Film making Articles and Creative Blogs

The Smalls is an online showcase for non-commercial creative work. We are here to inspire and to offer a medium where emerging talent can display work not only to fellow members of the contemporary creative community, but also to our subscription members in the broadcast, film and advertising industry.

When a film director tells the cameraman to move the camera sideways, this is usually called “crabbing”. Where the word comes from is not entirely clear, but one could guess it has something to do with how crustacean crabs move sideways. The distance between the principal and the lens remains unchanged during the crab. Naturally crabbing is easier with a lighter camera and pedestal than a heavier one – depending on how much help the camera operator has of course.

The call out for crabbing usually is “Crab!” Much like you would hear someone go “Fly!”.

Got any more input or explanations for this filmmaking term? Post them here or get busy in our forums – we love to hear from you!

Have fun!

Whenever you are shooting a low budget film, time is money. And few things eat into your schedule more than working with unprepared actors. This is why rehearsing actors makes a huge difference to your timeline and your bottom line. Just like you plan your locations, your lighting and your sound, you should also make time to read through scenes with your actors.

Think of your actors as collaborators on your film. The more they understand your script, your story and the character that you have created for them the better their performance will be. But also, it is important to keep your actors involved – and this is where the word ‘collaborators’ is the guiding term to keep at the forefront of your mind. You may be running a low budget filmmaking venture with very little time to devote to your actors, but they need communication – not orders – in order to help you make your film a success. Ultimately, rehearsing your actors will make them more involved and your film more true to your vision.

When you plan your shoot for a short film, say 5-minute short film, pick a day before everything kicks off and set that whole day or a few hours aside to do a reading with your actors. Make sure you also fit in time where they can ask questions about their character – again, the more they know they better they will perform. Run through the scenes and make notes for yourself. Also give them feedback. The feedback will help them prepare for the actual shoot – any professional actor will appreciate anything you say, good or bad, since it will help them do a better job in the end.

Some filmmakers like to take things further and add in some role-play, to really get their actors into character. It all depends on how much time you have and how you as a filmmaker work best. For example, pretending your actor is in character, let everyone ask him/her questions – your actor may even reveal things about your character you didn’t know. Whatever you do while rehearsing actors, do not remind them that “this is a low budget filmmaking project with little time to spend on rehearsals” since this could have a devastating effect on their commitment. Instead, show them the respect and professionalism you would any other important collaborator.

Good luck!

So San Diego Comic-Con was this past weekend (Jul 23 – 26).  For those who don’t know it’s the all out geek/nerd/cosplay fest (we say that in admiration) where every Broadcaster, Film Studio, Comic Book publisher etc. gets a chance to excite their audience with celebrity appearances, teasers, and premiere events.  The biggest thing to tickle our fancy was definitely the release of the Tron: Legacy trailer, which looks incredible.  We’re definitely looking forward to this sequel, nearly 28 years in the making.

The other thing we want to showcase from Comic-Con is all the information are all of the new tidbits we’re learning about Lost.  This show will go into its final season early 2010, and apparently it’ll be revisiting its first season in order to close the complex story. Not a fan?  You must mean, ‘Not a fan YET’ – buy, it rent it, catch up now so that by the time the first episode of the final season starts, we’re positive you will have even visited ‘Lost University’ and uncovered secrets online like the show ‘Mysteries of The Universe’ (search for both online).

In Box Office News, it looks like Harry Potter's only weakness is guinea pigs – G-Force unseated the wizard form the number one slot, pulling in $32.2 million USD.  Granted, Harry’s already pulled in a grand total of $222 mil in the US, but it has to sting a little when you’re edged out by talking rodents. Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) has a highly anticipated film coming out this week called ‘Funny People’ starring Adam Sandler.  Early buzz is mixed, but that says nothing about how the film will perform – we’ll bet on Sandler over CGI any day.

