The P3 Update Magazine Blog

by Dyana Carmella

For anyone interested in HD production, the Hilton in Universal City, California was the place to be on March 5th. For those looking to increase their knowledge on HD technology and the future of postproduction, the 2009 HD Expo was a virtual paradise. The floor was packed with new equipment and the latest HD technology. Exhibitors stood around every corner, ready to answer questions about their products. According to the HD Expo official website, attendance was up 37% from the previous year.

This year’s HD Expo included a keynote conversation with three-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Wally Pfister, ASC. Pfister described the behind-the-camera work involved in creating compelling images for motion pictures, television and commercials.

Content creators and attendees shared the floor with some of today’s leading product and service providers. JVC unveiled its highly anticipated, tapeless, solid-state-recording cameras: the JVC GYHM700 and JVC GYHM100.  Panasonic debuted the AG-HPX300 camera.

The show hosted a number of intensive sessions, including an “Extreme RED” presentation featuring “24″ DP Rodney Charters, ASC and top RED experts such as Cliff Hsui, Stefan von Bjorn, Chris Burket and RED’s own Ted Schilowitz.

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by James Thompson

It’s nice to see that the California legislature has finally passed a tax credit for film and television productions and is getting in the game to keep production in the state.

It’s really creating quite a buzz. At a recent California location reception, I was fortunate to speak with many location professionals who seemed excited about its realization. Many producers who live in California really want to work here. I think this is something for the 250,000+ labor force to celebrate.

To find out more about the tax incentive program, go to: www.film.ca.gov.

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Can’t say I’m that surprised by all the recent, vicious criticism of the TV movie critics show “At the Movies” (check out StopBenlyons.com). Compared with the original that featured Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert – or even the version with Richard Roeper who replaced Gene after his tragic death in ’99 – the newly revamped version with Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz is pretty lowbrow stuff.  I knew Gene when I used to write for the Chicago Tribune back in the day and saw him when he came out to Hollywood and, like Roger, he was a truly informed, erudite lover of film. Ben & Ben are no Siskel and Ebert. There’s also been talk of the fact that both Bens may only have their TV gig because of nepotism (Ben L is son of critic Jeffrey Lyons and Ben M is grandson of famed screenwriter Herman who wrote a little movie called Citizen Kane). If so, it’s only in the grand tradition of this town, where nepotism has always thrived. More to the point, the show itself is now pretty irrelevant. In the Internet age, fewer and fewer people read newspapers – let alone thoughtful film criticism – and even fewer listen to critics. Blogs and word-of-mouth carry far more weight.

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By Iain Blair

Not sure what to make of Joaquin Phoenix’s latest strange trip into rap! I’ve talked to him many times over the years and he was always so happy to talk about music and was proud to do all his own vocals for the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic hit Walk the Line, a role that won him an Oscar nom and a Grammy. So, when he recently announced he was quitting acting for a full-time music career, it made some sense – sort of. But after his bizarre 12-minute ‘rap’ at Lavo in Las Vegas, and then his even more bizarre appearance on Letterman, maybe a rethink is in order. His brief performance left most of the crowd totally mystified. I think that while he’s serious about his love of music, this reinvention as a rapper may just be a cinema verite-style hoax – especially as pal and bro-in-law Casey Affleck is busy shooting a doc about the whole experience.

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By Iain Blair

Watchmen has got to be one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year. Since its initial release as a 12-issue limited comic book in the ‘80s by DC Comics, it has been republished as the now-legendary graphic novel. It was also considered un-filmable. As directed by Zack Snyder (300), it stars a largely unknown cast – Billy Crudup as Jon Osterman, Dr. Manhattan; Jackie Earle Haley as Walter Kovacs, a.k.a. Rorschach; Carla Gugino as Sally Jupiter, a.k.a. Silk Spectre; Malin Akerman as Laurie Jupiter, a.k.a. Silk Spectre II; Matthew Goode as Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias; Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Edward Blake, a.k.a. The Comedian; and Patrick Wilson as Dan Dreiberg, a.k.a. Nite Owl II – and stays faithful to the book.

So Nixon is still President of 1985 America, the Vietnam War was won, not lost, and the USA and the Soviet Union are still fighting the Cold War. Joining Snyder behind the scenes were Director of Photography Larry Fong (300), Production Designer Alex McDowell (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Editor William Hoy (300), Costume Designer Michael Wilkinson (300), and Visual Effects Supervisor John “DJ” DesJardin, whose extensive credits include The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, Fantastic Four and The Kingdom. The team shot the film at several locations around Vancouver, Canada, and a number of sets were constructed on four stages at CMPP Studios (Canadian Motion Picture Park).  In addition, a new backlot was built from the ground up on what once was a vast lumber yard on the outskirts of town.  There, McDowell and his team built from scratch the New York City that Watchmen fans will recognize — from the Gunga Diner to Rorschach’s alley to The Comedian’s high-rise apartment. To complete the look, “DJ” told me they also used “about 1100 total” visual effects shots. The result is pretty amazing.

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By Iain Blair

Even though this year’s show lacked any real drama or surprises, I was thrilled that Heath Ledger won the Oscar, making him only the second star who has ever won an Oscar posthumously – the other was Peter Finch for Network. In fact, Hollywood has a long tradition of big stars, including James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Peter Finch and Bruce Lee, having high-profile films released after their untimely deaths. However, when it comes to the Oscars, they’re always ignored. Even the legendary Spencer Tracy was ignored by the Academy after he died. Tracy was a beloved Hollywood veteran who died just as Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner? was release. Yet he didn’t win the Oscar – even though he was considered the front-runner. Curiously, Tracy’s de facto widow, Katherine Hepburn, did win the Best Actress Oscar that year for the same film. There are also parallels between the truncated careers of Ledger and James Dean. Like Heath, James Dean was a heartthrob star who was considered a serious actor who died tragically young. He was nominated twice posthumously – for East of Eden and Giant – but lost both times. Though Ledger’s critically hailed performance seemed won him the Oscar, the film itself was dismissed by Oscar voters; a superhero popcorn movie has yet to burst into the Best Picture race.

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