Interview

Special/Visual Effects

See how Visual Artists Created Those Fantastic Beasts

It’s no big secret that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them utilizes a fair bit of computer generated effects. Over 20 “fantastic beasts” alone were featured in the film, and that doesn’t even begin to take into account the magical effects and large-scale scenery.

Even after considering all three of those categories, it’s still amazing to realize just how much of the film exists because of work by visual effects artists.

By  |  February 15, 2017

Interview

Production Designer

Know Your 2017 Oscar Nominees: Production Design

We’ve gone big for our Oscars coverage this year. Our annual "Know Your Nominee" series once again looks at every category, giving you the information you need to conquer your Oscars pool. Learn more about the nominees for Lead ActorForeign Language FilmCostume DesignersDocumentary ShortEditingLive Action ShortActress in a Supporting Role

By  |  February 13, 2017

Interview

Sound Designer

Oscar Watch: La La Land Sound Editors Make History

The immigrant's tale culminating in double Oscar nominations for La La Land sound editor/mixer Ai-Ling Lee began in Singapore, where she spent her weekends as a kid repeatedly watching Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park in the home theater put together by her audiophile father. The pictures were nice but what really captivated Lee was the sound. "I was amazed at the way sound transports you into the film and enhances the whole experience,"

By  |  February 13, 2017

Interview

Special/Visual Effects

Know Your 2017 Oscar Nominees: Visual Effects

We’ve gone big for our Oscars coverage this year. Our annual "Know Your Nominee" series once again looks at every category, giving you the information you need to conquer your Oscars pool. Learn more about the nominees for Lead ActorForeign Language FilmCostume DesignersDocumentary ShortEditingLive Action ShortActress in a Supporting Role

By  |  February 10, 2017

Interview

Cinematographer

How Walking Out’s Cinematographer Conquered Winter in Montana

Sundance selection Walking Out pits Matt Bomer (White Collar) and Josh Wiggins (Max) against the snowy Montana wilderness on a hunting expedition gone wrong. In order to capture the survival story, cinematographer Todd McMullen had to conquer the elements in real life. There were no soundstages or CGI to paint the beautiful and unforgiving landscape. McMullen and the film crew shot on location in the Montana mountains in January weather.

By  |  February 10, 2017

Interview

Composer

Know Your 2017 Oscar Nominees: Original Song

We’ve gone big for our Oscars coverage this year. Our annual "Know Your Nominee" series once again looks at every category, giving you the information you need to conquer your Oscars pool. Learn more about the nominees for Lead ActorForeign Language FilmCostume DesignersDocumentary ShortEditingLive Action ShortActress in a Supporting Role

By  |  February 9, 2017

Interview

Special/Visual Effects

See how Batman v Superman‘s Dark, Visually Layered VFX Were Created

With countless films showcasing explosions, car chases, and other unnatural occurrences, we’ve grown accustomed to watching movies with visual effects and CGI. However, we oftentimes forget the amount of work and the sheer talent that comes with creating credible and powerful visual effects.

Director Zack Snyder recently tweeted a link to a nearly twelve minute long video to a Before & After video showcasing the visual effects of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

By  |  February 9, 2017

Interview

Animator

Know Your 2017 Oscar Nominees: Animated Feature

Our Oscars coverage this year has gone big. Our annual "Know Your Nominee" series will once again touch upon every category, giving you the information you need to conquer your Oscars pool. Learn more about the nominees for Lead ActorForeign Language FilmCostume DesignersDocumentary ShortEditingLive Action ShortActress in a Supporting Role and Makeup &

By  |  February 8, 2017

Interview

Composer

Legion Composer on the Mind-bending Music of the New X-Men Show

Marvel’s Legion is premiering tonight on FX and it’s going to be unbelievable. In fact, you should probably be careful not to believe everything you see. Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) plays the X-Men character David Haller who learns that his schizophrenia diagnosis may not be what it seems and neither is the world around him. As he explores the powers he possesses and embarks on a journey to become Legion,

By  |  February 8, 2017

Interview

Cinematographer

Oscar Watch: The Salesman‘s Cinematographer Hossein Jafarian

The Salesman, nominated for this year’s best foreign film Oscar, reunites Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi with his frequent actors Taraneh Alidoosti and Shahab Hosseini. Hosseini earned Best Actor honors for The Salesman at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival (Farhadi won Best Screenplay at Cannes).

