Academy organizes film format series

From HollywoodReporter.com

Over three evenings from Sept. 9-11, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a program about motion picture formats titled “Behind the Motion Picture Canvas: Film Formats through the 21st Century.”

The program willl include screenings of “Manhattan” on Sept. 10 and “The Black Stallion” on Sept. 11 at the Sameul Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Academy Science and Technology Council member Rob Hummel will host each evening.

Filmmakers will discuss how film formats shape creative decisions, the technical constraints and the artistic opportunities that accompany the choice of format. The program also will examine the role that emerging technology has played in the evolution of film formats, and how the technical choices made by Thomas Edison and William Dickson at the dawn of the film era continue to influence movies today.

Woody Allen’s “Manhattan” was filmed in Panavision with Eastman B&W negative. It was released in 35mm Anamorphic (CinemaScope) with Eastman Kodak B&W prints, with prints by Technicolor. This screening will premiere a newly struck print from the Academy Film Archive.

Carroll Ballard’s “The Black Stallion” was filmed in 35mm with Eastman Color negative, composed for 1.85. It was released in Eastman Color prints composed 1.85 with prints by Technicolor. This screening also will premiere a newly struck print from the Academy Film Archive.

‘Samurai’ tops LA Shorts Fest

By Gregg Kilday – HollywoodReporter.com

Justin Ambrosino’s “The 8th Samurai” received the Best of the Fest Award at the the 2009 LA Shorts Fest, which ended Friday night with its awards ceremony at Cinespace in Hollywood.

The nine-day event handed out best music video honors to “Man-Sized Wreath,” directed by Crush Toronto and Gary Thomas; named “Free Doritos!,” directed by Joe and Dave Herbert, best creative commercial, and singled out Jonathan Kalafar’s “We Love You” as best documentary.

Special recognition awards went to Dan Cadan’s “The Devil’s Wedding” and Bert Bertie’s “The Taxidermist.”  Jim Rothman’s “I’m Not Matt Damon” earned the best independent filmmaker award.

In addition to “Samurai,” the following winners are automatically eligible to be submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar consideration:

Experimental: “Sky People,” directed by Shanti Thakur
Animation: “Alma,” directed by Rodrigo Blaas
Comedy: “Boutonniere,” directed by Coley Sohn
Drama: “Hotel,” directed by Tim Conrad
Foreign Film: “Sidney Turtlebaum” directed by Tristram Shapeero

Christian perspective and talent help ACU grad excel in Hollywood

By Sara Morris – public relations coordinator  Abilene Christian University

Abilene Christian University alumnus Nelson Coates (’84), credits his attitude for landing him the job as production designer for this summer’s blockbuster comedy, “The Proposal.” Coates and his crew planned, researched and produced the entire visual content of the film, which was No. 1 at the box office nationally during its opening weekend.

“It’s all about the can-do attitude. Attitude can really affect a production. If you watch a film and think, ‘It looks like they had fun making this,’ we probably did,” said Coates. “The nurturing environment of the ACU community was a wonderful grounding experience that I carry through when I work with my crew. I feel responsible for creating that same feeling, changing daily the mental attitude of those who work with me.”

In Coates’ 20-year career designing motion pictures and television, he has created the concept and coordinated the execution of sets, props, costumes, hair, make-up, visual effects, creature effects, color palette, symbolism, locations and vehicles for more than 30 productions. Coates is the first ACU graduate to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is also a long-time member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

“Dr. Charles Marler, who taught my Communication Law class at ACU, gave me skills and information that I use on a daily basis. When I deal with copyright laws and ownership rights, as well as just that attention to detail that the ACU journalism department instilled in me, I think of Dr. Marler,” said Coates. “There were several people at ACU who had a profound influence on my career, but I use everything I learned there. Nothing was wasted.”

For “The Proposal,” which is set in New York City and Sitka, Alaska, Coates chose to film in and around Boston. He simulated a New York publishing house in a vacant office tower in downtown Boston, changing out signage and bringing in New York City taxis and buses to shoot street scenes, and he created the feeling of southeastern Alaska by constructing a house for the main characters and modifying surrounding buildings.

