[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/02/monique_precious.jpg)Lee Daniels’ Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire is difficult to talk about, let alone sit through. Part memoir, part fantasy and part social deconstruction, the film deals in a grab bag of hot button social mores: poverty, racism, rape, incest, epidemics and education reform to name only a few. The director is literally playing with fire, yet, somehow, he has managed to make a feel-good movie. You heard me right.

Clarice Precious Jones lives in Harlem with her abusive mother. The year is 1987 and she is pregnant with her second child by her father. At 16, Precious is still in junior high school, until her pro-active principal recommends her for an alternative schooling program called Each One Teach One. It is here, with the help of a self-assured teacher and a hood-bred cadre of girls, that her journey of self-discovery begins. What does she discover? The same thing we know about ten minutes into the film: that her mother is a big ol’ B-word.

Mo’Nique’s performance has been lauded since the film’s premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, but the comedian has gained ever more traction as awards season has ramped up. As Mary, the welfare leeching tormentor of the title character, she has given us a phenomenal peek at the other side of the line that separates good from evil. The worst villains are the ones whose motivations are easily understood. What is so damning about this portrait is that the further you get pulled into siding with Mary, the worse it makes you feel as a human.

Why go with a comedian, especially one as boisterous and unruly as Mo’nique, for this role? If I may indulge my darker side for a moment, I believe it is because the role is actually funny. Her endless rants, her unapologetic abuse of the welfare system, her physical dominance over her daughter all require a comedic agility that a classically trained dramatist may not have been able to pull off. She is not just a monster, she is a devolved woman. The world in which she lives has literally flipped her inside out. Up may as well be down for her; she is a comedic villain. Precious must find a way to navigate the same streets that undid her mother without going down the same path.

For all the deserved praise sent Mo’Nique’s way, the real person we have to thank is Lee Daniels for seeing the people he needed in each role and bringing their best out on screen. No one could have played Mary like Mo’Nique, but it takes a real talent to pull that out of her. The same rings true when it comes to Gabourey Sidibe as Precious. Similar to a hottie in a horror film, Ms. Sidibe gave herself over to Mr. Daniels, letting him literally throw just about everything at her. It isn’t until the end of the film, when the roots of a lesson have taken hold in her, that the actress is asked to do too much emoting. Instead, the world around Precious keeps colliding with her. The deadpan that she retains through all of it is phenomenal. The film would fall apart completely without it.

Technically, the film suffers from overuse of slow motion effects. As I have mentioned, the film dips into uncomfortable comedy at points. The truth is that you can’t have a comedy that is this heavy, so it seems someone, I’d like to think a studio head, has brought the slow motion effects in to temper the more raucous moments of the film. For example, when Mary tosses a piece of chicken at Precious early in the film, the point is made that this is an abusive home. However, we flip on the slow-mo and a dramatic refrain to point out that this is important, that this is scary. Without it we might be found laughing.

I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but Precious contains a masterfully executed sequence. Invoking Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Precious ascends the stairs to her apartment holding her newborn son. We know that her mother is a ticking time bomb and that a girl of her stature will have a tough time going up so many flights. Not missing an opportunity, Mr. Daniels with editor Joe Klotz drag out the sequence, ensuring racing hearts the whole way through. By the time she finally opens the door to the apartment, your blood will be at a boil just waiting for Mary to go off. It is phenomenal.

The real trouble with Precious is that the payoff isn’t necessarily worth the emotional roller coaster the film puts you through. Sure, by the end you will probably feel uplifted as our hero walks away with her head held high (spoiler?), but is it all worth it? Has Precious avoided a bleak future? While you may be inspired, you will probably come crashing back down to reality and wonder, for some time, whether or not you actually like the film. Overall, I can’t quite tell if this is a great film or not. It certainly has a lot going for it, but it feels more like a first film (it is Mr. Daniels’ second as director) than a masterpiece. Hopefully, we will see many exciting things from Lee Daniels in the future.

[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/02/crazy-heart-trailer-3.jpg)Early in Scott Cooper’s Crazy Heart, we see Bad Blake, the middle aged country music star played by Jeff Bridges, doubled over a trash can puking his guts up. It is heartbreaking, until Blake reaches into the void to retrieve his sunglasses, wiping the mucus off as he picks them up. In a manner that only Mr. Bridges can conjure up, the move comes off as charming, witty almost. Bad Blake is a drunk in need of a wakeup call. but if not for the brilliant nuance Bridges brings to the role Crazy Heart would be an after school special, shown at SADD meetings across the country to keep kids off the bottle.

Often, I find myself complaining about films that have a fat middle, meaning the conflict isn’t interesting enough to fill ninety-plus minutes so the makers dilly dally until it’s time for a resolution. In Crazy Heart’s case, the first act drones on for about 70 minutes before a tangible conflict makes itself apparent. Now, I’m going to split hairs for a second. When Bad meets Jean Craddock, he falls in love instantly, but being the lifelong drinker and wayward musician that he is, the romantic conflict is obvious. The trouble is that that plot line becomes ancillary by the end of the film, at which point we realize the real issue was Bad’s drinking. After a disastrous day at the mall, Bad gets the wakeup call he needs and zip! He goes to rehab, writes a hit song, and generally makes amends with his life. The roman and the addiction affect each other, but the problem with this kind of plot is that nothing much happens save for Bad swirling around the bottom of a toilet bowl life. Linearly, it just doesn’t hold up.

Now about that performance. Bad Blake is an American paradox. His drinking, cheating, and down-and-outness are precisely the kind of despicable traits we would never wish on anyone’s child, yet the result of those hardships are enduring melodies that have affected generations of country music fans (fictionally, of course). So here we have to choose if we want him to be a man or an artist. Mr. Bridges is able to be both at the same time. Even at the lowest of points, Bridges keeps a glint of hope, of humanity behind the dwindling shell of a man. The film climaxes in a shopping mall, with Blake losing Jean’s son, Buddy, when he stops for a drink. Conversationally, to say “Bad lost Buddy when he stopped for a drink”, one can’t help but think this is a man who should be strung up, discarded of; a complete deadbeat. However, watching the scene take place, with the incredible heart that Bridges exudes in every frame, it is not so black and white. It all goes down in a matter of seconds and his concern for Buddy is absolute. Much credit goes to Mr. Cooper’s directing here as well. There is a brilliance to the way in which we can get on the good side of an inveterate drunk.

Ms. Gyllenhaal, as Jean, is a nice complement to Blake’s oddness. She is so wholesome, one can’t help but wonder about her motivations in this doomed relationship. Perhaps dating Blake is a way to scratch a particular itch she has before getting on with her life. Robert Duvall is absolutely charming in each of his scenes, which are few and far between, as Bad’s bartender and mentor. Ironically, the man who may well have enabled his drinking over the years is who he turns to when he decides to rehabilitate himself. Father figures lurk in odd places, I suppose. The oddest of casting: Colin Farrell as the protégé-cum-superstar Tommy Sweet. He certainly has the whole bad boy of country look down, but in recent years I’ve come to expect his native brogue whenever he’s onscreen it was tough to see him be so down home. Sure, it’s not fair of me, but what can I say?

Finally, the music. Producer T-Bone Burnett’s prolific career in the sounds of Americana infuse the film with a musical maturity that really gives it legs. Blake’s songs, which are performed throughout by Mr. Bridges, represent a lifetime’s worth of country composing. None of them are of our time; instead they span time, musical tastes and even socioeconomic feelings. It sounds like a body of work, which is exactly what it is meant to be. As a real kicker, “the song” of the film, “The Weary Kind”, sounds almost exactly like the life- weary tunes that Neil Diamond, Warren Zevon, and Johnny Cash have recorder in recent years (and for the latter two, as swan songs). It is a phenomenal song, and another way to read the film is as the building blocks of a single song. Perhaps within the short runtime of a song exists the entire universe of one’s experience.

In general, Crazy Heart is not the kind of film that would be able to get on my good side. It smacks of being a preachy alcoholism referendum. However, the combination of a solid soundtrack and an amazing lead performance makes it something worth checking out, and certainly worth appreciating.

