Director's Cut

The National Magazine of Film The Inaugural Issue!

Sneak Peak into

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Enter the Life of Wes Anderson Start your Film Career Animation Through the Ages

December 2014

Table Of Contents 11 15 17 25

Director’s Cut The National Magazine of Film

Sneak Peak into

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Enter the Life of Wes Anderson Start your Film Career

The Odd Career of Wes Anderson Observing the body of work that one of the most recognizable modern-day directors has created in his 18 year career Upcoming Superhero Films Look at the lineup for all movies Marvel ‘till 2020 Enter The Age of Ultron Learn About the new movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the rise of comic book to movie adaptations.

Book to Movie Adaptations Good and bad adaptations and what the movie did wrong or right

Animation Through the Ages The Inaugural Issue!

2 3 5 9 1| Directors Cut

December 2014

Cover by Sahil Vaidya

Staff Bios A short description of the people who worked on this magazine.

The Ten Greatest American Films of all Time A list of what we believe are the ten greatest movies made in America.

Austin in Film All about the Audio Visual Productions programs in Austin avalable to aspiring film makers in Austin.

Find My School A map of Austin ISD schools with film programs .

21

Animation: Past, Present, Futute!

The story of animation and how it has changed overtime.

Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, We would like to welcome you to the inaugural issue of Director’s Cut magazine. I believe I speak for everyone here at the magazine when I say welcome to the family. It is also safe to say that the staff members here at Director’s Cut all have sore eyes from the research we had to do watching shows and movies on our various LCD screens. But, in the end it is all about the final product that we put out and we have anticipated the release of this magazine and we truly believe that you will enjoy our work. On behalf of the entire Director’s cut staff, I look forward to a continued relationship and we hope that we will add a different touch to the film magazine industry.

The purpose of writing this magazine was to add a magazine about the actual art of film. We believe that our work will reflect our personalities whether you’re a superhero fanatic like one of our writers, Sahil Vaidya, to a person who enjoys animation over all else, like another one of our writers, Nora Ozer.

Thank You, Conor Heffernan Editor, Director’s Cut

Contributors

Sahil has attitude to spare

and is spicy like the curry that he eats. He promises he’s not a high-functioning sociopath, and he got into film ”’cuz it rulez.” Sahil doesn’t believe in picking favorites, so every actor is his favorite, excluding the guy who played Aang in the live-action movie for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

That movie was the biggest travisty of all time.

His favorite movie is Finding Nemo because sometimes he just needs the emotional release of a good Finding Nemo spurred cry. Who can blame him? The film was top-notch. Sahil will tell us that he was born in Austin, but says the government doesn‘t need to know when.

Conor always gets things done. His hair is a darker black than Satan’s soul, and he is a swagmaster supreme.

Conor decided to answer the questions seriously, and enjoys film “because of the art form”.

L.A. Confidential is his “favorite” movie, but I’m not so sure if that’s true, because last time he said it was The Godfather, but he changed it. Sad face. Conor’s favorite article of clothing is his Chicago Bulls sweatshirt, so we can assume he’s a fan of the team.

Conor was born in Austin on the 71st anniversary of the release of Alfred Hitchcock’s first film.

Nora is just as sassy as Sahil,

but there’s less of a danger of people thinking she’s actually mean as there is with Sahil because she’s 2 coot 2 kwit. Nora got into film because “Netflix inspires [her]”, so take from that what you will her future productivity. Nora couldn’t pick a favorite movie, so I told her to pick a TV show, and her response was “there are too many.” Nora’s favorite actor is Isobelle Covington. While Miss Covington has yet to show any interest in acting, Nora assures us that she will be the next big thing.

Nora was born in Austin on the same day that, in 1606, 2,000 foreigners were murdered in Russia.

Emma Jane is the hippest

chickadee on this side of Wall Street, according to an outside source named Emma Jane. No relation, unless you’re related to yourself. Are you? Who knows.

Either way, she has no idea what she means by “hippest chickadee on this side of Wall Street”. “Is Wall Street a literal street?” she asks, distracted. She says her reasons behind loving film are classified. Her favorite movie is Hot Rod, and her favorite actor is Fran Kranz. Emma Jane was born in Austin, but won’t tell us her birthday.

She will give us a hint, however: the assassination of JFK. We’re not sure what that means.

Director’s Cut| 2

The 10 Greatest American Films of All Time

I

would like to start this article with a disclaimer: There might be spoilers for a great majority of the movies on this list. This is also my opinion, no one can truly tell what movie is the best of all time, it can’t be done. My article is purely the opinion of myself, I respect your beliefs on what you believe are the ten greatest American movies of all time. But remember, this is my opinion.

Thank you.

