FILM SHOTS
FILMMAKING NOTES

Interview with Oscar Nominated Production Designer Michael Corenblith

FILM DIRECTING SHOTS – One of the most over used cliches in film is “The Shots are all you have.” The following are what you need to think about practically so you can think creatively and device the best shot list and camera shots you possibly can:

QUESTIONS TO ASK?
-What is the best viewpoint for filming this position of the event?
-How much area should be included in this shot?

SCENE – Defines the place or setting where the action is laid
SHOT – Defines a continuous view filmed by one camera without interuption
SEQUENCE – A series of scenes or shot complete in itself

TYPES OF CAMERA ANGLES
OBJECTIVE – The audience point of view
SUBJECTIVE – The camera acts as the viewers eyes-movement
POINT OF VIEW – What the character is seeing

SIX BASIC SHOTS

The Mega Plush is a must watch animation action/thriller short film. It was the overwhelming winners of Best Film at the January 2016 WILDsound FEEDBACK Film Festival, an amazing achievement considering the quality of films that played at the festival.

Watch the Film Here: http://www.themegaplush.com/

I was fortunate enough to chat with Matt about his short award winning short film:

Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film?

Matt Burniston: Well, the initial idea for the characters was from my friend John Noe, who came to me around 6 or so years ago with some sketches of these teddy bears who instead of looking all cute, were carrying guns and looked battle damaged. When he told me his concept I instantly fell in love with the idea and jumped at the chance to make them in 3D with the end goal of making a short film.

Fast forward about 2…

A production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a film. They ave a key creative role in the creation of motion pictures and television.

What an honor it was to talk with the amazing Production Designer Michael Corenblith. His resume is filled with some of the best movies in the last 20 years, including: Saving Mr. Banks, The Campaign, Game Change, Dinner for Schmucks, The Blind Side, Frost/Nixon, Apollo 13.

Matthew Toffolo: You’ve worked as a Production Designer in 35 productions over the last 30 years. Are there one or two films that you’re most proud of?

Michael Corenblith: There are countless ways to measure my affection for all of these projects.  There have been so many valuable collaborators and shared experiences that each film has its own special place.  “Apollo 13” will always remain one of the most exciting, and I’m so pleased to see it aging so…

Anne Seibel earned an Oscar Nomination for “Midnight in Paris”. Based in Paris, she has worked with some of the top directors in the world today, including Steven Spielberg, David Frankel, M. Night Shyamalan, Sofia Coppola, Clint Eastwood, and 3 Production Designer assignments with Woody Allen.

Go to her website: www.anneseibel.com

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Anne to chat about her career.

Matthew Toffolo: Film fans always get Production Designer and Art Director mixed up, thinking they are the same position? Can you tell people what the difference is? 

Anne Seibel: The Production designer is the person in charge of the sets, the mood and look of the film collaborating directly with the director and Director of Photography.

The Art director is their right hand, supervising the art department and the making of the sets for the production designer.

I always compare my team as an orchestra.

Production…

Read interviews from top people working in the Art Department in the movie industry today. Production Designers. Art Directors. Storyboard Artists. Costume Designers. 

Interview with Oscar Nominated Production Designer Anne Seibel (Midnight in Paris, Bonjour Anne):http://matthewtoffolo.com/2016/02/19/interview-oscar-nominated-production-designer-anne-seibel-midnight-in-paris-bonjour-anne/

Interview with Oscar Nominated Production Designer Michael Corenblith (Apollo 13, The Blind Side):  http://matthewtoffolo.com/2016/02/04/interview-with-oscar-nominated-production-designer-michael-corenblith-apollo-13-the-blind-side/

Interview with Costume Designer Ginger Martini: http://matthewtoffolo.com/2016/02/17/interview-with-costume-designer-ginger-martini/

Interview with Graphic Designer Tina Charad (Maleficent, Fifty Shades of Grey): http://matthewtoffolo.com/2016/01/25/interview-with-graphic-designer-tina-charad-maleficent-fifty-shades-of-grey/

Interview with Storyboard Artist Stephen Forrest-Smith (Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Dark Knight): http://matthewtoffolo.com/2016/02/02/interview-with-storyboard-artist-stephen-forrest-smith-star-wars-harry-potter-the-dark-knight/

Interview with Art Director Jeremy Woolsey (Pitch Perfect, Million Dollar Arm, Dirty Grandpa): http://matthewtoffolo.com/2016/01/19/interview-with-art-director-jeremy-woolsey-pitch-perfect-million-dollar-arm-dirty-grandpa/

Interview with Storyboard Artist Kurt Van der Basch (Star Wars Episodes VII and VIII): http://matthewtoffolo.com/2016/01/23/interview-with-storyboard-artist-kurt-van-der-basch-star-wars-episodes-vii-and-viii/

The ART of ART DIRECTION and PRODUCTION DESIGN in the movies. http://matthewtoffolo.com/2015/05/13/the-art-of-art-direction-and-production-design-in-the-movies/

Interviews performed by Matthew Toffolo from WILDsound. 

Award winning Director, Animator and Illustrator and Storyboard Artist Robert Castillo discovered his passion for art and illustration at the tender age of five. Nicknamed “Sketch”, Castillo would draw his way through his difficult transition of returning to the US from the Dominican Republic, mastering English, and acclimating to the mostly white environment of Chelsea, Massachusetts.

It was an honor sitting down with one of the more sought out storyboard artists in Hollywood. In just the last year, Robert has worked on “Star Wars”, “Fifty Shades of Black”, “Ride Along 2”, “Keanu”,  “Captain America: Civil War”, “Bad Neighbours 2”, “X-Men: Apocalypse”, and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”.

Matthew Toffolo: You have worked as a Storyboard Artist on over 60+ productions in the last 15 years. Do you have a favorite experience?

Robert Castillo: I think that there are a few experiences but the one that sticks out to me would be…

A storyboard artist, or story artist, creates storyboards for film productions.

I had a blast sitting down with the very talented storyboard artist Stephen Forrest-Smith. Stephen has worked on some of the most popular films in the last 15 years, including “The Dark Knight,” the last three “Harry Potter” films, and last year’s “Star Wars” film.

His candor in the following interview is educational and very entertaining. Enjoy:

Matthew Toffolo: When coming aboard a project on a Hollywood film, how does the process generally work? Do you start with a preliminary chat with the director about themes etc..? How early do you arrive before production? When do you generally exit the job?

Stephen Forrest-Smith: There really is no normal to my job anymore. Every project seems to be different now and asks for a different approach. A film project could call on a storyboard artist at any stage from pre-pre…