My Top Ten Favorite Articles of Last Week.

These are my top ten favorite articles of last week, in no particular order. If you have something worth sharing next week, please send it my way by email or Twitter.

The (amazing) Cinematography of Emmanuel Lubezki (video below)

20 Acclaimed Filmmakers Explain America’s Money Problems in ‘We the Economy’ http://bit.ly/1wq7AF4

This is insane! Disintegrating by Fabian Oefner http://bit.ly/1sKjaVA

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class technology features are truly breathtaking. http://bit.ly/11bpHCs  Suddenly $100k seems cheap! 

After Effects: Understanding GPU, CUDA, and OpenGL features http://adobe.ly/1xxPzq2

Top 50 YouTube and Vimeo Channels for Filmmakers and Cinephiles http://bit.ly/1zZuqDm via  Cinephilia & Beyond

A short history of (believable) CG characters in movies http://bit.ly/1tzpkbn

Brain Jazz: A Mind-Jam with Jason Silva and Douglas Rushkoff (video below)

70-Minute Masterclass With Legendary Cinematograph http://bit.ly/1y3NvoB via Indiwire

Time Is the New Money. Are You Broke? http://bit.ly/1y3NC3y via Inc Magazine

My Top Ten Favorite Articles of Last Week.

These are my top ten favorite articles of last week, in no particular order. If you have something worth sharing next week, please send it my way by email or Twitter.

A beautiful compilation of silhouettes in cinema. http://bit.ly/1zZuXFh

A Free Image and Model Release Template You Can Fill Out and Sign On a Smartphone http://bit.ly/1qH1ksh

Adobe Releases Lightroom 5.7 with Aperture Importer and Support for the Latest and Greatest Cameras http://bit.ly/1vv0lgC

Danny Boyle & Darren Aronofsky: Directing Style http://bit.ly/1tVuzSy

There Aren’t Enough Women Cinematographers and That Needs http://bit.ly/1wq2I2A via Indiewire

Space Out With This Turkish Musician’s New Instrument http://bit.ly/1EIN0ST

There Are Now Over 20 Cell Phones that Shoot 4K Video http://bit.ly/1wq5IvY

Which Laptops Have the Best, Longest Battery Life? http://bit.ly/1wq64CI via Digital Trends

Watch an Adobe Panel About the 6K Editorial Workflow of ‘Gone Girl’ http://bit.ly/1wq77CN via Creative Planet Network

James Cameron Thinks Oculus Rift is ‘a Yawn’ http://bit.ly/1wq78Xj via Digital Trends

The 50 Best Warner Bros Films (Blu-ray) Collection is 70% off right now.

I’ve been drooling over this collection for a while, not only for the fantastic movies but also because it comes with hours and hours and hours of director’s commentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes. $420 is kinda hard to justify, but right now Amazon is offering the complete set for only $177, about 70% the regular price. The timing couldn’t be better, this would make THE perfect Christmas present for the film lover in your live (or yourself!).

Here are the 50 Movies included

1. Grand Hotel* (1932)
2. Mutiny on the Bounty* (1935)
3. Wizard of Oz (1939)
4. Gone with The Wind* (1939)
5. Maltese Falcon, The (1941)
6. Mrs. Miniver* (1942)
7. Casablanca* (1942)
8. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)
9. Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951)
10. American in Paris, An* (1951)
11. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
12. Gigi(1958)
13. North By Northwest (1959)
14. Ben-Hur* (1959)
15. How the West Was Won (1962)
16. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
17. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
18. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
19. Bullitt (1968)
20. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)
21. Dirty Harry (1971)
22. Clockwork Orange, A (1972)
23. Exorcist, The (1973)
24. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest* (1975)
25. Superman, The Movie (1977)
26. Shining, The (1980)
27. Chariots of Fire* (1981)
28. Risky Business (1983)
29. Amadeus* (1984)
30. Color Purple, The (1985)
31. Lethal Weapon (1987)
32. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
33. Driving Miss Daisy* (1989)
34. Goodfellas (1990)
35. Unforgiven* (1992)
36. Bodyguard, The(1992)
37. Natural Born Killers (Director’s Cut) (1994)
38. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
39. Matrix, The (1999)
40. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
41. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
42. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
43. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King* (2003)
44. Million Dollar Baby* (2005)
45. Departed, The* (2006)
46. Dark Knight, The (2008)
47. Blind Side, The (2009)
48. Hangover, The (2009)
49. Sherlock Holmes (2009)
50. Inception (2010)

Amazon direct link.

The Making of Scorsese’s “Hugo.”

