Conversation with Brazilian filmmaker Gabriel Milessis Braga on making his horror film and deciding to make it a Black & White film. Gabriel chats about the perspective of the audience seeing a film not in colour and the context of that choice.
After collapsing at the altar, Elise awakens inside an old church, and something inside her has changed. Guided by a mysterious man who seems to understand her condition, she begins to confront a new, terrifying hunger. The First Night is a gothic meditation on becoming, resistance, and the quiet seduction of darkness in our lifes.
Harry Roseman has produced a number of major commissioned public sculptures. His “Subway Wall” sculpture is displayed at the Wall Street subway station in New York City. And “Curtain Wall”, his 600 feet sculpture is displayed at the JFK airport in NYC (if you’ve been to this airport, you’ve seen this sculpture.)
Now entering his 80s, Harry is dabbling into filmmaking and he is filming his everyday errands and turning it into art.
Community, Celebration, Conversation, Chores; these are the key themes of this experimental documentary. Four days of shopping for Thanksgiving dinner as well as the meal itself are
the ostensible subject of this film. Community is reflected in the interaction with people while shopping as well as the camaraderie of the dinner quests. The quotidian nature of these tasks is subverted by the abstract camerawork and narrative structure, offering the viewer a new perspective on both. The vertical orientation of the film reaffirms looking ahead as we follow the trajectory and shape of the shopping cart moving down the narrow aisles, as well as following the gaze of the filmmaker as he walks forward.
Conversation with filmmaker Ben Hamilton about selling tickets daily at a local cinema in Alaska for this 43 minute nature documentary, “Sikta’s Hidden Wonders”. The cinema is located at the daily shore stops for the Alaskan cruise ships, and Ben solicits tourists to watch the authentic Alaskan nature film.
“Sikta’s Hidden Wonders” is an amazing film. One of the best nature films of 2025.
Sitka’s Hidden Wonders is a 40-minute theatrical nature film that blends sweeping cinematography with a deeply personal story of return. Told by award–winning wildlife filmmaker Ben Hamilton, the film explores what it means to truly see a place—through the hidden layers of one of Alaska’s wildest coastal ecosystems.
Every summer, over 600,000 people visit Sitka, but most just walk around town and never see the incredible natural wonders all around us. I wanted to create a film that connects them to this place—beyond the shops and the docks—into the wild heart of Sitka. After years of filming here for networks like BBC and National Geographic, this was my chance to make something for Sitka itself.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
The film took two years of full-time work, plus a year of planning and permits before that. And some shots were collected over the last decade—moments I’d been saving for the right project.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Local. Connected.
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The biggest obstacle was really time. The focus and intensity it took to deliver a film like this while still being there for my small kids and wife. It meant weeks away in the field, long nights editing, and constantly trying to balance the work with family life.
Justin Gray chats about making a classic cinematic album of his composed work. How to turn music into an emotional experience for the audience, plus tell a story using just the music and visuals.
Immersed – A Cinematic Immersive Album by Justin Gray, 60min,. Canada
Directed by Justin Gray, Michael Fisher
Justin Gray’s Immersed is a groundbreaking cinematic album that transforms how audiences experience music. Composed, recorded, and produced as an immersive audio experience, the album features 38 artists from Toronto and around the globe, placing listeners at the center of a three-dimensional global orchestra.
Conversation with award-winning filmmaker Peter Gabriel Gagnon on the making of an action film that has moments of humor in it. How to find that balance of TONE and make sure you don’t lose your audience by mixing seriousness and silliness in the same scene.
This is NOT an easy thing to pull off but Peter does is well in his award winning short film “Wukong Couriers”.
Conversation with award-winning filmmaker B.T. Goldman on the making of his Thriller/Suspense short film TEA TIME. B.T. chats about his choices making an effective ending when directing a short film. How do make an impact while staying true to the story you’re telling.
I hadn’t directed a project of my own in over a year, and I was at a wrap party for a short film that I was an extra in (SPRINKLES, directed by the Andrew Korzenik, written by Riley Stockard, and produced by Sky Mattioli, all great talents). I tend to be off in my own world a bit at parties, and the image of a wild, tuxedo-laden man forcing tea on a guest at a table in an empty room came into my head. It was kind of out of nowhere, and seemed like a really simple, filmable idea for an unsettling story. It was an eerie, but also amusing to me since I grew up with an English father (who naturally was cast as the Englishman in this film).
