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Recent Posts

Jem Cohen Wants You To Fight The Man
The Return of Francis Ford Coppola
Julie Delpy Can't Get Her Sci-Fi Scripts Produced
Head Trauma Alternates--Clip of the Day

People changing films and films changing people is what we're all about here.

Filmmaking

Jem Cohen Wants You To Fight The Man

by Karina Longworth on July 13, 2007
Mayor Bloomberg is considering a proposal that would severely limit DIY filmmaking in NYC. Street filmmaker Jem Cohen isn't having it. (read more)
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The Return of Francis Ford Coppola

by Karina Longworth on July 12, 2007
Francis Ford Coppola blames studio greed for his midlife crisis. (read more)
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Julie Delpy Can't Get Her Sci-Fi Scripts Produced

by Karina Longworth on July 11, 2007
They must be well-written (Rimshot! Ha-ha ... some movies are bad.) (read more)
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Head Trauma Alternates--Clip of the Day

by Karina Longworth on July 05, 2007
Lance Weiler's first movie established his reputation as a digital pioneer. It only makes sense that he'd take an open source approach to his second. (read more)
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Scott Kirsner Interviews M dot Strange--Clip of the Day

by Karina Longworth on July 03, 2007
A great interview with indie pioneer M dot Strange (read more)
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Sexism Behind the Scenes at Disney

by Karina Longworth on June 27, 2007
Diving into Disney's history of questionable hiring policies. (read more)
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Transformers, Starring Orson Welles -- Clip(s) of the Day

by Karina Longworth on June 25, 2007
Two clips celebrating Orson Welles' side career as paycheck collector. (read more)
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Sicko Smackdown: Trade Roughage, 6/22/07

by Karina Longworth on June 22, 2007
Woody Allen becoming an opera singer? Tom DeLay calling MIchael Moore a chicken? How far away are we from the apocalypse? (read more)
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Clip of The Day: Jem Cohen + Patti Smith = Nirvana

by Karina Longworth on June 21, 2007
An experimental filmmaker and a punk icon take on the most mythic rock song of the past two decades. (read more)
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First feature film on YouTube: Four Eyed Monsters

by Paul on June 08, 2007
(read more)
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The ultimate skate movie?

by Paul on May 26, 2007
(read more)
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Again?

by Kristin on May 24, 2007
Sequels tend to be pretty predictable (unless, of course, they're about global warming or directed by Hal Hartly). (read more)
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Can a film shot be amusing in itself?

by Kristin on May 11, 2007
Here's an article worth checking out. (read more)
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Mumblecore, Shmumblecore

by Paul on April 27, 2007
(read more)
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Mumblecore

by Kristin on April 24, 2007
The Filmmaker Magazine article is a good read, and the mumblecore collaborations are a good model. (read more)
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Hollywood bleeds red ink

by Rick on April 19, 2007
McConaughey's hair budget aside, there are expenses in movie-making that you would never imagine. (read more)
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Harsh realities for foreign-language cinema

by Kristin on April 05, 2007
Is it possible the Long Tail is getting shorter for foreign-language films, as it simultaneously gets longer for movie lovers in the states? (read more)
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How water, oil, and being Canadian add up

by Kristin on March 14, 2007
A producer and director, fresh off a trip to SXSW with their film, talk to Spout about some of the ins and outs of their filmmaking experience. (read more)
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A filmmaker on good scores and small casts

by Kristin on March 08, 2007
Among other things, filmmaker Matthew Bissonnette tells me that "the best films are like songs, they hit you in a strange mysterious place, and suggest a million wonderful things you haven't ever seen or heard." (read more)
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Love on the decline

by Kristin on February 15, 2007
Why is a good love story getting more and more difficult to find? (read more)
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Film School in a Box

by Kristin on February 12, 2007
To get a degree or to get a how-to DVD. That is the question. (read more)
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Mexican filmmakers in the spotlight

by Kristin on February 07, 2007
Filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron has mixed feelings about all the attention Children of Men and other Mexican films are getting these days. (read more)
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Strategies, tricks, and plain old love

by Kristin on January 23, 2007
How much math, science, game-playing, strategy and love are involved in the Oscars? (read more)
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Making Long Tail movies

by Rick on January 16, 2007
Making what could be called a "Long Tail movie" calls for a small budget, which calls for the kind of practical, doable advice found in The DV Rebel's Guide. (read more)
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DIY distribution pioneers

by Kristin on January 12, 2007
Arin Crumley, co-director of the film Four Eyed Monsters, has a dream for the future of film distribution. One of our own, Marie-Claire, shares with us a series of emails exchanges with Crumley on the topic. (read more)
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The third screen just might offer some plusses

by Kristin on December 20, 2006
Even if you hate the idea of watching video content on your cellphone, the medium could have some interesting creative benefits. (read more)
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Filmmaker creates against huge opposition

