The Royal Ocean Film Society

Here's a question you may never have thought about before: what does an animation editor actually do? If scenes are just written and then animated, is their role any more than just connecting clips together? On the contrary, the role of an animation editor is actually one of the most important roles in shaping the film being made. Let's dive in and explore the job. Sources/Further Reading- DisneyWar by James B. Stewart- http://amzn.to/2hZzDqO Cut and Drawn: An Animated Evening With Editors by Michael Kunkes- http://bit.ly/2i1u9zi Perspectives on Editing: An Animated Conversation by Michael Kunkes- http://bit.ly/2iZxDkk

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Royal Ocean channel and to celebrate, I want to talk about the most important lesson in filmmaking I've ever learned.

In which I overuse the words 'pretentious' and 'fantastic', and answer your many questions.

There is an ongoing story in the history of cinema on films that are derided and rejected upon release but then completely re-assessed years later. Titles like Citizen Kane, Blade Runner, Vertigo, It's a Wonderful Life, and more all share this in common. Let's talk about this concept of re-evaluation and what it means, if anything at all, for the future. Further Reading- Thelma Schoonmaker on Peeping Tom- http://bit.ly/2lWWXYO The Unloved (Scout Tafoya's excellent series on unappreciated films)- https://vimeo.com/honorszombiefilms

You've probably heard the statistic that nearly half of all films produced before 1950 are entirely lost, and that's only one of the many reasons that proper restoration and preservation is so important. Let's dive in and take a look at three different films all in different stages of the restoration process, plus take a look at how film restoration as a whole has evolved and continues to evolve in an increasingly digital world. Further Reading- For more information on The Film Foundation, please visit- http://www.film-foundation.org/ A.V. Club interview with Robert A. Harris- http://bit.ly/2m3rHKJ On the restoration of The Red Shoes- http://bit.ly/2mTXpYc The Race to Save the Films We Love by Manohla Dargis- http://nyti.ms/2m3kzOf

Before The Simpsons, before Family Guy, and before Sausage Party, there was Ralph Bakshi, who remains one of the most distinct voices in all of animation, and who helped popularize mainstream adult-oriented animated features in the West. Let's take a few minutes to dive in and explore the worlds he created. Further Reading- They Don't Make Them Like Ralph Bakshi Anymore: Interview by Marc Spitz- http://bit.ly/1MCVtsa Inner City Hues: The Ralph Bakshi Q&A by Tony Best- http://bit.ly/2nsRApd Ralph Bakshi- Surviving in Tough Times (2008)- http://bit.ly/2nKcFYi

Film nerds like me love to wax lyrical about 35mm and 65mm, but I often think that 16mm gets unfairly overlooked. Let's spend a few minutes chatting about the format in all its grainy and gritty wonderfulness. Further Reading- Interview w/ Ed Lachman (DP on Carol)- http://bit.ly/1TpQTpM DP Noam Kroll on shooting Super16- http://bit.ly/2ofvxl3 The Power of Story: The Art of Film w/ Christopher Nolan, Colin Trevorrow, Rachel Morrison, and Alex Ross Perry (2016)- http://bit.ly/1PEPtR6

Roger Ebert once called Michael Apted's decades-spanning Up documentaries an inspired and even noble use of the film medium, and I agree with him wholeheartedly. Let's take a bit to explore what exactly it is about the series- and about others like it- that works and works so well. Further Reading- Roger Ebert on the Up documentaries- http://bit.ly/1tex1ZC Roger Ebert interviews Michael Apted- http://bit.ly/2pAo1Cg Ronan Doyle on 56 Up- http://bit.ly/2oY7NyT

Cinematic sound isn't limited to explosions, musical cues, or the Wilhelm scream. Let's take a few minutes and explore a more theoretical and storytelling-oriented approach to on-screen sound. Sources/Further Reading- Composing in Sound and Image by Jonathan Rosenbaum - http://bit.ly/2h70G7h Nightmare Alley: Do We Hear What He Hears? by David Bordwell - http://bit.ly/1MT5g0b