[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/fi- logo.jpg)Late last night a press release from the 2010 South by Southwest (SXSW, duh) Film Coference and Festival dropped into my inbox. While we’re not usually in the business of delineating this kind of info, this particular document is just so chock full of goodies, I figured it was worth showing you the moment I could. This is the full list of shorts and panels for the eight day fest this year, and the panels in particular sound phenomenal. Quentin Tarantino, Michel Gondry and David Gordon Green are the headliners, but don’t forget there are tons of other amazing talks scheduled.

The panel featuring Tarantino, “Directing the Dead: Genre Directors Spill Their Guts” sounds particularly interesting. Actor Jeffrey Tambor will be teaching his trade in a talk that I hope will feel like something the Scared Straight talk on Arrested development. Gizmodo writer Joel Johnson will offer up some advice on music licensing for viral videos and friend of the candler blog Paul Harrill (whose award winning short Gina, an Actress, Age 29 recently landed on theauteurs.com) will be speaking about “Cinematography for Improvised Films”. For those in attendance, there certainly is a wide assortment of programming planned. I haven’t even mentioned the shorts, but check out the full list after the break (it’s a long one, be prepared). We still don’t know how much of the conference the candler blog will be following, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated with the news.

SXSW FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES PANELS & SHORTS MICHEL GONDRY, QUENTIN TARANTINO AND DAVID GORDON GREEN AMONG KEY PANELISTS AT 2010 EVENT

Austin, Texas – February 10, 2010 – The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is thrilled to announce over 80 Film Conference panels and 130 short films for the 2010 event, which will take place Friday, March 12 – Saturday, March 20, 2010 in Austin, Texas. The SXSW Film Festival will open with the world premiere of Kick-Ass, directed by Matthew Vaughn and starring Aaron Johnson, Cholë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Nicolas Cage. The schedule, complete with both screening and panel dates and times, will be available on Monday, February 15th at  http://www.sxsw.com/film.  Visit often for more information and updates.
The SXSW Film Conference starts on Friday, March 12 and runs through Tuesday, March 16, 2010.  New major panelists added to the SXSW Film Conference include Michel Gondry (filmmaker, The Thorn in the Heart, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Quentin Tarantino (filmmaker, Inglorious Basterds), David Gordon Green (filmmaker, Eastbound & Down, Pineapple Express), Peter Becker (President, Criterion Collection), David Wohl (Radical Publishing) and Susan Bradley (Pixar).  Other upgrades to the 2010 Conference include more workshop sessions, more mentor sessions, and over 20 Crossover Panels (open to both Film and Interactive registrants).

“We are dedicated to presenting a strong conference that offers unique vaule for our registrants from both the Film and Interactive worlds,” says Film Conference and Producer Janet Pierson, “This year is no different - not only do our panels cover a wide range of crucial and timely topics, but we’ve assembled a dynamic group up of high-level talent to share their experiences and insight. "

Also announced was the complete Short films lineup, which will debut at this year’s Festival from March 12 – 20, 2010.  Over the course of nine days, 130 short films will screen at the festival, selected from 2,312 short film submissions.  A comprehensive list of the short films lineup is detailed below.

“After months of watching incredible shorts, we’re excited to finally unveil our complete lineup,” said Shorts Co-Programmers Claudette Godfrey and Stephanie Noone, “Every film in our program has a unique voice, embodies the energy of SXSW, and leaves a lasting impression that we are thrilled to share with an audience.”

A sampling of key panels follows below, as well as the complete panel breakdown, by date and title.  For full panel descriptions and participants, visit www.sxsw.com/film/talks/panels.

A Conversation with Michel Gondry
The stratospheric rise of Academy Award-winning visionary Michel Gondry is one of the great success stories of modern film. Working with fellow travelers like Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman and Bjork, Gondry has made his mark on the film landscape with iconic work like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep. Come and enjoy what promises to be a fascinating discussion as Gondry discusses his latest, highly personal and emotionally raw documentary A Thorn in the Heart with TCM’s Elvis Mitchell.

Directing the Dead: Genre Directors Spill Their Guts
How does modern horror take gore beyond the purely grisly to the level of grand guignol art and imagination?  How does bone-cracking violence and flesh- rending horror contribute to the hallowed pantheon of art and cinema?  Join five of the most striking genre filmmakers in modern movies as they lock horns over the all-important issues of blood, guts and gratuitous gore.  Featuring Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), Matt Reeves (Let Me In) Eli Roth (Hostel), Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds), Ti West (House of the Devil), moderated by Scott Weinberg (Cinematical)

Filmmakers in TV: A Case Study
Carving a niche in the world of film is tough enough, and achieving the same feat on the small screen is no easier. Successfully mastering both is in yet another league, but somehow the creators of HBO’s Eastbound & Down are pulling it off with style.  Find out how Danny McBride (Your Highness), and filmmakers David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) and Jody Hill (Observe and Report) made it look easy in this illuminating, entertaining glimpse at the art of combining technical skill, sharp comedy writing and moving from the packed auditorium to the living room couch.

Creating a Graphic Novel Hollywood Will Buy
Graphic novels are red hot in Hollywood now. With its combination of words and visuals in one attractive package, a comic book can be a great sales tool when pitching your project to studios. Ean Mering (Pomegranate) talks to David Wohl (Radical Publishing), Martin Shapiro (Night Owl Productions), Matt Hawkins (Top Cow) and Ted Adams (IDW Publishing) will explain how to create a graphic novel that will attract the attention of movie producers.

Previously announced participants for the 2010 SXSW Film Conference include Jeffery Tambor’s Acting Workshop, a Kick-Ass Conversation panel with director Matthew Vaughn, actors Aaron Johnson, Cholë Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and comic writers Mark Millar and John S. Romita, Academy Award-winning Argentine composer, solo artist and producer Gustavo Santaolalla in Conversation with BMI’s Doreen Ringer Ross, and Cult comics legend Gilbert Shelton in Conversation with Harry Knowles

COMPLETE PANEL LINEUP:
(Moderators listed in parentheses)

Friday, March 12

Black Blogging Rockstars (J. Smith, mrjsmith) Cooking for Geeks: Science, Hacks, & Good Food (Jeff Potter, Cooking for Geeks) How Sci-Fi Shaped the Internet (Adria Richards, butyouareagirl.com) How to Rawk SXSW Film (Agnes Varnum, Austin Film Society)

Saturday, March 13

A Conversation with Kick-Ass Beyond Advertising: Can Online Video Finally Pay? (Robert Millis, Will Coghlan, Dynamo Player) Blow Something Up!: Live Action Special Effects (Steve Wolf, Special FX International) Directing the Dead: Genre Directors Spill Their Guts (Scott Weinberg, Cinematical/FEARnet) Distribution Deals: Caveat Seller (Deena Kalai, Deena Kalai PLLC) DocLab @ SXSW (Caspar Sonnen, IDFA) The Kids Are Alright Filmmakers in TV: A Case Study From Screening Room to Living Room (Heather Courtney, Quincy Hill Films) How to Create a Viral Video (Jason Wishnow, TED) Mentors: Programmers Mentors: Distribution Mentors: Producers Mentors: Publicity Nobody Wants to Watch Your Film: Realities of Online Film Distribution (Efe Cakarel, The Auteurs) Power Shift: Who Stands Between Creator and Audience (Liesl Copland, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment) Remix Goes Mainstream: Making Mashups Pay (Patricia Aufderheide, Center for Social Media American University) Ripping Reality - Creativity and the New Documentary (Sean Farnel, Hot Docs) The Insider’s Guide to Independent Film Packaging in a Troubled Economy (Gregory Slewett, Bloom Hergott et al) The Power of Super 8 Film (Philip Vigeant, Pro8mm)

