American Film Market 2006!

Filmmaking - American Film Market

AFM!

Be there or be square. If you're not attending, if only
to see what's up, or to say hello, you're not really playing
the game.

You need to be at the American Film Market, at
the Loews Hotel, in beautiful Santa Monica by the sea.
AFM is the biggest film market event in North America.

To play the 2006 filmmaking game, pony up the dough
for a ticket, and spend 8 days with other filmmakers, all
frantic to see their movie get financed, made and sold.

I'll be there.

Aloha, and ciao for naio.


Filmmaking

Ultimate Cinematography Workshop

Filmmaking - Cinematography

CHALLENGE YOURSELF. TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE.
FURTHER YOUR CAREER.

Here's the Real Deal. The Great Yellow Father
will teach YOU how to frame and compose and light and
MAKE A REAL MOVIE, on real film, just like uptown.

35mm

Complete immersion in every creative and technical aspect
of real, big-screen cinematography. HD is cute, but 35mm
still blows it away. This seminar sports comprehensive
content, one-on-one education. Cannot be better.

Attendance is limited, spots fill up quick, it happens
in early November. I can't be there (AFM conflict) but
some other, very-best film teachers and students will be.

If you're a filmmaker with industry experience but
want more hands-on interaction with 35mm film
cameras (woo!) apply today!

Orlando, FL November 6-10, 2006. Tuition $2,250
includes film, processing, crew, talent, locations,
lunches, craft service, telecine transfer, final DVD
and a $1000 voucher for Kodak motion picture film.
Read about it here.

Filmmaking

Fellini Interviewed

Filmmaking - Fellini

I met him at the Academy Awards in 1993, and told him I was making a parody of his movies, and he laughed and said,
"So am I."

I asked him for permission, essentially to make fun of him and his work, and he said, "Why not?"

His lovely, funny little wife, Giulietta Masina, was very sweet to me.

That night, Fellini would admonish her, in his speech from the dais, as he received a Special Oscar, "Giulietta, stop crying!"

A difficult request. I had a tear or two, as I remember.
They were so cute together.

Fellini could evoke strong emotion. That was his gift.

"I never thought I'd be a director; I lacked the temperament, the voice, the authority, the arrogance.... I thought that I would be a writer or a painter, or, better, a 'special correspondent.' But it turns out that I had all those defects! Because I became a director ... for a kind of pleasure. Out of an entomologist's curiosity. My films are films of expression."

-- Federico Fellini,
interviewed by Toni Maraini, translated by A. K. Bierman, 1994

Express he did, like a deep dream. What a gifted man, an incredible talent. Why didn't he move to Hollywood, and work here? There were offers, of course. He says the deciding factor was quality of life, and who can argue?

"I simply cannot imagine leading my army into my creative battles in any other way than my own. What good is money in exchange for giving up my independence, my friends, my Roman restaurants, my crazy Italian people, traffic at rush hour by the Colosseum? I would have made money and lost my joy of life. And that's all filming has been about for me: joy of life, battle of life, comedy of life, fascination of life. Life! Life! Life!"

-- Federico Fellini,
interviewed by Lisalotte Mullauer, 1993


When Fellini died later that year, I set my parody aside,
authorized or not. Perhaps I'll pick it up again.

Sam Longoria
UPDATE 2 March 2018

It's time. And almost past! I'm going through footage. I'm sorting.
I'm putting this one out there. Look for it in some months.

Click here to FOLLOW FOLINO!


FilmmakingGuido Folino
Sam Longoria
Federico Fellini

Party at Sundance!

Filmmaking - Utah Commercial Contest















Utah is beautiful. I spoke there last May,
(Media Guest of Honor at ConDuit 16), safari afterward
with some wonderful Utahan friends. Thank you all, I am grateful.

Here's an interview I did there with lovely Autumn Thatcher,
for Utah Educational TV, and their wonderful "Sci-fi Friday" show.

And undoubtedly the very best 2006 music video composed
entirely of Utah place names, set to a Beach Boys tune. Cool!

Utah is no stranger to movies, of course. Tom Mix started it all,
and Hollywood filmmakers have been shooting there since 1922.

John Ford shot several of the very best westerns ever in Utah.


Now, the Utah Film Commission wants entries for the fourth
annual commercial contest, to promote Utah as a filmmaking
location, and showcase local filmmakers.

