Film Formally

FILM FORMALLY is back! This month, friend of the podcast Sophy Romvari’s films are premiering on the CRITERION CHANNEL and to mark the occasion we’ve recorded a set of commentaries for six of these films - NINE BEHIND, IT’S HIM, PUMPKIN MOVIE, NORMAN NORMAN, IN DOG YEARS, and STILL PROCESSING. To listen along, have the film ready to go and hit “play” when prompted within the episode after the introductions. Please note that, due to sync necessities, there are a few gaps in the episode’s discussion: we’ve filled with with snippets of Will’s original score for the film. STILL PROCESSING (2020) A box of stunning family photos unseen for decades awakens lost memories as they are viewed for the first time on camera. In this episode, we discuss: Hybrid documentary and fictional elements. Still Processing’s long production and post-production schedule. Photographic storyboards. Audience expectations and documentaries about grief. Composing the score. What did we learn? Sophy’s films can be seen on the CRITERION CHANNEL - feel free to sign up for a free trial if you aren’t a member.

FILM FORMALLY is back! This month, friend of the podcast Sophy Romvari’s films are premiering on the CRITERION CHANNEL and to mark the occasion we’ve recorded a set of commentaries for six of these films - NINE BEHIND, IT’S HIM, PUMPKIN MOVIE, NORMAN NORMAN, IN DOG YEARS, and STILL PROCESSING. We’ll be releasing one per week for the next six weeks. To listen along, have the film ready to go and hit “play” when prompted within the episode after the introductions. NORMAN NORMAN (2018) A young woman grapples with the declining health of her beloved dog in this film about mortality, cloning, and Barbra Streisand. In this episode, we discuss: Creative “Labour” and filmmaking. Cross-country collaboration. Norman’s TIFF pass. Conceptual cinema. The opportunities afforded by non-traditional modes of production. Sophy’s films can be seen on the CRITERION CHANNEL - feel free to sign up for a free trial if you aren’t a member.

FILM FORMALLY is back! This month, friend of the podcast Sophy Romvari’s films are premiering on the CRITERION CHANNEL and to mark the occasion we’ve recorded a set of commentaries for six of these films - NINE BEHIND, IT’S HIM, PUMPKIN MOVIE, NORMAN NORMAN, IN DOG YEARS, and STILL PROCESSING. We’ll be releasing one per week for the next six weeks. To listen along, have the film ready to go and hit “play” when prompted within the episode after the introductions. IT’S HIM (2016) An unexpected encounter during an afternoon at the cinema catapults a young woman into a confrontation with her own grief. In this episode, we discuss: Creative geography. The learning process of collaboration. Working with actors on an indie budget. Remastering NINE BEHIND and IT’S HIM. Restructuring IT’S HIM in post-production. The transition from the relatively large production of IT’S HIM to the stripped-down minimalism of PUMPKIN MOVIE.

It’s our one-year, 43rd-episode spectacular, and we’re once again answering your questions! We go deep on the new WONG KAR-WAI restorations, our thoughts on Zach Snyder’s JUSTICE LEAGUE, the merits of handheld camera operation, film scores, not one but TWO aspect ratio rants from Devan, and more! But first, some NEWS. We’re going to be taking a bit of a hiatus, and we’re adjusting our Patreon to reflect this. In the interests of keeping the quality of this podcast high and sustainable, we’re going to take our time with the next season. It’ll be ready whenever it’s ready, but it will happen! As such, our Patreon will now be structured on a per-creation basis. Our previous tiers will be retired in lieu of $1 and $2 per-creation tiers. In this episode, we discuss: (04:24) Criterion’s THE WORLD OF WONG KAR-WAI box set, and our mixed feelings on the changes made to the films contained within. (29:11) Handheld vs Tripod: the final showdown. (33:58) Will opines on this year’s film scores. (40:43) Zach Snyder’s JUSTICE LEAGUE: it’s out! What do we think? If you’d like to support the show, here’s a link to our Patreon. We’ve also released a bonus mini-episode wherein we discuss PREFACE TO A HISTORY and THE MARTYR.

Adapting literary works to the screen involves a certain amount of translation. There are certain things that are easily conveyed in writing that cannot be conveyed in a straightforward way onscreen; likewise, there are elements of cinematic language that open up new routes to expression. John Le Carre’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a useful case study in this regard: it has been the subject of two acclaimed adaptations that could not be more distinct in the toolkit each uses to translate book to screen. We’ve invited Tim Brayton, film critic at Alternate Ending, to discuss both the 1979 John Irving adaptation as well as Tomas Alfredson’s 2011 take. In this episode, we discuss: Literary accuracy versus formal expressiveness in adaptation. Focal lengths, zoom lenses, and the observational mode. 1970s BBC television house style: is it any good? Narrative obscurity. John Le Carre’s stylistic toolit as a writer and the challenges it poses for adaptations. The construction of performances through lighting and framing. Mark Strong: MVP? If you’d like to support the show, here’s a link to our Patreon. Works discussed during this episode: The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) Smiley’s People (1982) The Little Drummer Girl (1984) The Tailor Of Panama (2001) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) A Most Wanted Man (2014)

Extreme ways are back! In pog form! This week we’ve got a wonderful little discussion about the evolution of the Jason Bourne film series. In particular, we’re here to dissect how Paul Greengrass transformed it into the 21st century’s foremost example of Chaos Cinema. Handheld camerawork, fast editing, questionable focus? It’s all here, and we’re here to sift through the wreckage.

