There is a tradition of great artists treating every aspect of their lives as a part of their work – people who are so driven by the creative urge that the individual and the work become one and the same. It can lead to personal tragedy, as in the ...
As we were getting in the car a subway pulled out of the station and passed over our heads on the tracks. “Where does that go?” Wong Kar Wai asked. “Through south Brooklyn and into Manhattan eventually,” I answered. “We should follow it. Let’s look at places under the tracks.” Not surprising. ...
We wound up making many scouting trips to Coney Island, and indeed did our first day of filming there. Makes sense if you know the Wong Kar Wai’s work. It really is his type of place. His movies feature locations that are older and a little beat up. ...
We started the next day early… with a late lunch (an early scout for Kar Wai meant starting in the mid-afternoon). Don’t get the idea that he was lazy, though; nothing could be farther from the truth. James Brown used to be called “The hardest working man in show business,” ...
While it varies from picture to picture, Location Managing at its best is intensely collaborative and creative work. This was clearly going to be the case working with Kar Wai. Location is everything in his films. He doesn’t shoot on soundstages; it’s all about the verisimilitude with him. This was ...
When you work on a studio film things are pretty straightforward. There are staff accountants, lawyers, and executives with whom to consult. There are policies and procedures to follow. It’s still a lot more loose than working in traditional industries, but at least there is some semblance of normalcy. Not ...
Working as a movie location manager can be arduous, but there are days when I can’t believe I get paid to do what I do. The job allows me creative input in the production process and provides a front row seat to the making of some wonderful films. A few years ...
Exciting news here at Reel 13. Sam Hutchins, a veteran location manager and movie scout, will be posting dispatches from his always unpredictable scouting life, as well as interviews and discussions with the unsung workhorses of the film community like himself. Sam has been working in film production in various capacities ...
Nina Paley is an animator whose critically-acclaimed film, Sita Sings the Blues (which you can watch for free in its entirety on Reel 13) recently plunged her into the tangled web of copyright law. To make a long story very short, Sita Sings the Blues features copyright-restricted Annette Hanshaw songs. Here's ...
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