ISSUE 008
FALL 2019
HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL F I L M M A K E R
莱
坞
国
际
电
影
人
Legend of Cinema:
SOPHIA LOREN
For Mov i em aker s Wor ld w ide ULT I M AT E MOV I E M U S E U M
THE GRE ATE ST D IRE C TOR S
SC HWARZEN E G G E R I S B AC K
SPE C IAL E F F E C TS MAGIC
S EX SCEN E S R E G U L AT E D
DISNE Y C ONV E NTION RE P O RT
COVER STORY
好
目 录
好莱坞国际电影人
CONTENTS
COVER STORY
Sophia Loren: An Appreciation
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[Quarterly Publication] 2019 Fall [Issue 008] Published by: Hollywood International Film Exchange Address: 6565 East Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90040, USA Editor-in-Chief: Sandro Monetti Editors: Jimmy Jiang, Xinggang Wang, Yiming (Eva) Bian, Lorraine Chi Art Editor: Yiming (Eva) Bian Editorial Committee: Kimberley
LATEST NEWS
HiFex, Capstone Group News Releases HiFex Events Top Gun 2 Takes Off There’s Big Money In Memorabilia Big Screen Entertainment Group Gets Festive Film Festival Favorite Charms Audiences Charlize Theron's New Producing Role
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Kates, Jimmy Jiang, Xinggang Wang, Sandro Monetti, Yiming (Eva) Bian, Lorraine Chi Facebook: Hollywood International Express Twitter: @HiFilmExpress Website: Hi-Fex.com
HOLLYWOOD SPOTLIGHT Terminatior Reunion The Greatest Directors Ultimate Movie Museum
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TECHNOLOGY & DEVELOPMENT [Contact Info] Contact: Serena Hife E-mail: Adv.Hifex@gmail.com
SPONSORS -BIG SCREEN ENTERTAINMENT GROUP-BIG SCREEN HOLDINGS-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL FILM EXCHANGE-
Lion King Secrets Battle of The Special Effects
POLICY & REGULATIONS Sex Scenes Crackdown Thinking Globally
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-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL EXPRESS-DIAMOND SOFA-FAIRFAX ENTERTAINMENT-CHINESE CREATIVE CULTURE ORGANIZATION-
BACK COVER STORY Disney Convention Report
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LEGENDS OF CINEMA:
SOPHIA LOREN “ E V E RY T H I N G Y O U S E E I O W E TO S PA G H E T T I ” So phia Lo ren i s o n e of th e m ost a l l u r i n g, a ccla ime d and s pecial m ov i e sta rs of a l l ti m e. I taly ’s m ost fa m o u s a c tress, sh e e m e rge d f ro m a pover ty- st ricke n c h i l d h o o d to str i ke i t b i g i n c in e ma wit h a g lo rio u s ca re e r spa n n i n g s i x d e ca d es. W hen s he wo n a n O sca r i n 1 9 6 0 fo r Two Wo m e n , So phia b ecam e th e fi rst b est a c tress w i n n e r to ta ke t he prize fo r a fo re i g n l a n g u a ge fi l m a n d a str in g of ot her awards fo l l owe d a s sh e sta r re d i n m ov ies in A m erica, Fran ce a n d I ta l y. S he b ecam e a m a j o r sex sy m bo l , attr i bu ti n g h e r vo luptuo us fi g u re to I ta l i a n fo o d , say i n g : “Eve ryt h in g yo u see, I owe to s pa g h etti .” Lo ren starred a l o n gsi d e so m e of Ho l l y wo o d ’s g reatest lead i n g m e n l i ke Pa u l New m a n , Ca ry G ra nt, Ma r lon Bra n do a n d C h a r lton Heston . Bu t h e r h ea r t b e lon ge d to Ita lia n film dire c tor Ca r lo Pont i, w it h w h om sh e h a d two c h ildre n . As savvy at b u sin ess a s sh e h a s b e e n a b ou t h e r sc re e n ca re e r, t h e Ita lia n wa s t h e first a c t ress to la u n c h h e r ow n fra gra n ce lin e a n d design e r eye wear. St ill wor k in g in h e r mid-e ight ies, h e r latest p roje c t is t h e u p comin g dra ma Th e L ife Ah ea d, in w h ic h sh e p lays a h oloca u st su rvivor. W h e n sh e wa s awa rde d a n h on ora ry Osca r in 1 991 for lifet ime a c h ieve me nt, Lore n wa s r ight ly ca lle d: “On e of wor ld c in e ma ’s greatest t rea su res.” Lon g may sh e cont in u e to sh in e. —Sa n dro Mon etti
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Hollywood International Film Exchange, Capstone Group News Release FORCE OF NATURE Capstone LOGLINE
Wit h a hur r ic ane b e ar ing dow n on Ne w York City, a cop must protect the residents unwilling to evacuate a f looding building, f rom a te am of cr imina ls hel l-b ent on executing a mysterious heist.