Pretty soon, Hayao Miyazaki’s PONYO will open stateside.  We’ve seen it, and it’s not at all what we expected.  It doesn’t have the gravitas of aPrincess Mononoke or the continual surprises of Spirited Away, but we think fans will adore it.  It’s definitely a kid pleaser, so take your brood, be a good aunt or uncle, and sit back and admire the incredible hand drawn animation.  How’s that for a spoiler-less preview?

If your money is burning a hole in your pocket, there’s plenty of DVD and Blu-ray releases this week.  Film buffs should check out the Criterion DVD release of Roman Polanski’s Repulsion – a truly terrifying film.  Missed Dollhouse on TV the first time around? Season One is available on DVD and Blu-ray.  And if I gave you three choices on Blu-ray, which would you choose – Fast & Furious, 12 Monkeys or Dragonball: Evolution?  I think I could tell a lot about you if you want to answer that in our forum.

'Til next time, folks.

Are you ready to gauge the true strength of your short film? The time has come to put your best creative projects to the ultimate test this year – The Smalls Showcase and Awards 2009 is now open for entries.

Enter your best short films NOW
Compete with some of the most talented filmmakers in the world. Get your work seen by a panel of handpicked film and broadcast professionals who commission content and new talent on behalf of some of the most significant brands in entertainment. The Smalls Showcase and Awards 2009 will scrutinize how you tell your story, craft your characters, deliver your dialogue, and how your concept measures up in the world of competitive arts and entertainment. Whether this is your first project or your twentieth makes no difference to us – we just want you to blow our minds with your great film.

Rules
In the name of creative freedom we only have two rules: Your film has to be 10 minutes or under and illustrate great filmmaking skills.

Deadline for entries
10th September 2009

Submit online
Click here to enter. Please make sure you read the terms and conditions and follow the instructions.

Why submit to The Smalls Showcase and Awards 2009
In addition to having your short film viewed and evaluated by a panel of leading industry professionals, you can also get great exposure in London this fall. If your work is shortlisted for an award it will be on display during The Smalls Showcase in Covent Garden, during the London Design Festival. And if your entry becomes a favorite with the jury, you could of course also win one of The Smalls Awards 2009.

About The Smalls
The Smalls Showcase and Awards is brought to you by The Smalls (www.TheSmalls.com), a curator of independent short film, committed to the discovery and promotion of new creative talent.

Questions about submissions? Email mira@thesmalls.com.

Could your small film be your big break? Stop wondering. Enter The Smalls Showcase and Awards 2009 NOW.

Every low budget filmmaking venture is different, and what we list here may not at all apply to you and your upcoming shoot. We just thought we’d jot down a few things that seem to reoccur on shoots – who knows, maybe there are one of two things on here you hadn’t thought of.

Script, storyboard and shot list – these are the blueprints of your shoot. If you leave them at home you may as well stay at home yourself. Always make enough copies for everyone.
Oversized white cards – no matter how much you worked on your scripts, there are often lines your actors have trouble with. When that happens these cards with those lines of dialogue written on them will be your very best friends.
First aid kit – there is not much to say about this. You HAVE to have one.
Pen, paper and other essentials – everything from safety pins to string can come in very handy while shooting. Make sure you have a little bit of everything with you.
Water bottles, food and drink – even if you cannot provide a feast for your cast and crew, make sure there is fresh water for everyone. Bottled water usually goes down well with everyone. If you can, keep your stuff in a cooling box of course.
Step ladder or stool – you never know when you’ll need something to stand on.
Foldout chairs – you never know when you’ll need something to sit on. (If you have a long day, everyone will need to rest his or her legs a few times between takes.)
Towels and blankets – if you have scenes that involve water you will certainly need towels. If you’re shooting outdoors or someplace without heating, bring a stack of blankets just in case. A comfortable cast and crew means a happy cast and crew, and a happy cast and crew means a better shoot.
Umbrellas – if that weather forecast just wasn’t telling the truth, these will have you covered and dry.
Toilet roll and kitchen roll – in case nearby public bathrooms are horrible you can be sure the staff and crew will thank you for being thoughtful. Or, in case some other accident happens on the set, toilet paper or kitchen paper can quickly clean it up.
Garbage bags – in addition to their obvious purpose, these can help shield those who have no umbrellas from getting wet.
Gaffer tape and camera tape – head to your hardware store and stock up on both. They are great for marking, labeling and holding EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE together.
Extension cords – some buildings and locations are just not planned the way you thought at first. Be prepared so your equipment can work.
Lens cloth and brush – your camera is key. Keep it clean at all times.
Mobile phones and extra batteries – while they should naturally be off while shooting, you can never have enough phones and extra batteries. If an emergency calls for problem solving long-distance style, mobile phones with extra batteries just in case, will save the day.
Car or other transportation – if you do not own a car, rent one or make sure any borrowing arrangement is set in stone so you’re not left hanging.