Sunday, March 14

A Conversation with Michel Gondry (Elvis Mitchell, TCM) Cinematic Titles: A Case Study (David Tecson, Edgeworx) Editing Fiction, Non-Fiction and Everything In-Between Fans, Friends & Followers: Creating Your Own Cult (of the Non-Apocalyptic Variety) (Scott Kirsner, CinemaTech) FIVE FATAL F*CKUPS: The biggest legal mistakes every indie producer makes (Stephen Monas, Business Affairs Inc) How to Cast Your Indie or New Media Production using the latest in Online Tools (William Marshall, SAG) Hyperbole In Film Criticism & Analysis (Erik Childress, WGN Radio Chicago/eFilmCritic.com) Jeffrey Tambor’s Acting Workshop Mentors: Filmmakers Mentors: Filmmakers Mentors: Legal/Clearance Mentors: Press & Bloggers Offering Your Content in 100 Languages (June Cohen, TED Conferences) Reel To Reality:  How Good Film Does Good (David J Neff, Lights.Camera.Help.) Sound Decisions: A Reality Check on Using Music in Film (Doreen Ringer-Ross, BMI) The Main Event: Finding an Audience for Your Film (Laure Parsons, X + X films) What’s Open Video and Why Does It Matter? (Elizabeth Stark, Open Video Alliance / Yale University) Writing a Successful Screenplay: Considering the Source

Monday, March 15

3D Stereoscopic Production Tools, Production and Post A Conversation with Gilbert Shelton (Harry Jay Knowles, Ain’t It Cool News) Anatomy of a Release; From Conception Through Exhibition (Todd Sklar, Range Life Entertainment) Cash Flow Workflow: Funding Docs From Start to Finish (Cara Mertes, Sundance Institute Documentary Program) Cinematography for Improvised Films: Lighting the Unknown (Paul Harrill, Self-Reliant Film) Creating a Graphic Novel Hollywood Will Buy (Ean Mering, Pomegranate) Direct a Great Film by Storyboarding with Stick Figures (Mark Bristol, Id Software) Don’t Get Sued! A Guide For Content Creators (Robert Strent, Grubman, Indursky & Shire, PC) Finding the Money: NEH and ITVS (Michael Shirley, National Endowment for the Humanities) First Impressions: The Art of Main Title Design (Karin Fong, Imaginary Forces) Floating Heads are Dead - Why Traditional Posters Suck (Tiffany Pritchard, AllCity Media) Getting to Know the Guilds How to Avoid “Fixing it in the Mix” (James LeBrecht, Berkeley Sound Artists) Making Content Relevant To Me, Here And Now (Liz Gannes, GigaOM) Mentor: Programmers Mentors: Distribution Mentors: Managers/Agents Mentors: Producers Sound Unbound (DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid) Sustainable Filmmaking Workshop (Larry Engel, American University) Visual FX for Indies: Big Impact, Small Budgets (R Zane Rutledge, zanefilms+fx)

Tuesday, March 16

3DIY A Conversation with Gustavo Santaolalla (Doreen Ringer-Ross, BMI) A Conversation with MacGruber Artists, Labels Embrace Virtual Worlds (Lee Clancy, IMVU, Inc.) Festival Strategies for Independent Film (Jane Schoettle, Toronto International Film Festival) Filmmaker War Stories Financing Media Productions in the New World of Distribution (CLE) (Daniel Satorius, Lommen Abdo Law Firm) How to Maximize the Value in your Media Assets (Steve Engel Making Sure The World Doesn’t Suck: How Independent Content Can Save The Media (Evan Shapiro, IFC TV/Sundance Channel) Mentors: Writers Music Licensing for Emerging Media: Apps, Widgets, Viral Videos (Joel Johnson, Gizmodo) Remixing for the Masses (Paul Lamere, The Echo Nest) Short Film Secrets: Festivals, Distribution, & Getting More Work (Christopher Holland, Short Film Secrets) The Two Taqwacores Does Your HD ‘Baby’ Have its “Pants on the Ground?” (Mike DesRoches, SONY) Texas Filmmaker Production Fund Workshop (Bryan Poyser, Austin Film Society)

COMPREHENSIVE SHORT FILMS LINEUP
NARRATIVE SHORTS

A selection of original, well-crafted films that take advantage of the short form and exemplify distinctive and genuine storytelling. The winner of our Grand Jury Award in this category is eligible for a 2011 Academy Award nomination for Best Narrative Short.

_ANATINUS _ Director: David Wanger A glimpse of the dawn of a strange new era.

_Bedford Park Boulevard _ Director: Felix Thompson A fifteen-year-old Latino boy at a high school in the Bronx makes a mistake that will define the rest of his life.

_The Big Fiddle _ Director: Willi Patton A conceptual drama exploring the nature of music in cinema, and the possibilities of having a live score shape the ways in which the characters interact with each other.

Bikini Lighters Directors: Andrew Goldman and Andrew Blackwell After shoplifting lighters, three young friends venture into the woods behind their neighborhood to create an explosion.

_Black Ops Arabesque _ Director: Jared Drake A Secret Service Agent has a secret of his own- it involves ballet shoes.

_Brave Donkey _ Director: Gaysorn Thavat When Brian pays a visit to his old home he unexpectedly finds himself in the middle of a violent dispute in which he saves a woman’s life. Tragically, his courageous decision proves to be his ultimate undoing.

_The Call to the Post _ Director: Brian Higdon David, an aging musician, returns to a horseracing track to rediscover the job that defined his identity.

_Cigarette Candy _ Director: Lauren Wolkstein Forced to play the role of “the hero” at his homecoming party, a traumatized teenage Marine forms an unlikely bond with a rebellious young girl.

_Coney Island Baby _ Director: André Aimaq Betty found a thick wad of cash hidden in a porn DVD stashed in her new oven. And that wasn’t even the strangest thing that happened to her that day.

_Equestrian Sexual Response _ Director: Zeke Hawkins Alice is introduced to sexuality through the world of racehorse breeding.

_Girls Named Pinky _ Director: Alex Lubliner Morris Munsey is an average man searching in vain for a human connection.  On a quiet night in a small town bar, he finds her…

_Going Back _ Director: Adam Keleman A glimpse into the life of Lorna, a failed model, who returns to her home town after a sudden death in the family, confronting the past she left behind.

_The Hardest Part _ Director: Oliver Refson An aging actor finally secures the audition of a lifetime. But just how badly does he want the role?

_Have You Seen My Hair? _ Directors: John M. Wilson and Chris Maggio The story of a young girl whose salon appointment catapults her into a nightmarish romp through the depths of her imagination.

_Jean-Paul Luc Sabastien Rene _ Director: Milena Pastreich Two fifty-year-old women tan on their living room floor when an unexpected message from their past flies through their window.

_Kelp _ Directors: Benjamin Dohrmann and Seth Cuddeback A somber comedy about a married man who becomes infatuated with kelp.

_The Mess Hall of an Online Warrior _ Director: Dan P K Smyth A short film about computer game addiction and the effects it has on family life.

_Out of Nowhere _ Director: Will Lamborn On the run from a killer, a man tries to escape the desert.

_Pancake Breakfast _ Director: Adam Locke-Norton A sarcastic guy realizes that his jokes about his girlfriend cheating may in fact be more truthful than he thought.

_Savage _ Director: Lisa Jackson A residential school musical.

_Snapshots _ Directors: Kate Barker and Andres Rosende New York City - Seven Stories - One Day.

_Storage _ Director: Nadia Tabbara Two Lebanese men with limited English search the streets of Brooklyn for a place of Storage.

_Teleglobal Dreamin’ _ Director: Eric Flanagan A Filipino call center agent takes her American corporate-trainer boss out on the town, setting off a chain of events with unexpected consequences.

_Televisnu _ Director: Prithi Gowda Working at a call center somewhere in India, a young woman’s computer breaks down. In an attempt to fix it, she finds herself in a magical, mythical web of electronic wires where memories, secrets, and hidden desires reveal themselves.

NARRATIVE SHORTS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

Always A Bride Director: Danny Strauss Cate can’t control her jealousy when she finds out her best friend is getting divorced.

Annie Goes Boating Director: Noel Paul A picnic in a park, in 3D.

Diplomacy Director: Jon Goldman Relations between the United States and Iran take an unexpected turn when two senior diplomats and their interpreters meet for a closed-door session.