CAST
Mel Gibs on, Emile Hirsh, Kate B oswor t h
STATUS
In pro duc t ion(St ar te d Ju ly 22, 2019)
FOUR GOOD DAYS
Capstone
D eb is a dist r ust f u l mot her w ho t a kes in her d aug hter Molly in the hopes of helping her recover from her struggles with addiction. As the two star t to slowly rebuild their relationship, Molly continues to push those boundaries with the ongoing symptoms of withdrawal and her constant threat of relapse. Will their strong bond and love be enough to see them through?
LOGLINE
Mi l a Kunis, Glenn C los e
CAST
Pre-pro duc t ion(Sho ot ing in L os Angeles)
STATUS
COME AWAY Capstone
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LOGLINE
When the Littleton family lose their eldest son in an unfortunate accident, the family’s two youngest children decide to f lee reality and travel deep into their imaginations in order to help save their grief-stricken parents.
CAST
Angelina Jolie, D av id O yelowo, Michael C aine, Gugu Mb at ha-R aw
STATUS
In pro duc t ion(Sho ot ing in L ondon, L os Angeles)
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AFTERBURN Capstone LOGLINE
Five ye ars af ter a s ol ar f l are disr upts a l l te chnolog y in Europ e, a t re asure hunter go es to France to ret r ie ve t he Mona L is a. Paire d w it h a st rong-w i l le d fema le we ap ons exp er t, t he t wo s e arch for t he fame d p aint ing , encounter ing unexp e c te d enemies a long t he way.
CAST
G erard But ler
STATUS
In pro duc t ion
THE COURIER
Capstone prote c t dow n a and his garage.
LOGLINE
Olga Kur y len ko, Gar y Oldman
CAST
In pro duc t ion
STATUS
A woman k now n on ly as The C our ier t r ies to t he life of a p otent i a l w it ness w ho cou ld br ing notor ious cr ime lord f rom a rogue CIA agent henchmen w hi le t rapp e d inside an underg round
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HiFex Press: Hollywood International Film Exchange has l a u n ch e d a n e w w e b s i t e – w w w. H i - Fe x . c o m
HiFex executives were invited to advance screenings of acclamed new movies including Aladdin,The Lion King,Dark Phoenix, Avengers, Dora, Bumblebee, Fantastic Beasts and G i v e M e L i b e r t y.
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A s s u p p o r t e r s o f B A F TA L A , H i F e x a n d B i g Screen senior management mixed with other leading industry executives at the annual B A F TA G a r d e n P a r t y h e l d a t t h e L o s A n g e l e s home of British Consul General Michael Howells.
HiFex is sponsoring the 5th Hollywood International Film Festival & Golden Film Award to be held at the Santa Anita Tu r f C l u b , L o s A n g e l e s , f r o m D e c 1 2 - 1 4 2 0 1 9 . More than 200 entries from 20 territories have been received b y t h e U S H I F F a n d G FA c o m m i t t e e , i n c l u d i n g d o c u m e n t a r i e s and short films as well as narrative features.