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
I initially had the idea around September 2023, we filmed in February 2024, and I had the final edit in December 2024, so it was a total of about 15 months from conception to completion.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Uncomfortably funny.
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
It was probably the audio editing. It really felt like everything came together fairly easily, everyone who worked on the film is a close friend or relative. Eric Alcaraz, our incredible cinematographer, is well educated in audio engineering and really saved me with that when I was editing.
Conversation with multiple award-winning screenwriter Ryan Armstrong. His recent screenplay, SADDLED WITH, is a western/thriller. Ryan is a huge fan of Westerns and there is an unique analogy with today’s world. So yes, Westerns are currently making a comeback and we’ll be seeing more of them.
A gunslinger is hired to rescue and return a young person to their family despite all outlaws, odds, and attire.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Western, Action, Drama
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
I believe, especially now, that understanding, listening, and accepting are something we need to get back to doing. Whatever form/medium necessary to push that, might be helpful.
Watch the best of SHORT FILMS from around the world today. A library of over 500 award winning films: http://www.wildsound.ca (Plus, watch a new and original festival every single day.)
A red herring is a device that is used to mislead or distract the viewer from the real answer or conclusion. Simply said – it’s a false clue. And it takes people’s attention away from the central point being considered.
A classic example is a detective or mystery series where the viewer tries to figure out who the murderer is. The attention is focussed on an individual who could be the murderer. As we emotionally involve ourselves with that person and assume they are the in fact the killer, we are distracted and the real murderer is left alone.
Or, there is a “turncoat” or “rat” in a government building. Someone who is leaking information to the enemies. As everyone attempts to figure out who the “rat” is, we are introduced to a scenario where circumstantial evidence tells the audience that a certain individual is the rat! But they are not the rat, and while we are distracted, the real person keeps getting away with it.
Where did the term “red herring” come from?
False leads started to become known as “Red Herrings” in the early 1800s when an English journalist named William Cobbett used the term to compare the media’s premature reporting of Napoleon’s defeat to the practice of using smelly fish to distract hound dogs from chasing rabbits.
While Cobbett gets credit for the term, storytellers have been using false leads to surprise audiences since the beginning of time.
Famous red herring moments in film and TV.
Alfred Hitchcock was the master of using “red herrings” in most of his films. The best and most popular example is his 1960 horror/thriller film PSYCHO.
The entire first act of the film is about Marion Crane stealing money from her boss. The audience is wrapped into this heist for over 30 minutes. But that is an entire distraction from what is really the bigger question: What is really going on at the Bates Motel?
Hitchcock also uses music in his films as red herring devices. Screeches of violin noise, or intense bass instruments playing to emotionally put viewers on high alert. Only to have the situation be safe for the main character and distract the audience away from the real conflict.
—–
Red Herrings are even used in children’s movies. A great example is the 2013 smash hit FROZEN.
The main plot is that the only way Anna can be stopped from turning into ice, is to have an “act of true love”. Almost the entire audience assumes that Anna must get Prince Hans to kiss her – because, as we’ve learned in previous Disney films, true love’s kiss solves everything!
But, Hans isn’t Anna’s true love at all. He’s actually the VILLAIN of the film.
And, Red Herring #2 – it’s not about a romantic true love. Anna thaws out because the real act of true love was her sacrificing herself to save her sister! Anna and Elsa’s love was the actual TRUE LOVE of the film.
——
Other famous red herrings are”
– “THE USUAL SUSPECTS” (1995) (Verbal’s testimony and the entire plot of the film.)
– “THE SIXTH SENSE” (1999) (the “dead people” problem)
– “CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016) (The Winter Soldier)
– “GET OUT” (2017) (racism is the real enemy)
TV Series are loaded with red herrings:
The trend of viewing has definitely moved to the “binge watching TV series” experience. Most of us, if we’re being honest with ourselves, have and can watch an entire season of a television show in one sitting. So to keep the viewers engaged, and to keep them moving to the next episode, red herrings are used time and time again no matter what the genre is.