Loop Planes Director: Robin Wilby 13-year-old Nick lives with his dad at an amusement park. But today, with the arrival of his mother and a pink-haired girl, Nick is in for the ride of his life.

_Lunch Watching TV _ Director: Alfonso Nogueroles A normal day: the eggs, the fries, the beer, the bread, the crisis, the politics, the football… A historical date. Just another day.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Unfiltered slices of life, from across the documentary spectrum.

_6 _ Director: Jeff Bednarz A portrait of modern day small town America told through the story of two 6 Man Football teams vying for the Texas State Championship.

_Big Birding Day _ Director: David Wilson A glimpse into the world of competitive bird watching, as three friends attempt to see as many species as possible in 24 hours.

_Mr. Hypnotism _ Director: Bradley Beesley Self proclaimed “Doctor” Dante had a colorful career as a grifter.  Mr. Hypnotism chronicles Dante’s stint as Hollywood’s Hypnotist to the Stars and his descent to become one of the most notorious conmen of the 20th Century.

_Quadrangle _ Director: Amy Grappell An unconventional documentary about two ‘conventional’ couples that swapped partners and lived in a group marriage in the early 70s, hoping to pioneer an alternative to divorce and the way people would live in the future.

_Seltzer Works _ Director: Jessica Edwards The last seltzer filler in Brooklyn fends off the supermarket seltzer take-over and honors this simple drink’s place in history

White Lines and The Fever:  The Death of DJ Junebug Director: Travis Senger The Bronx, 1983. The hottest club in the city.  One of Hip-Hop’s greatest DJ’s ever and his tragic death.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

_5 variations on a long string _ Director: Peter Esmonde A short music documentary about the creative life of composer/performer Ellen Fullman, who has spent over 25 years developing, perfecting, and performing on an extraordinary 60-foot-long instrument.

Keep Dancing Director: Greg Vander Veer The story of two 90-year old dancers who still meet, twice a week, in a private studio in Manhattan to choreograph and rehearse.

Solitary/Release Director: Holden Abigail Osborne Part family portrait, part audacious vision of a future that never was, Solitary/Release is an intimate documentary-fiction hybrid exploring the life of a recovering drug addict on the verge of great change.

ANIMATED SHORTS

An assortment of stories told using a mix of traditional animation, computer- generated effects, stop-motion, and everything in-between. The winner of our Grand Jury Award in this category is eligible for a 2011 Academy Award nomination for Best Animated short.

The Art of Drowning Director: Diego Maclean Based on a poem by Billy Collins, The Art of Drowning ponders what awaits us at the end of the line.

Bygone Behemoth Director: Harry Chaskin A washed-up movie monster relives his halcyon days.

The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Burger Director: Bill Plympton A tragic story of a bovine seduced by advertising down the path of butchers and carnivores.

Down To The Bone Director: Peter Ahern A boy. A babysitter. An explosive sneeze. Google it.

The Falcon Director: Scot Hampton Composed entirely of parts from disassembled antique/analog cameras, The Falcon follows Howell the Owl (f/256) and Professor Weston (ISO 50) as they journey throughout the Focal Kingdom searching for dinner.

Junko’s Shamisen Director: Sol Friedman A young Japanese orphan and her mystical friend exact poetic justice on a malevolent samurai lord.

La Nostalgia del Sr. Alambre Director: Jonathan Ostos Yaber A young man’s talent, miles of twisted wire, and a spotlight mix together to produce a show as never seen before.

Off-Line Director: Tom Gasek Off-Line is a short animated film that tells about what can happen inside a microwave oven when it is abused. It features a rather curious orange capacitor named “IZ.”

The Orange Director: Nick Fox-Gieg Suddenly, a humble citrus fruit is granted absolute power over the universe.

One Square Mile of Earth Director: Jeff Drew A series of bar room conversations featuring Bill the Bunny, Gary the Frog, Lucy the Goat, Thad the Bear, Leon the Hippopotamus and Pedro the Squirrel. Fun times await!

Poppy Director: James Cunningham A New Zealand soldier finds redemption in the hell of WWI.

The Polish Language Director: Alice Lyons and Orla Mc Hardy Using hand- drawn, stop-motion, time-lapse and computer animation techniques, The Polish Language is at once a playful and solemn journey into the sensuality, beauty and subversive power of language.

EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS

A diverse collection of films ranging from the visually stimulating to the intellectually challenging.

The Bellows March Director: Eric Dyer Crowds of concertinas live out a cycle of destroy-create-destroy. Dyer’s 3-D printed and hand-painted ‘cinetropes’ come to vibrant life when seen through the shutter of a video camera.

Eulogy Director: Ben Claremont A whole life’s story is told in just a few seconds. Eulogy is a film about life, death… and pigeons.

Feeder Director: Joseph Ernst A short film that will make you feel sick.

I close my eyes and walk away Director: Michele Castagnetti Memories turn into dreams as dreams turn into memories.

I Miss Director: Annie Dorsen In this mesmerizing short, a girl is prompted by her mother in the recitation of an intensely romantic poem.

_Kids Might Fly _ Director: Alex Taylor A young homeless girl is taken into care. Set in an urban wilderness, this film is an offbeat and touching experimental drama about East London kids.

LoopLoop Director: Patrick Bergeron In a train going to Hanoi in Vietnam, the houses boarding the railroad are passing by. Using animation and time shifts this video runs forwards and backwards looking for forgotten details, mimicking the way memories are replayed in the mind.

Meatwaffle Director: Leah Shore An old man recalls his strange and bizarre memories

Mamori Director: Karl Lemieux Mamori takes its title from a place in the Amazon forest, and captures the textures of tropical vegetation and its various transformations according to the phenomena of light.

Night Mayor Director: Guy Maddin From acclaimed fabulist Guy Maddin comes a new quasi-documentary completely unburdened by fact.

ReRun Director: Asif Mian An urban odyssey of visual and audio following a young basketball player and his sneakers.

Vertigo Director: Oscar Berrio Poetry and video integrated to transmit a stunning aesthetical experience.

MIDNIGHT SHORTS

Bite-sized bits for all of your sex, gore, and hilarity needs.

5 Second Films Director: Brian Firenzi A warped-speed, breathlessly bizarre collection of comedic shorts, all exactly 5 seconds long. From the people that brought you Sophie’s Choice.

The Alleyway Director: Cosmo Jarvis An experimental film about an alleyway and an old man’s relationship to it.

The Babysitter Director: Kristen Gray-Rockmaker When a troubled married couple arrive home from a night out, they encounter a horrifying scene.

Can We Talk? Director: Jim Owen Vince gets way more than he bargains for when he dumps his girlfriend . . . again.

Cocoa Loco Director: Shaka King A short film about cocoa butter scented lotion, karmic retribution, and the strangers you call family.

Delmer Builds A Machine Director: Landon Zakheim An account of the most Important event in recorded history.

_Dwight David Honeycutt for Conway School Board _ Director: Roland Honeycutt Jr. Re-edit of my uncle’s old political video footage in order to better convey the man.

_Eagles Are Turning People Into Horses _ Director: Brian McElhaney Lyle, too scared to break up with his girlfriend honestly, enacts a scheme to convince her they MUST break up because he is on the frontlines of a vicious battle between man, beast and fowl.

Expiration Director: Mark Nickelsburg A lonely man courts danger by drinking a glass of milk just seconds before the expiration date.

Fix My Dick Director: PJ Raval A music video for the artist CHRISTEENE featuring DJ Jaunty.

Not Interested Director: D.W. Young A spaced out knife salesman makes the house call of a lifetime.

_TUB _ Director: Bobby Miller Paul can’t commit. Paul jerks off in the shower. Paul just impregnated his bath tub.

TEXAS SHORTS

An offshoot of our regular narrative shorts program, composed of work shot in, about, or somehow relating to the Lone Star state.

_Better Safe than Sorry _ Director: Chris Demarais Pigeon.  Squirrel.

_The Big Bends _ Director: Jason William Marlow The Big Bends captures the story of a dying man in the desert as he is confronted by a troubled Mexican couple crossing the border.