Some people feel disappointed or even “cheated” after seeing the tricks behind a movie. I feel the opposite. It is simply a different way to appreciate the crazy lengths people are willing to go to tell their stories. Absolutely stunning special effects.

If the embedded movie doesn’t work, click here: Hugo Cabret – Making of

On meeting Joe McNally.

It would not be an understatement to say that I taught myself how to shoot by poring over the work of Joe McNally, James Stanfield, Sam Abell, and David Alan Harvey. I was exposed to their work through my grandparents’ collection of National Geographic magazines. (This was in the late 1980s, when Joe had just started working for the publication.)

I analyzed every one of their images in an attempt to “crack the code” to their magical eyes. The process raised many a question: What is so powerful about this particular image? Is it the light? The composition? The subject matter? The perspective? What lens did they use? How did they get that color in the background?

I “borrowed” my dad’s Nikon FE2 with a 50mm lens for a “weekend” and set out to recreate their images, but from my own point of view. (By the way, the Fuji X100s reminds me very much of those early experiences and that’s why I love it so much. All these pictures were taken using only that camera.) Not having access to a darkroom, I shot 35mm slides (actually, the first time I ever saw a darkroom was in grad school, as I ended up studying architecture for my undergraduate degree, but that’s another story for another day). Shooting slides was the only way I could see my many mistakes and few random successes almost right away. Times have changed a bit.

The results of these explorations were generally disastrous, but I took lots of notes concerning aperture, shutter speed, and lighting conditions for every frame on a little Moleskin “reporter” notebook that made me feel like a National Geographic photographer on assignment. Occasionally when I got a properly exposed image I matched it to its settings and used them as my baseline on the next roll of film. This was certainly a tedious and expensive way to achieve photographic fluency, but it was a valuable learning process that can’t ever be replaced by anything else. Throughout my college years I improved my technical skills, and continued to be inspired by Joe’s images. “Did he use a flash? I actually see two shadows. I think he used two. Did he use a blue and a red gel? Let’s see what happens if I do the same. ”

James Stanfield’s Portrait

My interpretation of Stanfield’s portrait.

Joe McNally’s “Fire” Portrait

My interpretation of McNally’s “Fire” image.

This was a never-ending exploration and a bizarre, yet wonderful, one-way conversation with my invisible photo mentors. That is, until several years ago, when I was invited to teach workshops in Dubai. To my amazement, sitting across the table were David Alan Harvey, David Burnett, and Joe McNally, among other photo “celebrities.” “Hi, I’m Joe.” Just like that. Without a last name, and not even a hint of snobbery or false humility. After a few nights of having dinner together, and after several glasses of wine, I finally had the balls to share with him that I learned how to shoot by copying his images. I also told him he was the most humble famous person I knew. We’ve met several times since then, and I consider him a dear friend. Imagine my excitement when he called to ask if I’d be interested in editing 25 of his most popular, fun, educational, and madcap posts from his blog and then translating them into Spanish!

And here’s the result, a beautifully designed ebook, available in either Spanish or English. Let’s support Joe by getting a copy today.

La Luz y la Vida: Apuntes de Viaje de un Fotógrafo – Kindle edition by Joe McNally.

The Light and the Life: Field Notes from a Photographer – Kindle edition by Joe McNally.

My Top Ten Favorite Articles of Last Week.

These are my top ten favorite articles of last week, in no particular order. If you have something worth sharing next week, please send it my way by email or Twitter.

How Criterion Collection Brings Movies Back From the Dead http://bit.ly/1tzoyuX via Vimeo

Here’s What Happens When You Put Instant Film in a Microwave http://bit.ly/1qtgQFe via Smithsonian

Confused About Codecs? This Video Tutorial Will Teach You What You Need to Know http://bit.ly/1qOE1FU via No Film School

What We See When We Read http://hntd.ch/1p5YDZh via Cool Hunting

Darkness & Light: Contemporary Nordic Photography http://hntd.ch/1p5YPaU via Cool Hunting

The Yachts Of The Super-Rich Do Battle In These Violent Photo Montages http://bit.ly/1qOFX1d

The Director’s Chair: Robert Rodriguez Interviewing Quentin Tarantino! It looks amazing. http://bit.ly/1qOHnbU

Steadicam Inventor Reveals the ‘Impossible Shots’ That Changed Filmmaking Forever http://bit.ly/1pARVuG via Hollywood Reporter

Satellite Uses Infrared Photography to See Beneath California Forest Fire Smoke http://bit.ly/1w9IPxu via Petapixel

How Gordon Willis Inspired Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen http://bit.ly/1qOG7Wf via Indiewire