Have fun!

Features and Shorts submissions open for the national horror festival of Wales. The best short film can win £1000. Deadline to enter is 31st August 2009.

We're looking for high quality, professional features (Studio or Independent). Independent features strand will highlight new talented directors and in the past, films shown have been picked up by sales agents and even shown at the Cannes Film Festival. High quality short films will be entered into a competition with a £1000 prize. Budget no problem, we're looking for talent. There will be a small submission fee due to the prize involved.

To learn more go to http://www.abertoir.co.uk

The Costume Designer for a film is the person in the production team who creates the wardrobe for each cast member, and decides on hair styles and makeup together with the Hair Master and Makeup Designer. Few members of the filmmaking crew collaborate as closely with the Director, Lightening crew, Property Master and stage crew as the Costume Designer.

Working as a Costume Designer means more than working with clothes. Typically a Costume Designer needs to be sensitive to a character’s personality, social status, time period of the movie and of course the director’s vision of what the movie should look and feel like. Actor movement, location, production design, durability, climate, lighting, sound (yes, wardrobe can affect sound decisions), and of course – the Costume Designer’s own creative vision, are all things that affect costume choices in a film.

An experienced Costume Designer has a good grasp of history, fashion and textiles and other materials. But also has a keen passion for film, and adapting a vision and clothes in a creative way to fit with a story – regardless of whether or not that story is set in 1700s Georgia, United States or in 2150s outer space.

Good skills to have if you are considering a career as a Costume Designer:

Fashion and design skills (for obvious reasons).

Research skills (in order to fully understand the world of the story and character you are creating a look for, you have to be able to immerse yourself in facts and figures, history and other information).

People skills (whether you need to spend hours with other designers, swallow all your pride when the director hates your work, or convince an actor to wear your much-too-tight costume – knowing how to deal with people will help you plenty).

Ways to become a Costume Designer:

Take an internship or trainee position working under a Costume Designer.

Go to Fashion and Design school.

Make your own costumes and photograph them on models/friends (if you can afford it) and bring the images around to potential employers as your portfolio, even if you have not actually had them in a movie.

GOOD LUCK!

******

To learn more about other kinds of filmmaking crew & staff, keep checking back with The Smalls!

So the big news this week is the announcement of all the Emmy nominations – the biggest awards honoring US television programs (airing September 20th).  From HBO’s Flight of the Conchords to AMC’s Mad Men and NBC’s 30 Rock , there are many deserving nominees.  There are very few surprises, except for what WASN’T nominated this year – from The Shield to Battlestar Galactica and even ER, there were many fan favorites that saw few or no nominations.  Oh how soon we forget our favorite shows once they’re off the air.

One of the best-reviewed films so far this year is the film is this (500) Days of Summer, a romantic comedy directed by Marc Webb and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.  We haven’t had a chance to see it yet, but it’s being hailed by many as a fresh new take on romantic comedies – others offer not so glowing reviews that have deemed it a bit confusing and at times derivative.  What do you think?  Why not voice you opinion on our forum?  That’s what it’s there for.