_Depth of Phil _ Director: Jack Daniel Stanley Amidst delusions of saving failed U.S. banks and car companies, an aging homeless man reconnects with a long-lost sweetheart via Facebook in this quirky Austin-set tragicomedy.

_El Abuelo _ Director: Dino Dinco El Abuelo is a lyrical portrait of Joe Jimenez, Texan poet and educator, whose words connect the power of a well- ironed crease with attracting the eye of another homeboy.

_The GrownUps _ Director: Jason Wehling In The GrownUps, two couples try to regroup after a dinner argument gets out-of-hand.

_Honorarium _ Director: Steve Mims The arrival of a controversial figure to speak at a university conference tests the boundaries of social decorum and social duties.

_Mnemosyne Rising _ Director: Miguel Alvarez A deep-space transmitter pilot begins to experience unusual flashbacks on his ship when he learns he’s being sent back to Earth.

_Now or Never _ Director: Aaron Burns Henry has been in love with his best friend Alexa for years. Today he has decided to tell her not only how he feels, but exactly how deeply he feels it.

_Petting Sharks _ Director: Craig Elrod The sea of love is short on sharks.

_Rule No. 2 _ Director: Avram Dodson Breaking Rule No. 2 leads to relationship trouble, which is bad.  But relationship trouble leads to makeup sex, which is good!

_Table 7 _ Director: Marko Slavnic A couple has an intimate conversation in a restaurant, unaware that their every word is being closely monitored.

_Trash Day _ Director: Sam Lerma When you love your trash man, tell him with your garbage.

SX GLOBAL SHORTS

A showcase for cutting-edge documentary shorts from around the world.

The Mystery of Flying Kicks (Australia) Director: Matthew Bate Murder, sex, drugs, art, politics…? A film exploring the global mystery of why shoes appear on telephone lines.

Peter in Radioland (Scotland) Director: Johanna Wagner A carefully observed study of the director’s father Peter, who stubbornly remains in an analogue world.

Pollphail (Scotland) Director: Matthew Lloyd A deserted village in limbo on the west coast of Scotland where two men share an obsession with an imagined future.

Schlimazeltov! (UK) Director: Christopher Thomas Allen Maybe some people are just born unlucky? An exploration of luck - does it exist and if so how can you get more of it?

Summer of a Newspaper Kid (Estonia) Director: Katri Rannastu 9-year old Marten has decided to sell newspapers during his summer holiday. The job, boring and routine at first glance, pushes the kid into the everyday reality of the grownup world, where he meets competition and cheating.

Sunrise Dacapo (12cm/Stehend) (Germany) Director: Nina Poppe Nature from the assembly line. An observation on the growing of geraniums in mass production and the coherence of noise and silence. The beauty of nature, apparently perfectly reproduced in artificial surroundings.

_Volta _(Canada) Director: Ryan Mullins Former projectionist Emmanual Agboyame and others tell the story of the Volta cinema and look back on the sense of community it brought out in everyone.

SX GLOBAL SHORTS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

Arsy-Versy (Slovakia) Director: Miro Remo A Film about mom and her son Lubos, who conquered the world upside down

Control (Norway) Director: Hanne Myren Control is about the emotions we prefer to keep to ourselves.

Ivan and Ivan (Russia) Director: Philipp Abryutin Ivan lives with his grandparents on the tundra, fishing and herding reindeer. He and his grandfather, Ivan senior, have strong bonds both to the land and to each other, but soon, young Ivan must leave.

MUSIC VIDEOS

A range of classic, innovative, and stylish work showcasing the scope of music video culture.

Apes & Androids, “Golden Prize”

Director: That Go

BRONTOSORUS, “Amy”

Director: Pete Scalzitti

Chris Garneau, “Fireflies”

Director: Daniel Stessen

Cinnamon Chasers, “Luv Deluxe”

Director: Saman Keshavarz

The Diagonals, “Clones”

Director: Nick Smith

Fatback Circus, “Brain Damage”

Director: Rodney Brunet

Fires of Rome, “Set in Stone” (M83 Remix)

Director: Matthew Lessner

Grizzly Bear, “Forest”

Director: Allison Schulnik

Height, “Mike Stone”

Director: Justin Barnes

Heypenny, “Copcar”

Director: Joey Ciccoline

Hunter Cross and the Strays, “Twisty Ties”

Director: Paul Ahern

Kevin Devine, “I Could Be With Anyone”

Director: Sherng-Lee Huang

Man Branch, “The Gym Is All She Has”

Director: Matt Leach

N.A.S.A. “Spacious Thoughts”

Director: Mark Lomond

P.O.S. “Drumroll”

Director: Todd Cobery

Passion Pit, “To Kingdom Come”

Director: Mixtape Club

Socalled, “(Rock the) Belz”

Director: Kaveh Nabatian

These United States, “Everything Touches Everything”

Director: Maxwell Sorensen

Truckers of Husk, “Person for the Person”

Directors: Casey Raymond and Ewan Jones Morris

WHY?, “These Hands / January Twentysomething”

Director: Ben Barnes

Writer, “Four Letters”

Director: Brad Kester

FUTURESTATES

What is the America of the future? In this series of fictional shorts presented by ITVS, different filmmakers examine current events by extrapolating them into the future. By embracing elements of speculative and science fiction, each film creates a fantastic new world to make comment on our own.

Mister Green Director: Greg Pak A parable about change in which a jaded government undersecretary becomes the unwitting test subject for an experimental program to curb global warming.

Plastic Bag Director: Ramin Bahrani Struggling with its immortality, a lost plastic bag ventures through the environmentally barren remains of America as it narrates its search for its master, the young woman who owned and used it in an era long since past.

The Rise Director: Garret Williams In the radically altered housing market of the future, an older couple must forego their dreams of retirement and home ownership and in the process, adapt to the ever-evolving definition of the American dream.

Silver Sling Director: Tze Chun In the polarized economy of the near future, corporations offer subsidies to their high-ranking female employees to pay for surrogate pregnancies and chemically accelerated births. Here a struggling career surrogate must decide whether or not to carry the child of two potential clients, thus giving up her last chance to have a child of her own.

Tent City Director: Aldo Velasco In a world where housing is granted only to the powerful few, a father who makes his living evicting the powerless must choose between his responsibilities as a provider for his family and his moral principles.

Tia & Marco Director: Annie Howell

When a pregnant border patrol agent discovers an illegal immigrant child hiding in her home, she is forced to question her loyalty to closed borders.

ALAN GOVENAR SPECIAL PRESENTATION

Texas Folklife will present special screenings of the films of a Texas treasure–folklorist, writer, photographer and filmmaker Alan Govenar.

Cigarette Blues (1985) Co-directed with Les Blank, the film features Sonny Rhodes and the Texas Twisters performing at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland, California.

The Devil’s Swing (2005) The film takes its name from a story people tell in the isolated region of the Texas-Mexico border and reveals the seemingly unrelated worlds of sacred rituals, corridos, drug lords, Pancho Villa and the tragic killing of a nineteen year old boy.

The Hard Ride (1996) A journey into the little known world of the black ranch rodeo culture of Southeast Texas.

Little Willie Eason and His Talking Gospel Guitar (2005) Taking place on the street and in the House of God Church south of Miami, the film highlights the man who introduced the pedal steel guitar as an instrument for the expression of faith.

The Microtones of Simon Shaheen (2010) The film introduces a virtuoso of the Arabic oud and violin, and his Palestinian community in Brooklyn.

The Poetry of Exactitude (2008) The film delves into the imagination of Lucien Mouchet and the 1/120th scale carousels and fairground scenes that he has been making in Paris, France since 1946.

_Stoney Knows How _(1981) Govenar’s first film, is an inside look at the circus and carnival sideshow from the point of view of Old School tattoo master, Leonard St. Clair, disabled by arthritis at the age of four, who joined the circus as a sword swallower as a teenager and tattooed young and old alike for more than fifty years.