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HiFex is also sponsoring the 12th International Fashion Super Model World grand final.The glamorous event will be held on Dec 12, 2019 at L A ' s S a n t a A n i t a Tu r f C l u b .
HIFEX IS ALSO SUPPORTING THESE EXCITING EVENTS.
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International Fashion Super Model & Golden Film Award Coming Soon
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CRUISING FOR A FREEBIE
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The new Top Gun movie got to borrow multimillion dollar planes and ships for free. That’s because the U.S. Navy was happy to use the upcoming blockbuster as a recruitment tool. “The first Top Gun saw a 4,000 percent increase in applications to join—so they were very keen to have us back,” explained the film’s location manager Mike Fantasia. Moviemakers Paramount further won co operation by assuring the military that Top Gun: Maverick, again starring Tom Cruise, would show them in a good light. The studio got the planes and ships they asked for free if their use tied in with the Navy’s training needs. So scenes of planes taking off from, and landing on, aircraft carriers and performing training exercises were the real thing.
“Everything you see in this film, it’s for real,” said Cruise when promoting the 2020 release at San Diego Comic- Con. But the real-life fighter pilots who advised the moviemakers weren’t always on set when duty came first. Location manager Fanstasia added, “Their work is not making movies, it’s defending the country and a few would disappear for a couple of weeks and when they came back you knew they’d been off somewhere doing really cool stuff.” The first Top Gun movie came out in 1986 and Cruise says the follow up, like the original, is “a film about competition, family, sacrifice and heroism.” —Sandro Monetti
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Would you pay a quarter of a million dollars for a superhero costume? One bidder did just that, parting with $228,000 for a genuine Captain America outfit at a Marvel auction. The sale was organized by Profiles in History, Hollywood's top auction house for film props and costumes. The company's Chief Executive Joe Maddalena expanded his hobby of collecting film props into a business–and it's proving a very lucrative one. Fortunes are paid for the rare and prized possessions he has been able to obtain from the biggest movies past and present. Bidders come from all over the world–especially an increasing number of customers from China via platforms like I-collector.com and tech executives in Silicon Valley looking to decorate their offices with cool props.
COLLECTING HISTORY
His own office is packed with favorite things from his own personal collection that he would never part with, including memorabilia from X-Men, Buck Rogers and Back to the Future. Joe has found that whether it's Star Wars, Star Trek or any other popular genre there's a burning desire for film fans to own a piece of cinematic history - and pay big for the privilege. —Sandro Monetti
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�中華文化創意基金會旨在建立文化創意的平臺，提供文化創意所需要的各種環境和資源以及法律保障，
并提供後續的推廣，創立每年一度的中華文化創意高峰論壇，以挖掘，發展，以及推動文化之創意，
激勵個人以及企業對文化創新事業進行支持，並且能夠兼容包并他國文化創意之精華，在全球華
人中形成文化創意的風氣，將我們中華文化創意高峰論壇打造成世界頂尖文化平臺之一。并使
我們中華文化更好的融入世界文化發展中，從而利用中華文化的創新推動世界文化的發展，
也讓世界文化對中華文化起到促進作用。
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BIG SCREEN ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
Big Screen Entertainment Group is developing a Christmas movie which looks set to give family audiences a festive treat for years to come. The Key to Christmas sees one kindly old man, two brothers and three gangsters mixed up in a hunt for treasure that all revolves around a very special dog. Big Screen Chief Executive Kimberley Kates is directing the adventure, written by Angela Fratto, and the first pictures from filming can be seen on these pages. BSEG is a publicly traded company, based in Los Angeles, focused on making commercial content perfect for the fast changing media landscape.