In the rumor mill, we’re hearing things about a new screenwriter for World War Z – Michael Carnahan, fresh off the successful State of Play.  Fans of the book can rejoice, but we’re still long away from an adaptation of this story about the great zombie war in the near future. Did you know Marc Forster is attached to direct this film?  In other news, everyone is buzzing about the growing cast list for Robert Rodriguez’ Machete, which is not only starring Danny Trejo but also Robert DeNiro and even Steven Segal.  It’s apparently starting to sound like the ‘We Are The World’ of movies – EVERYONE is in it.

Kind of a lean week in terms of news – but here’s some DVD and Blu-ray releases to keep you sated.  Season Two of Mad Men is available, and this show continues to impress with its period accuracy and old school characters.  If you haven’t watched this show – please check it out.  Keeping in line with the classics, The Towering Inferno is also being released on Blu-ray.  This 1974 disaster movie is a real pioneer, and still kicks the pants off any Roland Emmerich film, including the upcoming 2012 (bold words, we know).  If you’re going to buy just one thing however, we recommend Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Collection Four.  Bourdain is smart, witty, and adventurous – this is one of our favorite travel/cuisine shows.

We even got hungry just mentioning Bourdain.  We’re off to look at our sad pantry now.  See you next week!

Are you ready to gauge the true strength of your short film? The time has come to put your best creative projects to the ultimate test this year – The Smalls Showcase and Awards 2009 is now open for entries.

Enter your best short films NOW
Compete with some of the most talented filmmakers in the world. Get your work seen by a panel of handpicked film and broadcast professionals who commission content and new talent on behalf of some of the most significant brands in entertainment. The Smalls Showcase and Awards 2009 will scrutinize how you tell your story, craft your characters, deliver your dialogue, and how your concept measures up in the world of competitive arts and entertainment. Whether this is your first project or your twentieth makes no difference to us – we just want you to blow our minds with your great film.

Rules
In the name of creative freedom we only have two rules: Your film has to be 10 minutes or under and illustrate great filmmaking skills.

Deadline for entries
10th September 2009

Submit online
Click here to enter. Please make sure you read the terms and conditions and follow the instructions.

Why submit to The Smalls Showcase and Awards 2009
In addition to having your short film viewed and evaluated by a panel of leading industry professionals, you can also get great exposure in London this fall. If your work is shortlisted for an award it will be on display during The Smalls Showcase in Covent Garden, during the London Design Festival. And if your entry becomes a favorite with the jury, you could of course also win one of The Smalls Awards 2009.

About The Smalls
The Smalls Showcase and Awards is brought to you by The Smalls (www.TheSmalls.com), a curator of independent short film, committed to the discovery and promotion of new creative talent.

Questions about submissions? Email info@thesmalls.com.

Could your small film be your big break? Stop wondering. Enter The Smalls Showcase and Awards 2009 NOW.

Big thanks to our partners:
 
           

If you live in Los Angeles and have a film you'd like to screen, check out the Bungalow Club on Melrose Ave. On Monday's filmmakers can screen their work at no charge. Drinks are half price, at least if they are Martinis, Mojitos, wine and beer. To learn more, call the Bungalow Club on 323.964.9494 or go to http://www.thebungalowclub.com

Good luck!

The King of Pop is gone – over 31.1 million people watched the memorial service in the US. The total global tally has yet to be released, but we’re sure it’s pretty big.  Incredibly, the news coverage surrounding his death, estate, children, and career continues every day.  How do you feel about it?  Is the media in danger of over-saturating the airwaves and internet with the coverage?

While the global economic crisis has been continuing, have you been wondering what the Smurfs have been doing?  Well, apparently negotiating a feature film deal.  But before you get too excited, this project – directed by Raja Gosnell – will be a live-action pic!  And while that probably means a Chipmunks style mix of real people and CG Smurfs, we’re a bit more excited about the idea that Smurfs will actually be blue, human proportioned characters in those iconic white hats and diapers.  My dream cast: everyone from GoodFellas.