Honorable Mentions: Jaws, A Clockwork Orange, Network, Pulp Fiction, Rushmore, The Shawshank Redemption, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Goldfinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Mean Streets, Schindler’s List, The Maltese Falcon, Fight Club, 12 Angry Men, The Silence of the Lambs, Gates of Heaven 10: The Wizard of Oz When you think of classic American Cinema “The Wizard of Oz” is one of the first films that comes to mind.

In classic performances by all cast members, director Victor Fleming creats the classic movie we have all come to love.

3 | Director’s Cut

9: King Kong (1933) King Kong is considered by many to be the greatest monster movie ever made, I. King Kong is one of the best horror pictures and was the best at its release and for another 30 years until Psycho was released and overtook King Kong as the greatest horror film in history.

Sadly, King Kong’s Reputation has been tarnished because of the newer remakes.

But Kong certainly has a place in film history.

8: The Gold Rush Charlie Chaplin was a comedic genius and this genius came out in movies such as “The Tramp,” “Modern Times” and in this film: “The Gold Rush.”

Chaplin executed all three angles of this movie, as the writer, director, and star. Chaplin has made so many laugh which is why he is on the list.

7: Raging Bull In Martin Scorsese and Robert De

Niro’s partnership many film masterpieces have been created.

This duo has created some of the greatest movies ever, this time it is “Raging Bull” that makes the list. It’s story as well as the visual appeal help “Raging Bull” make this list.

6: Psycho Put simply, Psycho is the greatest horror movie of all time, the masterpiece of Hitchcock was his best performances and with Janet Leigh murdered early in the film in what has become a truly iconic scene. That schene as well as it is the horror and suspense that puts this movie on the list.

5: Gone With the Wind Halfway through the list comes a true classic in a class of its own, whether it’s a famous quote that you recognize or simply the wonderful plot about one of the worst periods in American history, “Gone With the Wind” is truly a classic that stole best picture from several wonderful movies

4: 2001: A Space Odyssey “Open the bay-doors HAL,” we all immediately recognize this quote from the movie that is fourth on our list and what is also Stanley Kubrick’s best movie There is a distinct ominous feeling with any Kubrick movie that allows him to put his stamp on it. This is especially present in 2001 simply with the character of HAL 9000 and his too calm pilot-like tone even when in the most strenuous points in the movie such as the quote above.

This character as well as the usual genius of Kubrick allows for this movie’s high spot on the list.

2: Citizen Kane The penultimate movie on the list is one that is widely considered as the best ever, sadly, I disagree. The story of a child executing the now almost extinct American dream and never experiencing happiness in his adulthood allows for the plot to take hold and it does. Something that in my opinion cites this movie as one of the best ever is the fact that I use the movie as a reference point for the society we live in today, as an example, in the film Charles Foster Kane builds a monopoly in the newspaper industry. We now barely use newspaper at all. In the movie Orson Welles both directs and stars in what is undoubtedly his greatest movie ever. Welles, who worked with the same actors during his time at the Mercury Theatre obviously knew his actors as every single actor plays his or her part masterfully.. Not to mention the mystery that surrounds Rosebud 1: The Godfather We have made it, the top film on the list. “The Godfather” is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. The music, arranged by Nino Rota, fits the movie in a way that most sound tracks don’t. Every scene is gorgeous 3: Casablanca with the color in a state that is absolutely perfect. The suspense is heartA popular classic, the movie “Casablanca” is one of the movies pounding, such as the scene where Sonny is executed or the execution of the heads of the other four families of New York which includes a that has remained prevalent memorable shot of Moe Greene having a bullet go through his eye. as the years have gone by.

You feel sympathy for the family no matter how many terrible things With classic performances by they do at a level that has only been matched in “The Sopranos.” The Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid brilliance of the wedding party and the music. Marlon Brando does an Bergman. “Casablanca” strikes the nerve because of the tale of absolutely wonderful job as the aging mob boss who is losing his grip on two lovers who renounce love to fight the Nazis. The setting of his empire while at the same time Africa during the early stages of having to calm his oldest son and somewhat dysfunctional family. Of WWII course, a great deal of credit goes to also director Francis Ford Coppolla and allows writers Ford Coppolla and Mario Puzo. for the “The Godfather” is the prototypical movie masterpiece with every trait of the to take movie fitting snugly with the picture. its “The Godfather” won the Academy place Award for Best Picture and for Best as one Actor in a leading role. of the best ever.

All photos from: wikimedia.org, flickr.com, and wikipedia. org

Director’s Cut | 4

A Look into Local High S c h o o l Fi l m P r o g r a m s

by Emma Jane Hopper

Let’s say a lightning bolt of an aspiration has come down from the heavens and you’ve decided that you want to pursue a career in film. What do you do now? Oftentimes you start practicing your trade from a young age. Luckily for you and other aspiring filmmakers, many high schools in Austin offer audio visual programs available where you can explore your passion.

