Month: November 2016

FP’s 26th annual Gotham Independent Film Awards ceremony kicks off tonight, and this is the place to come for our coverage of the nominees as well as up-to-date information on all the winners.

Here are the nominees and winners (in bold) for each category:
Best Feature

Certain Women — Kelly Reichardt, director; Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani, producers (IFC Films)
Everybody Wants Some!! — Richard Linklater, director; Megan Ellison, Ginger Sledge, Richard Linklater, producers (Paramount Pictures)
Manchester by the Sea — Kenneth Lonergan, director; Kimberly Steward, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Lauren Beck, Kevin J. Walsh, producers (Amazon Studios)
Moonlight — Barry Jenkins, director; Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, producers (A24) [WINNER]
Paterson — Jim Jarmusch, director; Joshua Astrachan, Carter Logan, producers (Amazon Studios)

Want to know more about the nominees for Best Feature?

In ‘Manchester by the Sea,’ Waves of Grief Punctuate the Year’s Most Tragic Performances
‘Film is a Gateway to Understanding People’: Kelly Reichardt on the Immersive Filmmaking of ‘Certain Women’
‘Moonlight’: Barry Jenkins on Why the Exquisite Film Nearly Killed Him

The Hardest Parts About Producing Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Paterson’? The Bus and That Very Special Dog

‘Moonlight’

Best Documentary

Cameraperson — Kirsten Johnson, director; Marilyn Ness, producer (Janus Films)
I Am Not Your Negro — Raoul Peck, director; Rémi Grellety, Raoul Peck, Hébert Peck, producers (Magnolia Pictures, Independent Lens)
O.J.: Made in America — Ezra Edelman, director; Caroline Waterlow, Ezra Edelman, Tamara Rosenberg, Nina Krstic, Deirdre Fenton, Erin Leyden, producers (ESPN Films) [WINNER]
Tower — Keith Maitland, director; Keith Maitland, Megan Gilbride, Susan Thomson, producers (Kino Lorber, Independent Lens)
Weiner — Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg, directors and producers (Sundance Selects and Showtime Documentary Films)

Want to know more about the nominees for Best Documentary?

‘Search for Revelations’: Invaluable Cinematography Advice from DP Kirsten Johnson

‘Cameraperson’

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award

Robert Eggers — The Witch (A24)
Anna Rose Holmer — The Fits (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — Swiss Army Man (A24)
Trey Edward Shults — Krisha (A24) [WINNER]
Richard Tanne — Southside with You (Roadside Attractions and Miramax)

Want to know more about the films directed by the Bingham Ray Award?

How Mark Korven Avoided the Temptations of Temp Music to Score ‘The Witch’
Why is ‘The Witch’ So Terrifying?
‘Bad Ideas No One Else Wants to Make’: Meet ‘Swiss Army Man’ Co-Directors DANIELS
‘The Fits’: Why Oscilloscope Took a Leap of Faith on the Low-Budget Sundance Hit

‘The Witch’

Best Screenplay

Hell or High Water — Taylor Sheridan (CBS Films)
Love & Friendship — Whit Stillman (Amazon Studios)
Manchester by the Sea — Kenneth Lonergan (Amazon Studios)
Moonlight — Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney; Screenplay by Barry Jenkins (A24) [WINNER]
Paterson — Jim Jarmusch (Amazon Studios)

Want to know more about the Best Screenplay nominees?

Read 20 Oscar-Hopeful Screenplays: ‘Loving,’ ‘Manchester by the Sea,’ and More

Best Actor

Casey Affleck — Manchester by the Sea (Amazon Studios) [WINNER]
Jeff Bridges — Hell or High Water (CBS Films)
Adam Driver — Paterson (Amazon Studios)
Joel Edgerton — Loving (Focus Features)
Craig Robinson — Morris from America (A24)

Adam Driver in ‘Paterson’
Best Actress

Kate Beckinsale — Love & Friendship (Amazon Studios)
Annette Bening — 20th Century Women (A24)
Isabelle Huppert — Elle (Sony Pictures Classics) [WINNER]
Ruth Negga — Loving (Focus Features)
Natalie Portman — Jackie (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Want to read the screenplay for Jackie, Elle, and several others?

