Art Film Talk

Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick have been producing high-quality television (My So Called Life, thirtysomething) and film (Legends of the Fall, Blood Diamond) for quite some time. Recently the duo launched Quarterlife, a contemporary coming of age series being streamed on the web along with an integrated social network. A significant aspect of the show is that unlike most television properties today, the producers retain full creative control and ownership. In addition to being available on MySpace and their own web site, they recently made a deal with NBC to air the show next year.

I talk with Herskovitz about the origins of the project, its significance in the context of the writers strike, and what's different about producing for the internet compared to traditional film and television. Related to this interview is "Are the corporate suits ruining TV?," an editorial by Herskovitz which appeared in the Los Angeles Times on November 7, 2007 in which he argues that Network control and media consolidation are wringing the creativity out of entertainment.

Photo credit: Elisabeth Caren/quarterlife, the Art Film Talk theme music was composed by Colin Owens.

 Art Film Talk #23 Marshall Herskovitz [27:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Zev Berman co-wrote and directed Borderland, which opens today (Friday November 9, 2007) as part of the 8 Films to Die For Horror Fest taking place in 350 theaters throughout the United States. The film, based on true events, tells the story of three Americans on a road-trip south of the border who tangle with a cult practicing human sacrifice. We talk about the origins of the project, genre issues, casting, and the cinematographic techniques behind the look of the film. Borderland is his second feature-length film.

Borderland: Cast: Brian Presley, Martha Higareda, Jake Muxworthy, Rider Strong, Damian Alcazar, Sean Astin; Screenwriter: Zev Berman, Eric Poppen; Producers: Randall Emmett, George Furla, Lauren Moews, Elisa Salinas; Original Music: Andrés Levin; Cinematographer: Scott Kevan; Editor: Eric Strand; Production Designer: Tim Galvin; Set Decorator: Pachilu Moreno; Costume Designer: Monica Araiz.

 Art Film Talk #22 Zev Berman [24:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Christen McArdle is the Executive Director of the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the oldest festival of its kind in North America showcasing avant-garde, documentary and independent films from around the world. We talk about the festival's fundraising campaign and the censorship controversy the festival has been involved with. The 46th Ann Arbor Film Festival will take place on March 25th through the 30th, 2008, and they are currently accepting submissions, the standard deadline is coming up soon on October 1st, and their late deadline is November 15th. Introduction and closing music was composed by Colin Owens.

 Art Film Talk #20 Christen McArdle [16:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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David Tames talks with Thom Fitzgerald about his new film, 3 Needles, which opens in several U.S. theaters on Friday, December 1, 2006 in conjunction with World AIDS Day. The cast includes Lucy Liu, Chloe Sevigny, Olympia Dukakis, Sandra Oh, Stockard Channing, and Shawn Ashmore.

The film consists of three stories about the ways different people deal with the AIDS epidemic and the sacrifices they are willing to make: In Montreal, a porn actor hides his illness so he will not lose his job while his mother makes her own pact with the disease in order to care for him; In South Africa a nun negotiates a deal to save the lives of disease-stricken children in her mission; In a Chinese village, a young entrepreneur buys blood from farmers who use the money to improve their lives, unaware that she is spreading death. Thom Fitzgerald has said, "In North America and Europe we have such a cognitive awareness of how not to spread AIDS, but in much of the rest of the world, people are innocently infected through ignorance and cultural practice."

The interivew was edited by Elissa Mintz and recorded at the 2006 Rio International Film Festival. Theme music by Colin Owens.

 Art Film Talk Episode #19 [16:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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We continue our conversation with David Redmon (Director, Producer, and Editor) and Ashley Sabin (Associate Producer) about their documentary film, Mardi Gras: Made in China (2005, 72 min.) and their decision to self-distribute, the technical aspects of the film, and what's next for them (Part 2 of 2).

 Art Film Talk Episode #18 [13:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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David Tames talks with Video Blogger Steve Garfield about podcasting and the future of participatory media from a practical perspective. Includes promo for Podcamp Boston 2006 to be held September 9th and 10th at Bunker Hill Community College. Video Blogging provides a new form of media access that independent filmmakers can experiment with.

Links related to this interview: Media Revolution: Podcasting | Steve Garfield's Video Blog | Vlog Soup | Off On A Tangent | Steve Garfield's Rocketboom Reports | Josh Leo's Video Blog | Ravi Jain's DriveTime | the show with ze frank | Vlogging Session Handouts | Steve Garfield's Everything you always wanted to learn about video blogs on Squidoo

 Art Film Talk Episode #16 [19:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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