It’s through these programs that these students can enter their projects to film festivals such as SXSW, Austin Film Festival, iYouth, Fantastic Fest, and others. Schools like Anderson High School and the Liberal Arts and Science Academy submit works to festivals like these every year, and have even had their films screened.

LASA has had four of their student films screened in the past four years, and Anderson submits work every year and has had two films make it to the high school screenings.

The process of creating and producing an original film is a “...naturally a collaborative Director’s Cut | 5

Vanessa Mokry teaching her AVP class at LASA.

Austin in Film

process,” says Tania Romero Anderson Audio Visual Productions. LASA Audio Visual Productions teacher Vanessa Mokry agreed. “I’m pretty involved,” Mokry says, “I... help them shape their idea the most, shape the story, and they’ll pitch me the story, and I can tell them what’s working well in that, what’s not working, and help kind of guide them to the right structure.”

This process must inspire at least some of the students, as evidenced by the students planning on going into film as a career and those who have succeeded.

Mokry says that several of her students went on to film school, but she has yet to catch up with them. She knows of at least one of her past students who is currently directing in Los Angeles. Jacob Riechers, a sophomore in the LASA Film Program, is “...definitely considering pursuing a career in film.” Riechers says, “My interests were mostly centered around photography but I have always loved the process

where we had to make film in only 24 hours.” At M.A.F.I.A, groups of only four or five students and are assigned a prop and a genre that they have to involve in their film. “Our group received the genre “Romantic Comedy” and our prop was a pair of swimming goggles,” says Morran. They only had 24 hours to write a screenplay, shoot their film, and then edit it all together. “It was

Director’s Cut | 6

photo by Barnaby Dorfman

of working with a camera and creating something that I am proud of.” Anderson has had several students work in film professionally recently.

Meredith Morran, a student in the Anderson AVP Program, says she hopes to pursue a career in either writing, directing, or both. “Right now I’m applying to college, and hoping to major in film production… I’m applying to a couple colleges for film. Right now, I’m waiting to hear where I get in before I make my decision.” Morran has a promising short film submitted for SXSW this year. About the project, Romero says, “We had a project called ‘It’s a Thing” which will be entered into SXSW this year. It was a story about an odd couple who fall in love, and it was very well done in my opinion.” Morran put this film together with her team for M.A.F.I.A Day 2014.

Morran says the filmmaking process takes as long as you have, “However last spring break, my friends and I participated in the SXSW sponsored M.A.F.I.A Day competition,

a non-stop process. We spent more time than any other group on pre-production, so we didn’t start filming until about 4:00p.m.... However, our story was key to making the film come together.

From then on, we worked efficiently.” Morran’s group brought extra batteries to avoid wasting time charging the camera and brought extra SD cards. This way they could give the SD card to their editor when it filled up and immediately put a new one in and keep filming. After shooting the footage they took turns editing through the night.

They had mostly finished their film by about 7:00a.m., but there were audio issues. The group went back and dubbed where necessary, finishing right within the 24 hours. “[We] were happy to have pulled it off. We ended up winning Best Film at MAFIA Day, and are currently submitted the film to multiple film festivals,” says Morran.

Even working with the teachers with time frame much longer than 24 hours, the students are often pressed for time.

“[The] filmmaking process takes as long

as you have,” Mokry says, “We could work on something for all year and that would be good too, but... it’s basically how much time you have, you have to make it-- there’s never enough time... to get what you want done, you put the parameters on [and] you say ‘I have this much time and this is what I’m going to do in that time’.” This is true for even professional filmmakers; several awardwinning films have horror stories of editing into the last hour before the premier. What really makes these programs great is the dedication and passion of their teachers, but every program has its own particular merits, and every teacher has a certain thing they love about their program.

Romero says that she thinks students make the Anderson program what it is. Romero says, “...they put the hard work, time, and motivation to complete projects. I work for them.” Mokry likes how her program is a place where students can get into film. She says the students make her program what it is, and she like how her program focuses on story, and says, “…that’s the best part,

Director’s Cut | 7

Photo Credits to Tania Romero

Several students from Anderson’s AV Production and Animation classes at the Austin Film Festival.

Anderson IB Film at the Gone with the Wind Exhibit at the Ransom Center.

we talk story all the time, and we shape the story, re-shape the story...” It’s hard to find a way to get paid for what you love, but it seems these teachers have found their niche in the world.

“For me, teaching AVP is a gift,” Romero says, “I honestly can say that I followed my passion for this art and it got me where I am.

It’s a mantra that I try to instill to my students

“…that’s the best part, we talk story all the time, and we shape the story, re-shape the story...”

- Mokry

because there are career paths such as this one, that are made in the process of following your interests and what you love to do.” Both Mokry and Romero, when asked what they would be

Photo Credits to Tania Romero.

doing if they could be doing anything else, says they’d be doing something that they tied to their root love for filmmaking.