by Paul on December 01, 2006
Paul interviews Sami Mermer, a young filmmaker from Turkey. He carries a camera with him wherever he goes. As a result, he's spent countless hours in an FBI interrogation room. (read more)
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Denver: Greatest Hits

by Kristin on November 22, 2006
If you only have time to listen to a handful of the podcasts we made at the Denver Film Festival, listen to these. (read more)
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People at Denver: David Gow, David Strathairn and Andrew Walker

by Bill on November 12, 2006
Bill interviews some of the talent behind Steel Toes--director David Gow and actors David Strathairn and Andrew Walker. (read more)
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People at Denver: Dan Lohaus

by Dave on November 12, 2006
Bill and Dave interview director Dan Lohaus who made When I Came Home. (read more)
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People at Denver: Angie Avarez

by Kevin on November 12, 2006
Kevin talks to Angie Avarez, producer and assistant director of the mockumentary, Chalk. (read more)
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People at Denver: AJ Schnack and Michael Azerrad

by Kevin on November 11, 2006
Kevin talks to a couple of filmmakers who broke the "rockumentary" mold, in part by using ambient music and images. (read more)
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Interactive movie experiences

by Kristin on November 08, 2006
What if movies required something more of us than just sitting slumped on the couch? (read more)
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Good people-watching

by Paul on October 25, 2006
A common complaint from film audiences is, "The characters just weren't believable." Director Todd Field knows how to avoid that problem. (read more)
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Dissecting the screw

by Paul on October 10, 2006
Maybe the key to a happy life and career making films is more a matter of mindset than of beefing up your defenses. (read more)
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51 Birch Street: Q&A with director Doug Block

by Paul on October 02, 2006
Even a one-night event in a mid-sized Midwestern city can pull off a Q&A time with a director. All it takes is a good ol' speaker phone and PA system. (read more)
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51 Birch Street: post-event sidewalk conversation

by Paul on October 02, 2006
One of our favorite things about really great films is the conversation afterwards. Listen in on one. (read more)
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Share your story

by Kristin on September 29, 2006
Filmmaker Doug Block reminds us we all have stories to tell, and that telling our stories brings people together. (read more)
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People at Telluride: Todd Field

by Paul on September 02, 2006
Yes, even successful directors get nervous before presenting their work to the world. (read more)
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Todd Field's "Little Children"

by Paul on September 02, 2006
Field's new film is full of original moments, fully-rounded characters, and the perfect balance between tragedy and comedy. (read more)
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Social action goes big time

by Kristin on August 31, 2006
Is serious hot right now in Hollywood? It seems to be working out that way for Participant Productions. (read more)
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Spout's having an event

by Paul on August 29, 2006
Certain films require fellow viewers and follow up conversation. Hence, our first Spout film event. (read more)
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Fresh like Sunshine

by Kristin on August 28, 2006
Some films are able to both mimic what has worked before and keep it fresh. (read more)
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LOL

by Paul on August 25, 2006
Many young filmmakers, like Swanberg, are playing in an exciting place between essay, documentary, and drama. (read more)
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The Napoleon formula for Sunshine

by Kristin on August 24, 2006
There seems to be a magic formula to securing a big hit. But can freshness be formulated? (read more)
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51 Birch Street

by Paul on August 13, 2006
Films, of course, depict images of life--some right on, some misleading. Maybe more should take the 51 Birch approach. (read more)
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Mann makes video exciting

by Rick on August 12, 2006
Good action and good directing make for an exciting use of the "video look." (read more)
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Portland postcard 2: pass the cream, Morgan

by Kristin on August 08, 2006
A little Hollywood filmmaking in the too-cute hood. How cool is that? (read more)
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Finding the movie of me

by Paul on August 04, 2006
As filmmakers, we're all struggling to learn how to stop mimicking our favorite films and find the film that's truly about ourselves. (read more)
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Can gems shine through YouTube?

by Dave on August 04, 2006
Not surprisingly, YouTube's greatest advantage also seems to be its greatest disadvantage. (read more)
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Just tell your story, no excuses

by Kristin on June 13, 2006
If you have a story that needs to be told, tell it. That's what Colin Gray did, even when his story seemed too bizarre to come together. Maybe the stories we feel most deeply about, but also doubt the most on the surface, are the most important ones to tell. (read more)
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Immediate stories

by Paul on June 12, 2006
Why do so many films rely on a wildly eccentric character or some big secret being revealed? Why can't more people tell the stories right at their fingertips, and tell them really well? Ed Burns did that with Groomsmen. (read more)
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3,000 Miles Away from LA

by Paul on June 10, 2006
Under the current assumption—that all the checks in the filmmaking business are signed in LA—you have to either be in LA or have close ties there to make it. That was the basic message at a recent Waterfront panel. But what if the paradigm shifted? (read more)
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Immediate gratification

by Kristin on June 05, 2006
What can Unhitched, Lighten Up, Losing Lusk and Twitch each do to us in 12 minutes or less? Whatever it is, it's pretty amazing, and we're going to get our fill of shorts at Waterfront. (read more)
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