“I describe my work as narrative design for the moving image,” said Coates. “In many ways I am a cultural anthropologist, creating and infusing a movie with visual clues to back history of the characters, as well as their current life status. Whether creating fake history, recreating exact events or forecasting a future yet to come, my job is to infuse the film with every visual detail to make the environments seem believable and plausible.”

Coates makes it a point to give others an opportunity to excel in the film business that they could not have gotten by themselves, he said.

“There were very few breaks given to me in this business, just because ACU didn’t really have any grads in the business, so I feel it’s incumbent upon me to give people a break. Every show I try to get people in and give them a leg up,” said Coates. “God has been taking care of me throughout my career, and I see an opportunity for good. We need more Christians in the entertainment industry.”

134 New Names Invited to Join the Academy

Here is the 2009 announcement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as it extended 134 invitations to several artists and executives “who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures” read the press release.

Actors

• Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Gone Baby Gone
• Emily Blunt – Sunshine Cleaning, The Devil Wears Prada
• Michael Cera – Juno, Superbad
• Viola Davis – Doubt, State of Play
• James Franco – Milk, Spider-Man
• Brendan Gleeson – In Bruges, Mission: Impossible II
• Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married, The Princess Diaries
• Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Hustle & Flow
• Emile Hirsch – Into the Wild, Lords of Dogtown
• Hugh Jackman – X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Prestige
• Melissa Leo – Frozen River, 21 Grams
• Jane Lynch – Role Models, The 40 Year-Old Virgin
• Eddie Marsan – Happy-Go-Lucky, The Illusionist
• James McAvoy – Atonement, The Last King of Scotland
• Seth Rogen – Monsters vs. Aliens, Knocked Up
• Paul Rudd – I Love You, Man, Knocked Up
• Amy Ryan – Changeling, Gone Baby Gone
• Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
• Michelle Williams – Wendy and Lucy, Brokeback Mountain
• Jeffrey Wright – Quantum of Solace, W.

Animators

• J.J. Blumenkranz – Monster House, The Polar Express
• Konstantin Bronzit – Lavatory-Lovestory, The Cat and the Fox
• Kendal Cronkhite – Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Antz
• Rodolphe Guenoden – Kung Fu Panda, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
• Byron Howard – Bolt, Lilo & Stitch
• Kunio Kato – La Maison en Petits Cubes
• Doug Sweetland – Presto, The Incredibles
• Chris Williams – Bolt, Chicken Little

Art Directors

• Andrew Ackland-Snow – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Notting Hill

At-Large

• Matthew D. Loeb
• Redmond Morris

Casting Directors

• John Papsidera – The Dark Knight, Agent Cody Banks
• Bernie Telsey – Sex and the City, Across the Universe

Cinematographers

• Russ T. Alsobrook – Paul Blart Mall Cop, Forgetting Sarah Marshall
• Anthony Dod Mantle – Slumdog Millionaire, The Last King of Scotland
• Henner Hofmann – Ave Maria, La Leyenda de una Mascara (The Legend of the Mask)
• Claudio Miranda – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Failure to Launch
• Rodney Taylor – Save Me, Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France
• Mandy Walker – Australia, Shattered Glass

Costume Designers

• Deborah Hopper – Changeling, Million Dollar Baby
• Louise Mingenbach – The Hangover, Superman Returns
• Michael O’Connor – The Duchess, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
• Michael Wilkinson – Watchmen, Babel

Directors

• Rachid Bouchareb – Days of Glory, Dust of Life
• Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire, Sunshine
• David Frankel – Marley & Me, The Devil Wears Prada
• Rod Lurie – Nothing but the Truth, The Contender
• Thomas McCarthy – The Visitor, The Station Agent
• Tyler Perry – Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns, Madea’s Family Reunion
• Henry Selick – Coraline, Monkeybone

Documentary

• William Gazecki – Crop Circles: Quest for Truth, Waco: The Rules of Engagement
• Rachel Grady – Jesus Camp, The Boys of Baraka
• Rory Kennedy – Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, A Boy’s Life
• Scott Hamilton Kennedy – The Garden, OT: Our Town
• James Marsh – Man on Wire, Wisconsin Death Trip
• Megan Mylan – Smile Pinki, Lost Boys of Sudan
• Doug Pray – Surfwise, Scratch

