IndieWire: From 'Drive' To 'Melancholia,' Here's Why 2011 Marked a Shift In the History of Cinematography

In the wake of Sunday night's Academy Awards ceremony, it's good to look back on last year and cull some final lessons from it. Martin Scorsese's Hugo, shot digitally on the ARRI Alexa, took home the "Best Cinematography" and "Best Visual Effects" trophies, while David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, shot digitally on the RED and edited on Final Cut Pro, won "Best Film Editing." It really seems like we're seeing the final stages of the film industry's move toward digital cinema as the new standard. Writer Jamie Stuart over on IndieWire seems to agree:

2011 was the year in which the Arri Alexa, the first significant digital camera released by leading equipment developer Arri, was put to wide use. Three wildly different examples of the new camera can found in "Drive," "Hugo" and "Melancholia."

 Read the complete article on IndieWire.

NewEnglandFilm.com: 'How to be a Master Editor'

Three-time Oscar winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker shares tricks of the trade, how to break into "the business" and what it's really like to work with Marty Scorsese.

She says, not enough filmmakers these days take the time to study the technique editors used before the days of digital editing. "One of the things I find disturbing is when a film professor announces they're going to show a black and white, there's a groan in the room," she says.

 Read the rest of Schoonmaker's insights here: http://newenglandfilm.com/news/archives/2007/05/thelma.htm

The Visual Language of RAGING BULL

FreshDV has begun publishing articles focusing on the "Visual Language" of cinema. They kick it off with a detailed discussion of one of the masterworks of modern cinema, Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull.

This is not intended to be a comprehensive look at the language of the film, as there is a lot there to unwrap. Rather we will limit our discussion to a few select elements. We will look at how Scorsese uses shot composition, lens choice, and, surface division to enhance the tone and mood of the film.

Read the whole article on FreshDV's website.