l< l Sneak Preview "TAPED" CONVERSATION Director Richard Linklater Discusses His Foray Into Digital Filmmaking institution Richard Linklater Indie ("Dazed and Confused") helmed a double feature at the Sundance Film when you see these bigger budget films. Festival this year, directing this November's one-room, three-actor character "Tape," Ethan People have shooting significant money, and seems study starring (only) they're digitally. It just Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard and Uma don't know what they're doing. stupid. I Thurman, in addition to last month's BOXOFFICE: In "Tape," because "Waking Life," an experiment in anima- you were working in tion and ideas that features a cast of 75. Both were filmed using digital equipment, a trend that could potentially equalize indie filmmakers with their studio-backed peers, and Linklater showed in both films a firm grasp of the potential of the new medium. In a conversation with BOXOF- FICE. Linklater expressed tempered enthusiasm for digital filmmaking, emphasizing that it requires a careful choice of material. BOXOFFICE: Why did you choose to shoot "Tape" digitally? Richard Linklater: I had shot "Waking Life" digitally, and I guess that kind of loosened me up and got me thinking I could see the advantages of shooting a quote-unquote real movie like this. But the image quality is something to consider at the end of the day. It's something you have to be more careful with. But with a film like "Tape," I liked the texture of the digital. I thought it would work with the movie, because "Tape" wasn't ever conceived of as a—it's almost not like a real film. It probably wouldn't have existed on film. I think "Tape" falls under the category of what digital can do best, which is like a new genre: a digital film, which shouldn't be like a regular film. The same way digital has a new palette—it looks different visually, [it has] a new visual palette—it's almost like a new subject matter, too, like Off Off Broadway. BOXOFFICE: What subject matters do you envision digital camerawork to be general. When I digitally, see a film that was shot I'm always thinking. "Well, did the digital thing enhance the story? Did it help it be told in some way? < )r was it just cheap because they couldn't afford film'.'" Because I see a lot of films [where] I go, "Well, they should have shot il on film. All the techniques they used were film by Annlee Ellingson techniques. They lit it like it was [film]. Everything about it was filmmaking except it didn't look as good." Especially such a cramped space, the digital camera really gives one a sense of being in the room with the three characters. Linklater: With these cameras, I wanted to attack it very physically, the subject matter, the way these people—they'll say one line; they'll see each other differently; things change pretty rapidly through the dialogue. I had in mind this sort of collage effect. It's the same event but seen from different angles. My working visual notion was this event 10 years ago in their lives now seen from a refracted gaze of many different angles and possibilities. Who knows what the original one is. I had in mind this kind of collage. Cubist effect of images. The digital cameras were great for that. BOXOFFICE: How big was the camera you were working with? Linklater: Oh, it's just one of those small little Sony things—a consumer model. BOXOFFiCE: Did the actors feel they had a lot of freedom, since they weren't working with so much equipment? Linklater: And not to mention you could put those cameras technically in places you can't put a bigger camera. Like you can lay it down and see the foreground. The lens is pretty close to the bottom of best suited for? the camera, so you can just set it on the Linklater: I would think to be out of genres that are Hollywood territory. This cameras, the lens is up higher on the cam- ground and see the ground. [On] a lot of goes for American independent film in era where you would have to dig a hole in the ground, to get the camera lens at ground level. These very naturally can go there. Plus your own body is the tripod, fun to operate because you can flip so it's down the screen, stick it way up in the air and just look at it and hold it still, [and] you've got a shot. You don't have to go set it up. You can just keep moving. BOXOFFICE: Given your experience with it, what does digital mean for filmmakers, particularly independent filmmakers? Linklater: I'm not sure. I'm not quite as enthusiastic as everybody else is. I think i an interesting tool at this juncture. I think it's evolving—it'll probably become some- DAILIES: Robert Sean Leonard takes direction from Richard Linklater on the set of "Tape." thing else pretty soon. I think maybe with 24p—that's the step up—when there'; consumer model or a pro-sumer model of 24p cameras that are small, that will really change the face of things. I don't think we're there yet. And I don't think every film should look like digital. Image qua ty is important. It just depends on what you have in mind, what the film in your head looks like. Like I said, I don't think every film should be shot digitally, and a lot of the films I'm thinking about in the future aren't on digital, but some o\' them are. Or [I'll] have one film where half of it will be digital and that other half will be film. It's just a tool.... But really at the end of the day, it's the stories [one is] telling. I'm always optimistic about technology because I think it helps us—it's there to communicate. The gist of it is to help us communicate and help us tell stories and help us along with our art. to communicate. It's a good tool "Tape." Starring Ethan Hawke, Rober\ Scan Leonard mid Uma Thurm Directed by Richard Linklater. Written by Stephen Belber. Produced by Anne Walh. \dcBay I Lions Gate release Drama Not yet rated Opens 1112, 11116 exp 3X Boxoi l
H.Rush Hour 2 (PG-13)
- Page 1 and 2: IE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF THE GLOBAL
- Page 3 and 4: : .-: - i Comfort away from home. [
- Page 5 and 6: i — SPECIAL REPORT: SHOWEAST 2001
- Page 7 and 8: New JBL ScreenArray Two-Ways' m
- Page 9 and 10: .**V****** Local Tootsie hoii Toots
- Page 11 and 12: Barco rffgital Cinema Barco Project
- Page 13 and 14: I Am). ' , : j November, 2001 Param
- Page 15 and 16: . Charlotte I Was Universal Focus o
- Page 17 and 18: ' ; One for fhe money... «-* Light
- Page 19 and 20: SOUND th:
- Page 21 and 22: d ! Ml Mir Originators of Concessio
- Page 23 and 24: (,i 120 \< l and are nun h more efl
- Page 25 and 26: : Your business Is very Important.