Executives

• Daniel D.A. Battsek
• Steve Beeks
• Graham W. Burke
• Joe Drake
• Erik Feig
• Paul Hanneman
• Donald P. Harris
• Claudia Lewis

Film Editors

• Roger Barton – Speed Racer, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
• Hank Corwin – What Just Happened, The New World
• Chris Dickens – Slumdog Millionaire, Shaun of the Dead
• Elliot Graham – Milk, Superman Returns
• Kathryn Himoff – Appaloosa, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
• Leo Trombetta – Little Children, Northfork
• Brent White – Step Brothers, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
• Pam Wise – Then She Found Me, Transamerica

Live Action Short Films

• Reto Caffi – Auf der Strecke (On the Line), Leos Freunde
• Jochen Alexander Freydank – Spielzeugland (Toyland), Dienst (Duty)
• F. Carter Pilcher – The Dreaming, Bitter

Makeup and Hairstylists

• Howard Berger – Seven Pounds, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• Mike Elizalde – Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer
• Louis Lazzara – Race to Witch Mountain, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
• Gerald Quist – Tropic Thunder, The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Clause

Music

• Jeff Danna – Lakeview Terrace, Fracture
• Andrew Dorfman – Baby Mama, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
• Peter Gabriel – WALL-E, Philadelphia
• Clint Mansell – The Wrestler, The Fountain
• A.R. Rahman – Slumdog Millionaire, Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Producers

• Mark Ciardi – The Game Plan, The Rookie
• Christian Colson – Slumdog Millionaire, The Descent
• Gordon Gray – Invincible, Miracle
• Broderick Johnson – One Missed Call; P.S. I Love You
• Cathy Konrad – 3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line
• Andrew Kosove – Racing Stripes, Dude, Where’s My Car?
• James Lassiter – Hancock, Lakeview Terrace
• Russell Smith – Juno, The Libertine
• Paula Wagner – Death Race, Elizabethtown

Production Designers

• Donald Graham Burt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Zodiac
• Michael Carlin – The Duchess, In Bruges
• Jane Ann Stewart – The Savages, Sideways
• Kevin Thompson – Duplicity, Michael Clayton

Public Relations

• Michael D. Camp
• Marc Cohen
• Megan Colligan
• James C. Gallagher
• David Kaminow
• Sal Ladestro
• Maria Pekurovskaya
• Elizabeth Petit

Set Decorators

• Rebecca Alleway – The Duchess, The Last King of Scotland
• Peter Lando – The Dark Knight, The Invisible
• Barbara Munch-Cameron – Bottle Shock, Rent

Scenic Artists

• Robert Topol – Doubt, The Departed

Sound

• Michael Barry – The Reader, Mamma Mia!
• Derek Casari – The Soloist, Beowulf
• Aaron Glascock – Deception; Good Night, and Good Luck.
• Ren Klyce – Zodiac, The Fight Club
• Peter F. Kurland – No Country for Old Men, Walk the Line
• Karen Baker Landers – 27 Dresses, The Bourne Ultimatum
• Hamilton Sterling – Fool’s Gold, Scary Movie 4
• Deborah Wallach – Frost/Nixon, The Da Vinci Code
• Kim Waugh – Shade, Monster’s Ball

Visual Effects

• Christopher Bond – Idlewild, Superman Returns
• Matthew Butler – The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Letters from Iwo Jima
• Chris Corbould – The Dark Knight, Casino Royale
• Rob Engle – Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, Beowulf
• Scott Gordon – Nim’s Island, Spider-Man 3
• Hal Hickel – Iron Man, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
• Van Ling – Milk, Vanilla Sky
• Shane Mahan – Iron Man, War of the Worlds
• Steve Preeg – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• Tim Webber – The Dark Knight, Children of Men
• Edson Williams – Star Trek (2009), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Writers

• John August – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie’s Angels
• Dustin Lance Black – Milk
• Courtney Hunt – Frozen River
• Howard A. Rodman – Savage Grace, Joe Gould’s Secret

Amazon Specials!

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