Up to four 30-second commercials or television spots may be
submitted through 30 Nov 2006, and the
winners will be announced 15 December 2006.

Winning entries will air during the 2007 Sundance Film Festival
on Park City tv's "In the Can" show.

Utah Film Commission awards $1,500 per winner, and also
awards passes to the Sundance film festival, including tickets
to parties and receptions.

What are you waiting for? Application information is
online at www.film.utah.gov

Filmmaking

Lunatics Run Asylum: Low-budget

Filmmaking - Low-budget Studio Process

Of course, psychotic behavior isn't only limited in
Hollywood to those who can afford it. If you're
cobbling together a tiny, dinky little low-budget film,
and you haven't two nickels to rub together for either
budget or salary, you've probably still seen your share
of Hollyweird wackyville. Just like a big show.

Sometimes worse.

All the trappings of the big-budget mindwarp:

Insane tyrants, egotistical little actors. Love
triangles, marriage wrecktangles, suicide pacts.
Paranoia, delusion, controlled substances,
uncontrolled megalomania. Oh it's all there,
cash or no.

That is the odd part. You might think "all that money"
causes the insanity. That an outlandishly high salary
would reliably and eventually stimulate anyone into
a complete mental breakdown, but no. Seen it, seen it.
Money is definitely not required.

But I digress. Time now for crazymaking among the
impecunious. The second installment of our two-part
"Lunatics Run Asylum." Last time, we did big budget,
today it's little budget.

Many friends from back home wonder why I've worked
on such a variety of big- and little-budget movies,
many with names they just don't recognize, or didn't
end up in any movie fact book or database.

It doesn't matter what ImDb says, there are many such
"shadow" movies, ranging from little animated musical
productions to full superhero epics. Some were vanity
productions, made with private money. Some were only
made for tax reasons, or to satisfy a contract that
sounded good long ago.

One thing these features share: they will sit forever
on a shelf somewhere, because they cannot legally
be shown. They will never be seen.

One such project was undertaken by the Prince of Low-budget,
the legendary Roger Corman. Roger made this particular
picture, and it turned out surprisingly well. It was
made for Marvel comics, and Marvel locked it up, never
to be seen again.

Here's the interesting part. It's a property of which
you probably have heard, because they remade it recently,
into a big-budget movie.

Heard of it?

Three words - "The Fantastic Four."

Note to persons who love comics, and want to see
good movies made from comic books,
(I am one): don't read it.

Filmmaking

Lunatics Run Asylum: Big-budget

Filmmaking - Big-budget Studio Process

If you aren't in Hollywood, and you work all day at
a real job, you can't begin to fathom how a bunch
of insane hacks prance about, throwing tantrums
as they spend millions of dollars. For a living.

Wow, I'm dating myself. Amend that.
HUNDREDS of millions of dollars.

Cash.

Anyway, if you've ever wondered what such a
process is like, read these high points,
but bring a lunch. It will take most
of the afternoon, to bring you to
mid-1994. Read it anyway.

Note to persons with sense of decency,
or Superman fans (I am one): don't read it.

Filmmaking

In Praise Of Sven Nykvist

Filmmaking - There Was A Man Dept.












There should be a memorial, or a loud tremor in the Force,
or the sound of a great tree falling in the Swedish forest.
One of the cinematography giants has died.

Sven Nykvist, Ingmar Bergman's collaborator for
several decades, passed away a few days ago.

His use of light to evoke mood was unequalled, or rather
IS unequalled, as his work survives him, thank God.

Check out his films (1943-1999),
watch them, study them, and learn.

Filmmaking

24p-ness Envy

Filmmaking - Cameras

Sony has announced its latest 24P camera, shooting
in - of all formats - HDV. Big pix, little tape.

It's the latest and the greatest. It's compact,
with XLR pro audio connectors and everything.
Want one? Bit of techno-lust?

Read all about it.

Filmmaking

Getting Our Terms Straight

Filmmaking - Definitions

I just spent a day with a guy teaching a new digital
video program. He uses a lot of "new" terms, which
to me are just the "old" terms, used incorrectly.

Somebody has to say something, and today it's me.
Here's a list of filmmaking terms, and their
proper definitions. Learn 'em.

Thank you.

Filmmaking

History of Little Movies

Filmmaking - Sub-35mm Formats

Okay, okay. I get it. You can't afford 35mm.
You say so, and I believe you. More importantly,
the Universe does too. (It's your choice, either way.)

