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A ‘Stagecoach’ Ride to a Film Career
In 1966, there were worse places to grow up than Iowa. My hometown, Marion, was a ten-minute bus ride from Cedar Rapids with its department stores, book and record shops, and three movie houses.
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Christine Culler on ‘Minority Report’
While working at 20th Century Fox in the early 1990s, story analyst Christine Culler was assigned a steady diet of romantic comedies and children’s books. Then, in 1995, a different sort of project came across her desk: ‘Minority Report,’ a futuristic suspense film, heavy on action and low on meet-cutes.
Book Reviews
When the Film Industry Joined the Gig Economy
Virtually every working editor understands that the job is defined as labor as well as creation, craft and, sometimes, art. The Motion Picture Editors Guild ensures that this labor is recognized with credits, respected within the industry and compensated fairly, and ensures that members are not abused by employers nor left destitute in old age.
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Elia Kazan’s ‘East of Eden’
I grew up at the movies. I lived in a neighborhood where most of the children were younger than I was, and therefore I had few friends my own age. I spent my time reading and going to the movies. These pursuits were my companions.
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Tommy Vicari on ‘Road to Perdition’
You might say that Tommy Vicari, CAS, is the beneficiary of good timing. A few years after director Sam Mendes and composer Thomas Newman were the toast of the film world for the Academy Award-winning American Beauty (1999), Vicari was asked to serve as scoring mixer on their follow-up film, Road to Perdition (2002).
Columns
There’s More Than a Riot Going On!
Prisons are not visually attractive. That may be why prison movies were not a significant genre during the silent era. But after the introduction of talking pictures and as sound technology was refined, the 1930s saw the studios turn out over 60 movies set in penitentiaries.
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From KEM Rolls to ‘Lost Souls’ – My Life in Post
I grew up in Santa Clarita during the 1970s. In my early teens, I’d go to work with my dad, Leonard Kroll, who, at the time, was the head of post-production at 20th Century-Fox.
Book Reviews
How to Correctly Raid the Lost Archive of Assets
This compact and clearly written volume considers virtually every type of archival source likely to be used in media production, and offers practical approaches to finding, selecting and licensing it.
Columns
Jan Yarbrough on ‘The Godfather’ Restoration
Millions may have seen ‘The Godfather,’ but, during its initial release, colorist Jan Yarbrough was not among them. Three decades after its release, however, he was given the opportunity to study the film more closely than any mere audience member.
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Nancy Parker on ‘Kickboxer’
As a Foley artist, Nancy Parker, MPSE, is tasked with creating the sounds of major life events for characters on-screen. “I go to work and I may perform open-heart surgery, or I may saddle, bridle and ride a horse,” she says.