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The Ke y to C hr ist mas
CHRISTMAS IS COMING (A l l photos copy r ig ht of Big S cre en Enter t ainment Group)
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HOLLYWOOD DREAMS DO COME TRUE
Ev e r y m ov i e m a k e r c a n t a k e i n s p i r a t i o n f r o m t h e success story of micro budget independent film Give Me Liberty. Despite having no big name stars and not even an obviously commercial storyline, it has become a festival circuit darling, secured distribution and is delighting audiences around the world. A cross-cultural comedy with a social conscience, the story follows the unexpected adventures of a Russian-American medical transport van driver dropping off handicapped people to their destinations around Wisconsin. “It’s a very special film and I had never read a script so unique, distinctive and touching,” said producer Michael Manasseri (pictured) who, believing in its potential, steered and part financed the project. Out of 14,000 films submitted Sundance 2019 it got in and was the surprise hit of the prestigious f e s t i v a l . Fr o m t h e r e i t w e n t t o t h e C a n n e s Fi l m Festival, wining even more praise. Now with releases in America, France and Russia and many other territories to come, Give Me Liberty is set to be as big a commercial success as a critical one. —Sandro Monetti
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THE RIDE OF HER LIFE M ov i e s t a r C h a r l i ze T h e ro n h a s m a d e a s u r p r i s e s w i t c h t o re a l i t y t e l e v i s i o n f o r h e r n e x t p ro j e c t .
Plus, speed is a passion for the Oscar winning actress.
S h e i s t h e e xe c u t i ve p ro d u c e r o f N e t f l i x ’s n e w c a r ra c i n g c o m p e t i t i o n s e r i e s , H y p e rd r i ve .
“ I l ove t h e a d re n a l i n e r u s h o f d r i v i n g f a s t a n d t h i s s h o w c o m b i n e s m y l ove o f c a r s a n d c o m p e t i t i o n ,” e x p l a i n e d t h e S o u t h A f r i c a n s t a r.
B u t s t e e r i n g s u c h a s h o w t o t h e s c re e n m a k e s s e n s e w h e n yo u c o n s i d e r a l l t h e f a s t c a r f i l m s s h e h a s s t a r re d i n l i k e T h e I t a l i a n J o b, M a d M a x : Fu r y Ro a d a n d t h e Fa s t a n d Fu r i o u s f ra n c h i s e .
H y p e rd r i ve b r i n g s i n a d i ve r s e g ro u p o f d a re d e v i l d r i ve r s f ro m a ro u n d t h e w o r l d t o t e s t t h e i r s k i l l s w i t h s u p e rc h a rg e d c u s t o m c a r s o n t h e m o s t c h a l l e n g i n g a u t o m o t i ve o b s t a c l e c o u r s e e ve r b u i l t . — S a n d ro M o n e t t i
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H O L LY W O O D S P O T L I G H T
THEYʼ RE BACK! I t ’s a reu n ion th a t f i l m fa n s h ave b e e n waitin g n ea rly 3 0 yea rs to see. T h e n ew Te r m i n a tor m ov i e retea ms o rigin a l sta rs Arn o ld Sc hwarzen eg ge r a n d L i n d a Ha m i l ton w i th fra n c h ise c rea to r Ja mes C am ero n .