BREAKING BAD is considered the most popular and well regarded series from the last 25 years. It had modest success on the AMC network with is first premiered, but when they put the show it on Netflix, the popularity of the show blew up. Why? Because people couldn’t get enough of the plotting. This show is the masterclass of the red herring!
A few examples:
– Hank’s investigation of Heisenberg
– The Ricin cigarette
– The Poisoning of Brock
– The Train Robbery
– The “Box Cutter” incident
– The Pink Teddy Bear
– The State Motto of New Hampshire
– Walt’s bullet hole reflection
All moments and devices used to distract the audience from what is REALLY the going on!
And don’t get me started on Better Call Saul! That’s another video……
Chatting with Jeff Cutter about Cinematography and his career could have lasted all day. I generally like to limit the questions to about 10-15 when I do these film interviews because these are very busy people and generally less is more. With Jeff, I literally could have asked him 100s of questions as we were just scratching the surface. This is one of my favorite interviews to date. A must read for anyone working or wanting to work in the industry.
Jeff’s cinematography credits include “Gridiron Gang”, “Catch .44”, “Yellow”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Playing It Cool”, and “10 Cloverfield Lane”
Matthew Toffolo: How was your experience working on 10 Cloverfield Lane?
Jeff Cutter: Expect a taut, tense psychological thriller with 1 or 2 big surprises. I had a great time working on the film as we had a wonderful director in Dan Trachtenberg and an extremely supportive production company in Bad Robot. It was a relatively small budget, and had challenges as a result, but since it is mostly a very contained script we could maximize the resources we had.
Matthew: Do you have a favorite experience in your work as a Director of Photography? What film are you most proud of?
Jeff: I am most proud of my latest film, 10 Cloverfield Lane, because the photography is very close to what I had hoped we could achieve, and in some scenes, better than I hoped. My favorite experience was receiving an email from JJ Abrams about 2 weeks into principal photography, telling me how great he thought everything looked.
PHOTO: Still Shot from 10 Cloverfield Lane. Starring: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr.. Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Matthew: You have DP’d many music videos. Is this something that you’ll continue to do? Do music videos give you a lot more creative freedom to explore being it’s generally an experimental type of story being told?
Jeff: I haven’t shot a music video for almost 10 years now, which makes me feel very old! Budgets have shrunk dramatically from the heyday of music videos when I started. Back in the late 90’s and early 00’s, music videos gave you so much freedom to explore, but also the funds with which to do it. So almost any crazy idea a director came up with, you could go and do. Traditional narrative tools, like lighting continuity, or realistic lighting sources, get thrown out the window. But creative freedom doesn’t always lead to good work.
Experimenting will inevitably also lead to some very bad work as well!
Matthew: What is the key difference when working on a horror film (Orphan, Nightmare/Elm Street) in comparison to doing a straight up drama (Yellow)?
Jeff: When working on a horror film, it needs to be, first and foremost, scary. So much of the camera work and lighting is dedicated to creating/enhancing the suspense and scares. When filming a drama, you use the camera and lighting to support the narrative story.
Matthew: “Orphan” is an amazingly photographed film. It really sets the mood, tone, and themes of this film and is truly a masterful job from a cinematic level. It executes and then heightens the story to a new level. How was your collaboration with director Jaume Collet-Serra?
Jeff: Jaume was an extremely well planned and thoughtful director. For him, setting the overall mood was the number one priority of the camera and lighting. We watched many classic thriller and horror films, as well as less conventional ones, and discussed the feeling that Jaume was looking for in the movie. Then we mapped out the shots and techniques that would help create this feeling.
PHOTO: Still Shot from Orphan. Starring: Isabelle Fuhrman. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Matthew: What type of film would you love to work on that you haven’t worked on yet? Is there a shot/set-up that you’ve thought of already that you love to do in a film if it fits the story?
Jeff: I am prepping a comedy right now, and it’s my first one. It’s not that I necessarily love comedies or was dying to shoot one, but I do like the challenge of trying a new genre. If you don’t constantly challenge yourself, I believe your creative juices will stop flowing and you become complacent, and no good work comes from complacency. Whenever I shoot a film, regardless of genre, my goal is to create a film that looks different from what people expect it to. I’m not looking to do the typical, predictable thing. Of course, sometimes this results in failure, but nothing great comes from playing it safe.