“If I could have another career, I would probably be a forensic profiler - I really love observing and analyzing human behavior, and that’s perhaps what also draws me to the field of filmmaking,” says Romero. Mokry says she’d be finishing her screenplay. Riechers and Morran shared similar sentiments.

“If I could be doing something else right now it would be something related to photography because photography has always been a passion for me, and photography is where my roots are at because that’s what I started with,” says Riechers.

Morran’s love lies a little closer to the subject at hand. “Film is one of my biggest passions, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out or would rather be putting a lot of time into anything else.” says Morran.

Reicher sums up the importance of film. “I think I find film production so interesting because it allows you to use many subtleties to convey a much bigger feeling and story. It is the most rewarding feeling to work on all the minute deals and see it pay off when you get that perfect shot.”

Director’s Cut | 8

Find My School

Premier High Anderson High

Lanier High

Reagan High McCallum High Liberal Arts and Science Academy Austin High

Eastside Memorial High Crockett High Bowie High

Akins High

Director’s Cut | 9

Anderson High School

Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy

Anderson High

The Liberal Arts and

School is a high

Science Academy,

school in the

located at LBJ High

northwest area of

School, is a school

Austin. They are a part

located on the

of the International

northeast part of

Bacccalaureate

Austin. They are a

program. Anderson

magnet program, and

has been ranked

have been ranked

the 228th best high

the 8th best school

school in the country

in the country by

by Newsweek.

Newsweek.

Map Legend Schools without film programs

Schools with film program

Name of High School Liberal Arts and sciences academy

Director’s Cut | 10

Photo by wikimedia.org

Anderson near his residence in New York City

11 | Director’s Cut

The year: 2014. The day: Saturday. The time: 8:00 p.m. You are bored. You don’t care about anything on TV, and when going through the guide, you see a movie called “Rushmore.” You decide to watch, and three hours later, you are flat on the couch, in a different world. The credits roll. Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson are all names that you recognize. After noticing several traits of the movie that I haven’t seen in many other current movies, I go back to the credits and see that the director is Wes Anderson.

“Rushmore” tells the story of Max Fischer, a student at Rushmore Academy. Fischer doesn’t do well in his classes, but is the king of extracurricular activities. This movie is considered to be Wes Anderson’s breakout movie. Anderson, who grew up in Houston and majored in psychology at the University of Texas, has written and directed a total of eight feature films. Since he began directing in 1996, his career has ranged from box office bombs like “Bottle Rocket,” which wasn’t accepted into any of the film festivals, to booms like “Moonrise Kingdom,” which earned an Academy Award

wikimedia.org

Below: one of Anderson’s frequent collaborators, Owen Wilson

nomination for best screenplay. Overall, Anderson’s style would be that of a storybook with plots that always have family issues and an overall quest that ties the movie together. Whether you like his movies or not, five minutes into any Anderson work, you know it is an Anderson work.

Although “Rushmore” was Anderson’s breakout movie, it was not his first feature film. His first was “Bottle Rocket,” which as stated above, was a box office bomb. In “Bottle Rocket,” Anderson’s now synonymous style was relatively subdued. His style has since evolved to the point of almost being a caricature of itself. The use of specific camera angles, like the single-tracking or overhead shot. Anderson has continued to use the family conflict in his stories.

“There’s his signature font Futura.”says Kimberly

“His soundtracks used to lean heavily on British invasion rock, but lately he’s moved away from that,” -Kimberly Jones

Jones, a movie critic for the Austin Chronicle. “His soundtracks used to lean heavily on British invasion rock, but lately he’s moved away from that,” However, one thing that doesn’t change is Anderson’s cast.

Anderson’s recurring cast has to do with the relative bonds that he has with actors. Anderson became friends with Owen Wilson when they attended college together at the University of Texas.

Anderson’s other headline collaborator, Bill Murray, first appeared in Rushmore for what has now been disclosed as $9,000, an obviously microscopic sum for the amount stars like Murray receive on a regular basis. Rushmore helped transition Bill Murray from an actor full of one-liners to an actor who plays conflicted characters, thus saving his career. Murray has collaborated in every Anderson movie since.

As for the entire cast, “It’s not unlike a theatrical troupe” Jones says, “Film history is full of these kind of long-term, close collaborations. Orson Welles often used the same actors from his early days at the Mercury Theatre, including Joseph Cotten and Agnes Moorehead.” But it would seem Anderson and his collaborators have developed a trust that leads to the recurrence of the actors. As for the impact these actors Director’s cut | 12

All of Anderson’s Feature films from top left: “Bottle Rocket,” “Rushmore,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “The Life Aquatic,” “The Dajeeling Limited,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “ Moonrise Kingdom,” “Grand Budapest Hotel”

have on the movie, “They help reinforce the Wes Anderson brand,” says Daniel Heffernan, professor of film at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. “I would imagine that Anderson loves collaborating with these artists and has begun thinking of them as he develops new projects and he also has likely started creating projects specifically with some of these actors in mind at the outset.” Of course, to demonstrate the talents of these actors, you must film the movie.