T h at t rio wo r ke d w i th ea ch oth e r on 19 8 4’s T h e Termin a to r a n d its spec tac u lar 199 1 se q u e l T 2 : J u d ge m e n t Day a n d th is n ew mov ie, Term in ato r: Da r k Fa te, i s th e f i rst ti m e they h ave a ll been ba c k to get h er sin ce. L in da H am ilton wa s th e h a rd est of a l l of th em to co nv in ce to ret u rn becau se i t se e m e d d i ff i cu l t to top th e first two films. B u t sh e even t u al l y d e ci d e d th e a cti n g ch a l l e nge of rev isitin g h er h ero in e c h ara cte r Sa ra h Con n or 2 8 yea rs la ter wa s irresistible. “ Yo u wan t to reti re a ch a m p i on b u t ti m e ch a n ges ever y th in g,” sh e explain ed. “ I d i ete d a n d a l l th a t , wor k i n g fo r h a lf a yea r to get t rim , bu t I rea l i ze d I ca n’t wor r y a b ou t tr yin g to be wh a t I wa s becau se I ’m so m u ch m ore n ow. I k n ew the ric h n ess of my life experien ce cou l d e n r i ch th e ch a ra cte r I play.” Sc hwarzen eg ge r ’s ch a ra cte r h a s th e ca tc h ph ra se: “I’ll be ba c k” an d t h ere wa s n eve r a ny d ou bt h e wou l d be ba c k a ga in . “I’m addic ted to th i s f ra n ch i se,” h e sa i d . “Te r min a to r wa s th e mov ie wh ic h really l a u n ch e d my a cti on ca re e r. Fro m th a t mo men t o n , ever y t h in g c h a n ge d . I ’m so gl a d L i n d a a n d Jim h ave co me ba c k.”
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C a m e ro n co n ceived th e sto r y fo r Da rk Fa te a n d pro du ced th e film b u t h i s wo rk o n th e u pco min g Ava ta r sequ els left h im to o bu sy to d i re ct it . So h e bro u gh t in Dea dpo o l’s T im Miller – a n d co u ldn’t be m ore plea sed with th e resu lts. “As a pro du cer I pic k th e best peo ple fo r th e jo b a n d tu rn th em l oose. Th is is T im’s film, I’m ju st a so u n din g boa rd. I will say we’ve com e up with a grea t wh ite k n u c kle ride of a film.” Te r m i n a to r Da rk Fa te – du e fo r relea se in N ovember 2019 – is a d i re c t sequ el to T 2 a n d ign o res th e plots of th e th ree po o rly re ce i ved Termin a to r films wh ic h fo llowed th a t o n e. Ca n th e drea m tea m resto re th e fra n c h ise to glo r y ? —Sa n dro Mo n ett i 29
H O L LY W O O D S P O T L I G H T
THE DIRECTORS WHO CHANGED THE Some directors do more than just make great movies, they also change film histor y in the process. Such is the case with the international moviemaking legends listed here. They came from different places but remain united forever by their influential and impactful achievements on camera. Here are Hollywood International Filmmaker Magazine’s greatest directors in history and how they moved the industry forward.
ALFRED HITCHOCK Achievem ent: M a ste r of su sp e n se A n a l ys i s : O f te n co p i e d , n eve r b e tte re d h e p u t t h e s ca re s i n to cinema like no one else. Psycho is still terrifying all these years later.
STEVEN SPIELBERG Achievement: Made the first summer b lo ck b uster, Jaws. Analysis: Balanced the commercial h i t s (J u ra ss i c Pa r k , E T, I n d i a n Jo nes) wit h th e a cc l a i m e d m ov i es (Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan)
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CHARLIE CHAPLIN
AKIRA KUROSAWA
Achi evem ent: First eve r m ov i e star to switch to dire c ti n g h i s own film s
Ac h ieve me nt: Op e n e d u p weste r n film ma r kets to Ja pa n ese films.
A n a l ys i s : D o m i n a te d s i l e n t m ov i e co m e d y w i t h h i s L i tt l e Tra m p c h a ra c te r
A n a l ys i s : M a s te r of t h e h i s to r i ca l e p i c w h o s e g re a t f i l m s , l i ke S eve n S a m u ra i , m o re t h a n s t a n d t h e te s t of t i m e.
ORSON WELLES
JOHN FORD
Achi evem ent: M ade w h at i s m ost wide ly co ns idered t h e best m ov i e of al l t im e, Cit izen Ka n e
Ac h ieve me nt: Ha s won t h e b est dire c tor Osca r more t imes t h a n a nyon e e lse (fou r).