Creative failure is one of those uneasy topics that no one likes to talk about- or perhaps even admit its existence. But exist it does and we're gonna spend a few minutes chatting about it. Well, *we're not. I am. And you're going to listen. But I mean, only if you want to though. You don't have to. Nobody's forcing you to. Unless someone is. In which case, they should stop. Because that isn't cool. (sigh) Okay, you know what? Let's start this over. (clears throat) Creative failure is... Interviews/Sources: Steven Spielberg on Hook- http://bit.ly/2rgWTX6 Woody Allen on Manhattan- http://bit.ly/2tlLiX9 Billy Wilder on Buddy Buddy- http://bit.ly/2rhsXKl Steven Soderbergh on The Underneath- http://bit.ly/2s0NvJJ Neill Blomkamp on Elysium- http://uproxx.it/2t1QOPp Danny Boyle on The Beach- http://bit.ly/2pC4f9m Jerry Lewis on The Day the Clown Cried- http://bit.ly/2ssh2NS and http://bit.ly/2tlOAcP The Art of Teen Films- American Graffiti (my crummy essay...)- http://bit.ly/1XxDdda

So, let's say you've got a 90-minute movie that features twelve characters and is all set in one location. How on earth can you shoot it in a way that's unique and exciting, and not just an endless series of mids and closeups? Let's dive into Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men, and study what it has to tell us about scenic density. Six Ways to Build Scenic Density: 1) Move your characters through the spaces inside the frame 2) Have the background and foreground interract 3) Let characters take over shots 4) Move from one story to the next instead of cutting 5) Allow conversations and reactions to play in the same shot 6) Hold off on closeups for moments of prime emphasis Sources/Further Reading: Walk the Talk by David Bordwell- http://bit.ly/2vNbqfv You Are My Density by David Bordwell- http://bit.ly/2tGYGG9 Making Movie by Sidney Lumet- http://amzn.to/2vbOV7f

I've been asked a lot what the process of making these essays is like, but rather than just droll on about recording voiceover, late night editing sessions, and falling into despair upon seeing the first cut, I want to take these few minutes to talk about how that working process has evolved creatively over the past year, and about where I'm trying to take these essays in the future. Books Referenced: Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself by David Lipsky- http://amzn.to/2wuLDwn The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon- http://amzn.to/2vb0gkb The Sandman (vol. 1-10) by Neil Gaiman- http://amzn.to/2wvenVQ

I think Jacques Tati's PlayTime is one of the unrivaled great films of all time, but rather than talk about its socio-economic commentary or its myriad of slapstick gags, let's take a minute to dive into its extraordinary (and extraordinarily fun) Royal Garden sequence, and explore the inner workings of chaos unfolding. Further Reading- The Dance of PlayTime by Jonathan Rosenbaum - http://bit.ly/2ynguss

Let's talk about one of 2017's biggest disasters and not only why it was such a failure, but how it could have actually worked with some some better oversight... and perhaps a different director at the helm.

"Read about history and psychology because so much art draws from those two areas. If you don't have some passing familiarity with history (recent and ancient) and psychology, your inferences about an artist's point of view will draw almost entirely upon second or third hand attitudes, i.e. you'll be critiquing film and tv based mainly on what film and tv you've seen. This will make your work shallow and prevent you connecting the art to life." -Matt Zoller Seitz, on advice for young critics

Let's talk about a side of Harvey Weinstein's career you may not know much about- the films he's directed. (In case you've been living under a rock, here's the original NY Times article about the scandal currently going on: http://nyti.ms/2z1x4OR)

''The music's there, we're just working on the lyrics.'' - Ethan Hawke, on the collaborative process of writing and rehearsing The Before Trilogy. Further Reading- Moment to Moment by Nathan Heller - http://bit.ly/2zTNmNN Mike D'Angelo on Before Midnight- http://bit.ly/2kajVzX

Like so many other 90s kids, I tuned in for Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie, a continuation of one of my very favorite cartoons growing up. Whether or not this new film was as good as the original show (or whether it was even necessary or not) remains up in the air in my mind, but the film did serve as a reminder of why the show was so wonderful. Let me take a few minutes and explain why I think Hey Arnold! is among the best.