Camera work is the centerpiece of any Anderson work, specifically the symmetry, which appears in a majority of Anderson’s shots. This mainly began just as many of his other notable traits, in Rushmore. Two of his notable shots, the single tracking shot, and the overhead shot have developed a lot since then. The tracking shot was first used in the aquarium breaking ground scene as a reaction to bad weather. Anderson enjoyed the result to the point that in an interview with Matt Seitz he said, “After that, I kept doing (the tracking shot). More and more, I’d say, ‘I’d like to do this on a train track.” Anderson’s patented overhead shot first appeared in Rushmore as well. The use of the overhead shot gives the audience a first person view which is often not used in film. The overall use of the camera work for Anderson is very different compared to other directors who have been active at the same time “In an Anderson film, you very 13 | Director’s Cut

much notice where the camera is positioned; indeed, that’s part of their pleasure, the films’ scrupulous ‘staginess.’ That, too, lends the films their storybook quality.” Jones said. Anderson not only directs his feature films, he also writes them.

“I would imagine that Anderson loves collaborating with these artists and has begun thinking of them as he develops new projects” -Daniel Heffernan

Anderson is what Stewart Kelban, professor

wiikimedia.org

of screenwriting at the University of Texas, calls a hyphenate. “While not too common, there are many writer-directors out there and always have been, from D.W. Griffith and Charlie Chaplin in the silent era, to Orson Welles, all the way to today with Paul Thomas Anderson, as well as Austin’s own Terrance Mallick and Richard Linklater, to name just a few. Hyphenates are much more common in independent cinema than Hollywood.” And to the question of why Anderson would want to write his movies, Kelban says “I suspect it’s because he’s got his own stories he wants to tell – and the talent to write them, without hiring someone else.” When Anderson writes, his style is added through the setting, which is where Anderson’s love of nostalgia reigns supreme.

When you watch an Anderson movie, it doesn’t seem like a modern movie. “There is a storybook quality to Anderson’s films, which often use narration and feel slightly out of place and time.

Rarely do modern signposts like smartphones pop up in an Anderson film, and any pop music is almost always decades old.” Jones says, “the use of uniforms adds to the effect; just like a picture book character wears the same distinctive outfit (like Paddington Bear).” Anderson commonly uses this ‘distinctive

outfit,’ from the red beret worn by Max Fischer to the headband worn by Richie Tanembaum. Another main component to the movie is the setting, which usually gives off a historical feeling. When asked why Anderson would use aspects such as historical

“There is a storybook quality to Anderson’s films, which often use narration and feel slightly out of place and time.”

-Kimberly Jones

and storybook settings Heffernan comments, “It is something that he probably responded to when he was a young film viewer. As he evolved as an artist certain aspects of filmmaking that he loved like a storybook setting started to reify in his work and now appear to us as a recognizable element of his visual style.” However, “Only in his most recent work has Anderson made films set explicitly in the past – Grand Budapest Hotel, which is set at the eve of World War I I, and Moonrise Kingdom, which is set in the 1960s,” Jones says. Even if the movie is not set in the past, the characters usually embrace the past. For example, Max Fischer’s play about Vietnam.

Anderson has always enjoyed a great deal of freedom during the movie making process. This freedom allows Anderson to put stamps on his movies, and it works.

On the left: another frequent collaborator, Bill Murray.

Note: photos from the collage are from vrtxmag.com, addingbliss.com, blogspot.com, staticflickr.com, and solarmovie.is

Director’s Cut | 14

Super Hero From now to 2020, it is a super hero lover’s galor, with over 20 films releasing all around the world to enjoy. Movies of a huge variety are coming to theaters soon,

2015

May 1

July 17

Avengers: Age of Ultron Ant-Man Scientist Hank Pym or his more famous alter-ego Antman must defend the earth

The Avenger team returns with a new enemy: Ultron.

2017

November 4 11

May 27

Spider Man: Sinister Doctor Strange A brilliant but Six

surgeon, Benedict Six of mankind's greatest Cumberbatch has a enemies form an alliance to sorcerer who trains destroy New York City and him to defend the Spider-Man world against evil

March 3

Wolverine 3 Hugh Jackman returns as Wolverne

May 5

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Starlord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon are Back

2019

November 2

April 5

Inhumans

Shazam

May 3

Avengers: Infinity War Part II

15 | Director’s Cut

June 14

Justice League Part Two

X-Men: Apocalypse The X-Men face their greatest foe, Apocalypse

June 23

Wonder Woman An Amazon princess comes to the world of Man to become the greatest of the superheroines

July 27

July 6

Aquaman Captain Marvel

Films ‘Till 2020 Marvel and DC, from sequels to new movies never , and we have been as kind as to put them all into an easy to read format for you, our readers. Enjoy.