A n a l ys i s : D i s t i n c t i ve f i l m m a k i n g s ty l e d u r i n g a l o n g a n d va r i e d career made him the ultimate auteur.
A n a l ys i s : T h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t f i g u re i n t h e h i s to r y of f i l m we s te r n s (S t a ge coa c h , T h e S e a rc h e rs) h e a l s o d i re c te d a d a p t a t i o n s of g re a t n ove l s ( T h e G ra p e s of Wra t h)
KATHRYN BIGELOW Achievement: First woman to win the Oscar for best director (The Hurt Locker). Analysis: Makes complex, personal and thrilling films which inspire as well as entertain.
FEDERICO FELLINI Achi evem ent: H as wo n m o re best foreig n lang uage film O sca rs(fo u r) than anyo ne else A n a l ys i s : A n a r t i s t w i t h t h e ca m e ra , h i s f i l m s , s u c h a s L a D o l ce Vi t a , h a d a b e a u t i f u l l y d i s t i n c t i ve l o o k .
JAMES CAMERON Ac h ieve me nt: D ire c te d t h e b iggest b ox office h it of a ll t ime, Avata r.. A n a l ys i s : A s t r i n g of o t h e r h i t s f ro m Te r m i n a to r to Ti t a n i c m a d e h i m k i n g of t h e m u l t i p l ex .
CECIL B DEMILLE Ac h ieve me nt: K n ow n a s t h e fat h e r of c in e ma for b e in g t h e c reator of c in e mat ic sh ow ma n sh ip, ma k in g films on a gra n d sca le A n a l ys i s : I n t h e va s t m a j o r i ty of h i s 70 f i l m s h e a c h i eve d co m m e rc i a l a s we l l a s c r i t i ca l s u cce ss .
SOME OTHER DIRECTING GREATS IDA LUPINO
JEAN LUC-GODARD
SPIKE LEE
DW GRIFFITH
QUENTIN TARANTINO
ANG LEE 31
H O L LY W O O D S P O T L I G H T
The ultimate movie museum is nearing completion in Los Angeles ahead of its early 2020 grand opening. The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will be America’s first major museum devoted to the film industry. Hollywood’s story is to be told in a series of exhibits there and also displayed will be an unrivaled collection of cinema memorabilia including Dorothy’s ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz, the shark from Jaws and the tablets from The Ten Commandments. The 300,000 square foot facility has been designed by multi award winning architect Renzo Piano and includes stunning raised building The Sphere, which offers panoramic views of Hollywood. Of course, all of this doesn’t come cheap and when the total cost ballooned to $388 million, some special help was needed
with fundraising. The museum is overseen by Oscar organizers the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who wisely appointed two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks to hit the phones and assist with raising funds from his Hollywood friends. Now, largely thanks to big donations from the likes of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Barbra Streisand, the money is in place to make this long dreamed of museum a reality. Tom Hanks says, “The museum will be filled with magnificent exhibits…it will be filled with ideas, hopes and dreams. People from around the globe are going to come to Los Angeles to go to this museum.” —Sandro Monetti
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ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES
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TECHNOLOGY & DEVELOPMENT
TA M I N G T E C H N O L O G Y THE MAKING OF THE
LION KING
Disney’s recent reworking of The Lion King told a ver y familiar stor y but used a brandnew me t hod of f ilmmakin g. This version of t he classic was f ilmed almost ent irel y in vir tual reality an d sa w direct o r Jo n Fa vreau putting on a VR headse t and planning s ho t s in a vir tual environ men t.
re i nve nt i ng t he st o r y. I want e d t o de m o nst rat e that we could be respectful of the source material while bringing it to life using mindbl owi ng t e c hni q u e s and t e c hno l o g i e s.”
I n s t e a d o f s h o o t i n g o n t h e s a va n n a i n A f r i c a , his 360-degree immersive locations were all virtual environments created inside a wa rehou s e on t h e outskir ts of Los A n ge l e s.