The film also re-teams Farhadi, best known for his Oscar-winning A Separation (2011), the first Iranian film to capture that honor,

By Loren King  |  February 8, 2017

Interview

Stunt Coordinator/Stunt Person

How John Wick: Chapter 2‘s Stunt Coordinator Challenged Keanu Like Never Before

Keanu Reeves thrilled action fans three years ago when his title character killed 141 bad guys in John Wick. For John Wick: Chapter 2, opening Friday, stunt coordinator J.J. Perry faced a formidable challenge: How do you take somebody who’s already played a super-lethal hit man and make him even more deadly? "The obvious way to make the movie better was to make Keanu better,

By  |  February 8, 2017

Interview

Hair/Makeup

Know Your 2017 Oscar Nominees: Makeup & Hairstyling

Our Oscars coverage this year has gone big. Our annual "Know Your Nominee" series will once again touch upon every category, giving you the information you need to conquer your Oscars pool. Learn more about the nominees for Lead ActorForeign Language FilmCostume DesignersDocumentary ShortEditingLive Action Short and Actress in a Supporting Role.

By  |  February 7, 2017

Interview

Cinematographer

Oscar Watch: Lion DP Greig Fraser Captures Five-Year Old’s POV

He shot 2016’s biggest box office hit Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and last month picked up an Academy Award nomination for his work on Lion, so what’s cinematographer Greig Fraser doing in Mexico City filming a TV spot? "Commercials are an incredible technical proving ground," says the Australian-born director of photography. "I'm able to learn new camera systems all the time and that translates directly for features."

By  |  February 3, 2017

Interview

Costume Designer

Know Your 2017 Oscar Nominees: Costume Designers

Yesterday we began our Oscars 2017 coverage, which we're bringing to you in two parts. One is our annual "Know Your Nominee" series, in which we've looked at the Lead Actor and Foreign Language Film nominees. In addition to the series, this year we've created a special look at the awards—The Road to the Oscars. Click on the image below to learn more about this year's crop of Oscar nominated films and filmmakers,

By  |  February 2, 2017

Interview

Actor

Know Your 2017 Oscar Nominees: Actor in a Leading Role

Today begins our Oscars 2017 coverage! We kick off our annual "Know Your Nominee" series by looking at actors in a leading role. In addition to the series, we've also created a special look at the awards—The Road to the Oscars. Click on the image below to learn more about this year's crop of Oscar nominated films and filmmakers, and the effect their contributions have had on the industry and the country at large.

By Kelle Long  |  February 1, 2017

Interview

Director

How Lion Director Guided a Child to Inspire Two Oscar-Nominated Adults

For a man whose previous experience draws largely from award-winning TV commercials, Australian director Garth Davis demonstrates a remarkable touch with actors in his feature film debut Lion. For the Academy Award Best Picture nominee, Davis not only steered Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman to Oscar-nominated star turns; he also coaxed a deeply moving performance from a seven-year old boy with no previous acting experience.

In the fact-based movie,

By  |  January 26, 2017

Interview

Composer

Hear the Score From Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2

Director James Gunn has once again taken to Facebook to give us a fresh look at how Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is coming together in post production. His latest reveal focuses on the film's all important score; no Marvel film has better music than the Guardians franchise—even the title of the sequel is a nod to song.

The score for the film is being recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios,

By  |  January 25, 2017

Interview

Screenwriter

Oscar Nominee Allison Schroeder on Adapting Hidden Figures

It’s an exciting and extraordinary time for screenwriter Allison Schroeder. The Hidden Figures scribe has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, is a finalist for a Humanitas Prize, and also received WGA, BAFTA and Critic’s Choice nods — all this after being named one of Variety’s “10 Screenwriters to Watch” this past November and giving birth to her first child.

“It’s incredibly surreal,

By  |  January 25, 2017

Interview

Director, Screenwriter

The Path Creator Jessica Goldberg on Finding Religion

If you haven't watched Hulu's The Pathnow's your time to catch up before the second season begins tonight. The show, created by Jessica Goldberg, is a rarity for TV: a twisting, intriguing deep dive into the pitfalls of belief, the difficulties of marriage, and the risks of zealotry. 

The story follows Eddie Lane (Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul), who lives in upstate New York with his wife Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) and their two children,

By  |  January 25, 2017

Interview

Production Designer

The Founder‘s Production Designer on Building McDonald’s & More

A semi-fictionalized account of the takeover of the original McDonald’s franchise by milkshake salesman and the man typically referred to as its “founder,” Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), John Lee Hancock’s The Founder opened this past weekend. It is notable for several things, of which some, like Michael Keaton’s performance as ambitiously malevolent Kroc, have been getting lots of press, while others, like its thoroughness in depicting an accurate slice of the 1950s,

By  |  January 23, 2017