Who needs Particular when you have Andrew Kramer?

As someone who uses After Effects on an almost a daily basis, it continually amazes me how much depth the program really does offer. Sure, it has limitations, but with just one compositing app, you can do loads of cool things.

Enter Andrew Kramer from stage right. Kramer is a veritable god in the world of film-making and digital effects. I’ve been a fan of his excellent resource (and product) site videocopilot.net for a ages now. And, today he blows my mind yet again. I’ve long been under the impression that in order to create truly awesome looking particle effects you needed to fork over the cash to buy Red Giant software’s Trapcode Particular. Well, Andrew shows that with a little bit of elbow grease you can make After Effects’ built in plugin—cc particle world—do some pretty nifty tricks. Check out what he managed to create at the following link.

Visit videocopilot for the full proejct files.

Damn…now I’m inspired….

Oscar: Who’s Gonna Win?

It’s Oscar Season, ladies and gentlemen! Yessir, it’s time once again for a bunch of out-of-touch Hollywood elite to vote on the greatest achievements in cinema this year. Well, whether you’re a casual movie goer or an avid cine-phile, I’m gonna give you the knowledge you need to win your Oscar work pool in all the major categories. I’m just nice like that.

Since my choices rarely match up with the actual winners, I’ve separated each category into what I think should win and what will in fact win. Got it? Good.

Best Picture:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

What I want to win: Up in the Air. Hmm…this was a tough choice. I like a lot of the movies on this list, but none of them jump out to me as “absolutely perfect.” Avatar is pretty, but vapid. The Hurt Locker is full of gripping scenes, but at the same time has an odd episodic structure that makes its pacing awkward. The Blind Side is a solid heart-warmer, but really it’s just a paint by numbers feel-good piece. Inglourious Basterds gave us the best opening scene of a movie since…well…ever, but it’s also about a half hour too long. In the end, my personal favorite of the nominees was Up in the Air (with Up being a close second). It has been said that a truly great movie has three perfect scenes and no bad ones. Well, if that’s the criteria for perfection Up in the Air delivers in spades. It’s not a flashy movie (Jason Reitman isn’t a flashy director), but it’s confident and smart. And, let me tell ya, sometimes that’s all the counts.

What will win: The Hurt Locker. This movie’s got buzz…a lot of buzz. There’s some whispering about a potential upset from Avatar or even Inglourious Basterds, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. With the exception of the Golden Globes, Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraq war flick has taken ever other major guild award. And, for the most part I think the acclaim is deserved. For some reason, I just feel as if something is “missing” from the overall package. Regardless, expect it take home the big prize at the end of the night.

Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Who I want to win: Jeremy Renner. Admittedly, I haven’t seen all the performances nominated (Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart being my big embarrassment). Of what I’ve seen I would give the golden statue to Jeremy Renner because he’s just so damn dreamy.

Who will win: Jeff Bridges. I may not have seen the movie, but the amount of buzz and acclaim can’t be wrong. Bridges has been nominated for an Oscar five times and has never won. Homeboy’s got it in the bag.

Best Actress:
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Who I want to win: Carey Mulligan. A great performance in a great movie. It’s hard to make an audience believe that a character can be simultaneously smart and dumb. Mulligan nails it, making us feel for every bad (and good) decision that she makes. Plus, she’s cute as a button.

Who will win: Sandra Bullock. It’s a feel-good performance from a likable actress playing a likable character. Oscar goes nuts for this kind of stuff. Meryl Streep presents a slight challenge, but her role is from a comedy. And, if Oscar hates anything…it’s comedy. Look for Julia Roberts struggling to pretend to be happy when Sandra Bullock accepts the statuette.

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Who I want to win: Christoph Waltz. One of the best performances ever. Period.

Who will win: Christoph Waltz. Duh.

Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo’Nique, Precious

Who I want to win: Vera Farmiga. It’s nice to see Farmiga play somebody who hasn’t lost her kid for once.  Seriously, though, she’s the ying to Clooney’s yang in Up in the Air. Their back and forth banter is full of sexiness and wit. It reminds me of the classic hollywood on-screen couples of yore. And, I’m just a sucker for that sort of nostalgia.

