While filming today, I realized that, although not on the camera, the cinematographer plays a big role in the finished product of the movie. Inception won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 2010. Inception is famous for its complex angles and filming that literally takes you into another dimension. All the camera tricks and any filming for that matter, could not have been possible if it was for Walter Pfister, the cinematographer. Walter, better known as Wally, grew up in Chicago and was raised learning the film business as his father was a producer. Wally got a job with a television station right out of college, and ever since has flourished in the filming business. Along with Inception, Wally filmed the movies The Italian Job and more recently Moneyball. Wally also has a film on its way called Transcendence which is released into theater early this new year!!

As a producer of the remake of Sherlock Holmes, I was very interested to learn about Grant Heslov who produced Argo. Argo won Academy Award for Best Picture in 2012. The movie was a thiller about trying to bring a group of innocent Americans out of Iran by disguising themselves as a movie cast. As well as being a producer, Heslov is also an acclaimed actor. He starred in Goodnight, and Good Luck and The Scorpion King. Grant Heslov is best friends with George Clooney. Supposedly, Clooney lent Heslov $200 to buy headshots while filming Goodnight, and Good Luck and they have been close friends ever since. Another fun fact, Heslov once directed a short film about a Woody Allen fan called Waiting for Woody, and in 2006, Grant competed for an Oscar in the same category as Woody Allen. What are the chances? Overall, Grant Heslov, the producer of Academy Award winning fim Argo, plays a big role in film. Whether its acting in a big movie, producing academy award winning films or directing Oscar nominated short clips, he is well-accomplished in the movie business.

The animation movie Up was nominated for the Academy Awards in 2009. The screenwriter was Bob Peterson with the help of Pete Docter. Peterson also helped out in other Pixar movies including: Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. and Ratatouille. He is considered a star in Pixar. Pete Docter was also the screenwriter in Toy Story, another Pixar classic. Both joined Pixar at a very young age. Peterson was born January 1961 and Docter was born October 9, 1968.

Take Two!

I honestly didn't know what to expect coming into this Jterm. How do you remake films? What even is remaking a film? Well, just after the first couple of days I have learned the basics of the art of remaking films. I have learned different vocabulary terms like form and content. Also, how to shoot a film with different camera angles. The most interesting thing that I have learned so far is that with varying camera angles it creates a whole different feeling to the scene. For example, when we were doing the exercise yesterday, I learned that horizontal landscape shot is better than vertical because it gives the viewer more of a sense of the background. Also, high low shots during an argument or 180 degrees shot to make the viewer really feel apart of the conversation.

In terms of group work, I am our producer. After brainstorming different ideas for films to remake, we have decided on the great mystery Sherlock Holmes. I am very excited to get started! Also, yesterday we went over the rough overview of each scene and determined the characters. I cant wait to see how the final product turns out.

I am looking forward to the remaining of our two weeks. I am interested to watch more old and then new movies and evaluating the differences in the remake. Also, I am excited to continue to work on my groups remake of Sherlock Holmes!