Call it the J.J. Effect. Animatronics — along with similar techniques like puppetry, makeup effects and miniatures — is making a comeback. The work was long responsible for some of
Continue readingHow Movies Like ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Revived Animatronics
In director Brian Kirk’s “21 Bridges,” Chadwick Boseman plays a very different kind of hero than T’Challa in “Black Panther”: He’s an intense New York cop tracking a pair of
Continue reading’21 Bridges’ DP Seeks New York-Style ‘Street’ Cred in Philadelphia
Filmgoers don’t know the name Paul Hirsch nearly as well as those of Brian De Palma, George Lucas or John Hughes, but after a five-decade career as a film editor,
Continue reading‘Star Wars’ Editor Paul Hirsch Shares Tales From the ‘Cutting Room’ in His New Book
Since a ruling by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2014 that cleared the use of drones in film and TV production, the acquisition of footage by these unmanned flying machines
Continue readingFilm and TV Productions Are Using Drones for Scouting Locations, Lighting and More
In traditional filmmaking, once a script is written, the director and department heads break it down and figure out the costs and logistics of production. But if the screenwriter collaborates
Continue readingHow Writer-Crew Collaborations Are Changing the Script for the Creative Process
The complaints are nothing new: Hollywood doesn’t make mid-budget dramas anymore. The assembly line of superhero blockbusters results in bigger, louder and less coherent movies. Easily distracted audiences demand an
Continue readingVolume of Effects-Heavy Movies Threatens Perception of VFX
In 2011, a 22-year-old stunt performer from Australia named Destan Arslanoski suffered a career-ending injury while working on a film in Malaysia. Arslanoski says that the performer who was scripted
Continue readingStunt Performers Say There’s Not Enough Being Done to Address Risks of the Job
Returning to Montreal from July 11 to 29 is the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, a celebration of everything funny from the performers to the business behind the curtains. Paul
Continue readingJust for Laughs Festival Is the Coachella of Comedy
The practitioners of the fine arts of visual effects and CGI have always had a Holy Grail: the creation of digital characters who seem so real that audiences will be
On movie sets, rooms in houses are often built in the traditional three-wall style, their layouts arranged according to space on the soundstage rather than architectural realism. But the creators
Continue readingAnnabelle: Creation Production Designers Build Full House on Warner Bros Lot