An Anti-Masterpiece is, as defined by our own Will Ross, is “an astonishing, essential work of art in spite of a distinct lack of conventional competence on the part of its makers”. After Last Season by Mark Region is one such film, and we’ve invited filmmaker Bram Ruiter to discuss it with us. In what is very much not a “bad movie” episode, we attempt to grapple with the nature of outsider art. In this episode, we discuss: The value of different competent cinema. The many, many mysteries behind the production of After Last Season More realism in cinema: Mark Region’s seeming insistence on pushing the boundaries of acceptable cinematic ‘reality’. If you’d like to support the show, here’s a link to our Patreon. Additional Resources: Jason Coffman’s Article on After Last Season Jason Coffman’s Follow-Up Oral History with the Cast and Crew Filmmaker Magazine’s interview with director Mark Region Works discussed during this episode: After Last Season (2009) The Room (2003) Street Fighter: The Movie (1994) Inland Empire (2006) The Treasure Planet (1982)

In part two of our Verite series we discuss truth in documentary filmmaking with returning guest Sophy Romvari. Sophy’s films have increasingly blurred the line between fact and fiction and are often classified as ‘hybrid’ documentaries. What can we learn from this type of fusion cinema? We go deep on the existential questions that inevitably ensue when one claims to be telling a ‘truth’ and explore the various ways different filmmakers have sought to build ideological frameworks for reaching their truths. In this episode, we discuss: Documentary, the genre: a contract? ‘Hybrid’ documentary and the mix of fact and fiction Cinema Verite and Direct Cinema: they’re different! The Ecstatic Truth and Werner Herzog Errol Morris’ epistemological meat grinder: is truth connected with style? Kirsten Johnson and Cameraperson Ethical representation of documentary subjects. If you’d like to support the show, here’s a link to our Patreon. Additional Resources: Media: Werner Herzog’s Minnesota Declaration

Welcome to season 3! To kick things off, we’ve brought Duplitech Film Services Manager Blake Blasingame in to discuss film preservation and mastering for home video. Are you ready for 88 minutes of unadulterated shop talk about grain structure, bit depth, oversampling, color grading, and vinegar syndrome? Of course you are! This is Film Formally, after all. In this episode, we discuss: The process of preserving and restoring films for Blu-Ray and DVD releases. Scan resolutions - 4k, and the value of oversampling. Vinegar syndrome: the silent killer. How film elements are sourced for scans - negatives, IPs, IBs, and release prints. Robert Richardson and revisionism. William Peter Blatty and the restoration of the lost Legion cut of The Exorcist III More audio restoration! If you’d like to support the show, here’s a link to our Patreon. Additional Resources: Works discussed during this episode: Snow Falling on Cedars The Exorcist III / Legion The Thing The French Connection The Big Lebowski Blade Runner 2049 Mad Max: Fury Road The Heartbreak Kid Playtime Tree of Wooden Clogs Army of Shadows Ran The works of Wong Kar-Wai

Film Formally is on hiatus, but that won't stop us from taking your questions! Take our quick survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y7HV6CM to submit questions that we'll answer on our podcast in an upcoming episode. Plus, Devan comes in with some HOT TAKES.

It’s an emergency, time for a podcast! This week, we’re discussing the sordid tale of the DC comics behemoth blockbuster Justice League. Initially released in 2017 to much disappointment after extensive Joss Whedon-helmed reshoots, it’s taken on a new life after a movement around releasing original director Zack Snyder’s preferred cut formed. What has ensued is a confusing stream of contradictory information, and we’re here to sort it out! In this episode, we discuss: The mysteries surrounding the mythical “Snyder Cut”: did it ever really exist? Why does the story keep changing? Aspect ratio revisionism and open matte versions of films. Brian Wilsom’s sMiLe and the impossibility of truly non-revisionist reconstructions of never-completed works. The “Black and Chrome” trend. Devan’s controversial Letterboxd review of Rise of Skywalker. What IS art, anyways? If you’d like to support the show, here’s a link to our Patreon. Additional Resources: Will’s Snyder Cut tweetstorm. Works discussed during this episode: Sully Blade Runner 2049 Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice The Mist Mad Max: Fury Road (Black and Chrome Edition) Star Trek: The Motion Picture Parasite Son of Saul Brian Wilson’s sMiLe

Okay, folks, it's time for blocking! The pre-planned arrangement, movement, and posturing of characters in a frame is one of a director's most artistically demanding on-set tasks, and nobody blocked a scene better than Sidney Lumet (whom we've already talked about once this season). Screenwriter and Lumet mega-fan Cameron Carpenter joined us to talk about the blocking in Lumet's swan song, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke. We also found time to talk about the film as an early example of digital cinematography, and chatted about how critics responded to the presence of a naked woman in the film (not well) and directorial batting averages.

There’s a new concert film out! It’s called David Byrne’s American Utopia, directed by none other than Spike Lee and shot by none other than Ellen Kuras. It documents David Byrne’s most recent tour-turned Broadway show, and it’s drawn much discussion: in particular, to David Byrne’s previous high-profile concert film, Stop Making Sense. We took this release as an opportunity to delve into the entire genre of concert cinema, and the difficulties that arise when one must turn a stage-bound show intended for a live audience into a film object. We also discuss Stop Making Sense (Jonathan Demme), Jazz on a Summer’s Day (Bert Stern, Aram Avakian), Monterey Pop (D.A. Pennebaker, 1967), Gimme Shelter (Chartlotte Zwerin, Albert & David Maysles, 1970), Woodstock (Michael Wadleigh, 1970), The Last Waltz (Martin Scorsese, 1978), U2: Rattle and Hum (Phil Joanou, 1988), Bjork: Biophilia (Peter Strickland & Nick Fenton, 2014), Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! (Adam Yauch, 2006), Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse (Julian Schnabel, 2008), Heart of Gold (2006), Trunk Show (2009), Journeys (2011) (Jonathan Demme), and Shine a Light (Martin Scorsese, 2008)