Summary: Fascinated with comic books as a boy, Chris Columbus set his sights on working for Marvel or DC-until he realized that making movies provided the same thrill, only more so. This program allows viewers to sit down with the director and hear his recollections of breaking into Hollywood, making hit films, and working with high-caliber talent. Columbus talks about his early screenwriting efforts...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: Garnering a reputation as an actor's director, Barry Levinson has built a career around character-driven films-which, despite their complex themes and quirky premises, often attract Hollywood's biggest stars. This program profiles the creative force behind Diner, The Natural, Good Morning Vietnam, and other projects, exploring his views on directing actors, creating the specific look of a film,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: For his first feature, Australian-born Roger Donaldson tried to cast Jack Nicholson. The star was unavailable, but the fledgling director's attempt signified his commitment to the project and his passion for making movies. In this program, Donaldson revisits many of his behind-the-scenes experiences, focusing on The Bounty, Thirteen Days, The Recruit, and other blockbusters. He explains what...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: A far cry from his origins in advertising, the feature films of Adrian Lyne are designed to impact viewers on a primal level. This program spotlights the director in an earnest discussion of his work, revealing what it was like to make Fatal Attraction, 9 1/2 weeks, Unfaithful, and other visually innovative, sexually charged movies. Lyne emphasizes his need for a solid story premise,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: Uninterested in movies as a child, Barry Sonnenfeld aspired to a photography career. Fortunately for fans of Get Shorty, the Men in Black series, and early Coen Brothers films, Sonnenfeld's penchant for visual storytelling led him to NYU film school-and eventual renown as both a cinematographer and director. This program presents a conversation with the filmmaker highlighting his background,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: From the slice-of-life Stony Island to big-budget films like A Perfect Murder and The Fugitive, Andrew Davis's background in journalism has served him well. In this program, Davis describes his approach to researching material, finding the story he wants to tell, and staying true to that story at every stage of the filmmaking process. He provides insight into the dynamics of Hollywood...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: The Godfather trilogy, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now-the landscape of American cinema owes much of its shape to these films, which helped to reinvent the gangster, suspense, and war genres. This program features their maker, Francis Ford Coppola, in a candid and inspiring interview. Sharing pre-production and on-set experiences from his past-including Marlon Brando's playful transformation...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: How does it feel to have directed a widely acknowledged masterpiece in not one but two different film genres? Only a handful of movie impresarios know, and chief among them is William Friedkin-the man who thrilled and terrified audiences with The French Connection and The Exorcist. In this program, Friedkin discusses the making of those classics and other hallmarks of his distinguished career....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: I love making people laugh, says filmmaker Ivan Reitman, summing up the driving force behind his body of work. As the producer of National Lampoon's Animal House and director of numerous comedies in the 1980s and '90s, Reitman has amassed a wealth of filmmaking knowledge and shares elements of it in this program. He explains how many of his projects were developed, describing early concepts and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: A respected cinematographer in the Netherlands, Jan de Bont shot several memorable Hollywood films before securing his first directing job, Speed. In this program, de Bont reveals his thoughts on making action movies, coping with budget limitations, working one's way up through the ranks, and more. Underscoring the challenges he faced while "starting all over again" in a foreign country, de...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: The people who made America laugh were in and out of my house, says actor-director Rob Reiner of his childhood milieu, linking it with his ongoing compulsion to entertain. This program features revealing commentary from the creator of Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, and other cinematic gems. Explaining why his second directing job proved more intimidating than his first,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010