Massify Studio

Critics Unveil Their "Best of The Decade" Lists

Suraj Das — 2009-12-31T15:39:24Z

With the end of the year just days away, critics have really started to weigh in on their picks for the finest films of the decade. Indiewire has posted this excellent, in-depth article with tons of input from lead critics, as well as this comprehensive list of the must-see films from the last ten years.

Rotten Tomatoes, using their extensive archive of reviews from the nation's top film critics, has posted a slightly different list of the most critically acclaimed films of the 00's. Notably, they have chosen to divide up their list by genre, which ensures that comedy, science fiction, horror and other genres that are often overlooked get their due as well.

Defining Cinematography

Amy Allen — 2009-07-29T13:08:31Z

Massify Interview: Defining Cinematography from Massify on Vimeo.

Jendra Jarnagin and Sean Porter, two thoughtful and talented DPs on Massify, sat down with us to talk about their craft, tackling topics such as what it means to be a cinematographer, what makes a project successful, how to further one's career and more. This video is useful to anybody who wants to go into the field and especially to Directors, Producers, and others who work with Cinematographers. Jendra is based in New York and Brooklyn and was recently profiled in American Cinematography. Learn more about her at her site, floatingcamera.com. Sean's based in Seattle and New York and his work can be found on his personal site.

Lighting: How To Do It Right

Amy Allen — 2009-07-23T14:21:10Z

Top cinematographers share their knowledge in these short videos (found on Creative Cow, directed by Jon Fauer). An excellent overview of what light has to do, and what it can do. Helpful to all. Second video after the jump.

Writing Your Way Into Plot

Amy Allen — 2009-06-26T10:19:59Z

While necessary and ultimately fulfilling, the process of developing compelling characters for their narratives can be challenging for writers and directors alike.

Author and professor Jeff Bens gives advice on creating and developing characters for fiction and film, in addition to story structure and writing in general.

Where Does Film Criticism Fit In?

Amy Allen — 2009-05-04T18:01:17Z

In his answer to Reid Gershbein's Two Week Film Collective project, professor Chuck Tyron brings up some excellent talking points in his post, Film Criticism in the Internet Age. Among them:

"To be sure, there is quite a bit of disagreement over what counts as “self-distribution” and whether it is viable or not. If anything, the range of positions articulated during Alejandro’s roundtable illustrate that it is a “concept” marked by competing definitions and desires, and quite often it is easy to romanticize the independent artist operating outside the studio system.”

What Makes a Great Short?

Christine Vachon — 2009-05-01T16:41:14Z

For inspiration, here are a few of our favorite short films at Killer, and why.

Like College, But Free

Amy Allen — 2009-04-16T18:36:54Z

If you're looking to expand your knowledge of film theory, there are more than a few substantial resources on the web to inspire and educate.

My new favorite is the 5 part series up right now at The Museum of the Moving Image site about Wes Anderson, complete with superbly annotated videos. Leading film scholars also contribute about various themes.

There are also excellent e-journals and film journals that have a presence online, including Refractory, Senses of Cinema, and the prolific Catherine Grant, who pulls together scores of links presented in hyper-informative posts based on topic.

Let us know about any more links and we'll post them here!

Variety >> MoMA celebrates German cinema

Amy Allen — 2009-04-16T18:36:19Z

MoMA celebrates German cinema - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety.

"BERLIN — "Germany 09," a compilation pic comprised of 13 shorts by Germany's leading filmmakers, kicks off this month's contemporary German film exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

This year's event, Kino! At Thirty: New Cinema from Germany, marks three decades of celebrating contemporary German film at the MoMA..."