South by Southwest Film Conference & Festival
The SXSW Film Conference and Festival is a uniquely creative environment featuring the dynamic convergence of talent, smart audiences and industry heavyweights. A hotbed of discovery and interactivity, the event offers lucrative networking opportunities and immersion into the art and business of the rapidly evolving world of independent film.

Over the first five days, the Film Conference buzzes as world-class speakers, creative minds, and notable mentors tackle the latest filmmaking trends amidst the unmatched social atmosphere of the SXSW experience. Simultaneously, the internationally acclaimed, nine-day Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.  For more information, visit www.sxsw.com/film.

Right-Click to Download • Subscribe in iTunes

Songs Featured in Candlercast #8:

• iPad
• Spaghetti Cat
• [Hoagie in the Sky - Wawa Hoagiefest](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CDMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hoagiefest.com%2F&ei=LGZxS7bgNsSZ8Aa6sNiuCw&usg=AFQjCNH_7fvh_ YnvdHSqdov2eBcSv3HqUA)

For more Parry Gripp, check out the rest of our interview on nachos over at NachosNY.

The voting is over and the results are in: for the first time in 65 years the Academy Awards has ten films contending for the Best Picture statue. Wow, that’s twice as many movies as before; how can we make sense of all of them. Of course you should see all ten films and make an informed decision, or just [read what the candler blog has to say about them](http://www.candlerblog.com/2010/02/02/guide-to-the-2010-oscar- nominees/). In the meantime we’ve parsed a bit of data and laid it out for you in colorful glory. I’ll let the graphic speak for itself, so take a peek.

Click the image to view full size: [](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/2010 -Oscars-Infographic-New.png)

That’s a lot to take in at once. No matter how much data we can look at, from a film’s gross to Academy voters’ tendencies, the truth is that most voters work hard to inform themselves and make the decisions they feel are right in their hearts. We’ve got a whole month of speculation ahead of us, but feel free to leave your gut reactions in the comments. Happy Awards Season.

[Click here to download the massive, printable version of this graphic.](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/2010-Oscars- Infographic-New-Full.png) Feel free to plaster the web with this thing, just don’t forget to mention your friends at the candler blog.

The candler blog was born in March of 2009. In the past year, we’ve written a whole lot about cinema, and I’m proud to say we’ve covered most of the top 2010 Oscar contenders on these pages. We even had a strong opinion [back when AMPAS upped the number of Best Picture nominations to 10](http://www.candlerblog.com/2009/07/02/rules-ampas-should-change-besides- best-pic-slots/). There are still some holes and we’ll fix that soon. For now, catch up on our thoughts on the year’s biggest films and share your what you think in the comments.

A Serious Man - Best Picture, Original Screenplay

[Avatar](http://www.candlerblog.com/2009/12/20/avatar-the-problematic-outer- body-solution-to-cultural-tensions/) - Art Direction, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Original Score, Best Picture, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects

Crazy Heart - Jeff Bridges - Best Actor, Maggie Gyllenhaal - Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Song - “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” - UPDATED 2/11/2010

District 9 - Film Editing, Best Picture, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay

[Fantastic Mr. Fox](http://www.candlerblog.com/2009/12/10/review-the- fantastic-mr-fox/) - Best Animated Feature Film, Original Score

[Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince](http://www.candlerblog.com/2009/07/27 /review-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince/) - Cinematography

[Inglourious Basterds](http://www.candlerblog.com/2009/08/21/once-upon-a-time- in-violence-occupied-cinema-an-analysis-of-inglourious-basterds/) ([Also This](http://www.candlerblog.com/2009/12/17/watching-inglourious-basterds-in-a -room-full-of-jews/))- Christoph Waltz - Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Best Picture, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Original Screenplay

Julie & Julia - Meryl Streep - Best Actress

Nine - Penélope Cruz - Supporting Actress, Art Direction, Costume Design, Best Original Song - “Take It All”

[Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire](http://www.candlerblog.com/2010/02/19/review-precious-based-on-the- novel-push-by-sapphire/) -Gabourey Sidibe - Best Actress, Mo’Nique - Best Supporting Actress, Directing, Film Editing, Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay

• UPDATED 2/19/2010

[Sherlock Holmes](http://www.candlerblog.com/2009/12/28/review-sherlock- holmes/) - Art Direction, Original Score

Star Trek - Makeup, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects

[The Hurt Locker](http://www.candlerblog.com/2009/07/09/review-the-hurt- locker/) - Jeremy Renner - Actor, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Original Score, Best Picture, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Original Screenplay

[Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen](http://www.candlerblog.com/2009/06/30 /review-transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen/) - Sound Mixing

Up - Best Animated Feature Film, Original Score, Best Picture, Sound Editing, Original Screenplay

Up In The Air - George Clooney - Best Actor, Vera Farmiga - Best Supporting Actress, Anna Kendrick - Best Supporting Actress, Directing, Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay

Apple’s iPad is 2 months from release and the Internet seems to have already made up its mind on the device, one way or another. This is all based on total speculation as even those who have handled the tablet haven’t done so long enough to offer an informed opinion. So while the mud and rainbows sling elsewhere, I would like to speculate how the device will impact filmmakers should it be embraced after launch.

First off, let’s look at the iPhone/iPod Touch which has enjoyed decent success in the film community. There are apps available as simple as AJA’s data rate calculator for estimating video file sizes and as complex as screenwriting applications. You can plug your iPod into an Alesis ProTrack and record audio via XLR mics. This doesn’t even to mention the simpler things like the video capabilities of the iPhone 3GS which gives any maker the ability to shoot a walkthrough or concept video whenever they deem necessary. Today, the filmmaker finds a decent tool in the iPhone/iPod Touch.

So when voices on the internet decry the new iPad “just a big iPod Touch”, I would ask the dissenters how they could consider that a bad thing. The truth is that if it were just a big iPod Touch, it would already solve a great deal of problems with the smaller screen on Apple’s mobile devices. Even though the device isn’t available in the wild yet, it is fast becoming clear that the iPad is something more than a glorified iPhone. Take a look at some of the advanced gestures possible on the iPad in this video compiled by Gizmodo:

The way Phil Schiller “stacks” those Keynote slides with a two touch gesture is something that has never been available on any Apple touch device before, and it is a sign of things to come. Gesturing is about to go way past touching and swiping. So how could this impact filmmakers? Let’s break it down by department.

Pre-Production

There are some obvious places Pre-Production can use the iPad. On the somewhat mundane side of things we have iWork, Apple’s desktop-class suite of productivity applications available (I assume) for the device on Day 1. One could use Numbers on the iPad to figure out a budget, and Pages to make notes at a meeting or perhaps even markup a script breakdown. But this is basic productivity that all users, filmmaker or otherwise, will benefit from.

Nearly every iPhone app will run on the iPad, so the tools I mentioned above should all work on the iPad out of the box. However, each app will be somewhat crippled by its intended resolution, running a blockier version to fill the 9.7” screen. The developer behind Black Mana’s Screenplay has already announced an iPad version that should be ready by the product launch. According to the company’s forums, the application will be for the writing professional, meaning perhaps this will be a full-fledged screenwriting application. With Apple’s keyboard accessory, the screenwriter could find him/herself taking up a much smaller footprint at the coffee shop while getting some serious work done.

Perhaps the biggest and most ambitious announcement comes from OmniGroup, who writes the iPhone GTD application OmniFocus. A committed Macintosh development firm, Omni has been coding best in class applications that run alongside traditional productivity suites like iWork or Microsoft Office. [They have announced plans to bring five of their desktop applications to the iPad](http://blog.omnigroup.com/2010/01/29/ipad- or-bust/). OmniOutliner is an organizational application whose feature set goes far deeper than outlining. However, it does do outlining tasks particularly well and would make idea organization extremely portable. OmniPlan is a powerful project management application. Given how many moving parts a film production has and the open nature of OmniPlan (it is extremely customizable), I could certainly see an entire production being planned out inside of the application. Then it could be tweaked throughout the production on the minimalist device. (On a sidenote, Omni is a very big Mac developer whose excitement over the iPad should not be taken lightly. That they are interested in the platform is reason enough for creative professionals to take the iPad seriously.)

