What did our students get up to on our February course? This past week, we ran 2018’s first edition of Making the Short Film, a course on which our students learn by actually shooting a short film. We welcomed a diverse, international group of fantastic filmmakers, with all levels of experience, and together went on […]
Is the current so-called ‘golden age’ of music videos actually a dark age of regression for the form? Musings on the twenty-first century music video. It is often stated (particularly on the internet) that the 2010s have become a golden age of sorts for music video, as a result of ever-heightening production values and the […]
Yes, film is an audiovisual medium. Yes, the best way to learn is by doing. Yes, a book can’t give you feedback on your work. But, Werner Herzog says that filmmakers must, “Read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read….” So if you are looking to consume printed words and […]
To deny that the world is going through a podcasting ‘boom’ would be irresponsible, particularly as recent analysis shows that nearly one in four US citizens listen to a podcast at least once a month. The relatively low cost of entry and simplicity of distribution means that it is easy for niche interest recordings to […]
This morning Tokyo time, or afternoon/evening US time, Netflix unexpectedly released The Cloverfield Paradox (Julius Onah, 2018), following no long marketing campaign, no press junkets, no big premiere, and no advance critics’ reviews. The film appears to be a more traditional follow-up to the original Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008) than 2016 sequel 10 Cloverfield Lane […]
We sat down with our Screenwriting for Beginners tutor Matthew Allen and asked him a few questions. First, could you introduce yourself to our readers? Yeah, I’m a produced, represented writer living in Tokyo. I’m from Australia, but have also worked in the States. How did you end up in Japan? How long have you […]
With the trailer for Steven Soderbergh’s iPhone-shot latest feature, Unsane, dropping this week, and continuing the theme of the democratising effect of newer technologies from my interview with cinematographer Matt De Sousa last week, I would like to highlight ten feature films shot on consumer-grade cameras. I hope some of these films will convince you […]
Discover how cinematographer Matt De Sousa shot the music video for Shunské G & The Peas’ hit song, ‘Groove Me’. Shunské G & The Peas, ‘Groove Me’, Space Shower Music, 2017 Matt De Sousa is a Tokyo-based self-taught cinematographer who has worked with the likes of Etihad Airways and AirBnB, as well as musical artists […]
The cinematographer reflects on launching his career in Japan. Plus, his hot tip for finding cool locations in Tokyo. Matt De Sousa is a Tokyo-based cinematographer who has worked with the likes of Etihad Airways and AirBnB, as well as musical artists including Gorillaz collaborator Kilo Kish. Uniquely, he is a self-taught director of photography […]
What is Making the Short Film? Learn to make films by making a short film over three evenings and a weekend. That’s what our most recent course entailed, guiding our students from the script to the screen. The three weekday evenings grounded everyone in the basics of filmmaking, covering directing the script, the camera, the […]