H e b ro u g h t i n t h re e - t i m e O s c a r w i n n i n g v i s u a l ef fects super visor Rob Legato to help him b l e n d s t a t e o f t h e a r t v i r t u a l re a l i t y t o o l s w i t h c o m p u t e r g e n e r a t e d i m a g e r y a n d l i ve a c t i o n f i l m m a k i n g t e c h n i q u e s t o c re a t e a u n i q u e l o o k f o r t he f i l m .
Amid the sensors and infrared signals, he plotted out t he photoreal look , tone and style of his hit movie, whic h was t he t hird remake of a Disney animated classic t his year alone, following quickly on the heels of Aladdin and Dumbo. Favreau, whose previous directing credits include Iron Man and The Jungle Book , said: “ We ’r e r e i nve n t i n g t h e m e d i u m b u t n o t 34
T h i s p i o n e e r i n g m ov i e a g a i n p u s h e s b a c k t h e limits of what can be achieved in special e f f e c t s a n d s e t s a n ew s t a n d a rd t h a t f i l m s l i ke the upcoming Avatar sequels will look to m at c h and eve n su r pass. — S andro M o ne t ti
TECHNOLOGY & DEVELOPMENT
ORIGINAL
NEW
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BATTLE SPECIAL The ultimate battle of movie making technologies plays out on screen this October when two films both using computer tricks to make their leading m e n l o o k y o u n g e r s q u a r e o f f a g a i n s t e a c h o t h e r. Action thriller Gemini Man stars Will Smith as an aging assassin who has to fight a 23-year -old clone of himself who has been hired to kill him. Crime movie The Irishman has an all-star cast including Robert De Niro as a hit man who is seen aging from his mid-30s to his early ‘70s. 36
Instead of hiring more youthful lookalikes to play younger version of their stars, both films turned to technological advancements to solve the problem. Gemini Man director Ang Lee worked with visual effects studios Weta Digital to make the younger version of Will Smith a digital character created through motion-capture. The process involved taking pictures from Smith earlier in his career—films like Bad Boys, Independence Day and the one on these pages, Ali— t o i n f l u e n c e t h e c r e a t i o n o f h i s d i g i t a l a v a t a r.
TECHNOLOGY & DEVELOPMENT
OF THE EFFECTS On The Irishman, director Martin Scorsese brought in special effects veterans Industrial Light and Magic to de-age De Niro and co-stars Al Pacino, Har vey Keitel and Joe Pesci, using state of t he ar t CGI techniques. Scorsese also used old pictures as reference— including this one of a younger De Niro in Raging Bull—and was working up until the last minute on per f ecting t he t ec hnology, sa ying, “Cer t ain sho ts need more work on the eyes, the wrinkles and
things have changed. I had to think what was it in t he eyes I liked—was is an int ensity, was it a gravitas, was it threat?” Who will win the hi-tec h clash? Will Smith or Robert De Niro? Who is the best coach—Ang Lee or Robert De Niro? The audience will decide. —Sandro Monetti
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SEX SCENES TO BE REGUL ATED 38
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New guidelines are being drawn up about on-screen nudity, intimacy and simulated sex scenes. T h e i n it i at ive f ro m a c to r s ’ u n i o n S AG - A F T R A i s designed to make performers feel safe and secure and to respect their boundaries. Union president Gabr ielle Carter is descr ibed the policy as “An important safety net for our members doing hyper exposed work.” T h e i n c re a s e d f o c u s o n s e x u a l h a r a s s m e n t a n d abuse of power in the entertainment industry has l e d to a s t r i n g o f c o d e o f c o n d uc t i n it i at ive s o f which this is the latest.