- Page 27 and 28: SUPERIOR QUARTZ PRODUCTS, INCj Air
- Page 30 and 31: der. : Herbert an . (Miramax, < 'un
- Page 32 and 33: i iuple ill ti 'li l fn In' 'Sleepy
- Page 34 and 35: I ti > appre 1 lominique When Jespi
- Page 36 and 37: Sneak Preview A WALK IN THE "PARK"
- Page 40 and 41: Qpvet r:oLfcieN op AppeccioN lABOR-
- Page 42 and 43: — a cameo in the film as one of t
- Page 44 and 45: — "LORD" OF ILLUSIONS FX Master f
- Page 46 and 47: WOOD: Exactly! Exactly. BOXOFFICE:
- Page 48 and 49: SPECIAL FEATURE: Books On Cinema ^
- Page 50 and 51: SPECIAL FEATURE: Books On Cinema—
- Page 52 and 53: nal American theatre circuits found
- Page 54 and 55: Magic Cinemas and its 95 screens. S
- Page 56 and 57: . FIRST PERSON: Sound WHY SURROUND
- Page 58 and 59: | k i From Rmplifier From Rmplifier
- Page 60 and 61: Desirable surround frequency respon
- Page 62 and 63: SURROUND SPEAKER PLACEMENT mathemat
- Page 64 and 65: POV: Staff Management Agreat sage o
- Page 66 and 67: SPECIAL REPORT: Security Practices
- Page 68 and 69: "That very different dynamic pre- l
- Page 70 and 71: Bettencourt says he's lucky—the B
- Page 72 and 73: . And the Best Picture Goes to... A
- Page 74 and 75: Thinking Retrofit? Think SSE! NATO'
- Page 76 and 77: SHOWEAST 2001 Special Contents INDE
- Page 78 and 79: INDEPENDENT EXHIBITION SHOWCASE DIV
- Page 80 and 81: typical day, movies are jwn at 7:15
- Page 82 and 83: SPECIAL REPORT: Showeast Awardees
- Page 84 and 85: minimi \pieatre Service &Suf>plij§
- Page 86 and 87: SHOWEAST 2001 Orlando, Florida •
- Page 88 and 89:
" SHOWEAST 2001 Orlando, Florida
- Page 90 and 91:
I -Mall I BAER AND ASSOCIATES 1505
- Page 92 and 93:
CINEMA CONCEPTS 219 2030 Powers Fer
- Page 94 and 95:
I -Mail 1 ; fax — CROWN INTL. 110
- Page 96 and 97:
1 1 GOLTERMAN S SABO 323 3555 Scarl
- Page 98 and 99:
ii 1 050 , mill, 1 ':'-:'" aiipon 1
- Page 100 and 101:
Cheswick, 1 . NESTLE USA 1508, 1509
- Page 102 and 103:
I I Mail ' 1 PIKE PRODUCTIONS 307 1
- Page 104 and 105:
Sic San Van t - " ^ ^^B^ ' ! , , j
- Page 106 and 107:
J U U U U U U U U U U U u u u u u i
- Page 108 and 109:
) I ratings system—the government
- Page 110 and 111:
SPECIAL REPORT: AIMC Recap 0*& over
- Page 112 and 113:
- EXHIBITION BRIEFINGS TICKER TIME
- Page 114 and 115:
1 EXHIB QUIPS 'The fight to keep sm
- Page 116 and 117:
WALLACE'S NEW SOUTHWEST PLEX Ore. -
- Page 118 and 119:
non-profit group the Amherst Cinema
- Page 120 and 121:
l( l HILL NEWS by Franceses Dinglas
- Page 122 and 123:
GREAT STATES EXTRA: INDUSTRY VETS S
- Page 124 and 125:
' ' don't hope INTERNATIONAL NEWS B
- Page 126 and 127:
SS1 INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS PACIF
- Page 128 and 129:
movieTone AOL Movietone (7/ 7 movie
- Page 131 and 132:
— TORONTO REVIEWS Jfie horrific t
- Page 133 and 134:
LANTANA — — TORONTO REVIEWS •
- Page 135 and 136:
THE GREY ZONE — TORONTO REVIEWS
- Page 137 and 138:
— TORONTO whose compassion grows
- Page 139 and 140:
TORONTO adult sexual and emotional
- Page 141 and 142:
Montreal H1Z info® — EDINBURGH h
- Page 143 and 144:
— EDINBURGH Angel Gabriel himself
- Page 145 and 146:
I I neb — EDINBURGH ing. She spen
- Page 147 and 148:
I i.nik Dern) I I In fact. "Life HE
- Page 149 and 150:
thrums ]HOPSUEY ••• — — S
- Page 151 and 152:
HEARTS IN ATLANTIS • ** Starring
- Page 153 and 154:
•• GLITTER Starring Motion Care
- Page 155 and 156:
IRON MONKEY • ••• Starring
- Page 157 and 158:
and SOUL SURVIVORS *l/2 Starring Me
- Page 159 and 160:
ADVERTISER ADVERTISERS INDEX
- Page 161 and 162:
ADVERTISERS INDEX ADVERTISER PHONE/
- Page 163 and 164:
' : ' Miami ' "'I ind fiei mi. CLAS
- Page 165 and 166:
JHf THUHB IS UGtHUm. till M: IVti l