Here's a history of small-format film,
so you can impress girls you meet at the
thrift store, when you buy old film cameras.

They'll just love you, until they realize you
weren't kidding - you really can't afford 35mm.

Filmmaking

Award Yourself

Filmmaking - Film Festival

Have an under-$20M indy feature?
70+ minutes, shown in a theatre?
Want an award for your mantelpiece?

Submit your film* to the
2007 Independent Spirit Awards,
celebrating the spirit of
independant film.

* It's gotta be good.

Filmmaking

Tulalip Film Festival

Filmmaking - Film Festivals and Seminars

I am honored and delighted to be teaching filmmaking up at the Tulalip Education Center, and jurying at the Tulalip Film Festival, all this week.

The class is going to be fun. We'll be making a whole little movie, stem to stern, using what's available, with a dedicated newbie crew.

In the festival, there'll be a screening of the selected films at the Historic Theatre in Everett WA.

Daniel Jones and Stephen Jimenez are running things at the college.

They're such nice and knowledgeable guys, the students are receptive and enthusiastic, there's good press, and I'm talking about my favorite topic.

It couldn't be better.



Ramon Murillo dances in regalia, as Randy George sings.
Photo: Sam Longoria







Update: We got our movie done, screened some 20 films, gave out a bunch of awards at our awards ceremony. It was great, and I'm happy to have done it. Here's what the papers said.

My thanks to Robin Carneen and her great radio show, the "NAMAPAHH First People's Radio" broadcast.

Robin interviewed me and Ramon Murillo, native artist and dancer from our film, at the festival.

Robin also interviewed Daniel and Stephen, and Daniel and his wife Lena, and their creative sons, Derek and Aaron Jones.

Filmmaking

In Praise Of Warren Miller

Filmmaking - Movie Mogul Dept.

Who are the moving movers in the movie biz?
Sam Goldwyn, Robert Altman, Stanley Kubrick,
Federico Fellini, Louis Buñuel?

They're great, I love 'em, but sometimes I just
want to see snow.

I nominate Warren Miller
as - what else - the ultimate mogul.

Filmmaking

Last Year for SD - Past The Half Mark

As you might know from earlier entries in this blog,
2006 is the last year of broadcast for Standard
Definition (SD) television.

The NTSC raster scan shrinks to a dot on
31 December 2006, only 5 months hence.

Come New Year 2007, it's a brave new world
of High Definition television. (HDTV)

Shows have been broadcast sporadically in HD,
but from now on, participation is mandatory.
You will make HD. That's the official word.

It's possible the FCC might change its collective mind,
but I wouldn't count on it. Especially if you make
video to pay the rent.

What do you need to get started?

For the past 10 years, video production means "computers."
HD means "more computers," and "bigger-faster" ones, too.

Here's a FREE white paper that explains
what kind of integrated computer system
you need to make HD properly.

Filmmaking

Film Finance: Arrow In Your Quiver

Filmmaking - Film Finance

As I get really close to release of my book,
"Secrets Of Raising Money For Your Movie,"
you really should be doing some prep work.

One of the things you should be working on,
no matter what size of your film, is writing
out a solid Business Plan.

Here's an article about Business Plans,
as they relate to filmmaking, and I hope
you take the time to read it.

Don't get the idea it must be complex!
A Business Plan is just a list of the business
events you want to happen, in the order they
should happen, for you to be successful.

Whatever you write down, that's what you get.
Simple? Yes.

Do Prospects and Investors want to see a
Business Plan? Yes. Will they give you the
money if you don't have one? Probably not.

Here's a hint for you:
"We'll just enter the film into some festivals,
and see what happens," is NOT a Business Plan.


Filmmaking

Shooting 24p HD

Filmmaking - Shooting 24p HD

A concise reference for shooting 24p HD,
when you need one. Bon Appetit!

Filmmaking

Epic Wide Screen

Filmmaking - Wide screen

The image should be strong and clear and bright,
the sound should be clear and undistorted and loud!

The picture should have no weird, electronic, dithery
image noise, and it should be just like looking out
a window. It should be a special circumstance, not
just looking at tv and talking to your friends.

Throw those noisy talkers out! Now show me a movie
worthy of my undivided attention. A big movie. An
entertaining movie. A wide movie. Ahh...Widescreen.

