Have you ever stumbled trying to define what it is a DIT does? Or questioned who you’d have to bring with you on a skeleton crew? Or pondered if the freelance life is really worth living? And asked why the Super Mario Bros. movie was ever even made?
These questions – and more – answered in this week’s Focal Points:
This Week’s Focal Points
Hollywood Archaeology: The Super Mario Bros.Movie
Remember that Super Mario Bros. movie from 1993 with Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi? Grantland takes a look at what made it so bad. Crazy revelations include the fact that all the actors revolted, one of the screenwriters only played the game for “a day” before writing his draft, and cinematographer Dean Semler had been appointed de facto director towards the end of the shoot after a revolt from the cast. However, it’s the fact that everyone thought they could ride the Mario Bros. name to piles of cash that is ultimately the hubris in this story of a box office bomb.
How to Shoot a Film with a Skeleton Crew
If you haven’t worked on a skeleton crew, you haven’t lived. Even larger units sometimes break down into smaller, meager units made up of crew basics. In this post, filmmaker Noam Kroll plays Sophie’s Choice and defines the five people necessary for an effective skeleton crew.
Defining DIT: The Big Misconception
Our friends at NoFilmSchool sat down with several DIT’s (Digital Imaging Technicians) for a three-part series about their jobs, duties, and expectations. At a time when the role of the DIT is a bit muddied in some circles, this series provides several important clarifications. Read Part 2 here and Part 3 here.
The Dysfunctional Life of a Cinematographer
The path to a career in the film industry isn’t paved with gold. Anybody who’s taken more than a few steps down the road could tell you that, let alone experienced cinematographer Ryan E. Walters who provides a sobering look at what it means to be a freelancer in the film industry.
Q&A with Gaffer John Higgins
With a credits list that includes Children of Men, Skyfall, and Gravity, John Higgins has proven himself multiple times to be one of the top talents in the industry. In this interview with The Call Sheet, Higgins discusses the latest technology shifts in lighting, some technical specifics of a few well-known scenes, and the pressures of working on big blockbusters with names like Roger Deakins and Alfonso Curaon
This week I posted two jam-packed articles on The Black and Blue. Scoop ’em here: