AI-assisted time travel

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Open Culture invites us to See 21 Historic Films by Lumière Brothers, Colorized and Enhanced with Machine Learning (1895-1902).

They highlight a collection of films originally created by the Lumière Brothers and now digitally enhanced by Denis Shiryaev.

Shot and projected at 16 frames per second, this footage has had its original frame rate restored, stabilized, upscaled to 240 fps at 4K, colourized and the faces enhanced with AI and finally output at 60 fps.

Dennis details his process in the first four and a half minutes of the film and categorically states, “This is enhanced material and is not historically accurate.”

Nevertheless, the films are a fantastic view into the past. Travel back in time to France, England and Egypt, among other countries. The motion smoothing does impart a different feeling to the footage than the jerky black and white aesthetic we normally associate with old newsreels.

My take: for me, the best shot, at 13:44, is “Panorama of the Golden Horn, Turkey, Istanbul” because it’s one of the few shots that is truly “cinematic” imho. All the other shots are filmed from a tripod and therefore static. This shot is also on a tripod but because we’re on a boat the effect is to dolly to the right, resulting in magical movement with very pleasing foreground, middle ground and background action.

All the live action Wednesdays

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Amanda Prahl lists on POPSUGAR: Every Actor Who’s Played Wednesday Addams Through the Years.

  1. Lisa Loring played Wednesday in the 1960s sitcom adaptation of The Addams Family.
  2. Christina Ricci played Wednesday in two 1990s movies: The Addams Family and Addams Family Values.
  3. Prahl says: “Nicole Fugere is probably the least-remembered of the live-action Wednesdays, taking on the role just a few years after Ricci’s version, and it also was Fugere’s last acting role. She appeared in the 1998 made-for-TV movie ‘Addams Family Reunion‘ and its one-season sitcom, ‘The New Addams Family.'”
  4. Krysta Rodriguez played Wednesday in a 2010 Broadway musical The Addams Family.
  5. Jenna Ortega stars in the 2022 8-episode streaming series Wednesday.
  6. And last but not least, Karina Varadi plays a childhood version of Wednesday in the same series.

Of course, the Addams Family was originally a cartoon drawn by Charles Addams.

My take: We loved Netflix’s Wednesday! I thought the colour grading was fantastic: the whites were tinged with blue and yet the skin tones and artificial light sources were a very warm yellow. Still trying to figure out how much was done on set and how much in post.

$1,000 for playing the lead in a feature film?

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According to Gregory Robinson writing on UNILAD, Jon Heder was only paid $1,000 for Napoleon Dynamite.

The 2004 comedy was made for only $400,000 but went on to gross $46.1 million at the box office.

Gregory elaborates:

“Speaking to Stuff about his ‘dynamite’ career, Heder confirmed he was paid only $1,000 ‘initially’. As we all know, Napoleon Dynamite is firmly cemented in pop culture and has clearly raked in millions since it was unleashed into the universe. Heder was able to renegotiate his deal and got a cut of the profits. Heder explained: ‘They went a little bit higher.'”

The cult film was based on a film school assignment by Jarod Hess in 2022:

My take: if the budget was truly $400,000, I think $1,000 for the lead was very low. However, if the cash budget was, say, one quarter of that, $1,000 starts to look reasonable. Sometimes shorts do lead to bigger things.

Looking for a French co-producer for your TV series?

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The goal of the Canada-France Series Lab is to encourage and facilitate the development of new relationships between Canadian and French producers and fostering the development of projects with strong international potential in a competitive environment and create new co-production opportunities.

From the media release:

“The Canada-France Series Lab will be a year-long initiative starting at Series Mania Forum 2023 and ending at the 2024 event. A selection of 15 producers from each country will be invited to participate in Series Mania Forum 2023 to meet their French/Canadian counterparts and form pairs. Four to five projects presented by these pairs will be selected by a jury of experts and invited to participate in a series of professional workshops. The first workshop will be held in person at the BANFF World Media Festival in June 2023. It will be followed by a virtual coaching cycle from September 2023 to March 2024. The program will end  at the 2024 edition of the Series Mania Forum with the projects’ presentation to potential international financiers.”

An informative webinar will be held on Monday, November 21st. Please register before November 18.

My take: Parlez-vous français? Do you have an idea for a series with strong connections between France and Canada? Something set in the colonial past perhaps? Maybe something set on Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the tiny bit of France directly off Newfoundland? This seems like a fantastic opportunity for series producers looking to build bridges to France, and through it, Europe.

Emerging Filmmakers: JETS deadline approaches!

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The deadline to apply for JETS is November 18, 2022.

The JETS (Junior Entertainment Talent Slate) Initiative takes place every year during the International Film Festival in Berlin and the EFM Market in Germany.

JETS will unite first, second and third feature film filmmakers with Canadian, German, Irish, Norwegian, Austrian, British, South African, and US producers, sales agents, finance and distribution companies during a day of pitching and networking sessions with the aim of encouraging co-production.

Producer/director teams can submit fictional film projects (features of duration of minimum 80 minutes; animation also eligible) that are still in the development or financing stages.

Apply here or email info@wepfilms.com .

Selected producers from Canada can apply to Telefilm for financial support to attend if they meet eligibility criteria.

My take: if your project could be an international co-production, you owe it to yourself to apply. See Telefilm’s CoProduction webpage.

The numbers behind Telefilm’s Talent to Watch 2022-23 projects

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Telefilm Canada has selected 16 Talent to Watch projects to share $3.5 million.

It’s quite revealing to look at the numbers in detail.

Let’s start with Genre.

Drama 7
Documentary 5
Comedy 1
Horror 1
Magic Realism 1
Mystery 1

Province?

Ontario 8
Quebec 4
British Columbia 2
Manitoba 1
New Brunswick 1

Let’s look at Language next.

English 4
French 4
Arabic 1
English/Arabic 1
English/Bosnian 1
English/Bulgarian 1
English/Farsi 1
English/Persian 1
French/English 1
Tibetan/English 1

And let’s finish up with Stream.

Filmmaker Apply-Direct 7
Industry Partner 7
Festival Selection 1
Industry Partner — Indigenous Component 1

In addition, if Gender is assumed from names:

Female 23
Male 15

Some observations:

  • Documentary is almost as successful as Drama.
  • Half of the successful projects are from Ontario.
  • Almost half of the successful projects include world languages in addition or instead of English and/or French.
  • Only half of the successful projects are from Industry Partners.
  • Finally women far outnumber men.

One might be tempted to conclude that Telefilm Canada is using the Talent to Watch program to over-correct its EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility) results, but that would be highly cynical.

My take: wow! This is quite a departure for Telefilm. This is the first year that filmmakers could apply directly and Telefilm has rewarded them handsomely!

The Rocky Horror Picture Show lives on!

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J. Gabriel Ware writes on SlashFilm that Tim Curry Felt ‘Sick’ When Watching The Original Rocky Horror Picture Show.

He quotes a March 1976 Interview Magazine interview of Tim Curry in which he says:

“I can’t really relate to the film very well. I still feel sick when I see it.“

The film he’s referring to is, of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Quoting further:

“For the movie, the producers hired Pierre Laroche, the makeup artist who worked for David Bowie and Mick Jagger and helped pioneer the androgynous glam rock look, to transform Curry into the future horror/musical icon. ‘He kind of adapted the makeup that was already in my case and did a very kind of high fashion version of it,’ Tim Curry told Interview Magazine. Even today, he was not sold on the glam version of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. ‘He got a little more high fashion,’ the actor elaborated. ‘I don’t know whether I like that or not.‘”

He concludes his article with a Bruce Campbell tweet:

One of those small indie theatres is Victoria’s Vic Theatre, which is playing TRHPS on October 28, 29 and 31, 2022.

In fact, it’s playing in hundreds of cinemas around the world.

Dig into all the B-Movie references in Rocky Horror.

And see how it’s appeared in other movies and TV.

My take: The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of my favourite cult films. The Big Lebowski is another. Oh, and The Room, of course.

p.s. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is currently on Disney+. Huh?

How to come up with movie ideas

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Ever get writer’s block, or need a movie idea quick?

Script Reader Pro suggests 5 proven ways to unlock original movie ideas.

