I was very pleased to hear people really understand the twists and turns of film, the conflict of the lead character, and the desire to see what was on ‘the other side’. As a filmmaker, you make lots of little decisions based on your instinct, and it was wonderful to hear people really connecting with the material.
Tag: matthew toffolo
Interview with Cinematographer Albert Arthur (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad)
I started prep three weeks before the first day of shooting. I asked Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould if the wanted to continue the style of Breaking Bad, and their answer was that they did not want a complete break, but they wanted it to be different as well. They stressed repeatedly that they felt TV shows were all starting to look the same, and that they wanted “Saul” to look like nothing else on television. They showed me stills from “The Conformist” and from Kubrick’s work. Our first day of shooting was in bright sunlight in a skate park. I kept looking for Jean-Louis Trintignant in a period tuxedo, but he was nowhere to be found.
One point of departure was that they didn’t want the handheld look that gave ”Breaking Bad” its’ nervous energy. In fact they did not want any camera movement that was unmotivated. This was quite a departure from my last few shows, where the producers would start twitching if the camera wasn’t moving at all times. It required retraining my operators to avoid movement unless absolutely necessary.
Vince kept pushing the look darker and darker, saying “we know who they are, we don’t need to see them all the time”, which is a departure from what is essentially a comedy.
Interview with Special Effects Supervisor Daniel Acon (Zoolander 2, Gangs of New York, Passion of the Christ)
I think that practical special effects will always be required for many situations in movies but there is a fast growing technology which allows many practical fx to be recreated in post production by the visual effects team. From explosions to squibs, there are many
visuals that now can replace to a good degree our practical fx. There will always be challenges but also innovations with new technologies, practical special effects are developing with them and are always sharing more with visual effects.
Interview with Oscar Nominated Production Designer Michael Corenblith (Apollo 13, The Blind Side)
What an honor it was to talk with the amazing Production Designer Michael Corenblith. His resume is filled with some of the best movies in the last 20 years, including: Saving Mr. Banks, The Campaign, Game Change, Dinner for Schmucks, The Blind Side, Frost/Nixon, Apollo 13.
Interview with 1st AD Mathew Dunne (War for the Planet of the Apes)
General crew members can work on three/ four movies a year, so they see all sorts. They know immediately if you know what you’re doing. They want information. They want to work as efficiently as possible and as soon as they see that you’re on top of it, you’re in.
You have two great opportunities to establish this with a large group of people. The Production Meeting before shooting begins and the safety meeting on the first d
Interview with Storyboard Artist Kurt Van der Basch (Star Wars Episodes VII and VIII)
It was an honor to sit down with the brilliant storyboard artist Kurt Van der Basch, who worked on Star Wars: Episode VII. Of course he’s not allowed to talk about it, which is fine because there are so many other questions to ask him.
Please go to his website or follow him on Facebook and view 100s of storyboards from his various credits, including: Assassin’s Creed, Sense8, The Borgias, Chronicles of Narnia, and The Illusionist, to name a few.
http://www.facebook.com/kurtvanderbaschstoryboards
http://www.kurtvanderbasch.com
Interview with Foley Artist Marko Costanzo (Silence of the Lambs, The Departed, Life of Pi)
You need to be a good listener. We work for editors. Editors have different criterion for each show we work on. Some like it big and over the top. some like it subtle and more realistic. Each time a different foley editor would come into the room to supervise the recording, I would walk away with a better understanding about how things should sound. It’s important to gain the trust of your editors and listen to what they have to say. When they want something heavier you need to understand what they mean. Does heavier mean louder? Bigger? It’s a subjective art with lots of possible variations. It’s important to do things the way the client intends for it to be heard.
Interview with Glen Gauthier, Sound Mixer (Spotlight, Pacific Rim, Kick-Ass)
Whenever I tech scout a location I am always looking for what may effect the sound track, and if so whether or not the audience will be distracted by it. For example, traffic noise is easier to accept if you can SEE it. It’s much harder to accept extraneous noise if you have no idea where it’s coming from. Transformers and hum from lights is also a concern; you want control over heat/AC and traffic control if possible! There are many variables to consider. So, my advice is to pay attention; especially to what’s hidden. Consider what’s behind locked doors, above you and below you. Some things you won’t hear until you have a quiet room and the microphone is cranked up.
2015 MacBeth – Interview with reviewer Gilbert Seah
Read Gilbert’s movie review of MacBeth: http://festivalreviews.org/2015/12/09/movie-review-macbeth-2015/ I recently chatted this Gilbert about his reactions to the Shakespeare 2015 version of MacBeth. What is your personal history with this epic Shakespeare play? When did you first read it? Have you seen it performed on stage? I always loved English Literature in school. I studied in Singapore,… Continue reading 2015 MacBeth – Interview with reviewer Gilbert Seah
Interview with director Adam Preston (The Last Post)
Adam Preston’s award winning comedy short film “The Last Post” played at the FEEDBACK Film Festival in November 2015. It was awarded “Best Overall Performances in a Short Film” at the festival. Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of THE LAST POST: I recently chatted with Adam Preston about his short film and what’s next for… Continue reading Interview with director Adam Preston (The Last Post)
Matthew Toffolo's Summary 