Who will win: Mo’Nique. No competition here. I will fess up that I haven’t actually seen Precious. It’s just hard to amp yourself up to watch a movie that has that much emotional weight (that’s not a pun. I swear). However, considering Mo’Nique has won every other major award, I can’t see her losing here. Plus, her competition is pretty much nil when it comes to Academy favs. If I were her, I’d just get up and start walking towards the stage before they announced my  name. Because, you know, I’m classy like that.

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Who I want to win: Jason Reitman. Yeah, I know I’m fawning all over this movie, but I often think we mistake great style for great direction (see my article). Reitman doesn’t do anything tricky with Up in the Air, but the movie is paced well with great performances and smart shot choices. People often criticize Reitman, saying that “anybody could direct his movies.” I disagree. I would say instead, that “anybody could over-direct his movies.” There’s a crucial difference there.

Who will win: Kathryn Bigelow. To be honest, she probably deserves it more than Jason Reitman anyway. I’m just being cantankerous about the whole thing. The Hurt Locker is a great flick. And, Bigelow’s doc-style is intense without being distracting. Cameron poses some threat, I suppose. But, Ferngully: In Space doesn’t have the chops to beat out Bigelow’s more substantive
work. I’m just hoping that the former husband and wife have a very public reconcillation on stage. Now, THAT would be worth watching.

Best Original Screenplay
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman, The Messenger
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Pete Docter, Bob Peterson & Tom McCarthy, Up
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

What I want to win: Up. I love Pixar and I think the spectacular writing in their movies is often overlooked. So, my vote goes for Up. The story is original and beautifully told. And, I’m willing to bet dollars to donuts that it made you cry (and I will accept payment in Boston Creams).

What will win: The Hurt Locker. This race is actually really tough to call. I could have easily gone with Inglourious Basterds as well. However, since Oscar tends to give best screenplay to its best picture winner, I stuck with the Hurt Locker. It’s funny, though, of all the Hurt Locker’s strengths, I feel the screenplay isn’t one of them. It’s good, but the episodic structure feels better suited for TV than a full out movie. On the other end of the spectrum, Inglourious Basterds may be over-written, but it’s so damn good, I can’t fault Tarrantino for being unable to decide what to cut. Regardless, I’m not going to be upset if either flick takes the prize.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche, In the Loop
Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell, District 9
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Nick Hornby, An Education
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

What I want to win: In the Loop. I had heard through the grapevine that this movie was hilarious, but I was skeptical. Well, after recently watching it on Netflix, I’m happy to report that the rumors are true—it’s funny, ladies and gentlemen. It’s the kind of funny where you’ll remember a joke days later and break out in a smile even if you’re in an inappropriate place (like your Grandma’s funeral).

What will win: Up in the Air. Since it’s most likely being shut out of all the other major awards, the academy will probably throw Jason Reitman a bone and give him this award. It’s great that the academy is so fair like that…

Okay, folks, that’s it for the major awards. If I have the time, I’ll do a second part where I breakdown who/what will win the other, less interesting awards. *runs away from unruly sound-editors*

The Truth About Directing

Now that I have a fancy, schmancy blog, I thought that from time to time it would be fun  to write about the creative process (filmmaking, pre-production, writing, motion graphics, editing)…the little things I’ve learned in the short time span I’ve been doing this.  I’m by no means an expert (nor do I claim to be one), but I think a lot of amateur filmmakers out there are probably in the same boat as me (i.e. unknown with no money) and probably go through similar experiences.

One thing I wanted to talk about in particular is the subject of directing, mostly because it amazes me how many young people who are interested in making films want to be “directors.” I use those quotation marks intentionally because, let’s face it, the term director has been elevated to an iconoclastic status by our culture. We as a society revere directors. With the exception of big name actors and actresses, there isn’t a position in the entertainment industry that gets more fanboy love and press attention than a popular director. Spielberg. Scorsese. Tarantino. These are names that are actively used to market and promote movies. They’re box office draws! They put butts in the seats!