Filmmaking

Filmmaking Game Explained

Filmmaking - Process

It is quite possible to be a filmmaker for years
and years, and still never quite know the
filmmaking process.

If you read this article, you'll know process,
and so have a chance to win the game.

Filmmaking

Film Reborn From Paper

Filmmaking - Paper Rebirth

If you have thousands of feet of 35mm negative
fading away, or you've read about how most of
the world's movies from 1894 - 1915 only exist
as paper negatives, here's a heartbreaking story
of redemption and renewal, with a happy ending.

It even has a hero.

Filmmaking

A Great Online Sound Effects Library.

Filmmaking - Free Sound Effects

Thanks for the kind words for my movie sound article.

Some whiners email me, to say that good sound is
"too expensive."

You know what's expensive? A movie that you spend
a year or more making, and it still has sucky sound.

Do you know that movie sound is at least 75% of the
film experience? That's the illusion that your movie
is a cohesive whole, and not just a patchwork of various
picture and sound pieces. It comes from good music,
good sound, and a good mix.

How do you get good sound?

First, you need to record good sound.
Second, you replace any bad sound.
Third, you put in hard effects for your
effects tracks, and...

What? Sound effects is the expensive part?
Nonsense!
Here's a great free sound resource.

Filmmaking

Seeing Red

Filmmaking - Digital Cinema

Red is looking interesting, from a design standpoint,
and how it will operate, and the underlying story
of how it came to be.

Discover them all, as
NAB Ted Schilowitz Introduces the
RED Digital Cinema Camera

Filmmaking

In Praise Of Timothy Carey

Filmmaking - There Was A Man Dept.



The first day I visited Universal Pictures in 1978, I met a legendary actor at the studio commissary. Timothy Carey. I went up to talk with him.

He didn't look as he did in the movies, but I sure recognized him. Whatever quality he had on the screen floated around him like a wraith. You know what I mean.

He was the crazed horse sniper in "The Killing," delivering lines through his teeth like an insane Kirk Douglas parody, working out the details of his grisly shooting job, all the while lovingly scratching a puppy.

He was the condemned French soldier in Kubrick's "Paths Of Glory," set unfairly to die before the firing squad. His cellmate says a roach in their cell will outlive them, and Carey crushes the insect, commenting "Now you've got the edge on him."

Later, as they march helplessly to the firing squad, Carey improvises his own forlorn dialogue, to tremendously moving effect. He was one of only a few actors Kubrick would allow to do that.

I talked to Tim Carey quite a while. He was very friendly and didn't mind. He really made my day. We talked about movie acting and Stanley Kubrick and Marlon Brando and Frank Zappa and Jack Nicholson and the indy feature movies Tim made with his own money.

Then we had to go. It was time for my appointment. He was at Universal to do some other business.

He raised and trained attack dogs now, and gave me his business card for his dog-training company "K-9 Attack Dogs." It was in my wallet for a long time, and then on my bulletin board, (next to Stanley Kubrick's phone number). I called Mr. Carey a couple of times, he was always nice, even though I wasn't in the dog market.

I'm so glad I met him, he was an original. What a character in real life, and when the cameras started rolling, always completely perfect for the screen. Every movie he was in, he stole the frame, no matter who else was in it. Kirk Douglas, Marlon Brando, anybody. What a career.

And talk about chutzpah - he once climbed over the Fox studio wall - in a suit of armor - to get an audition for "Prince Valiant." Can't beat that. Lots of people have been influenced by him. I know I have.

Quentin Tarentino's script for "Reservoir Dogs" is dedicated to a list of influences. Timothy Carey heads that list.

Timothy Carey, I salute you.

Filmmaking

Red Attracts Attention

Filmmaking - Digital Camera

Here's that world's most talked-about movie camera,
finally revealed. "Red" attracts a lot of attention.

Super35mm sensor area, 4k scan, Mega megapixels at 60fps,
a digital cameraman's dream come true.

Check out Red.

Filmmaking

They Want to Review Your Movie

Filmmaking - Film Magazine

AIVF, the association of independent video
and filmmakers, wants to review your movie.

Their magazine, The Independent, seeks recent
works by AIVF members to review for the DVD
section of The Independent's July issue.

Please send your DVD to this address by May 5, 2006:

Shana Liebman
Editor in Chief
The Independent
AIVF
304 Hudson St 6th fl
New York NY 10013 USA

To join AIVF, click here.

