Augmented Reality, if you don’t know, is the combining of digital images (video, animation, 3D objects) with a live video image (think iPhone camera) to create the illusion of the digital objects existing in the real world. If you already downloaded iOS 11 for the iPhone and you have an iPhone 6s or newer, download the app, Housecraft. Go find yourself an empty room, a real one in the real world....

I guess it all depends on the sex scene. But I’ll tell you how the Concussion sex scenes went. First, I guess, have a plan. I approached the sex scenes as one might approach an orgasm. Stop laughing, I’m serious. The shots start very wide, very presentational. As time goes on, our lens gets longer and shots get tighter. Again, stop snickering. Philosophically, I am all about seeing the woman as a subject....

But don’t worry if you’re still stuck fretting over those pesky Final Cut Pro timelines, making final tweaks to color correction and sound mixing. There’s still time. The final deadline for submissions is January 15th. That’s still plenty of time—right? The fact is: we want your films. Whether your movie is an intimate character drama, raucous comedy, documentary or blood-splattered genre piece, there’s a section of LA Film Festival waiting for you....

Fact is, for such an important and high profile position, it’s shocking how poorly the role of producer is understood by the general public… even, on occasion, the industry. And that’s problematic for producers. As with all creative rolls, the parameters of what it means to be a producer varies from person to person and project to project. “I often say it’s like being a CEO. I’m responsible for every aspect of making the project, from beginning to end,” says Rebecca Green, whose credits include the 2014 horror masterpiece It Follows and 2018’s disturbingly prescient bullying drama And Then I Go—the latter film developed in part by Green and partner Laura D....

And this year, the Spirit Awards will be adding two new names to its illustrious hosting ranks: Kate McKinnon and Kumail Nanjiani. The Spirit Awards will be held at a daytime ceremony in Santa Monica on Saturday, February 27 and broadcast live on IFC at 2pm PST / 5pm EST. That should be plenty of time to prepare, so we don’t want to hear any “my dog at my DVR” excuses....

But first, with all the possible variations of “producer” credits in Hollywood, what exactly is a line producer? Sostre’s definition is simple: line producers are like an event planner for a film—someone who takes care of the logistics and practical aspects of a production so that the above-the-line crew can focus on the film’s creative aspects. Sostre then broke down the main details a line producer focuses on while offering some pretty good tips....

But balancing responsible land use with tourism and commercial exploitation is forever a hot topic in Utah—a regular theme in Western states—and there are few exceptions made for the arts. Which is why collaboration with the steady guiding hand of local film commissions is so critical; someone to steer visiting filmmakers in the correct direction (both legally and creatively) and keep the reciprocal ecosystem of commerce between film crews and local businesses on the good foot....

Live Read fans learned days before the event that fashion designer Scott Sternberg would be guest directing the latest installment of the series. If that news wasn’t exciting enough, the fact that the Band of Outsiders founder was bringing to the stage one of cinema’s greatest screenplays–Paddy Chayefsky’s Network–was sure to whet their appetites. But one major question remained: who would be playing the iconic role of Howard Beale? One by one, cast was announced… Minnie Driver as Diana Christenson originally played by Faye Dunaway Tony Goldwyn as Max Schumacher originally played by William Holden Dermot Mulroney as Frank Hackett originally played by Robert Duvall Fred Willard as Arthur Jensen originally played by Ned Beatty Nick Kroll as Nelson Chaney originally played by Wesley Addy Alex Borstein as Louise Schumacher originally played by Beatrice Straight Lauryn Whitney as Laureen Hobbs originally played by Marlene Warfield Chelsey Crisp as Walter C....

“What we do…It’s a love affair we have.” – Alfred Molina Part two of the recent Los Angeles Film Festival’s Coffee Talks series was sponsored by SAGindie and focused on the craft of acting. The panel featured four funny and talented faces from the film and TV world. A room filled mostly with actors were treated to an hour-long conversation featuring panelists Alfred Molina (who is also celebrating his new movie Love is Strange, featured as a Gala Screening in the Festival), Olivia Munn (HBO’s The Newsroom), Demián Bichir (The Bridge, Weeds) and Abigail Spencer (Rectify)....

So began last night’s Live Read of The Empire Strikes Back, introduced by Film Independent curator Elvis Mitchell to a wildly enthusiastic audience at the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Mitchell explained that he and Reitman broke every rule they ever made for the Live Reads: not many characters, no shootouts, no robots… But The Empire Strikes Back, which was not celebrated by critics upon its initial release in 1980, deserves this recognition as a classic....