Matthew: What does a DP look for in its director?
Jeff: I first and foremost look to the director for a vision of the film. When I first read a script, certain broad ideas come into my head, and then when you meet with the director, you hope those basic premises line up with what the director had in mind. Then a good director will guide you into the more specific direction he wants the film to go in terms of lighting, mood and camera work. A good director will challenge you to not settle for less than great work. A good director will pull you back when you’ve gone too far and push you when you’re being too safe. A good director will also listen to you when you know you are absolutely right and they’ve gotten something wrong! These are all the things I look for in a director.
Matthew: Do you have a Director of Photography mentor?
Jeff: I don’t have a DP mentor as such, but I do have many cinematographers who’s work I admire and reference, and whom I hope someday to be half as good as if I am lucky. Working greats like Roger Deakins, Emanuel Lubezki and Bob Richardson along with geniuses no longer with us like Conrad Hall, Jordan Croneweth and Harris Savides.
Matthew: What do you look for when hiring your main team? Gaffer. Key Grip. Camera Operator. Etc…
Jeff: I look for guys who are confident in their abilities, unfazed by last minute changes and complications, willing to contribute ideas but not be upset when they are shot down, and last but not least, pleasant to be around. When you spend 6 and 7 days a week with someone for three or four months it’s much easier when you like them!
Matthew: Where do you see the future of camera/lighting technology in film?
Jeff: In the future cameras will continue to get smaller while packing an even larger punch. And LEDs are the future for lighting. Eventually everything will be based around LEDs as they are fully dimmable, there is access to the entire color spectrum, they are light weight, can be customized into any configuration you want, and are extremely energy efficient.
Matthew: What film, besides the ones you’ve worked on, have you seen the most times in your life?
Jeff: There are a handful of films that I have watched multiple times because the film making is of the highest order, and they are for me examples of perfect photography. These include “Apocolypse Now”, “Angel Heart”, “Jacob’s Ladder”, “Blade Runner” and “Seven” to name a few.
Matthew: What suggestions would you have for people in high school and university who would like to get into the industry as an editor?
Jeff: My suggestions to students interested in getting into cinematography: Watch and re-watch as many great-looking movies as you can, and any movies by the great cinematographers. Find what you like, then go out and shoot as much as you can as often as you can, and start experimenting. Make friends with as many people as you can and start building a reel.
____
Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.
Matthew Toffolo: Tell us about your experiences working on “Brooklyn”? How many months do you work on editing the film? How does it feel to be the editor of an Oscar Nominated film?
Jake Roberts: ‘Brooklyn’ was a great experience. There was a really positive energy throughout the shoot and it felt like we might be working on something quite special. It was personal to a lot of the people involved and that seemed to come through in the material and that makes you want to raise your game, especially when you’re watching a performance like Saoirse’s unfold you feel a huge pressure to do it justice. Once John and I were back in London we cut for about 3 months and obviously there was plenty of back and forth but at the same time it was quite a calm and controlled process. We had a very strong first assembly and we never deviated too far from it or went down too many experimental cul-de-sacs. This is largely a testament to Nick’s script which only needed the subtlest of refinements so essentially it was about distillation, making it as tight as possible and all the while carefully calibrating the emotional journey through the performances. As for the Oscars it is all a surreal bonus, like I say you hope as you work on something that it is special and obviously a nomination suggests you did something right but the most thrilling thing is that a wide audience gets to see it and thankfully it seems we managed to strike a chord with a lot of them.
PHOTO: Still shot from BROOKLN:
Matthew: You have worked on many documentaries. Is this something you like to continue to do?
Jake: In theory yes as documentary is so much of an editor’s medium but having fought for so long to get into features it’s difficult to turn your back on them. Certainly as a viewer I’d rather watch a great documentary than a fictional film so if the right one came along it’d be hard to say no.
Matthew: What is the key difference between working on a narrative film in comparison to a documentary?
Jake: In documentary you are creating the narrative as you go, effectively writing the script in the edit, but at the same time you are obviously constrained by your material so you have to know both how to tell the story but also how best to illustrate that within the limitations of the footage you have available. Someone once said that it’s like being given a bag of sentences and being asked to write a novel. The fact that in narrative film you get to follow a script that has been very carefully written and developed means that all that heavy lifting has been done for you and your role is just tell that story as effectively as possible.