Learn about AIVF.

Filmmaking

Be A Big Hit In Japan!

Filmmaking - Film Festival

It's time to enter the 9th Kyoto International
Student Film & Video Festival.

This is a big-time student film festival in Japan,
and they invite you to submit your best work.

They'll be showing winners 20-27 October 2006, and want
to discover student independent film masterpieces, both
in Japan and beyond.

Festival competition is open to ALL STUDENTS regardless of
age or nationality. KISFVF2006 welcomes all films of all
styles and genres, and looks forward to world-wide entries.

Entries will only be accepted until Monday 15 May 2006,
and must arrive in Japan by then.

Check out the KISFVF2006 website for details of
entry requirements.

http://www.kisfvf.com
kisfvf2006@hotmail.com
+81-75-353-9430


Filmmaking

Opt In

Filmmaking - Options

So you have a story, and you want to play the
Hollywood Game. To attract Producers, and sell
your property, for the most money you can.

Usually, somebody comes up with Option money.
Here's a quick intro - how the game is played.

Filmmaking

Movie Sound

Filmmaking - Film and Video Sound.

The difference between a good indy movie
and a bad indy movie is usually its sound track.

Generally, film sound in a "real" movie is lush
and rich, and that indy video sound, well, sucks.

Doesn't have to be that way. Learn to fix it.

Filmmaking

Ultrasonic Splicer

Filmmaking - Equipment

35mm splicer uses high-frequency sound to weld
the ends of the dense, strong polyester film.

What the Editor has welded, let no man put asunder.
Find it, use it!

Filmmaking

Digital Highways

Filmmaking - Quality

It's funny. You make one little comment about
digital, which, though fast and inexpensive,
isn't yet in many ways as good as film,
and the complaining starts.

Filmmaking

Easter Movies

Filmmaking - Easter Movies



Quick! What's the best Jesus movie in Wyler widescreen, with the ultimate chariot race?

Yes, it's "Ben-Hur," which is what I named my childhood pet, my cat Ben, after he surprised us all by having kittens.

Tomorrow's Easter, and here are
my favorite Jesus movies.

None of them feature bunnies or easter baskets, unless such are in "Jesus Christ, Superstar," or "Godspell," which I happily avoid, so I wouldn't know.

This isn't Jesus the hippie philosopher, or Jesus the singing clown, of those epics. This is Jesus the Son of God, saviour of all mankind.

Mankind seems to resist being saved, and just look at the world.
Jesus has his work cut out for him. Go Jesus!

The list is hit-or-miss, but don't miss "Ben-Hur." Enjoy the breathtaking 11-minute chariot race, watch for Betsy Hale's dad as Gaspar the friendly Wise Man, and listen for my favorite line from "Ben-Hur:"

"If Judah Ben-Hur, none of this would have happened!"
(Isn't that a great line? If only it was actually in the movie.)

"Ben-Hur" is about Jesus, they talk about Him all the time, but you never actually see His face.

If you don't know, yesterday was Good Friday, today is Good Saturday, tomorrow is Easter Sunday.

Easter commemorates a noted Jew, who was persecuted right into the ground, yet returned to have the last laugh.

Hope you are the same.

Happy Easter!


Filmmaking

Format: 70mm

Filmmaking - 70mm

I seem to say this often, but not strongly enough - if you haven't seen 70mm, shot from 65mm film negative, you really don't know what a quality image is. You've never seen one.

Tv and digital video are just barely enough to get their information to you, and HD is better. 35mm film is the bare minimum that makes you forget you're watching a movie.

VistaVision is what it claims to be, "Motion Picture Hi-Fidelity," but 65/70mm, in all its forms, is the real deal.

I've seen many digital projection formats, at the Hollywood ETC digital theatre, and they are wonderful, but...

I saw a screening of the "do re mi" scene from "The Sound of Music," at the Academy's Hollywood's Linwood Dunn Theatre (named for my mentor, Linwood G. Dunn ASC), that blew all the other stuff right off the screen.

5 minutes later, I knew I'd never really seen "The Sound of Music." The beautiful face of a 25-year-old Julie Andrews, apparently floating inches from your own, as she sings and dances, the clarity of the image (and her skin) is absolutely flawless. No comparison, next case.

Learn about 70mm, and seek it out.
5-perf, 8-perf, Todd-AO, Dynavision, Showscan, IMAX. Do what you have to, find it where and when you can, because it is the best. Movie quality just doesn't get any better.

