The SXSW Film Festival unveiled the 2019 Jury and Special Award winners for 26th edition of the fest at Austin’s Paramount Theater with Josephine Mackerras-directed drama Alice winning in the Narrative Feature Competition and Waad al-Kateab & Edward Watts’s For Sama taking top honors for the Documentary Feature Competition. Short films and other juried sections, including Film Design Awards were also presented.
Alice follows the titular character, a happy and perfect wife and mother whose life is turned upside down when she discovers her husband is living a secret life. She is left abandoned, financially ruined but fights back as she goes on a journey of self-discovery. For Sama tells the epic story of a young woman’s journey through love, war and motherhood across five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria.
SXSW also announced Special Awards including the Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, the Vimeo Staff Picks Award,...
Alice follows the titular character, a happy and perfect wife and mother whose life is turned upside down when she discovers her husband is living a secret life. She is left abandoned, financially ruined but fights back as she goes on a journey of self-discovery. For Sama tells the epic story of a young woman’s journey through love, war and motherhood across five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria.
SXSW also announced Special Awards including the Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, the Vimeo Staff Picks Award,...
- 3/13/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The SXSW Film Festival has announced the winners of the its Narrative and Documentary Competitions. The winners were unveiled during a ceremony at Austin’s Paramount Theater on Tuesday, alongside several other prizes for features and shorts from across the the SXSW lineup.
Among this year’s big Narrative Feature entries is Grand Jury winner “Alice,” Josephine Mackerras’ story of a woman’s choice to become a sex worker to support her husband and child. “For Sama,” this year’s Documentary Feature winner, follows a Syrian filmmaker as she starts a family amidst the backdrop of the country’s ongoing political turmoil.
Previous SXSW winners include Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” and “Marwencol.” Last year, the top prizes went to “Thunder Road” and “People’s Republic of Desire.”
Audience awards will be announced closer to the conclusion of the festival. The full list of Tuesday evening’s winners can be...
Among this year’s big Narrative Feature entries is Grand Jury winner “Alice,” Josephine Mackerras’ story of a woman’s choice to become a sex worker to support her husband and child. “For Sama,” this year’s Documentary Feature winner, follows a Syrian filmmaker as she starts a family amidst the backdrop of the country’s ongoing political turmoil.
Previous SXSW winners include Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” and “Marwencol.” Last year, the top prizes went to “Thunder Road” and “People’s Republic of Desire.”
Audience awards will be announced closer to the conclusion of the festival. The full list of Tuesday evening’s winners can be...
- 3/13/2019
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
The so-called new Golden Age of Television has not only ushered in unprecedented production values for the small screen; it has spawned new frontiers for eye-catching opening credits sequences as shows aim to gain a quick edge on a growing number of rivals. And just like the showrunners who strive to keep these programs fresh season after season, the designers of the opening graphics must constantly raise their game to grab audiences at the outset of each airing.
Now, with the Creative Arts Emmys around the corner, the industry is curious to see which show will take this year’s trophy for main title design: The contenders are TNT’s “The Alienist,” Netflix’s “Altered Carbon” and “Glow,” Starz’s “Counterpart” and HBO’s “Westworld.”
Jake Ferguson, a digital designer Emmy-nominated this year for his work on “Counterpart,” says a title sequence is “hugely critical because it’s the first...
Now, with the Creative Arts Emmys around the corner, the industry is curious to see which show will take this year’s trophy for main title design: The contenders are TNT’s “The Alienist,” Netflix’s “Altered Carbon” and “Glow,” Starz’s “Counterpart” and HBO’s “Westworld.”
Jake Ferguson, a digital designer Emmy-nominated this year for his work on “Counterpart,” says a title sequence is “hugely critical because it’s the first...
- 9/6/2018
- by Calum Marsh
- Variety Film + TV
As expected, the Creative Arts Emmy competition Sunday turned out to be a sci-fi smackdown between Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and HBO’s “Westworld,” and each split the night with five awards apiece.
The Duffer Brothers’ ’80s homage to Steven Spielberg and Stephen King, “Stranger Things” won for outstanding editing, main title theme music, main title design, sound editing, and casting. The Jonathan Nolan/ Lisa Joy sci-fi/western, “Westworld,” earned outstanding special visual effects (the domain of “Game of Thrones” five years running), makeup (non-prosthetic), hairstyling, sound mixing, and creative achievement in interactive media.
However, if recent history proves a reliable harbinger, “Stranger Things” has the edge in the race for next Sunday’s Outstanding Series competition because of its editing victory. That’s because the last five outstanding editing winners have also taken home the big prize.