Advertisement
PHOTO: Documentary film LONG WAY AROUND, starring Ewan McGregor:
Matthew: How did you transition from working on short films to features?
Jake: The very first short film I ever cut was for the director David Mackenzie after which we made a low budget feature together, I was 23 at the time, but then David went on to make a bigger film with actual film stars and the producers insisted on a more experienced editor so I lost that relationship. I then spent years cutting every kind of project that came my way, documentaries, commercials, music videos, shorts, television drama, you name it. Basically I honed my craft and just tried to become the best editor I could always hoping I could return to features one day. Many years later David was preparing his sixth feature film and his regular editor was unavailable so we reconnected and fortunately I had gained enough experience to be given a chance by the financiers. We have now made 5 features together.
Matthew: In the last 16 years you’ve worked as an editor on over 20 productions. What film has been your favorite working experience so far?
Jake: Films are like children and like any parent you can’t really pick favourites but each has their own unique qualities. Being involved in ‘Long Way Round’ Ewan McGregor’s round the world motorbike trip was a great communal experience, working out of a garage in Shepherd’s Bush in the months before they set off we were cutting upstairs as they prepped the bikes downstairs. Everyone involved stayed up all night helping pack up the equipment the night before they left and then months later we were flown to New York to be there when they arrived. We shot ‘Tonight You’re Mine’ in 4 days at a music festival working 22 hour days which was a very intense and disorientating but bonding process. ‘Starred Up’ was shot over four weeks in Belfast but was similarly intense as David was insisting that we have all the scenes fully cut within hours of them being filmed. We were shooting completely sequentially and he wanted to have as clear an idea as possible about the shape of the film up to the scene he would be filming the next day so we basically made the film as we went. We eventually screened the entire movie at the wrap party and locked the picture 3 weeks later so it was ultimately very short and sweet. Just recently I was cutting in a log cabin in New Mexico and every Sunday we would have a barbecue and screen assemblies for the entire cast and crew, Jeff Bridges would bring his guitar. That was a lot of fun.
Advertisement
Matthew: What is an editor looking for in their director?
Jake: Work. No seriously I think a coherent vision that hopefully translates into the dailies and then a sense of collaboration in the cutting room. It’s definitely a conversation and I think I would struggle to work with someone who insisted on doing all the talking.
Matthew: What is a director looking for in their editor?
Jake: You’d have to ask them but I would imagine someone who brings ideas and solutions to the table but doesn’t force their agenda, merely offers it. Ultimately someone who makes them look good, which we usually do.
Matthew: What film, besides the ones you’ve worked on, have you seen the most times in your life?
Jake: Probably Jaws or This Is Spinal Tap.
Matthew: What type of film would you love to edit that you haven’t worked on yet?
Jake: I’d love to do a kids film so that my children might be allowed to see what I do for a living.
Matthew: What suggestions would you have for people in high school and university who would like to get into the industry as an editor?
Jake: Start early. I can only speak from my own experience but if you’re clear about what you want to do then I wouldn’t waste time getting a media studies degree, you’re going to have to work for nothing to get started anyway so better to do it at 18 than 22. Get any practical experience you can, firstly to make sure this is really something you want to do, it’s going to take a lot of work and sacrifice so make sure you’re suited to it. Approach established professionals directly and tell them you want to do what they do, most will try and help in some way even if it’s just a cup of coffee and some advice, I always do. Try to edit rather than assist. Personally I think you’d learn more cutting a zero budget music video than you would assisting on a big budget feature. Even if you’re at the bottom of the ladder doing very basic tasks do them as well as humanly possible, listen to any instructions very carefully and never think of anything as beneath you or not worth trying over. Care. I once had to edit 9 hours of obese women discussing their bras in a focus group but I treated it like I was making art. You never know where the contacts who can ultimately give you a break might come from. It might be the guy directing the corporate video you’re working on? He might be making a feature in a few years so do an incredible job and he might remember you. If you are always creative, reliable, conscientious and good company doors will eventually open I promise.
____
Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK DAILY Fesival held online and in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.
Festival Reviews 