Back to film specific apps, we have Cinemek’s Storyboard Composer. While the application is heavily tied to the iPhone’s camera, which the iPad lacks, and the developers have yet to address iPad availability, there is no question that the application will continue to be useful for filmmakers. Personally, I prefer a blank page to storyboard on so that I can be as unruly as I like, which is where Steve Sprang’s Brushes would come in. Demoed at Apple’s iPad launch last week, the application allows you to “paint” with your fingers right on the screen. Brushes features a powerful toolset of layering and customizable brush settings. Famously, the iPhone iteration was used to illustrate three New Yorker covers. I’m sure the iPad version will only make it easier to draw, which would work in tandem with Storyboard for powerfully organized drawn shot breakdowns.

Production

Moving onto the Production phase of a film, let me get back to Omni and discuss Omnigraffle, a vector-based diagramming application. Not only could a Cinematographer, Gaffer or a Production Designer use it in Pre-Production to plan out whole shoots, but imagine having lighting plots and set schematics available digitally on set. A production could plan exterior shoots with multiple lighting plans all in one iPad, so when the sun shifts or cloud cover comes in they could quickly access a backup. Better yet, when you arrive at a location to find a vital aspect of the room has changed, say the art director changed a circular table to a longer rectangular one, you could quickly adjust the change and deploy your light and camera plots via the iPad. The precision OmniGraffle offers, down to the inch, allows for a slimmer margin of error than plain old paper and pencil. That means that even the most complex of shots can be easily imagined in an iPad before doing a trial and error on set. A handful of swipes could save hours worth of mistakes.

pCam is a fascinating tool that offers the cinematographer a bevy of mathematical assistance onset. It’s doubtful the app will be rebuilt for the iPad as its functionality won’t necessarily benefit from the larger screen. But it’s certainly worth mentioning; after all, there are working professionals out there who don’t own an iPhone but may be in the market for an iPad.

Anyone overseeing continuity could load a days worth of photos, either directly with Apple’s Camera Connection kit or via USB sync with iTunes/iPhoto. Literally thousands of photos would be accessible and viewable so you could zoom in on that glass mug in the corner and see how much tea was left in it. While this is possible with an iPhone right now, the added screen real estate will make the job even easier. I should also mention that most of these tasks could be done with a laptop, but imagine the difference between walking around to every corner of a location holding a laptop and holding an iPad. Swiping and double tapping a 1.5 pound flat screen device seems a lot easier than setting down a laptop every time you need to change photos or click the zoom button.

Script supervisors could be reading and annotating the script throughout the day. They could flip pages without even making a sound, keeping your audio department happy. Break out Numbers again so the Line Producer can track how over budget you are. While s/he’s at it, why not make any changes to tomorrow’s call sheets before printing them out (potentially via bonjour). Basically, imagine anyone on a filmset who now carries a clipboard or folder toting an iPad instead.

Post-Production

Post production has long been the most computerized of departments. Ever since the advent of  digital, or non-linear editing (NLE), systems, Post has given itself over to bits and never looked back. Let’s start with the sound department.

ProRemote is a powerful application that brings audio sliders to the iPhone. I’m not positive that an iPad specific version is in development, but if it is it could prove indispensable. Essentially, the iPad would turn into a mixing board for ProTools and other audio applications. Not only would this give amateur mixers the tools they need for (relatively) less money than a hardware solution, but the portability of the iPad would give a multi-touch mixing pad to location sound personnel.

Dailies deliveries could very well be revolutionized by the iPad. A company like Sample Digital, whose DAX/D3 systems offer robust and secure dailies viewing through a proprietary app, would do well to offer up an iPad edition of their software. The dailies and cuts for an entire shoot could be accessible securely in an iPad, moving the mess of hefty files and disc media to remote servers, allowing producers, writers and department heads to see anything they want at the tap of a screen. (Note: Sample Digital’s current workflow, while impressive, utilizes a lot of non- Apple tools, so I doubt this is something that will happen for quite some time. That being said, they are not the only game in town for digital deliverables and someone else could very well make this happen.)

Finally, for the pie-in-the-sky use case, I will come out and speak for all filmmakers who have embraced the digital age: we want a full-featured mobile touch-screen video editing solution. The obstacles are great, but the idea is actually quite simple. When Google Wave was first introduced, [I suggested how it could be used to host a complete edit of a film via XML documents](http://www.candlerblog.com/2009/06/05/google-wave-for- filmmakers-a-concept/) . Since non-linear editing is non-destructive, technically all you are manipulating is timecode, which is text in a document. We know the iPad can handle some pretty complex bits of video (H.264 at 720p requires some serious processing power) and we know it can handle text well enough to run a desktop class word processor. So hardware, save for disk space, isn’t really the issue. The newest, most tricked out Mac Pros often have horsepower to spare, so I could envision a world where media is transcoded to iPad specific codecs in the background, then synced to the iPad for manipulation on the road. I want to be clear about this: we don’t need transitions, we don’t need titling effects, we just need to be able to play down and tweak our work on the subway if we feel the need to. That is, for now. Envisioning building 3D Motion graphics by pinching and zooming gets me all excited, but I’ll hold off on that capability in hopes of an NLE, perhaps Final Cut Touch.

So there you have it, just a few filmmaking use cases for Apple’s latest invention, the iPad. Bear in mind that this entire post has been written sight unseen. Just as when I first took the wrapping off the iPhone I had no idea I would one day be doing crosswords on it and recording podcasts, the iPad’s future is completely unknown. However, for those of us who can see its potential now, there are some immediate advantages it offers that we can benefit from.

Apps Mentioned in this Post

CURRENT IPHONE APPS DESKTOP/FUTURE IPAD APPS

AJA DataCalc

Final Cut Pro

Alesis ProTrack

iPhoto

Brushes

iWork

pCam

OmniGraffle

ProRemote

OmniOutliner

Screenplay

OmniPlan

Storyboard Composer

Sample Digital’s Dax/D3 System

Please feel free to add to this list in the comments. Better yet, what other film use cases can you think of for the iPad? The possibilities are endless.

[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/01/rser0l.jpg)Overstylized, overdramatic and overcooked are all understatements when describing Albert and Allen Hughes’ The Book of Eli. The only facet of it I can speak highly of is Gary Oldman, who finally returns to the baddie throne he built so long ago. Otherwise, the film is just an exercise in technological possibilities on the part of the directors and their team. We come along for their ride.

Let’s start with the visuals, which is clearly where The Hughes Brothers devoted most of their efforts. Taking a page out of the Sin City and 300 playbooks, the film is mostly greenscreened footage over a hyper-realistic backdrop. It’s a style, no doubt, but one that is more grating than it is interesting in this instance. Shot on the RED camera, foreground imagery seems to break apart very quickly, at least on the print I saw. I don’t care how many “K”s they put in the resolution, it really did not mix well with the synthesized backgrounds. Besides that, this steampunk-chic post-apocalypse is nothing new to audiences. So what do the Hughes Brothers bring to the table that maybe we haven’t seen before? God!

Religion, specifically Christianity, is also a staple of any horror film worth its salt, but rarely is it ever forefronted as in The Book of Eli. In short, Denzel Washington, as the title character, heard a voice tell him to take the only remaining copy of the King James Bible westward, so he does. That’s all well and good plot-wise. Not only is a prophetic act of faith a classical convention, but travelling West on a mission is about as basically litereary as you can get; this plot ought to be an easy enough canvas to work with.

Enter Carnegie, the aptly named robber-baron who has built a cannibal-free town through might alone. Played by Gary Oldman, this is the first time in about a decade the British actor has embraced the his darker side. It suits him well and it is nice to see him back in snarling form, but that doesn’t change the fact that his character’s motivation is positively trivial. In order to further rule over the scum of the earth, Carnegie sends teams out every day in search of a bible. He explains that the book will give him supreme power over the weakest walks of society, which is already everyone but him. When Eli strolls into town, of course, the conflict comes with him. Gun battles ensue with organized religion in the crosshairs, but the matter is dealt with so moronically, there may as well be no conflict. With no conflict, we have a movie I chuckle through while everyone else tries to pay attention.