August 7

The Fantastic Four Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Women, the Human Torch are back in this reboot

2016 Feburary 12

March 25

May 6

Captain America: Civil War

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Henry Cavill

playing Clark Kent and Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne fight in their alter egos Batman and Superman

Set after Age of Ultron, the governmet tries to regulate all superhuman activity, dividing our beloved heros

July 14

Deadpool

November 3

July 28

Fantastic Four 2 Thor: Ragnarok

Black Panther

This sarcastic anti-hero stars in a new film, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds November 17

Justice League Part One

A sequal to the 2015 release

May 4

March 23

Avergers: Infinity War Part I

The Flash

2018

2018

The Amazing Spider-Man 3

2020 Cyborg

Green Lantern

Director’s Cut | 16

Enter the Age of Ultron

By Sahil Vaidya

Indulge your inner nerd for a little while and read about a movie everyone will want to see

I

magine your favorite heroes duking it out using their awe-inspiring powers against the worst power hungry, fear-instilling villains trying to save and keep balance in the world. That sounds pretty great right?

On May 15, the “Avengers: Age of Ultron” premieres all around the country, and this film is already anticipated to stun the audiences everywhere.

From the record making 3,000 visual effects to the creative characters and plot, one can fairly definitively say this movie will be quite popular. The Avengers is a flourishing series after its first film and this upcoming film’s anticipation live up to that and excel.

This new Avengers film stars a villain named Ultron. Ultron starts with a noble goal, to make universal peace, but, “Ultron becomes the villain of the movie by trying to achieve peace in the universe by eliminating humanity”, said Celyn Gross, a comic

book expert. Built by the beloved hero Tony Stark in this film, first made to help society, ends up on it and threatens the safety of all of humanity. In the comics, created out of a substance called adamantium, Ultron

“There are lot of new, exciting characters to see in this film” -Gross is indestructible. He remains constant villain for the Avengers because of this fact, and the ability to upload his himself elsewhere and rebuild whenever his physical body is threatened. Ultron is said to be

Photo by Gade Skidmore

Robert Downey, Jr., Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Paul Bettany and James Spader speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con International, for “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.

17 | Director’s Cut

Scarlet Witch in Action

played by actor James Spader. “He is my favorite villain”, said Gross.

“There are a lot of new, exciting characters to see in this film”, said Gross, “like Vision. Vision who is supposedly Jarvis in this film was originally made by Ultron.” Ultron created Vision, an android character, to destroy his creator Hank Pym, or Antman. The Avengers are able to convince Vision to turn on his evil creator Ultron and join them in the comics, but in the Avengers: Age of Ultron, Vision is supposedly originally Jarvis. “In this movie, Tony Stark originally made Jarvis, so the filmmakers might have to change Vision’s story and background,” said Gross, “Ultron may corrupt Jarvis instead possibly, which would be different but still exciting to see.”

We are yet to see if the Vision will be a good or bad character in the film, but we do know that the Vision will be played by Paul Bettany, a British actor who voiced Jarvis in the previous films.

There are two other important characters being introduced in this film that will join the Avengers team: the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

Director’s Cut | 18

of characters, none of A glimpse of the two which was especially of them could be seen weak or poorly fleshed in the mid-credits scene out. “I loved how each at the end of Captain of the characters was America: The Winter portrayed in the film Soldier. “The Scarlet and I didn’t think a Witch and Quicksilver,” single character was Gross explained, “These weak or useless or people are interesting dumb,” exclaimed because they start Ayush Bhansali, a high as villains in comic, school student who but became good.” loves superheroes, The Scarlet Witch “That was what made and Quicksilver will this movie partly so be called “miracles” good!” Each character interestingly because had a place, and it “the Scarlet Witch and was difficult to pick a Quicksilver, who were single one to dislike. originally X-Men, will Combine that with the be in this new movie. fact that “the Avengers This movie probably are badass,” said will not address the fact Vaidya, “This group that they were originally of elite superheroes X-Men because they uniting against evil is cannot talk about really cool to see on X-Men.” Marvel made screen” People like films cannot use the term to see a movie with “mutant” or “X-Men” mind blowing special because Fox has the The Avengers Volume 3 #38 effects and a solid, rights over those terms relatable plot.

