“The first Harry Potter film. I was the perfect guy for that movie. They all knew it. J.K. Rowling wanted me to do it; David Heyman, the producer, wanted me to do it. But one guy from Warner’s overruled everyone and Chris Columbus got the gig. I was furious at the time but in hindsight, the level of studio interference on a project that size would have driven me insane.”
Tag: 05.17.12
Soon, We May Be Able To Detach Our E-Books From Their Annoying Limitations
“These ‘unglued’ e-books can then be easily accessed and read and shared by anyone, with anyone, on any device. (You know, like how it works with printed books.)”
You Can Crowd-Source, And Crowd-Fund, The Next Movie You See
“Tugg [is] a new service that combines crowd-funding, like Kickstarter, with the build-your-own-entertainment model of video-on-demand – but in a movie theater. With relationships with movie theaters all across the country and a library of more than 400 feature-length films, including new independent films, classic Hollywood and foreign movies, dramas, documentaries, and genre pictures, Tugg allows film lovers or people with a common interest in a particular subject matter to create a screening at a local theater at a time and date of their choosing.”
Young, Smart, And Rising Fast In The Theatre World
Matthew Gardiner, associate artistic director at Arlington’s Signature Theatre, likes contrasts. “Gardiner’s current follow-up to the grim Really Really is the cotton-candy Xanadu, the theatrical version of the Olivia Newton-John-on-roller-skates musical with Electric Light Orchestra songs. Camp city. ‘Totally makes no sense,’ Gardiner acknowledges of this back-to-back effort, smiling broadly.”
How Much Money Is Really Being Spent In China’s Art Market? That’s Not Entirely Clear
“Was the 2011 joint turnover of the Chinese auction houses $154.2bn, $148.5bn, $88.1bn – or much less?”
Virtual Reality Games Help Treat Soldiers’ PTSD
“[A recent] clinical trial compar[es] virtual reality with standard exposure therapy – which helps patients relearn their responses to stressful situations by focusing on the traumatic event in a controlled environment.” The effects of virtual reality treatment appear to last longer than those of talk therapy.
How Technology Could Change Theatre Criticism For Good
“While words alone can create a rich tapestry of critical response, imagine how much richer this might be with the addition of images, video, audio, geotagging, experimental forms such as Pinterest – the list goes on. Despite having such options at their fingertips, the majority of those writing theatre criticism for the web remain trapped in the conventional print review format.”
Forget Smell-O-Vision! Now We Have Edible Movies
“For hot on the heels of 4D, scratch & sniff and dress-up cinema comes the latest immersive cinematic experience, and this time it’s comestible. … In your seat, you find a tray of numbered cups and parcels. During the screening, in the style of a dolly bird parading the scores at a boxing match, an usherette holds up corresponding numbers indicating what to open when.”
Bring Back The Sitting Ovation!, Says Ben Brantley
“Because we really have reached the point where a standing ovation doesn’t mean a thing. Pretty much every show you attend on Broadway these days ends with people jumping to their feet and beating their flippers together like captive sea lions whose zookeeper has arrived with a bucket of fish. This is true even for doomed stinkers that find the casts taking their curtain calls with the pale, hopeless mien of patients who have just received a terminal diagnosis.”
English Arts Orgs Get £30M To Develop Fundraising Capability
“The money is being distributed through [Arts Council England’s] Catalyst programme, which is aimed at helping cultural organisations to increase their fundraising potential. Overall, 173 organisations have been given more than £30 million to develop their fundraising capacity and make themselves more attractive to potential donors.”