How’d They Film That? Inside the Fault Lines on San Andreas
When your film is about the San Andreas fault giving way and a magnitude 9-plus earthquake turning California into so many dominoes and sinkholes, decimating cities and their historic landmarks, you’re going to need some serious CGI. Yet you’d be surprised how much of San Andreas was shot in camera, using practical stunts and a lot of old fashioned movie magic (and a whole lot of chutzpah from the stunt professionals).
10 Deadly Design Flaws in Jurassic World‘s Theme Park
Ever since the first park opened its' gates 22 years ago in Steven Spielberg's classic Jurassic Park, a part of the appeal of the series is predicting how the dinosaurs are going to break out of their enclosures. In the original, it was the hubris of park creator John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), a bad storm, and the treachery of the park's computer coder Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight, Newman!) that sprung the T.
Details on Jurassic World, Questions About Game of Thrones & More
A few things on our minds that we'd love your feedback on, including excitement over Jurassic World, frustration with a certain awful someone on Game of Thrones, and hope for an upcoming comedy. Let us know what we've missed and what you think on the below.
Jurassic World's Indominus Rex is not only a crazy hybrid dinosaur but also a sly jab at our insatiable appetite for the next big thing.
Writer/Director Garrett Bradley is an Artist to Watch
If you haven't heard of director Garrett Bradley, you're probably not alone but you will be if eventually, as this is one young director you want to keep an eye on. Bradley’s very powerful debut, Below Dreams, is a haunting homage to the beauty and spirit of New Orleans’s underside and the passion of those with dreams, both great and small.
Below Dreams is a narrative in the neo-realism style that melds fiction with reality.
Tomorrowland is Today! 11 Cool Facts About the Film
Tomorrowland is TODAY (well the premiere is today), starring George Clooney, Raffey Cassidy and Britt Robertson. This film harkens back to Walt Disney’s vision, represented in his theme parks, of an optimistic and high tech future. The myth goes (and some think it's true) that Walt Disney was part of a secret band of optimistic thinkers, code-named Plus Ultra – the mantra of Spanish explorers. The group is rumored to have begun in 1889 in Gustave Eiffel’s private apartment in the Eiffel Tower with fellow thinkers American Thomas Edison,
Watch & Listen to Empire Composer Fil Eisler’s Favorite Scenes
Yesterday we published our interview with Empire composer Fil Eisler, and today we're going to take a look at two scenes Eisler chose as his favorite illustrations of what he brings to the show. Thanks to 20th Century Fox, who were kind enough to send us these clips.
Let's go through a few of your favorite scenes that you scored last season.
There’s a couple of scenes that I could use to illustrate the extremes of what the music can do.
Empire‘s Composer Fil Eisler on Scoring TV’s Best Show About Music
Empire was a big part of Fox's recent upfront presentation for reasons that are easy to parse. It was the number one series on TV, a smashing success for the network and invigorated the entire TV landscape. The upcoming season has been expanded to 18 episodes, and Fox announced that Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz and Chris Rock will be among the guest stars.
The appeal of Empire is obvious; the King Lear-like premise,
Composer Atticus Ross on Brian Wilson Biopic Love & Mercy & More
Atticus Ross is one of the most well respected composers working in film today. He is probably best known for the work he has done with two of his longtime collaborators; fellow musician and composer Trent Reznor and director David Fincher. Ross and Reznor's work on The Social Network earned them an Academy Award for Best Original Score and they grabbed a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo won them a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack.
Is Sci-Fi Making a Comeback on Television in 2015?
Is science fiction making a comeback on television? On the big screen, it's never gone away. Even smaller projects, like Alex Garland's clever, surprisingly sexy Ex Machina have drawn great reviews and decent audiences. Then there's the giants, like Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, and if you'd allow for the many sci-fi elements that make up the Marvel Universe, then you've got both of the Avengers films (aliens,
Here’s How They Built the Beastly Machines for Mad Max: Fury Road
How do you fuse two Cadillac bodies together, install two huge engines, and actually make the thing not only drive, but serve as one of the main vehicles in a film that's essentially one long car chase? This was one of the many challenges facing Jacinta Leong, art director on Mad Max: Fury Road, one of the most kinetic, relentless action movies in years. Max goes gear for gear and wreck for wreck with Fast &
H.R. Giger—The Man who Created the Ultimate Alien
H.R. Giger's work has informed the popular imagination to an extent the Swiss surrealist painter could never have guessed when he began his work. He's most well known for his Oscar-winning creations for Ridley Scott's Alien, a film that has touched nearly every science fiction story that has followed it. Giger's influence extends far past Hollywood, however. Horror fanatics, punk and goth culture, pop music, a cottage industry of album cover art, tattoos,
The Spy Who Swiped Right: Tinder & Paul Feig’s Spy Join Forces
"To swipe left or to swipe right, that is the question." – William Shakespeare-Rogers, quoted in 2014.