Also, the buildup to these films is huge. and franchises. The powers of the Scarlet Witch is the ability to manipulate probability using her short Marvel creates entire other sets of films to introduce ranged hexes. Quicksilver has the ability to move at the characters like Iron Man, Captain America: extraordinarily fast speeds. Almost like The Flash of The First Avenger, and Thor. “These movies bring Marvel. His mind also thinks at superhuman rates. together heros,” as Gross said, “I really just enjoy all The Scarlet Witch will be played by Elizabeth Olsen superhero films. Avenger franchise is very exciting. If and Quicksilver will be played by the actor Aaron 7 years ago, someone said that all of these superhero films would happen, like Iron Man, Captain America, Taylor-Johnson.

Part of why this film is already so dependable Thor, and all of these heros would come together into to be great has to do with the enormous success of one film, nobody would have believed them.” All the first movie in the saga. The Avengers made a box these heros being incorporated into a singular film is office of 1.5 million dollars! That makes it the third something to be amazed by and marvel at (Did you highest grossing film of all time. And there a reason see what I did there).

Now there are many more comic book films exists for why this movie did so well. “All of these amazing super heroes came together into a fun, action being released now than ever before. “The trend packed film,” said Sanam Vaidya, a college student really started after the release of the X-men movie who studies film, “The villain and plot was also in 2000, it was really cool movie, it had great special developed really well”. The movie consisted of a set effects, and most importantly, it gave a message to 19 | Director’s Cut

people who are different in any way,” stated Gross.

This movie started an era of comic book adaptations, entertaining the world. The X-Men film had a group of characters who were a minority but always fought to protect the world that rejected them.

This is a huge message to everyone around the world who is different or an outcast that they can and should still contribute to society and be strong. As well as for minorities, this influx in superhero films can also positively effect on the next generation of children.

“Superheroes are figures that kids can look up to,” said Gross, “They can teach lessons like how times may be tough, but you still always have to fight evil.”

Another benefit to this increase in superhero mania is a larger interest in comics. “Working at a comic book store, it has helped our business a ton,” Gross explained, “The rise of comic book movies brought back the desire to have superhero comics that nobody really cared about anymore. These new movies really brought back the comic book industry.” And also these movies are a fantastic source of entertainment for the people, as Bhansali tells, “Watching these movies makes me really happy and gives a lot of the world much enjoyment, so I say keep them coming.

These new films are entertaining to watch and you Joss Whedon at San Diego 2014

don’t need to have any prerequisite knowledge about the comics in order to enjoy these movies which is really solid.”

This raises a question though. Why do these films have such a greater viewership and fan base and overall recognition over the comics? “Comics only mainly appeal to a small group of people,” explains Vaidya, “Only a small majority of the people in the country will go out and actually buy comics. But now that they are being made into movies, people want to go the films based off of comics. People can make the time to watch movies and they have no shame or time constraints watching a film rather than reading an entire comic series. Also, these films have a worldwide release and have tons of advertising so everybody knows about them rather than the comics which only fans will know about.”

“The rise of comic book movies brought back the desire to have superhero comics” -Gross

Photo by Gade Skidmore

The Avengers: Age of Ultron is directed

by Joss Whedon. “Joss Whedon is an amazing and important person in the film industry,” Vaidya said, “He is practically a god, having parts in very important science fiction productions like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, and most importantly, he directed the first Avengers movie.” We can trust that this film is in good hands because as Gross tells us, Whedon “did a really good job with first Avengers film. He was able to balance all the different heroes in the movie, he made the villain of the movie have sympathy and it was just really well done.”

The summer of 2015 is one to look forward to with the release of the “Avengers: Age of Ultron”.

Featuring an all-star cast, lots of special effects, an excellent villain and legendary director, this movie has something for everyone. Watch out for this film, it will be marvelous.

Director’s Cut | 20

Pinocchio fron the movie Pinocchio (1940). Pinocchio was one of the first feature lenght fully animated films.

Photo by: Disney Screen Caps

Animation: Past, Present, Future!

The story of animation and how it has changed overtime By: Nora Ozer

When Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs hit the box office in 1937 as what is commonly known as the first feature length animated film, it hit with a bang! The movie’s audience, which was mainly children, loved the movie. But now that we have amazing computer-generated imagery (CGI) we are less impressed with hand drawn films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Animation has evolved more than you might think. It started out hand drawn, which took much more skilled labor than the animation now requires.

21 | Directors Cut

Producers had to hire people who drew out every single frame of the movie. Until 1995, when the first computer animated movie came out, there were no other choices. The technology that has been developed over the years has influenced everything you watch today, from action movies with people flying, like The Avengers, to Disney princess movies with CGI, like Frozen. With many of the movies we watch now containing CGI animation, we don’t always realize how far animation has come or what it might be like in the future.

The animation industry is the place to be in Hollywood right now. The industry grows by the day. In fact, in most places the year over year growth rate, which compares a time period to another time period the previous year, estimates about 7 percent.

Producers are expanding their target audience by making animated movies that appeal to children and adults. The animation itself is also changing.