Read More:News Film TV Awards Toolkit More Search ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,...
The Duffer Brothers’ ’80s homage to Steven Spielberg and Stephen King, “Stranger Things” won for outstanding editing, main title theme music, main title design, sound editing, and casting. The Jonathan Nolan/ Lisa Joy sci-fi/western, “Westworld,” earned outstanding special visual effects (the domain of “Game of Thrones” five years running), makeup (non-prosthetic), hairstyling, sound mixing, and creative achievement in interactive media.
However, if recent history proves a reliable harbinger, “Stranger Things” has the edge in the race for next Sunday’s Outstanding Series competition because of its editing victory. That’s because the last five outstanding editing winners have also taken home the big prize.
Read More:News Film TV Awards Toolkit More Search ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,...
- 9/11/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“Stranger Things” was announced Sunday, September 10, as the Emmy winner for Best Main Title Design and Best Main Title Theme Music. The recipients of this Emmy for design include creative director Michelle Dougherty, executive creative director Peter Frankfurt, designer Arisu Kashiwagi, and compositor/designer Eric Demeusy. And the music award went to Michael Stein and Kyle […]...
- 9/11/2017
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
When it comes to the Emmys, gender representation has always been a bit of a struggle behind the scenes. In non-acting categories, especially when it comes to technical awards, there’s a lack of female representation that’s persisted throughout the industry. But this year, there are bright spots to be found.
This is not a complete representation of all of the year’s nominees — there were many other female nominees whose work was noteworthy — but here is a selection of the strides women made in 2017, often in categories largely dominated by men.
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance
“BoJack Horseman” (Netflix): Kristen Schaal as Sarah Lynn in “That’s Too Much, Man!” “F Is For Family” (Netflix): Mo Collins as Ginny, Jimmy Fitzsimmons, Lex, Ben, and Cutie Pie in the episode “Pray Away” “The Simpsons” (Fox): Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson in “Looking for Mr. Goodbart”
Fun fact:...
This is not a complete representation of all of the year’s nominees — there were many other female nominees whose work was noteworthy — but here is a selection of the strides women made in 2017, often in categories largely dominated by men.
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance
“BoJack Horseman” (Netflix): Kristen Schaal as Sarah Lynn in “That’s Too Much, Man!” “F Is For Family” (Netflix): Mo Collins as Ginny, Jimmy Fitzsimmons, Lex, Ben, and Cutie Pie in the episode “Pray Away” “The Simpsons” (Fox): Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson in “Looking for Mr. Goodbart”
Fun fact:...
- 8/24/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
The craft of main title design has become more prestigious in TV since “Mad Men” and “Game of Thrones” won Emmys in 2008 and 2011. And this season the race pits three Best Drama contenders (“Westworld,” “Stranger Things,” “The Crown”) against Limited Series contender (“Feud: Bette and Joan”) and “American Gods.”
Three of the five main title designs come from Patrick Clair (“Westworld,” The Crown,” “American Gods”), last year’s winner for “The Man in the High Castle,” and a previous winner for “True Detective” (2014). If the goal is to encapsulate the essence of a show in a graphically striking, attention-grabbing manner, then all five shows fit the job.
As far as winning the race, “Westworld” stands out for its complex design, poetic beauty, and melancholy mood, But both “Feud” and “Stranger Things” boast distinctive retro vibes— that brilliantly play off the nostalgia appeal of their series.
“Westworld”
From the galloping horse...
Three of the five main title designs come from Patrick Clair (“Westworld,” The Crown,” “American Gods”), last year’s winner for “The Man in the High Castle,” and a previous winner for “True Detective” (2014). If the goal is to encapsulate the essence of a show in a graphically striking, attention-grabbing manner, then all five shows fit the job.
As far as winning the race, “Westworld” stands out for its complex design, poetic beauty, and melancholy mood, But both “Feud” and “Stranger Things” boast distinctive retro vibes— that brilliantly play off the nostalgia appeal of their series.
“Westworld”
From the galloping horse...
- 8/15/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
For years, Michelle Dougherty had a dream. She wanted to create titles that echoed the work of Richard Greenberg, who created the opening credits for ’80s movies like “Alien,” “Dirty Dancing” and “Blow Out.”
As creative director at title-design powerhouse Imaginary Forces (“Mad Men,” “Boardwalk Empire”), Dougherty created many iconic title sequences of her own — but when she pitched the concept of an ’80s homage to showrunners and directors, no one was interested.
“Richard is the one who really pioneer this idea in movies that you can create mood with just typography,” said Dougherty. “It was incredibly avant-garde for the time period.”
