Latest in: Independent Filmmaker
Enough about nutjobs. My only point is that they are out there, and it is absolutely certain you will encounter them. I don’t think I remember them teaching that in film school. But, most …
April 17, 2024
Filmmaking is like being in a mosh pit. Sometimes, the intimate contact with all the heaving, sweating bodies can be exhilarating. Sometimes, it just hurts and stinks. What happens when all of your careful …
April 10, 2024
I’ve mentioned Willingness and how crucial it is to making a Film. But what about Unwillingness? What makes someone Unwilling? I still don’t know exactly, but I’ve felt it, and I’ve got the scars …
April 2, 2024
Fellini was asked once if he ever used improvisation with actors. He replied, “Yes, if it is something that helps the actor or the scene, then of course I will use it. The only …
March 19, 2024
Twenty-five days. That’s how long I was on the set directing Delirious. Out of six years, twenty-five days. I’ve often wondered what my job was all the other days—the days before and all the …
March 7, 2024
Down in Shadowland is the most personal film I’ve made. Everything in it; every shot, every cut, every dissolve, every sequence, every piece of music is there because it was something I wanted to …
January 9, 2024
What makes someone a Star? Just like everyone else who goes to the movies, I feel that some people have a certain magic that makes them supremely interesting to watch. But, what is it …
January 3, 2024
Box of Moonlight premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 1996. As I headed to the theatre, all I could think about was how, just two months earlier, the head of another festival …
December 20, 2023
Film is the language of Dream. Every single night in our dreams, we all compose a film entirely by ourselves. We write it, direct it, edit it, light it, shoot it, and even act …
November 22, 2023
I got into cinematography completely by accident. One day at NYU, a professor set up a film exercise. He assigned Jim (Jarmusch) to write a five-minute film, me to shoot it, and someone else …
October 20, 2023
I first met Sam Rockwell in 1990 when he came in to audition for Johnny Suede. The part ultimately went to another unknown and rising talent, Brad Pitt, but Sam made such an impression …
October 12, 2023
One night in 1990, around midnight, my phone rang. When I answered it, a strange voice said, “Is Tom there.” I said, “Yeah, it’s me.” He said, “Hey, it’s Nick Cave.” That woke me …
August 22, 2023
I met over 200 actors to play the part of Johnny Suede. For some reason, most of the guys who auditioned thought Johnny was The Fonz from Happy Days and even brought in his …
August 15, 2023
Sometimes you know an actor is the only one for a role, and at the same time, you know you’re both in for a wild ride. Michael Pitt embodied all the elements that were …
August 8, 2023
I've known Scott Macaulay at Filmmaker Magazine for over 20 years. He's been at the forefront of NY Independent film, producing some of the most memorable independent films of the past few decades. One …
April 1, 2021