“Short Term 12” writer/director Destin Cretton talks about the process, from Nicholl Fellow to successful filmmaker.
Entries filed in: 'Interviews'
Destin Cretton on the Academy's Nicholl Fellowship and 'Short Term 12' as a potential TV series
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:35 pm · August 16th, 2013
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention · Interviews
Cate Blanchett on navigating the dark corners of a broken individual in Woody Allen's 'Blue Jasmine'
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 5:25 pm · July 25th, 2013
The obvious question when you’re talking to an actress who has just finished a collaboration with Woody Allen, an actress like “Blue Jasmine” star Cate Blanchett, for instance, is whether that specific collaboration an actor’s dream. After all, so many performers have produced some of their best (in many cases, award-winning) work under the director’s helm. But the answer isn’t necessarily the one you might expect.
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Jeff Nichols on puppy love and writing 'Mud' for Matthew McConaughey over a decade ago
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:49 am · April 11th, 2013
“It’s been a long wait,” writer/director Jeff Nichols says about his upcoming film “Mud,” and indeed it has, on so many levels.
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Tech Support: 'Life of Pi' composer Mychael Danna is finally an Oscar nominee
Posted by gerardkennedy · 7:58 am · February 19th, 2013
For veteran Canadian composer Mychael Danna, his journey with “Life of Pi” began 10 years ago when he read Yann Martel’s novel. “I remember thinking, ‘I hope nobody makes a film of this book and wrecks it,’” he says.
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Tech Support: Seamus McGarvey on shooting 'Anna Karenina' objectively and subjectively
Posted by gerardkennedy · 7:41 am · February 17th, 2013
Joe Wright’s DP of choice picked up his second Oscar nomination to date last month.
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A Valentine's Day conversation with 'Amour' writer/director Michael Haneke
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 5:39 pm · February 14th, 2013
“Amour” has come to be considered one of Haneke’s most universal and accessible works, despite sporting the same rigor as his previous work. That might be because it concerns itself with the very universal concept of love. But nevertheless, to Haneke, “there’s not a difference between my films besides the subject matter.”
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Tech Support: Greg P. Russell on finding the nuance in action with Sam Mendes and 'Skyfall'
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:09 am · February 14th, 2013
Sound mixer Greg P. Russell has spent his career working in action filmmaking, but his experience with director Sam Mendes and fellow mixer Scott Millan brought him a whole new perspective. Perhaps he can pick up that elusive first Oscar this year. This would be, after all, his 16th try.
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Tech Support: Wylie Stateman on experiencing sound in a Quentin Tarantino movie
Posted by gerardkennedy · 9:41 am · February 12th, 2013
Supervising sound editor Wylie Stateman earned his sixth Oscar nomination this year for “Django Unchained.” The soft-spoken industry veteran has now managed to earn a nomination in four decades – the 1980s (“Born on the Fourth of July”), the 1990s (“Cliffhanger”), the 2000s (“Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Wanted,” “Inglourious Basterds”) and now the 2010s.
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Sam Fell and Chris Butler on the social commentary and hybrid tech of 'ParaNorman'
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 3:12 pm · February 11th, 2013
The idea of what would become “ParaNorman” first came to Chris Butler 16 years ago. It was just the superficial spark of “how cool would it be to make a stop-motion zombie movie for kids?” But the more he mulled over the genre and why it had always been so compelling to him, the more he realized there was a thematic draw there.
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Tech Support: Makeup artist Howard Berger on fleshing out 'Hitchcock'
Posted by gerardkennedy · 7:14 am · February 5th, 2013
The previous winner could claim his second Oscar this year.
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Tim Burton on Ray Harryhausen, stop-motion and the personal touch of 'Frankenweenie'
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:02 pm · February 4th, 2013
The last time Tim Burton made the awards press rounds, he was a nominee for 2005’s “Corpse Bride.” Interestingly enough, after a few decades in the live action trenches carving out his own identity and aesthetic on the screen, it’s been only in the animation arena that Oscar has taken notice. He’s back again this year as a nominee for his most personal film in some time, “Frankenweenie.”
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Tom Hooper on 'Les Misérables' as 'the great cry from the heart of those who suffer'
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:00 am · December 27th, 2012
The filmmaker discusses the zeitgeist elements of his latest, among other things.
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Tech Support: Rodrigo Prieto on finding the right trio of looks for 'Argo'
Posted by gerardkennedy · 6:49 pm · December 26th, 2012
The DP worked out distinct visual cues for each of the film’s three worlds.
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For writer Lucy Alibar, 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' couldn't be more personal
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:37 am · December 20th, 2012
As indie sensation “Beasts of the Southern Wild” makes its way through the awards season, and director Benh Zeitlin and star Quvenzhané Wallis pick up countless breakthrough prizes along the way, it would be worth bearing in mind how the identity of the film grew from a little play by writer Lucy Alibar.
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Ben Affleck and Chris Terrio on 'Argo,' the Middle East and the root of all drama
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:05 pm · December 19th, 2012
When he made his way into the director’s chair for a new phase in his career, Ben Affleck always assumed that if he came across an existing script, he would likely just take over and re-write it. And of course, he has the credentials: an Oscar for co-writing “Good Will Hunting” with Matt Damon goes a long way toward legitimizing his talent as a writer. But when “Argo” was fired across his bow by Smoke House honchos Grant Heslov and George Clooney, that wasn’t the case.
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Jessica Chastain on mining for details and feminism's new moment in 'Zero Dark Thirty'
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:00 am · December 18th, 2012
On stage and screen, Jessica Chastain is playing a wide range of emotions and arcs. From the frailty of “The Heiress”‘s Catherine to the rigidity of “Zero Dark Thirty”‘s Maya, it’s a playground for an actress. She discusses her work in both.
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Richard Gere on crafting a New York state of mind with Nicholas Jarecki's 'Arbitrage'
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:20 pm · December 13th, 2012
For many on the circuit this season, the fall months have brought the bulk of the PR work, the glad-handing, the face-time. For a guy like Richard Gere, who stars in Nicholas Jarecki’s “Arbitrage” and picked up a Golden Globe nomination this morning for his work in the film, it’s been a much longer road.
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Wes Anderson on being surprised every step of the way on 'Moonrise Kingdom'
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:56 am · December 12th, 2012
He finds himself in the thick of the awards race with perhaps his most personal film yet.
Filed in: HitFix · In Contention · Interviews
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