, had only a small social following. Premieres February 2, 2021, at HBO Max.