T h e i d e a i s f o r S AG - A F T R A t o c o l l a b o r at e w i t h I nt i m acy D i re c to r s I nte r n at io n a l to st a n da rd i z e a n d i m p l e m e nt g u i d e l i n e s f o r wh at i s a n d i s n’ t acceptable on stage and set. Fu r t h e r m o re t h e i n it i at ive w i l l p ro m ote t h e use of specialized support in the for m of intimacy coordinators on productions for the benefit of the industry. —Sandro Monetti
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THINKING G LOB AL LY With film being such a global business, the Motion Picture Association of America is looking to extend its i n f l u e n c e o n i n d u s t r y re g u l at i o n a n d policy worldwide. T h e r i s e o f s t re a m i n g i nte r n at i o n a l ly and the regulation headaches that p re s e n t s h a s p a r t ly p ro m p t e d t h e U S m ov i e i n d u s t r y ' s m a i n t r a d e g ro u p to widen its reach. The MPAA, which represents the major film studios as well as Netflix, has long advocated on behalf of its members on a ra n ge o f is sue s . Mo st re c e nt ly t h e se h ave i nvolve d c o py r ig ht i n f r i n ge m e nt including streaming from pirate sites. But the changing and expanding nature of the film business has seen the MPAA move its lobbying focus beyond Capitol H i l l i n Wa s h i n g t o n t o t h e E u r o p e a n
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Union in Br ussels and with officials in the Asia Pacific region. " We h ave a n o n go i n g e f f o r t to b u i l d a m o re g l o b a l ly c o n n e c te d o rg a n i z at io n to advance the interests of our member c o m p a n i e s ," s a i d M PA A c h a i r m a n a n d CEO Charles Rivkin, who is a former US Ambassador to France. Staff positions are changing and expanding to reflect the effort to
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build a more globally coordinated organiz ation. Fo r e x a m p l e , G a i l M c K i n n o n h a s been promoted to senior executive v i c e p re s i d e nt o f t h e M PA A w it h sp e c i a l re sp o ns i b i l ity fo r ove r s ig ht o f international policy T h e t r a d e g ro u p f o r A m e r i c a n m o t i o n picture comp anie s has be en around since 1922 but never has it s glob al strategy and advocacy been as focused as it is now.
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— Sandro Monetti 41
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Disney D23 Convention Report
Disney has dominated the global box office lately with one huge success after another and the entertainment empire shows no signs of slowing down. At the corporation’s own D23 Expo, studio chiefs outlined plans to keep the hits coming with a slate of upcoming releases which look like surefire hits.
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Among them is Jungle Cruise—named after the Disneyland ride of the same name – which stars Dwayne Johnson, who told adoring fans at the convention: “This is an epic with big action, it’s got adventure, it’s got romance and, best of all, it’s got me!”
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Angelina Jolie heads the cast of Marvel’s next ensemble blockbuster The Eternals, about a race of aliens sent to Earth to protect humanity.
Chris Pratt and Tom Holland are the voices of elf brothers in Pixar’s next animation offering, Onward, and Emma Stone takes on a classic villainess role as Cruella de Vil, nemesis of the 101 dalmatians, in Cruella.
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Before those come surefire multiplex megahits Frozen 2 and the final Star Wars film: The Rise of Skywalker.
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With its new streaming platform, Disney Plus, the showbiz giant also hopes to conquer the small screen, premiering original films like a live action version of Lady and the Tramp and new Christmas movie Noelle. Stars from all these films and many more were at D23, held at Anaheim Convention Center in California, which was packed with thousands of Disney fans, many dressed as their favorite Disney characters.
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Talking of favorites, the studio used the Expo to also honor some of its greatest contributors as Disney Legends in its hall of fame with Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr, Lion King director Jon Favreau and singer Christina Aguilera among those honored. Aguilera said, “There’s probably no greater fan of Disney than me so this honor is even cooler than a Grammy.” 47
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In his opening remarks at the Expo, Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said, “This is an era of sweeping and profound change for our company and the entire industry but we find the pace of change exhilarating. I’ve been in this job 14 years, it’s the ride of a liftetime but that ride keeps getting better because looking at the new content I’m awed and inspired.” —Sandro Monetti
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