As technology becomes more advanced, so does animation. All these factors and more contribute to animation and its booming business. Hannah Ozer, an executive at Mad Chance Productions in Hollywood, says, “Animation has really taken off... everyone is interested in finding new ways to create animation.”

While success can vary in the film industry, one thing must always be true. “If people are watching, that means it’s successful,” says Robert Gati, an executive at Hulu in Hollywood, said. A film or TV show needs viewers to make money, and it must make a profit to continue with the show or production company. For this reason, the main goal of producers is to get people to watch.

But not all films are successful. Some don’t make money; they lose it. ”Producers will spend over $200 million on a film, and then sometimes it tanks at the box office and they lose a lot of money,” Hannah Ozer said. ”Battleship and the Lone Ranger are great examples of this.”

These movies spent so much money on animation, but did not make the same amount of money that they spent.

The movies that do make a profit could gain more money if they appealed to a wider range of demographics. “Hopefully animation is able to take more story chances and appeal to different demographics,” says Trey Pool, a creative executive at RealFX Animation. Some animators are trying,

A scene from the movie The Lone Ranger.

This movie lost a lot of money in the process of creating the animation.

Photo by: Jorge Figueroa

but not all are necessarily succeeding at it. ”While most think we make kids movies, we feel our films will appeal to boys and girls, young and old,” says Samantha Nisenboim, a creative executive at Warner Animation Group. This is the case for many animators, but since animated movies are traditionally children’s tales, adults underestimate their appeal. Production companies could be making more money if the different demographics realized how much they might actually like a movie.

Many modern day ways of animation are very complex and complicated.

Some have to do with people wearing full body suits and being turned into creatures like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings. But other companies use special computers and stop motion to create their animation.

“The type of animation that ends up on your movie and television screens is unique CG animation with a touch of stop motion and real Legos,” says Samantha Nisenboim.

While the United States makes the most animated movies now, other countries are catching up. ” Everyone is catching up and the playing field is more equal than it’s ever been,” Trey Pool said. As more and more countries acquire better technology

“Animation has really taken off... everyone is interested in finding new ways to create animation.”

- Hannah Ozer

Directors Cut | 22

Fantasmagorie premieres as the first short comprised solely of animated images.

El apostol, the first feature length animated film is released. All known copies were destroyed.

1914 1908 The process of cell animation is invented by Earl Hurd. This revolutionized the industry for much of the 20th century.

The two main characters from Up.

23 | Directors Cut

Peludopolis is the first feature length animated film with sound. There are no surviving copies.

1920 1917

The Multiplane Camera was invented to create a 3D effect

1932 1931

1933

The Debut of Thomas Cat is released as the first color cartoon.

Flowers and Trees is released as the first full color film.

Photo by: Nicolas Genin

Mr. Bug Goes to Town also known as Hoppity Goes to Town is the first fulllength animated musical to be released.

1937

Tron marks the first time that computergenerated images are used extensively within film.

1973 1941

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is Walt Disney’s first fulllength animated film.

This is also the first full-length movie to be released from the U.S.

Jurassic Park is the first live-action film to use photorealistic computer-animation.

1991 1982

1993

Computer-generated images are used for the very first time in a brief shot within Westworld.

Beauty and the Beast becomes the first fully animated film to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

they produce more animated movies. Eventually, most countries will match the U.S. in the amount of animated movies they make and the technology they use.

Even though animation has come a long way, animation still has a long way to go. Scientists will always be coming up with new ways to make animation more realistic and precise. Producers will always want to be able to make movie faster. “I think speed is a great factor when it comes to animation,� says Robert Gati. And as long as that is true people will be looking for new ways to make animation faster to produce and improve the images produced.

The impact of animation on the world has been tremendous, whether it be making a child believe in fairies or teaching them good morals through a story, many people have been influenced by animation. As the technology grows and becomes more advanced more people are touched by stories.

The evolution of animation has been a long and ongoing journey that will most likely never end, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

1999

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace is the first film to extensivly use CGI in sets, special effects and supporting charecters.

Walt Disney, the main pioneer of animation, and animated movies

Photo by: Public Domain

Directors Cut | 24

Book to Movie Adaptations 1

Maze Runnerthe adaptation was terrible! The movie left so many important events out and made so much of the plot up.

2

Hunger Games: Catching Fire- The adaptation was done well. The movie was intense and captured the audience.

4 3 The Hobbit-

The adaptation was tedious and it was far too long to be only half a book.

5

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief: The adaptation was nothing like the book.

Not only that but the CGI was not up to par.

25 | Directors Cut

6

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo-The adaptation Captured the book well. The soundtrack was really good.

Life of Pi- Although unlikely the movie interpreted the book well with good visuals and realistic animation.

Enjoy The Show