Download ‘Jackie,’ ‘Birth of a Nation’ and More Oscar-Hopeful Screenplays for Free

Breakthrough Actor

Lily Gladstone — Certain Women (IFC Films)
Lucas Hedges — Manchester by the Sea (Amazon Studios)
Royalty Hightower — The Fits (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Sasha Lane — American Honey (A24)
Anya Taylor-Joy — The Witch (A24) [WINNER]

Royalty Hightower in ‘The Fits’
Breakthrough Series—Long Form

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend— Rachel Bloom & Aline Brosh McKenna, creators; Marc Webb, Rachel Bloom, Aline Brosh McKenna, Erin Ehrlich, executive producers (The CW) [WINNER]
The Girlfriend Experience — Lodge Kerrigan, Amy Seimetz, creators; Steven Soderbergh, Philip Fleischman, Amy Seimetz, Lodge Kerrigan, Jeff Cuban, Gary Marcus, executive producers (Starz)
Horace and Pete — Louis C.K., creator; M. Blair Breard, Dave Becky, Vernon Chatman, Dino Stamatopoulos, executive producers (louisck.net)
Marvel’s Jessica Jones — Melissa Rosenberg, creator; Melissa Rosenberg, Liz Friedman, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, Dan Buckley, Jim Chory, Jeph Loeb, Howard Klein, executive producers (Netflix)
Master of None — Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, creators; Michael Schur, David Miner, Dave Becky, executive producers (Netflix)

Breakthrough Series—Short Form

The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo — Brian Jordan Alvarez, creator (YouTube)
Her Story — Jen Richards and Laura Zak, creators (herstoryshow.com) [WINNER]
The Movement — Darnell Moore, Host (Mic.com)
Sitting in Bathrooms with Trans People — Dylan Marron, creator (Seriously.TV)
Surviving — Reagan Gomez, creator (YouTube)

Special Jury Award for Ensemble Performance

Moonlight — Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monáe, Jaden Piner, Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders [WINNER]

Gotham Audience Award

Moonlight [WINNER]

The new MoVi Pro is a more sophisticated, battle-tested design.

When Freefly first released the test film for the MoVi camera stabilizing rig three years ago, it was an exciting moment for indie filmmakers. Shots that previously required expensive equipment were now possible on a reasonable budget. Some shots that were previously impossible were now almost easy.

This looks like a major step forward for stabilizers.

But the system—and its many, many copycats—suffered from problems that often plague first-generation products. It could take a long time to get the calibration properly set up. Restart times on battery swaps were time-sucks on set. Cabling was messy and prone to getting snagged, throwing off your shot, or exposure to the elements. The MoVi was great, but it at times felt more like a beta than a final release.

Today, Freefly has finally released the next generation: the MoVi Pro.

Now, the company that first popularized gimbal stabilization appears to be the company that is going to help it grow up.

Freefly is clearly driven by shooters and has had a close relationship with its customers out in the field; the evolution of the design really shows. For the first time, MoVi looks clean and well-integrated.
MoVi Internal Cable RoutingCredit: Freefly

By switching to internal cable routing, the new MoVi Pro not only looks like a designed device (and not something rigged DIY), but it’s also less likely to snag on nearby objects when executing a complicated move. It’s safer from inclement weather, and it’s going to be faster to set up.

The rig assembly comes with a built-in stand, making it easier for the operator to rest the MoVi.

To that end, the MoVi now offers a two-second boot time, so you won’t miss a shot waiting on the rig to boot. That feature might not matter much, however, since the system offers hot, swappable batteries; in theory, you could keep the stabilizer turned on all day and never need to boot up by swapping batteries live whenever one gets low.
MoVi ProCredit: Freefly

The Pro is also designed to offer camera and accessory power directly, so the only batteries you’ll need to worry about throughout the day are the MoVi Pro batteries.

In addition to power for camera and accessories, MoVi has worked to integrate RED Camera Protocol (RCP) for remote control of RED camera bodies. Even if your MoVi is on a drone in the air or at the end of a 20′ crane, you can change your RED camera settings, including checking playback, from the MoVi remote or the new MIMIC remote.
Credit: MoVi Pro

In order to expedite the rig setup, the Pro offers an auto-tune mode that is able to auto-calibrate as the camera setup changes. Time is money on set; time lost to calibrating a camera after a lens change is time you don’t get to spend shooting.

In a final, much-appreciated addition, the rig assembly comes with a built-in stand, making it easier for the operator to rest the MoVi when it’s not being put to dynamic use.
Built in stand for the MoVi ProCredit: Freefly

This looks like a major step forward for stabilizers, and one that is well positioned to keep Freefly ahead of the fierce competition in this space.

Packages for handheld or aerial work will come in around $6,500 and are expected to ship in mid-November. For more info or to order, head over to the Freefly site.
Tech specs

25.2V hot swappable MoVi Pro Batteries
Power Outputs: Camera D-Tap, Spine D-Tap, Tilt D-Tap, Tilt USB
Detailed info screen
Auto-tune mode for calibration
Custom designed direct drive brushless motors, twice as much torque as before
180° instant roll to go from hand held to TERO
Toad In The Hole Quick Release
Increased 30mm ring diameter
New MIMIC controller
Pro App
2 second boot time
60dB at 1Hz disturbance rejection
Built-in stand