Most singles in our modern digital age have suffered the agony associated with online dating and online dating apps. Those familiar with the process know its starts with deciding which direction you should swipe, left or right – a euphemism for yes or no – then comes the trepidation of what happens once the deed is done. Who messages who first?
Karl Bushby Attempts 36,000 Mile Trek in The Walk Around the World
Karl Bushby had two rules when he set out to walk an unbroken path around the world: No form of transport to advance, and he couldn’t go home, to Hull, England, until he arrived on foot.
He made this pact with himself nearly two decades ago, and Bushby's still walking. He's walked across 25 countries, over seven mountain ranges, from the southern tip of Argentina up through South and Central America,
Jem and the Holograms Trailer – “Showtime Synergy”
Fans of the cartoon television series Jem and the Holograms – the girls are back, and coming to the big screen as a live-action reboot. Universal Pictures just released the trailer for what will certainly be a sensation for today’s young movie goers, as well as a dose of nostalgia for devotees of the original ‘80s series.
If you don’t remember who Jem is, don’t worry; this trailer is all about bringing you up to speed on this updated version of the one and only.
Learn About Modern Film Composing With the Blair Brothers
On May 20, from 8:00am to 3:00pm, the film channel CreativeLive will unveil it's newest course in its' ongoing online global classroom for creatives; "Modern Film Composing," hosted by Will and Brooke Blair. The Blair Brothers will be coming off their latest premiere, Green Room, their second collaboration with writer/director Jeremy Saulnier after the outstanding Blue Ruin, which premiered at Sundance in 2014.
The Blair Brothers have worked in a variety of mediums.
Music Supervisors Sync Up For Pitch Perfect 2
Turns out, even music supervisors work better in harmony. Though most movies hire just one music supervisor, for the vocals-heavy Pitch Perfect Julia Michels and Julianne Jordan offered themselves up as a team to pick the songs and mash-ups for the a capella musical.
Since then, they’ve worked on four projects together, including DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls. Naturally, the duo reunited for Universal’s Pitch Perfect 2.
Starring the same a capella group three years later –with Anna Kendrick,
Happy Mother’s Day: Give Mom the Gift of Your Time and a Movie
Flowers and a card are nice, but the greatest gift you can give your mother is your time. For many of us, some our best times with mom were spent were watching a movie. Even during those terrible teenage times, when you didn’t have much else to say, you could still talk about a favorite film. Movies require us to suspend everything else in our lives for an hour or so; it is an amazing gift in our fast paced age.
Made in Louisiana: On Set With the Crew of NCIS: New Orleans
On a warm March day, we took a drive outside of New Orleans to Harahan, Louisiana, and found ourselves, improbably, back in New Orleans. We were standing in a courtyard off of St. Ann street between Bourbon and Royal. Directly in front of us was a large kitchen, and beyond that a high-tech command center where serious investigative work is routinely conducted. But out in the courtyard, we were marveling at the weather-beaten air conditioner, a fountain overflowing with plants,
Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of V-E Day Through Film
May 8th marks the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E Day). For those fortunate enough to be spending this Friday in the Washington, DC, an event call "Arsenal of Democracy: World War II Victory Capitol Flyover" will feature more than 40 vintage WWII aircraft flying over our nation’s Capitol between noon and 1 p.m. The path will start along the Potomac River; turn left at the Lincoln Memorial to follow Independence Avenue along the Mall,
Wardrobe Change! Costume Designer Catherine Marie Thomas’s Many Looks for Hot Pursuit
Catherine Marie Thomas has helped create some of the more memorable characters of the past two decades through her exquisite costume design. Look at the bright yellow fight suit she created for Uma Thurman’s The Bride in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. This look was so iconic it was included in the Hollywood Costume exhibit, which began at the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London, and traveled the world.
Going in a completely different direction,
