Light From Light
Paul Harrill’s second feature, Light From Light (2019) is an even stronger, more assured work than his marvelous first feature Something, Anything (2014). The film played at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival where it received very positive reviews from both Variety and the Hollywood Reporter, and was picked up for distribution by Grasshopper Films. Like […]
Red Rocket
I was given the opportunity to write about any American indie film for the new “21st Century Film Essentials” series from UT Press. I chose The Florida Project (2017) because I believe that Sean Baker is simply one of the best indie filmmakers working today. The chance to study the film in-depth has only given […]
Sean Baker Book: The Florida Project
Sean Baker's latest film Red Rocket opens in LA and NYC this weekend, so you might imagine how busy he is at the moment. Yet he found the time to post a video about my recently published book on The Florida Project from the University of Texas Press on Twitter and Facebook. Check it out […]
The Florida Project Book
At long last, my new book on Sean Baker’s indie film The Florida Project (2017) was published last week. It’s the 3rd book in a series entitled 21st Century Film Essentials from University of Texas Press, and the 4th film book related to indie cinema that I’ve published. In order to write the book, Baker […]
I'll Come Running
Although many indie filmmakers—Gus Van Sant, Matthew Porterfield and Joe Swanberg, among others—have used more minimal forms of scripts, such as outlines and treatments, Spencer Parsons and Line Langebek [Knudsen] have argued in favor of a more detailed and “overwritten” script, which they term the “spacious screenplay.” As they explain, “The screenplay is chiefly written […]
The 8th Screenwriting Research Network (SRN) International Conference Call for Papers
The 8th Screenwriting Research Network (SRN) International Conference Call for Papers Screenwriting: Text and Performance The 8th Screenwriting Research Network (SRN) International Conference will take place at the University of London, UK on Thursday 10th to Saturday 12th September 2015. It is organised by a committee from different institutions grouped around the London Screenwriting Research […]
I Used to Be Darker
Matt Porterfield gained prominence in indie film circles with Putty Hill (2011), a second feature that was shot using a short outline after financing fell through on a more ambitious scripted project. A mixture of documentary and fictional elements, Putty Hill used an episodic structure, off-screen interviewer, and improvised acting to explore the reactions of […]
Pavilion
Tim Sutton’s debut feature Pavilion (2012) begins like a conventional narrative, but then confounds viewer expectations. Those waiting for a story to coalesce will no doubt be puzzled when the film veers off in surprising directions. The focus on characters, for example, shifts abruptly after twelve minutes. Pavilion, it turns out, is far less interested […]