Some of the rumors in the grapevine include the potential casting of Cameron Diaz as the villain in movie version of The Green Hornet.  We haven’t seen her in an action flick since the disastrous Charlie’s Angels 2: Full Throttle, and are excited to see if she can still fake the kung-fu as well as she did back then.  Spider-Man 4 has just gotten yet ANOTHER writer to pen a draft – Gary Ross, who actually has worked with Tobey Maguire several times, including Pleasantville and Seabiscuit.  But it’s good to know that Tobey still has a job lined up.

This week, we’re looking forward to the opening of bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen’s new film about the ‘gay fashionmonger’ who will predictably put real people in awkward positions and make fun of their ignorance etc.  We’ll see if he can finally knock Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen off the number one spot ($293mil USD to date).  We’re also rooting for Public Enemies, which opened last week in third ($40mil USD to date) but has the kind of quality we hope has continues to have longevity this summer.

Nicolas Cage fans will be happy to hear that Knowing is available on DVD and Blu-ray this week.  If you loved The Hurt Locker and want to check out another Katherine Bigelow film, try her 1987 film Near Dark that was just re-released on DVD.  But our pick of the week is the box set of Peanuts: 1960's Collection which includes our favorite Charlie Brown and Snoopy moments.

See you next week!

The Smalls Member Profile Series brings you interviews with members of our talented community. Today we’d like you to meet Alex Lopera and Antonio Marese - or "Moonboy" as they call themselves here on The Smalls!

Alex Lopera and Antonio Marese are part of the team that created Laughter Fari (shortlisted for The Smalls Showcase and Awards 2008) and Parkour You Know The Score (shortlisted for The Comedy Smalls 2007).



Who are Alex Lopera and Antonio Marese?
Alex: Alex Lopera’s first name is an Acronym for  “Always Looking Elegant Xceptontuesdays” He likes to make up words and hyper real realities also known as movies. Antonio Marresse was born of an anxious rabbit and a blinkered bull with gout, he should be trusted with the running of a small country with a population of one.
Antonio: Alex is the love child of Hugo Chavez and Edwina Curry, he's Colombian and cannot be trusted with woman-Inca gold-or fast cars. Antonio was found floating in a basket on the river lee, he also is best not trusted with anything...except important stuff.

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to work with comedy?
Alex: I briefly considered doing something seriously dramatic or even a thriller whilst at film school… I laughed so hard it inspired me to comedy… and a nap. Comedy is a thing I felt I could innovate in and an angle that most people at film school don’t really look at for some reason.
Antonio: I have always loved Horror but I failed terribly because of  high anxiety, a nervous disposition and being shit scared...comedy was the next most difficult thing I could think of that would torture me whilst crawling up the greased ladder of success...Also, I can make people laugh and I enjoy doing it...and laughter is key to harmonious living on this very crazy ride we call life.

What are some things you wish someone had told you before you started with comedy? Film?
Alex: That I would have to conspire with pyschos who own herds of molting cats. All the other hardship was pretty much expected.
Antonio: Don't do it, people don't laugh at funny stuff, rubbish things will always get commissioned first, aim low - get high, use bribery/threats and violence to get known, don't be too funny unless your already in at a good level.


What is your experience with short film/comedy project funding?
Alex: I have been funded by the West London Film fund which no longer exists and I know others in the group have found short film funding. It’s accessible if you’re willing to fill in the forms and run the process, but it is by no means extravagant amounts. These kind of amounts can be raised with funding events though up to this point we have concentrated on what we have rather than what we don’t so we’ve focused and improved on content, story and character, comedy that doesn’t need huge production value. I advise you find like minded talented people.
Antonio: I'm not sure as I have never applied for any, although I did find £20 outside Finsbury park in 1983 which I used to make a ten second cartoon about finding money outside Finsbury park in 1983, not sure if this counts though.