I guess it’s no surprise that so many people, conversely, want to be directors. It’s glamorous. It’s sexy. And, if you’re a student of the auteur theory, it’s downright artistic.

But, what pray tell does a director actually do? If you ask your Average Joe on the street, he’d probably say, he’s the guy that makes the movie. After all, how often have we seen the phrase: “An Insert-Name-Here” film?

Well, if you’ve ever sat through the interminable credit roll at the end of a movie, you know that the director doesn’t actually “make the movie.” Hundreds, sometimes thousands of people physically make the movie. If you were to attempt to peel down that initial generalization, I suppose you could say that the director is the person who decides how to shoot the movie. But, that doesn’t really fit either. The director does do some of that, but more often than not he’s backed up by a fleet of other talented individuals—the assistant director(s), the cinematographer, producers, heck, even the writer (whom without you wouldn’t even have a script that needs shooting).

This all brings me to my central point. I’m gonna reveal a big secret here, so stay with me. A director’s job is to…wait for it…try  not to look like an idiot.

That’s it. The secret to a great director. Somebody who can manage not to look like an idiot.

And, believe me, speaking as a guy who’s only made a handful of short, no-budget movies that’s a lot harder than you might think. I still have yet to make a movie that fits my original “vision” or lives up to any of my initial lofty expectations. This is most likely due to the fact that during the pre-production phase all my movies (in my head) feel like they’re going to be the next Citizen Kane, but I digress…

People spend years in film school attempting to study the art of “directing.” And, while, of course, there is tons to learn—working with actors, shot composition, interacting with a crew—all of it has very little to do with whether or not the final product will come out good. Tons of factors determine whether a movie eventually succeeds: story, acting talent, production design, tone, timing, downright luck . This is why directors  are often overpraised or, more often, unfairly maligned when it comes to the outcome of a finished film—especially in the rigid Hollywood studio system.

The infamous screenwriter William Goldman has famously said that “Nobody knows anything.” And, you know what? He’s right…especially when it comes to the topic of directing. Maybe it’s my inexperience talking here, but every time I step up to”direct” something I pray to myself that I can just get through the shoot without anybody realizing that I am a complete an utter fraud. I mean, why should these people listen to me? What do I know about movies? Yeah, a close-up here…a wide shot here. A cutaway there…Really, I’m just trying to make sure the whole ship keeps on sailing.

Ah, hah! There you have it…a good director keeps the ship sailing! I like that (hey, sometimes I even surprise myself). So, for those who think a director is defined by avante-garde shot choices, complicated “oners,” and stimulating compositions, you’re seeing only part of the picture. Those things are just the spices in a very complicated recipe.

Now, let me back up for a second and say this. I’m not discounting style. I just wish that we as a society would stop confusing style with good directing. Yes, they’re all all-stars out there or make incredibly stylistic and visual stunning movies. But, I would hazard to guess that these movies succeed in concert with their bold choices, not because of them (which is why some Tarantino films—all of which are very stylistic—aren’t as successful as others). I mean, after all Francis Ford Coppola did make Jack.

And, for the record, let me stress one more time, all of these big shot directors are most-likely backed up by a very talented cast, crew, post-production team, producers, editors, special-effects gurus, colorists…the list goes on and on. Making a good movie is a lot like getting dealt a great hand in poker. A good director was just smart enough to stack the deck beforehand.

So, to bring this little evaluation to a close—what in fact makes a good director (besides pointing stoically and wearing cool-headphones)? The answer,  I say, is managing to bring the project to conclusion. For better or for worse, it’s a finished movie.

I read a quote once from world renowned French director Francois Traffaut. He said:

Making a film is like a stagecoach ride in the old west. When you start, you are hoping for a pleasant trip. By the halfway point, you just hope to survive.

I think that sums it up perfectly. In the end, all we want to do is keep our head above water.