Read More: The Best New Opening Title Sequences for 2016-2017 — IndieWire Critics Survey
And then she met the Duffer Brothers — and they were the ones who brought up Greenberg in their initial discussions of what they wanted from their Netflix show, “Stranger Things.” Not only were the Duffers familiar with his work, they considered it an iconic part of the ’80s movies their show referenced.
Dougherty was thrilled — but the Duffers rejected her first pass at creating the “Stranger Things” typography as too modern.
“They were influenced by book covers as kids,” said Dougherty. “They sent over a Stephen King book with ’80s typography, which was big, bold, chunky, almost decorative.”
Read More: ‘Westworld’: How Elastic Created Those Spectacular Main Titles
Dougherty was able to trace back the particular typeface to the famed 20th-century typographer Ed Benguit, who created over 600 typefaces, including the self named Itc Benguit that was popular on ’80s paperbacks like the one the Duffers sent her.
However, getting the right ’80s typeface was only the first step in creating the feel the Duffers wanted.
“Originally we had these kind of snappy, modern-looking moves,” said Daugherty. “The animator I was working with, Eric Demeusy, is a genius, but he’s younger. He wanted it to feel very fresh. I remember the ’80s, things didn’t move that quickly because of technology. During that time, the beginning of my career, I remember we use to film things out, which is a different process. The movement isn’t as slick as it is now.”
Read More: 10 TV Shows Emmy Voters Need to Watch Before They Fill Out Their Ballots
As Dougherty started to think of the imperfections in ’80s titles, she also remembered that things weren’t perfectly uniform. Slightly jagged movements, flickering lights, and color inconsistency were natural products of transferring to film. However, research proved her wrong: Such imperfections were more prevalent in the ’60s and ’70s.
“I checked with Dan Perri, who did titles for “Star Wars,” and he said that by the ’80s that type of stuff meant you didn’t have the money for a good optical house,” said Dougherty.
Still, Dougherty felt there was something too clean about the otherwise beautiful work Demeusy created. She liked the idea of the tactile, almost handmade feel of those imperfections. She started studying ’60s and ’70s titles to find examples that she could share with Demeusy.
“When you look the titles for ‘Stranger Things,’ when the type fades up and down, there’s a little pink residual color that we added in there,” said Dougherty. “We added those things because we wanted to make it feel like film. We actually wanted to film something out, just to do a test, but we couldn’t find anyone in L.A. that could do it for us.”
One of the struggles title sequence designers face is they often have to work before music has been selected.However, the Duffers had already identified the synth music (by the experimental soundscape band Survive, based in Austin), and that’s one reason Dougherty thinks the “Stranger Things” title sequence works so well. Matching the tone of the distinct music greatly informed the movement, feel, and texture of the animated typography.
In the age of binge watching, Dougherty has heard complaints that opening titles can be boring. On other shows, she’s often having to find ways to embed Easter eggs and story details to keep the titles fresh. With “Stranger Things,” that isn’t the case.
“What the Duffers did that was really brilliant was the placement of the title sequence right after a very dramatic moment,” said Dougherty. “It’s almost the palate cleanser, or moment of breath. I think part of the reason these particular titles feel fresh is because it’s become integral to the storytelling.”
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Related stories'Kingdom' and 'American Gods' Star Jonathan Tucker Bled for His Art, and That's Just the BeginningHow Screaming Beatlemania Comes Alive in Ron Howard's 'Eight Days a Week -- The Touring Years'r. Kelly Refused to Let 'Dear White People' Make An 'I Believe I Can Fly' Joke, and Other Secrets of Music Supervision for TV...
As creative director at title-design powerhouse Imaginary Forces (“Mad Men,” “Boardwalk Empire”), Dougherty created many iconic title sequences of her own — but when she pitched the concept of an ’80s homage to showrunners and directors, no one was interested.
“Richard is the one who really pioneer this idea in movies that you can create mood with just typography,” said Dougherty. “It was incredibly avant-garde for the time period.”
Read More: The Best New Opening Title Sequences for 2016-2017 — IndieWire Critics Survey
And then she met the Duffer Brothers — and they were the ones who brought up Greenberg in their initial discussions of what they wanted from their Netflix show, “Stranger Things.” Not only were the Duffers familiar with his work, they considered it an iconic part of the ’80s movies their show referenced.
Dougherty was thrilled — but the Duffers rejected her first pass at creating the “Stranger Things” typography as too modern.
“They were influenced by book covers as kids,” said Dougherty. “They sent over a Stephen King book with ’80s typography, which was big, bold, chunky, almost decorative.”