1. Turn off your phone and get outside. (Let your mind wander. Cue “Fixing a Hole.”)

2. Study other writers’ loglines. (My favourite: “Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.“)

3. Plunder real life. (Omg, that weird thing that happened to you or your relative might be the genesis of a great story!)

4. Focus on what moves you. (Your expertise will make your protagonist interesting.)

5. Forget “what if?” and relax. (Not sure about this one. “What if?” is one of my favourite questions.)

My take: lol! I only come up with one killer idea once every 1,000 days!

Spreadsheets you must befriend

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Rick Castañeda guest posts on No Film School, revealing The 73 Spreadsheets You’ll Need to Finish Your Feature Film.

He kindly shares:

“If you’re thinking about making your own feature film, I’m hoping this gives you an abridged, table-of-contents-style sketch of all the different parts of filmmaking. So many articles and interviews are all about writing, working with actors, camera choice, and the other creative aspects of the film, I thought it might be useful to get into the actual nuts and bolts. We absolutely loved making our film. All these spreadsheets helped us to get there.”

He discusses each one from the perspective of his second feature “All Sorts,” and includes some examples.

I like his advice for Credits:

“Just for keeping track of all the lovely folks who participated on the film. I know you’re thinking this should be in the post-production section, but start this on day one and just add people as they start to come into the life of the film. It’s easier than sitting with a blank slate all the way at the end of the film.”

Here are the titles of most of the spreadsheets Rick used:

Pre-Production Spreadsheets

  • Budget spreadsheets
  • Team spreadsheets (possible producers)
  • Location spreadsheets
  • Contact spreadsheets
  • Casting spreadsheets
    • Background
    • Auditions
    • Confirmed Cast
  • Scheduling spreadsheets
  • Art/props spreadsheets
    • June’s Diego vs Anthony spreadsheet
    • Calendar spreadsheet
    • “Go June” signs spreadsheet
  • Costume spreadsheets
  • Investor Spreadsheets

Production Spreadsheets

  • Call sheets

Post Spreadsheets

  • Footage spreadsheets
  • Editing spreadsheets
  • VFX spreadsheets
  • Credits spreadsheet
  • Master Rights Grid
  • Music Cue Sheet
  • QC Notes/Fixes

Crowdfunding Spreadsheets

  • Targets/contacts
  • Reward lists

Distribution Spreadsheets

  • Distributors
  • Deliverables spreadsheets
  • Screening invitees/attendees

PR/Marketing Spreadsheets

  • Social Media
  • Marketing
  • Email lists
  • Film Festivals
  • Published Articles

My take: Wow, that’s a lot of spreadsheets! What this actually reveals are the myriad jobs indie filmmakers routinely take on. With more money, each of these activities might be accomplished by a specialist in that one field. When you’re truly indie, you just do it all yourself. No wonder Rick resorted to these spreadsheets to track everything. You should too.

Where the money goes on short films

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Josh Jacobs invites everyone on No Film School to Learn all the behind-the-scenes secrets of [t]his $4,000 short.

He begins:

“Hi, I’m Josh, an LA-based filmmaker. I work as a writers’ assistant and script coordinator on TV shows, and I direct my own short films. By far, the most valuable thing I’ve learned about storytelling from big-budget shows and indie projects alike is that just two elements—the actors and the script—are way more important than everything else.”

Here’s my list of his important things to consider for indie filmmakers:

  1. The actors.
  2. The script.
  3. Don’t over-crew; have some crew do two jobs.
  4. No walkie talkies.
  5. Keep insurance costs in check.
  6. Be willing to walk away from too-expensive crew or locations.
  7. Some cities have cheaper gear than others.
  8. Join a writers group for feedback on your drafts.
  9. Devise films with locations that you have or can secure easily.
  10. Write for actors you personally know.
  11. Use costumes you have.
  12. Use equipment you have or can rent cheaply.
  13. Buy your crafty at Cosco.
  14. Save your costumes in case you need to shoot pickups.

Josh’s one day plus pickups shoot cost him $4,343.06 and he kindly shows the full breakdown.

My take: Thanks for sharing, Josh! One thing to note is that post-production actually cost more than double production. Oh, and nice short too!