As we present the fall edition of our Directors Series, which includes a feature on notable DPs, appropriately enough the annual Kodak Filmschool Competition has helped unearth some additional prospects who could one day grace the pages of our Cinematographers & Cameras rundown.
Now in its ninth year, the Filmschool Competition recognizes outstanding achievements in cinematography by student filmmakers. The 2008 contest has named four students as first-place winners: Devendra Golatkar from the Film and Television Institute of India; Mateo Soler from the Universidad ORT Uruguay; Aonan Yang from Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in Canada; and Amparo de Miguel Viguer of the Escuela de Cinematografia y del Audiovisual de la Comunidad de Madrid (ECAM) in Spain.
Don Burgess ASC, who judged several of the regional competitions, praised the winners for their sensitivity, artistry, and storytelling ability.
The winners will receive a trip to the 2009 Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in France, where their films will be presented in the Kodak Short Film Showcase. The filmmakers also will participate in networking sessions and other festival activities.
“The quality of the entries increases every year and that’s gratifying for us to see,” said Wendy Elms, worldwide education segment manager, Entertainment Imaging Division, Eastman Kodak Company. “By providing recognition of their work, we hope to encourage the next generation of cinematographers to pursue their passion to tell stories on film. This is one of many ways that Kodak supports students and film schools around the world.”
This year, the student filmmakers tackled a diverse range of subject matter. Golatkar’s Who Thought About Little Boy tackles the subject of children’s rights; while Soler’s Fine is the story of a man trying to escape the congestion of the universe. Singularity from Yang focuses on what happens when computers become superior to human intelligence; while Maneki Neko from Spanish filmmaker de Miguel Viguer is the story of a man who encounters conflict as his life is changed by a woman.
The Kodak Filmschool Competition is open to students and recent graduates in Asia, Latin America, Canada and the U.S., and–this year for the first time–Europe and the Middle East. Participants must first compete at a national level. Finalists are then judged for the top four spots. All entries must be produced on film by a student crew.
“Kodak gains as much from the competition as the students do,” said Elms. “While we devote great resources in our laboratories to developing the next generation of films, this next generation of filmmakers shows us how they want to use that film. The more they challenge it, the more we challenge ourselves. And, through the process, we all get better at what we do.”
Kodak’s educational programs have been supporting students and their mentors for more than 16 years with educational materials, product grants, seminars/workshops, and initiatives such as the Kodak Filmschool Competition and emerging talent showcases. (For more info on the Kodak Filmschool Competition, visit www.kodak.com/go/filmschoolcompetition.)
“Se7en” Turns 30, Gets A Special Restoration From David Fincher For Its Re-Release
For David Fincher, seeing “Se7en” in 4K was an experience he can only describe as harrowing. That or a high school reunion.
“There are definitely moments that you go, ‘What was I thinking?’ Or ‘Why did I let this person have that hairdo’?” Fincher said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
He’s OK with the film being a product of its time in most respects. But some things just could not stand in high-definition resolution.
“It was a little decrepit, to be honest,” said Fincher. “We needed to resuscitate it. There are things you can see in 4K HDR that you cannot see on a film print.”
Ever the perfectionist, he and a team got to work on a new restoration of the film for its 30th anniversary re-release. This weekend the restored “Se7en” will play on IMAX screens for the first time in the U.S. and Canada, and on Jan. 7, the 4K UHD home video version will be available as well.
The dark crime thriller written by Andrew Kevin Walker and starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as a pair of detectives looking for a serial killer was somewhat of a career-reviver for Fincher, whose directorial debut “Alien 3” had not gone well. “Se7en” was not a sure thing: It was made for only $34 million (and only got that when Fincher managed to persuade studio execs to give up $3 million more). But it went on to earn more than $327 million, not accounting for inflation, and continues to influence the genre.
Fincher has over the years overseen several restorations of the film (including one for laser disc) but decided this needed to be the last. It’s why he insisted on an 8K scan that they could derive the 4K from. He wanted to ensure that it wouldn’t have to be repeated when screens get more... Read More