Filmmaking

Panasonic Owes You $400

Filmmaking - Digital Cameras

Oh, that Panasonic, what players
they are! You want the new
top-of-the-line DVX-100B?

They'll pay you $400,
just for buying it.

You're welcome.

Filmmaking

Free Subscription To In-Sync

Filmmaking - Equipment

Filmmaking gear of all vintages,
services of all types, and some
extremely useful tech info...

All can be had with a
free subscription to In-Sync.
Tell Robert that Sam Longoria sent you.

Filmmaking

HDV Explained

Filmmaking - Digital Formats

Okay, there's HD on a tape, and HD on
a disc, and HD on flash memory cards.
There's even HD on a DV tape. JVC HDV.

Filmmaking

Eva Longoria Is Huge!

Filmmaking - Publicity


Eva getting famous has changed a few things for me.
This year has been the first time in my life I don't
have to spell my name for people.

Which is good, because I've gotten worse at it.

"Your name please."

"Sam Longoria."

"Can you spell that?"

"Yes I can."

"Will you please spell your name?"

"S-a-m."

"No, the Longoria part..."


Now, it seems Eva's publicist has figured out
a way to make Eva an even bigger star.

They made a magazine cover, with Eva on it so big,
out in the Nevada desert, that Google's Satellite-cam
can see it from space.

Here's Eva, in a bikini, from space.

Great, now horny extra-terrestrials will
come here. Fine. Just great.

I must admit, seeing my last name on a
magazine cover, viewed by a satellite,
is still a thrill.

Go, Eva! When you got it, flaunt it, baby! Flaunt it!

Filmmaking
More info.

Happy Birthday Roger Corman!

Filmmaking - milestones


Roger Corman, the elegant "King of the Indies"
turns 80 years old today! Go Roger!


I had dinner with Roger Corman, on a boat in Seattle years
ago, and could not get over it, this elegant gentleman in a
cashmere sweater was the same man who Directed a movie
called "Bucket of Blood."


Years later, I worked at his secret Venice movie studio,
and learned a lot about making movies, perhaps the most
important thing is, Don't listen to anybody who says you can't.


Back when, Roger had a rubber stamp and a ream of typing paper
for his stationery, dressed in simple elegance, and refused
to waste a cent. He wrote the book on the subject.


Eighty years old is quite an achievement, so I send
a heartfelt (and cheap) Happy Birthday Roger Corman!

Film / Digital Comparison

Filmmaking

I like that I can see my digital pictures right away,
email 'em right away, and do image work right away.

I love that my film pictures look better, and I can see
what I'm shooting in bright sunlight. Film camera finders
don't get all washed out in daylight, like digital screens.

I don't need batteries or computers, either.
Wherever I am, I just press the button...and Kodak
does the rest.

However, I'm tired of "film vs. digital" comparisons.

If you'll notice, it's down to a couple of lines, instead
of the pages and pages it used to be. Here's one I like,
from, of all persons, a wedding photographer.

Happy Birthday William Shatner!

Cool Guys Dept.
Next March is William Shatner's 90th birthday. He was born 22 March 1931.

I have been a fan of Mr. Shatner's for many years, and I actually met him, briefly and abruptly, in 1984, as I walked out of the Boys Market in Marina Del Rey, CA.

I emerged from the only door that wasn't taped off with yellow police tape, warning people a TV show was being shot outside, in the store parking lot.

They were filming an episode of Mr. Shatner's TV cop show, "T.J. Hooker." It was a chase scene, and

Mr. Shatner was doing the chasing - running full-tilt across the parking lot, as fast as he could go.

I didn't see him, and he didn't see me. He ran right into me. Wow!
I was considerably more massive then he, and he rebounded backward, and sat down rather quickly. His character hairpiece continued on, by itself.

I could see I was intruding into the shooting, and thought it a poor time to ask for an autograph, so I didn't. Mr. Shatner seemed to be all right, and others were tending to him, so I left. He didn't say anything, but just stared at me. I felt bad about it.

Some months later, at the Academy Awards, I was a properly-ticketed attendee. I had worked on two pictures nominated for Best Visual Effects, and attended to root for them. Meeting William Shatner (literally) was forgotten, at least by me.

Mr. Shatner was at the Oscars that year. In the lounge of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, I went up and asked Mr. Shatner for his autograph.