Read More: ‘Westworld’: How Elastic Created Those Spectacular Main Titles
Dougherty was able to trace back the particular typeface to the famed 20th-century typographer Ed Benguit, who created over 600 typefaces, including the self named Itc Benguit that was popular on ’80s paperbacks like the one the Duffers sent her.
However, getting the right ’80s typeface was only the first step in creating the feel the Duffers wanted.
“Originally we had these kind of snappy, modern-looking moves,” said Daugherty. “The animator I was working with, Eric Demeusy, is a genius, but he’s younger. He wanted it to feel very fresh. I remember the ’80s, things didn’t move that quickly because of technology. During that time, the beginning of my career, I remember we use to film things out, which is a different process. The movement isn’t as slick as it is now.”
Read More: 10 TV Shows Emmy Voters Need to Watch Before They Fill Out Their Ballots
As Dougherty started to think of the imperfections in ’80s titles, she also remembered that things weren’t perfectly uniform. Slightly jagged movements, flickering lights, and color inconsistency were natural products of transferring to film. However, research proved her wrong: Such imperfections were more prevalent in the ’60s and ’70s.
“I checked with Dan Perri, who did titles for “Star Wars,” and he said that by the ’80s that type of stuff meant you didn’t have the money for a good optical house,” said Dougherty.
Still, Dougherty felt there was something too clean about the otherwise beautiful work Demeusy created. She liked the idea of the tactile, almost handmade feel of those imperfections. She started studying ’60s and ’70s titles to find examples that she could share with Demeusy.
“When you look the titles for ‘Stranger Things,’ when the type fades up and down, there’s a little pink residual color that we added in there,” said Dougherty. “We added those things because we wanted to make it feel like film. We actually wanted to film something out, just to do a test, but we couldn’t find anyone in L.A. that could do it for us.”
One of the struggles title sequence designers face is they often have to work before music has been selected.However, the Duffers had already identified the synth music (by the experimental soundscape band Survive, based in Austin), and that’s one reason Dougherty thinks the “Stranger Things” title sequence works so well. Matching the tone of the distinct music greatly informed the movement, feel, and texture of the animated typography.
In the age of binge watching, Dougherty has heard complaints that opening titles can be boring. On other shows, she’s often having to find ways to embed Easter eggs and story details to keep the titles fresh. With “Stranger Things,” that isn’t the case.
“What the Duffers did that was really brilliant was the placement of the title sequence right after a very dramatic moment,” said Dougherty. “It’s almost the palate cleanser, or moment of breath. I think part of the reason these particular titles feel fresh is because it’s become integral to the storytelling.”
Stay on top of the latest TV news! Sign up for our TV email newsletter here.</em
Related stories'Kingdom' and 'American Gods' Star Jonathan Tucker Bled for His Art, and That's Just the BeginningHow Screaming Beatlemania Comes Alive in Ron Howard's 'Eight Days a Week -- The Touring Years'r. Kelly Refused to Let 'Dear White People' Make An 'I Believe I Can Fly' Joke, and Other Secrets of Music Supervision for TV...
- 6/21/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Discussing the representation of women in Hollywood is never, you know, a fun topic, especially when it comes to below-the-line departments. In 2016, there are still glaring examples of a lack of progress for women.
While an improvement over years past, here’s just a quick sampling of accomplishments women were not recognized for: narration, music composition, writing in many categories, stunt coordination… There are plenty of categories, as well, where only one or two women were nominated, often with a male partner — such as Writing for a Comedy, where the sole female nominee is Sharon Horgan alongside Rob Delaney for “Catastrophe.”
But rather than dwell on that, let’s acknowledge some of the accomplished nominees who have a chance to be recognized for their achievements this year. Because regardless of gender, they’re awesome.
Susanne Bier, “The Night Manager” (AMC)
Outstanding Direction for a Limited Series
Coming from the feature world,...
While an improvement over years past, here’s just a quick sampling of accomplishments women were not recognized for: narration, music composition, writing in many categories, stunt coordination… There are plenty of categories, as well, where only one or two women were nominated, often with a male partner — such as Writing for a Comedy, where the sole female nominee is Sharon Horgan alongside Rob Delaney for “Catastrophe.”
But rather than dwell on that, let’s acknowledge some of the accomplished nominees who have a chance to be recognized for their achievements this year. Because regardless of gender, they’re awesome.
Susanne Bier, “The Night Manager” (AMC)
Outstanding Direction for a Limited Series
Coming from the feature world,...
- 8/25/2016
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
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