They’re making a movie of Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” and it’s being breathlessly awaited by fans of the books. When a two-minute excerpt from the project went up on the web last week it was downloaded an astonishing 1.7 million times in the first 24 hours following its release. – Wired 04/12/00
Tag: 04.12.00
DIGITAL CHANGES EVERYTHING
Matt Brutacao was a sophomore in high school when he wrote, shot, directed and edited his first movie – a two-hour action-adventure flick with original score and more than 80 members of the cast. He filmed it over nine months in about 30 locations, including his school bus and the local jail – where his friend’s father works – and premiered it in his school’s gym. His budget for the project? About $130. He’s already made more than 100 movies. – Los Angeles Times 04/12/00
BADLY NEGLECTED OR OUT OF DATE?
Berlin has struggled mightily to rebuild since the wall fell. But some of the city’s venerable arts institutions have felt stiffed in the change. Bertolt Brecht’s Berliner Ensemble, “once proudly funded by the GDR, has gone through poverty and 11 directors in less than ten years.” Decreased funding has caused ticket prices to soar, and as a result “the company lost its reputation as a theater of the people.” – The Times (UK)
PASSION FOR CHANGE
Joe Penhall – one of the “angry young playwrights” who rejuvenated British theater in the mid-90s – will have his latest play produced at the Royal National Theatre. “There’s a raging idealism at play in ‘Blue/Orange,’ which should satisfy those who lament the absence of political theater from the British stage.” – The Guardian
IF THE INFORMATION HAD BEEN AVAILABLE IN THE FIRST PLACE…
Less than two hours after Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts put up a website Monday providing details about seven paintings that might have been looted during the Holocaust, the museum received an e-mail providing information about one of the paintings. – Boston Herald
ST. LOUIS MUSEUM INVESTIGATING —
— four of its paintings – including a Max Beckman and a Matisse to check Nazi provenance. – St. Louis Post-Dispatch
YOUR PICTURE HERE
The largest poster art project ever seen in Britain is currently on display on billboards throughout London’s East End. Artist Alison Marchant gathered candid snapshots from local families’ albums and enlarged them on 126 billboards and 85 freestanding posters. “It’s as if suddenly all the houses in the East End were made of glass.” – London Evening Standard
THE ART OF ONLINE
“Ten years ago, we used to have 500 people coming to an opening. Now it’s closer to five than 500.” Art galleries discover that many people prefer the comfort of choosing art online. – CBC
VANCOUVER ART MUSEUM —
— stands by its recent leadership decisions, despite petition by prominent artists condemning them. – CBC
FROM SILENCE TO SPEAKING OUT
- Choreographer Bill T. Jones on his decision to boycott this year’s Spoleto Festival in Charleston because of an NAACP boycott: “The questions you should be asking is not ‘Why I’m doing what I’m doing’ but ‘Why are there so few people who feel that they have to boycott? Why do so many people have a rationale that allows them to find other ways of responding to the [Confederate] flag?’ People have a lot of deep responses to the issue, but the biggest response is the silence.” – Los Angeles Times