It’s kind of surprising to look up Justin Chon on IMDb and be reminded that he does not have a background in directing music videos. Filmmakers who follow that path to features usually emerge with a handy set of skills. Music videos, with their brevity and reduced reliance on story structure, allow essentially cinematic habits and instincts to emerge. But Chon is actually an actor-turned-director, an avenue with a much spottier track record....

Director/writer/producer Anja Marquardt is up for Spirit Awards in two categories, Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay, for her work on She’s Lost Control. The film tells the story of Ronah, a fiercely independent woman who works as a sexual surrogate in New York City, teaching her clients the very thing they fear most–to be intimate. Her life unravels when she starts working with a volatile new client, Johnny, blurring the thin line between professional and personal intimacy in the modern world....

It’s beyond cliché at this point to observe that film is a collaborative exercise, one that brings an entire micro-community of likeminded artists together to create something new and unique. So really, “community” is the key watchword here—and what better way for likeminded communities to celebrate each other’s work than to break bread together. Or, in this case, breakfast burritos. The actual 2017 Spirit Awards ceremony won’t drop until February 25, but on Saturday, January 7 this year’s honorees will once again gather for Film Independent’s annual Nominee Brunch in West Hollywood in order to toast the past 12 months in independent film (and perhaps sip one too many mimosas) and watch as Brunch co-hosts Sterling K....

There was that first vomit draft of your screenplay, so horrible you almost cried. There was the humbling—often humiliating—process of finding the money, then the fun of putting your team together. There was that one time on set when the PA tripped and knocked over the camera table, putting a crack in your band-new Zeiss lens. And then there were the obnoxious notes (many of which, upon retrospect, were correct) and festival rejections....

The new year just around the corner—yikes! And also: thank God. A lot happened this year, to say the least. Unless you disabled your news feed. But thankfully, the year also provided a steady stream of impressive documentary films to watch. First-time filmmakers and longtime genre icons alike delivered well crafted, inspired true-life stories. Many have received well-deserved awards and accolades from festivals, press and peers. Not to mention the Film Independent Spirit Awards, whose 2019 Best Documentary nominees are: Hale County This Morning, This Evening; Minding the Gap; Of Fathers and Sons; On Her Shoulders; Shirkers and Won’t You Be My Neighbor....

When Joe Manganiello takes the traditional stage left director’s seat at tomorrow night’s Live Read, he’ll have his work cut out for him. After all, he’s chosen the beloved baseball flick, Major League for his Live Read directorial debut. Luckily, Manganiello knows his way around the Live Read stage; In January, he was cast by Jason Reitman to play Paulie in Goodfellas. Manganiello has tweeted out just a few of the cast members: Ming-Na Wen as Lynn Wells (Rene Russo’s breakout role); Thomas Lennon as Harry Doyle (the role originated by Bob Uecker); Billy Gardell as Lou Brown (the role originated by James Gammon); and Sharon Osborne as Rachel Phelps (the role originated by Margaret Whitton)....

For nearly a generation, renting videos from the video store was an integral part of the entire experience of watching movies—an inescapable part of your regular routine whether you were a diehard cinephile or not. And if you were a cinephile (and particularly if you had your formative years in the 1990s or early 2000s), going to the video store was, in Buzzfeed terms, literally everything. Going to the video store was also a uniquely physical experience, borne out of physical media and birthing its own indelible micro-culture of communal film discussion, circulation and rediscovery....

Writer/director Alonso Mayo calls his current project, Untitled Murder Project, “an experiment that got out of hand.” He had finished his film The Story of Luke, which he first workshopped at Film Independent’s 2007 Screenwriting Lab. That film, about a young man with autism who embarks on a quest for a job and a girl, premiered at the 2012 San Diego Film Festival where it won Best Film. It had a theatrical run in April, came out on iTunes and cable around the same time....

At first glance, it might not seem that an Oregon-based indie stalwart specializing in small-scale character dramas and a Greek satirist known for high concepts and black comedy would have much in common. But as fate (and the intertwining pathways of the global festival circuit) would have it, filmmakers Kelly Reichardt (Old Joy, Wendy & Lucy, Certain Women) and Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, The Lobster, Killing of a Sacred Deer) are, in fact, great pals—a fact recently reiterated in a special Film Independent Coffee Talks conversation....

There are still six weeks to go until the big party under the big tent, but the celebration is already underway. On Saturday Michael Peña and Emmy Rossum hosted the annual Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch, where they handed out the honors to our three 2015 grant winners. The Piaget Producers Award went to producer Chris Ohlson. This Award recognizes an emerging producer who demonstrates the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films on a tight budget....