Denzel broods, but it isn’t enough to save his character from futile silliness. Early in the film, we see him pop in some earphones and go through his evening routine. This is where the actor shines, expressing his brute force during even the most sensitive of moments. The performance is nothing near the multilayered characters he has built with action collaborator Tony Scott. In the last ten years, Mr. Washington has been working through his stardom, digging deeper and deeper on every outing for the beast within each role. He is an action hero, and he bucks up here and offers as much as he can.

Now about those headphones. (This is about to get nerdy) We know the film takes place at least thirty-one years after “the sky opened”, so everything has been in the shitter for awhile. Using, I assume, a solar charger, Eli whips out a 3rd generation iPod (the same one featured in Wes Anderson’s justifiably vintage The Darjeeling Limited), which was introduced in 2003. The he grabs some Dr. Dre Beats headphones, which are displayed prominently a few times and were introduced, at the earliest, in 2008. Besides the fact that iPod batteries rarely last more than two years, when the hell did this apocalypse happen?! How much of a hipster was Eli that he kept his five year old iPod laying around when he bought brand new $200 Beats just before the world turned to poo? (Last niggle: where did Mila Kunis get all those form fitting jeans if all the Gaps and Diesels perished before she was born?) I’d like to ignore the little things like this, but without a decent conflict, I had to focus on something for two hours.

Finally, I’d like to mention the only other thing worth mentioning (pejoratively) in this film: the long take. Just like Atonement before it, The Book of Eli features a shot whose purpose is to show off the technical, and this case technological, prowess of the people behind it. A climactic gunfight features a handheld camera that bobs and weaves between bullets, through windows, under cars and over rockets. It’s ridiculous, but the real trouble with it is that the scene would only be enhanced by editing. I am so tired of filmmakers doing things for the sake of doing them. Is it a feat of cinematic science? Sure it is, but what’s the point if the scene doesn’t call for it? I implore younger filmgoers to consider these things when they watch the RPG-like scene go down. I’m sure praise will be heaped on cinematographer Don Burgess in certain circles for pulling this off, but one must ask why the shot exists. If you can come up with an answer that suits you, then you’re set. I cannot.

Ultimately, The Book of Eli could have been a much better film if only the villain’s motivation were a a bit more foreboding and the anachronistic goofiness, manifested in unfortunate product placement, were nixed. The post- apocalypse seems like a fun place to play, I only wish this film didn’t offer so much more of the same we’ve been seeing for years. It’s an overwrought Mad Max with a biblical twist. That should either sell you or not.

Now that the dust has finally settled on NBC’s “Tonight Show” debacle, with Jay Leno returning as host of the program, speculators can’t help but predict a landing place for the now jobless Conan O’Brien. It’s assumed that he’ll go to Fox, the only network without a late night talk show currently. However, over at the New York Times’ Bits Blog, writer Nick Bilton has a different, more ethereal outlet for the ginger haired comic: The Internet!

“So here’s my advice to Mr. O’Brien:” Mr. Bilton offers up, “After he leaves NBC and spends a few months healing his wounds and pulling the troops back together, he should come back and make the Internet his time slot.” The rest of the piece doesn’t say all that much about how to achieve such an end, but does revolve around buzzwords like “Leno!” “Conan!” and “Internet!” proving that even the New York Times isn’t above link-baiting. But there is a story to pull from Bilton’s piece: that the logic behind his Internet Time Slot reflects the outdated viewpoint of the web that still runs rampant among popular thought.

See, it turns out that with the advent of DVR and online clip viewing, younger viewers aren’t tuning in for live television anymore. Bilton references a piece by New York Times snarker David Carr whose title says it all: “It’s not Jay or Conan, It’s Us”. That piece blames late night television’s failing numbers on the wild success of the Internet: “Bedtime used to mean some quality time with your late-night host of choice, but the bedroom has gotten pretty crowded. The nightstand is groaning with options, including Netflix, laptops and a remote that can pull up favored prime-time programs on the DVR. Let me see, that episode of ‘House’ I missed or Conan O’Brien?” He has a point, but what keeps on getting lost in this conversation is some understanding of what the Internet actually is, or could be.

For too long, the Internet has been perceived as a magic box with the potential for wild success that eats media industries for breakfast. That’s where the idea of an Internet Time Slot stems from. See, once Conan O’Brien became embroiled in the whole late night war, not only did his terrestrial television ratings go up, but his Internet footprint went sky-high. Twitter and Facebook campaigns were started overnight with millions pulling for him, a phenomenon that barely happened for his stodgier counterpart, Jay Leno. It is not lost on anyone that this audience, mostly younger, is the lucrative future viewership of the “The Tonight Show” if there is one. So Bilton drew an obvious conclusion. If Conan is huge in the Internet, maybe he should live there. Problem: the Internet isn’t Japan; you can’t live there.

The Internet is a content delivery network, plain and simple. Do you think anyone cared when cable turned digital and started carrying data alongside video into their homes? No, because they got the content they wanted in however many rooms they needed it. Eventually, the Internet will deliver the content to viewers on television sets, perhaps completely on demand. As long as the interface, a big screen with pretty pictures and a reasonably easy to use pointing device, doesn’t change, the viewers won’t care how the content gets there. The real trouble for media moguls is figuring out how to bend to viewing trends since they have built an ecosystem that hasn’t changed much in 60 or 30 years, depending if you’re a network or a cable station. Just look at this tooth and nail debate between Boxee CEO Avner Ronen and vociferous HDNet Chairman Mark Cuban from last March. They’re fighting for their lives.

So that explains the Internet, but what about a time slot? The conversation over at the Times revolves around on demand content, but they forget that when you put that content there matters. The time slot won’t go away. Take a popular show like “Lost”. People watch it when it airs and on ABC.com and on Hulu because they like it. If the final season of “Lost” were to only air on the internet at 9pm and then be available for streaming immediately thereafter, you could be damn sure it would find an audience to watch it at exactly 9pm. That’s what addictive content does. It brings an audience to it, not the other way around. The thing is, when you head down this path, this Internet thing starts to look a lot like Television, which is why it’s a pointless conversation.

The Internet has eaten whole industries before, so it’s fair enough that media moguls should be wary. However, they shouldn’t cling to the old models that don’t allow for growth with the latest and greatest tech. When they do, someone else beats them to the punch and then they’re really up to their neck in it. Just go look at how conveniently (and snarkily) laid out the best clips of the late night wars are set up over at Gawker.TV to see how television networks are losing the battle. I guarantee you if the networks offered an alternative the site’s ham-job encoding of Live TV, Gawker would jump on and embed the network branded (and probably ad-bumped) clips. But remember, they’re missing the boat, and thinking that audience tendencies are wrong basically leaves them without a paddle. Here’s to figuring it out.

[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/01/paulosborne.jpg)The sweet irony of Paul Osborne’s documentary, Official Rejection, a backstage tell-all of American film festival culture, is that the film has gone on to be something of a fest favorite around the country. I first [reviewed the film at last year’s Deadcenter Film Festival](http://www.candlerblog.com/2009/06/13/deadcenter- review-official-rejection/) in Oklahoma City, where Paul and I agreed we would find time for an interview. Finally, we have come together to chat about his film, which is still running the festival circuit, and movies in general. As Sundance 2010 begins, we thought it would be a perfect time to discuss what festivals represent in the dreams of filmmakers and what they really are. Believe it or not, a lot has changed since Paul made the film, so listen in as he explains where we stand today. Other points of interest: my own bitching about Blu-Ray, the films Paul is most excited to see, and the two of us compare war stories on both sides of the critic-filmmaker lines.

[podcast]http://www.candlerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/candlercast-7 -paul-osborne.mp3[/podcast] [Right-Click to Download](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/candlercast-7 -paul-osborne.mp3) • [Subscribe in iTunes](http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/ MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=334875368)

Ed. Note: My microphone suffered some fits of serious crackling for this one. I’ve been trying to scrub it out but I’m finding it impossible. I’ll fix the problem by the next Candlercast. Sorry for the ear-strain.