What work, and what films, are you most proud of in your career so far?  Why?
Alex: I really like one I did at film school called “Sueno Mexicano”  as a concept as well as a documentary called “The Third Basic Need”  which was about the British Toileting Association. “Parkour You Know the Score” is a good piece which we actually managed to sell through your good selves.  The film we are working on at the moment called Arnolds Anonymous is probably going to be the best thing I have worked on to date.
Antonio: I love my first work in porn, "Dogs and Bitches'' But I'm most proud of my documentary 'How to be a man' for channel 4, because its a good piece that worked, it was also pick of the day in most papers and had top reviews in the standard and time out, I am also very proud of our new piece Arnold's Anonymous as it shows what levels we can attain with a good idea and hard work-plus its funny and poinient. I also have a deep likeing of the half hour Dj spoof  'Sven in Wales',  it's still a great half hour film...all it needed was to be seen by someone with a brain and balls.

What is it that motivates you to work with comedy?
Alex: I like to make people laugh, I love comedy film,  I see a lot of things on TV stroke my chin like an Arabian Grand Vizier, cock back a trimmed arched eyebrow and think… I reckon I can do better than that… of course I am prone to delusion. Antonio’s face is also a massive motivation.
Antonio: To make 3 people die laughing [in one day]. Also to put on film some of the million funny things that have crossed my mind, and that I have used to give people a laugh...Also I suppose in part I want to prove that we can be there with the best and hold our own...and make some waves too [filled with sharks and box jellyfish].

Which well-known comedy feature film do you wish you had made and why?
Alex: Films I would like to have been a part of  however would be what I consider classics like Young Frankenstein or The Producers, both Mel Brooks/Gene Wilder productions and great. I like the Jerk, Airplane, Trains Planes and Automobiles, Dr Strangelove, A Shot In the Dark, Spinal Tap… too many to mention. To learn from these people would be the best film school in the world … though you can by simply watching the films.
Antonio: Life of Brian, because its really really funny and it was financed against all the odds by George Harrison, and it's that poke in the eye at establishment thinking that does it for me...in terms of laughing though-Airplane, and the man with two brains plus many others are all on the same level funny wise.

What is your favorite movie on The Smalls (except for your own) and why?
Antonio: I haven't watched them all so that's hard to answer...but there was this one film that involved a remote control man running in a field, that was really funny...Why?, well because it was real people that are clearly actually funny, making funny stuff...and there's a big difference between real funny people and people that can be funny on occasion or because of their large vocabulary and apparent middle class wit.
Alex: I agree with Ant for once… the remote control man. Good concept well executed and it proves my point that you don’t need large wad to get large laughs.

Who and where do you find your inspiration for your work?
Antonio: Real life, my dreams, foreigners, my family, and our sick world [and middle class English people].
Alex: Funny or Die is a good website, then obviously YoUTube (I can never work out the lower/upper case scenario with that) my friends and family, ignorance, zealousness, everything.

What lies ahead for Alex Lopera and Antonio Marese?
Antonio: Alex has a three month stretch at Holloway prison ahead of him, for impersonating a man, I have the new world of bringing up a son that my lovely wife has just hatched...Apart from that we are currently editing our definitive work ''Arnold's Anonymous'' which we hope will elevate us to a new level purely because of its shear genius and comedy delivery! We also have quite a lot of other stuff written or in development...so really what we need now is someone with a bit of power and money to free us of our working chains and give us a shot at the bIg time...Me, I'm writing my stand up routine...something I've been putting off since 1990...And of course we still want those SMALLS PANTS.
Alex: Gonna be funny or die, get YoUTubed, disown my friends and family, finally becoming enveloped by ignorance, zealousness, everything.

Anything else we should know about you?
Alex: I would give up everything I have ever dreamed of just to become the King of Sweden...this is my one true dream, I would poo in my pants for a year without changing just to have one go at being the true king of Sweden, All my experience, my talents and beliefes could be flushed down the shitter if only I could be the one true KING of Sweden, I would also like to be allowed to kill and get away with it, I would of course only use this power on people that really annoy me, a lot. I also think it would be great to be stranded on a desert island with a dozen ladies and 5000 litres of nice brandy, and loads of fine foods, then I could forget the comedy and concentrate on my other love 'Chinese leg examination', and buttock massage.

Watch Laghter Fari and Parkour You Know The Score:








To learn more about Alex Lopera and Antonio Marese or to get in touch with them, go to Moonboy’s Member Profile!

If you are hunting for a gig in film, TV or media don't forget to check out the BRIEFS section here on The Smalls. It has job listings and live briefs that are worth looking closer at. No matter whether or not you are in LA or London, you could find your next break listed on this website. Just keep checking back for new listings, we update them regularly.

Good luck!

Few things matter more to perfecting a filmmaking project than lighting. It doesn’t matter if you are shooting your first short film or your third feature, getting light just right is crucial to your end product. One of the greatest tools that filmmakers and photographers use is the "bounce card".

A bounce card is basically a large sheet made of any kind of reflective material. Use it in your filmmaking to soften and direct light toward a subject, so to reduce shadows. Sometimes when the walls or ceiling of a shooting space are bright white they can be used to bounce hard light, to create a softer light on your shooting subject. But when this is not possible a bounce card can be your best friend. Anything works – from a large piece of white cardboard to a white foam core. Head to your local arts supply store and see what makes a good, portable tool.

If you need to soften your light a little less, consider using another kind of material to diffuse the light a little. Place it in front of your light to scatter rays gently, just remember to make sure whatever material you choose it is heat resistant.

Good luck!

Darklight is a festival for filmmakers, animators and artists whose work explores the convergence of art, film and technology. Held in Ireland October 8-11, 2009, the festival will have screenings, workshops, symposiums and more. Darklight is currently taking entries – the deadline to submit is July 3rd, 2009 @ 5PM.

For many of you, the first videogame system you ever had might have been the original PlayStation.  For the rest of us – the ones who remember when Atari was king – we had games like Pong and Asteroids.  Why does this matter?  Because ASTEROIDS is about to become a movie.  And why is this significant?  Well because unlike a lot of modern games, ASTEROIDS – has no story.  It’s like making a movie version of Tetris.  But we’re pretty sure that the good boys in Hollywoodland will create a riveting tale about a boy who falls in love with an asteroid and must choose between saving it or saving his planet (or something). Can’t wait.
 
We want to spotlight the upcoming release of Michael Mann’s Public Enemies not just because of its subject (the famous bank robber) or its cast (Johnny Depp! Marion Cotillard!) but because of his steadfast commitment to digital over film.  While we all may have been skeptical in the past, his deft movie making skills have allowed many of us to forget WHAT the film was shot on, but just to enjoy the film itself.  Kudos Mr. Mann.  We’re looking forward to it.
 
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was at the Top of the Box Office Weekend in the US – no big surprise.  To date, it’s grossed 200 million dollars.  It has in one weekend surpassed The Hangover’s total gross ($185 mil) and should overtake Pixar’s UP ($250 mil over the past month) shortly.  These figures made me wonder why, with all this money in Hollywood (not to mention Silicon Valley etc.), that California is about to go bankrupt.  Until someone told me that if California was its own country, it would have the 10th largest economy in the world.  Oh my.
 
This week’s releases on DVD include Two Lovers, a little seen romantic drama starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow or the embarrassment known as Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li.  You can also get Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience… but why not get Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience on BLU-RAY instead? If there was any better time to upgrade to Blu-ray… kidding of course.  No offense, but for Blu-Ray you may instead want to consider Spike Lee’s classic Do the Right Thing or David Fincher’s Seven.
 
For those in the states, have a great July 4th weekend.  See you next week!