He signed, then looked up at me. He just stared, and changed colors a few times. I thought his reaction strange, until I started thinking about it, and I eventually remembered our earlier collision. Perhaps I had collision-induced selective amnesia.

In 1992, my cast and I did a radio show called "SIMUL TREK," where we dubbed new dialogue into the mouths of the cast of "everybody's favorite science-fiction show."

I dubbed for Captain Jim, not because I did the best Shatner imitation, but because his character was easier for me to dub, while directing our radio show.

The Captain had the fewest lines to say, usually just a few words, and then a speech at the end. It was fun!

I told you all that, so I can tell you this: I'm still a fan.

Whether playing the timeless Captain Kirk, or the original unhappy flyer in the classic "Twilight Zone" episode, or on "Kung Fu" or "Mission Impossible," performing "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," or goofing through his "Priceline" ads, or his recent Emmy and Golden-Globe-winning turn as a lawyer in "The Practice" and "Boston Legal," or the History Channel's "How William Shatner Changed the World," (from his book, of course), or his fine music album, "Has Been," (a misnomer), only Bill Shatner is Bill Shatner. I think he's the greatest. Every part he's taken, he's run away with, and made truly his own.

Here is an article about him.

Here are some interesting quotes from Mr. Shatner:

“I am not a Starfleet commander, or T.J. Hooker. I don't live on Starship NCC-1701, or own a phaser. And I don't know anybody named Bones, Sulu, or Spock. And no, I've never had green alien sex, though I'm sure it would be quite an evening. I speak English and French, not Klingon! I drink Labatt's, not Romulan ale! And when someone says to me 'Live long and prosper', I seriously mean it when I say, 'Get a life'. My doctor's name is not McCoy, it's Ginsberg. And tribbles were puppets, not real animals. PUPPETS! And when I speak, I never, ever talk like every. Word. Is. Its. Own. Sentence. I live in California, but I was raised in Montreal. And yes, I've gone where no man has gone before, but I was in Mexico and her father gave me permission! My name is William Shatner, and I am Canadian!”

“Babies have big heads and big eyes, and tiny little bodies with tiny little arms and legs. So did the aliens at Roswell! I rest my case.”

“How do I stay so healthy and boyishly handsome? It's simple. I drink the blood of young runaways.”

“Remember - you can't beam through a force field. So, don't try it.”

“We were basically one and the same, although Jim was just about perfect, and, of course, I am perfect.”

“In my proudest moments, I think I had a real hand in the creative force of making "Star Trek." But most of the time, I don't think about it.”

-- William Shatner

Happy Birthday, William Shatner! You are great.



PS.
Bonus treat.
Maurice LaMarche proclaims "International Talk Like William Shatner Day."








Star Trek
William Shatner
Maurice LaMarche
My Run-In With William Shatner
William Shatner Runs Into Sam Longoria
International Talk Like William Shatner Day

Oscar Numbers

Still not commenting, but "Chronicles of Narnia"
grossed more money than the top 5 Oscar
contenders, combined...

Numbers tell the story.

Form Over Content: Kung Pow!

If you've ever wondered what kind of
film makes me laugh, this is it.

Who cares what others think?
Not me.

HD: Define your terms 3

Dots, dots, dots...I'm seeing dots....ahhh!

So we've defined much of the High Definition dotset,
and talked about how all this dot-management makes an
electronically-stored picture.

On the one hand, the HD pictures we see now are probably
the worst HD we'll ever see, because things will get
better and better, quality-wise, in dots-ville.

On the other hand, there is no way currently to miniaturize
an image chip element any further. Those are analog, and not
defined by Moore's Law.

Unless there is some unforeseen technology bump, the HD images
we see today are the best we're gonna see for a long time.
Maybe they are as good as it gets. Ever.

While film emulsions are getting better all the time. Really.

We will find even more dot info, as we dig deeper into
HD, HiDef, High Definition Video.

35mm Editing Room: Patterson

Editing is the Maternity Ward where a film is born.
Cutting and snipping and patching and re-combining,
everything begins in The Editing Room.

In Florida, here's Patterson's.

Genesis Rough Beginning

Yes, the Genesis camera works, but
apparently not the same as a film camera.

Differently enough that it cost the new
"Superman's" budget $600k for a camera
mistake. Whew!

Eva Marie Saint tells the story.