FIDM Online Lecture Series: Setting the Scene, Inside the World of Mank

Tom Henkenius
April 19, 2021
FIDM Museum / Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

Join us for a live Q&A with Production Designer Donald Graham Burt and Set Decorator Jan Pascale about their Academy Award nomination for Best Production Design on the hit Netflix film Mank, nominated for 10 Academy Awards this year including Best Picture, Best Director (David Fincher), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Gary Oldman), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Amanda Seyfried), and Best Costume Design (FIDM Grad Trish Summerville).

About Your Moderator, Tom Henkenius: Tom is an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist, director of FIDM’s Bachelor of Arts degree in digital marketing and principal partner at Thunder Communications, a content production company. Tom spent 10 years as a television news journalist after graduating from USC Annenberg. Tom holds a Master’s of Science from USC’s Iovine and Young Academy in Integrated Design, Business and Technology.

SBIFF 2021: Outstanding Directors of the Year Award Panel

Scott Feinberg
April 3, 2021
Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF)

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival Outstanding Directors of the Year Award is given to directors not afraid to push the envelope in the cinematic world, with an expertise that is both gracious and bold.

Moderated by The Hollywood Reporter Awards Columnist Scott Feinberg, the recipients are:

Chloé Zhao (Nomadland)
David Fincher (Mank)
Lee Isaac Chung (Minari)
Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round)

Watch the full panel in the following playlist:

Ethan Hawke and David Fincher present the Montecito Award to Amanda Seyfried at Santa Barbara Film Festival

Anne Thompson
April 9, 2021
Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF)

At the 36th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Amanda Seyfried was presented with the Montecito Award by her “First Reformed” co-star Ethan Hawke and “Mank” director David Fincher, who both shared their respect and admiration for the star.

Amanda Seyfried Discusses Mank, Gary Oldman & David Fincher

SBIFF 2021: Producers Panel

Glenn Whipp
April 3, 2021
Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF)

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival annual Producers Panel moderated by the Los Angeles Times’ Glenn Whipp, assembles top producers to dig into the business and creative sides of producing the year’s top films. Panelists include multi-hyphenate Shaka King (“Judas and the Black Messiah“), Christina Oh (“Minari“), Ceán Chaffin (“Mank“), Dan Janvey (“Nomadland“), David Parfitt (“The Father“), Josey McNamara (“Promising Young Woman“), Marc Platt (“The Trial of the Chicago 7“), and Sacha Ben Harroche (“Sound of Metal“).

SBIFF 2021: Variety Artisan Award. Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Donald Graham Burt, and Jan Pascale

Jazz Tangcay
April 5, 2021
Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF)

Variety’s seventh annual Artisan Awards celebrates those essential to the filmmaking process and who have exhibited the most exciting and innovative work of the year in their respective fields.

The Variety Artisans Award were presented to Editor Alan Baumgarten (The Trial of the Chicago 7), Supervising Sound Editor Nicolas Becker (Sound of Metal), Costume Designer Alexandra Byrne (Emma), Production Designer Donald Graham Burt and Set Decorator Jan Pascale (Mank), Visual Effects Supervisor Sean Faden (Mulan), Hair Department Head Mia Neal (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Actor and Musician Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami), Musicians Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Mank, Soul), Cinematographer Joshua James Richards (Nomadland).

LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS. Volume 2: Official Trailer, Poster & Release Date

Otherworlds, naked giants and robots-gone-wild clash in this anthology of adult animated stories executive produced by Tim Miller, David Fincher, Jennifer Miller, and Joshua Donen.

April 19, 2021
Netflix

LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS is a blast of the future with its roots deep in the past. Show creator Tim Miller teamed up with director David Fincher after years of wanting to make adult animated features and short films at his animation house Blur Studio.

When his directorial debut Deadpool hit big, they saw their opportunity and the anthology series found a natural home at Netflix. “We couldn’t have been happier at the response to the show,” recalls Miller, of the excitement around season one and the appetite for more. “It was exactly the kind of passionate reception from animation fans David and I hoped for, but for many long years had been told wouldn’t happen.”

For season two Miller was joined by Jennifer Yuh Nelson as Supervising Director. The Oscar-nominated director has vast animation experience – having worked in the industry for years and helmed Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3. Together they sought talented and diverse animation directors from around the world, for a blend of styles and stories ranging from violent comedy to existential philosophy. “It’s a tonal and stylistic Jenga game,” says Jennifer Yuh Nelson, “Trying to figure out which director might best handle what story.”

Global release date: May 14, 2021

Global release date of Volume 3: 2022

More details, including an interview and an Episode Guide

Watch LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS on Netflix

Neil Kellerhouse (Netflix)

A Conversation with Oscar-Nominated Costume Designer, Trish Summerville

Kevin Jones, FIDM Museum Curator
April 19, 2021
FIDM Museum / Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

Multi-award winning costume designer and FIDM Grad Trish Summerville joins FIDM Museum Curator Kevin Jones for a live Q&A about her work on the hit Netflix film Mank, nominated for 10 Academy Awards this year including Best Costume Design (Trish Summerville), Best Picture, Best Director (David Fincher), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Gary Oldman), and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Amanda Seyfried).

Learn how Trish recreated looks based on real-life people, including Marion Davies, as she and her team take audiences back to the golden age of Hollywood when Herman J. Mankiewicz sets out to write Citizen Kane.

Known for her impressive work on films including The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl, Trish will share advice and key takeaways from her career spanning decades. You’ll have a chance to submit your own costume design questions, so we encourage you to come prepared.

Her work has been featured many times in the FIDM Museum’s “Art of Motion Picture Costume Design” and “Art of Television Costume Design” exhibitions.

Creating Mank in Dolby Vision

Tom Graham, Head of Dolby Vision Content Enablement. Dolby Laboratories
April 3, 2021
Dolby Professional (Dolby)

Hear from Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt ASC, Colorist Eric Weidt, and Co-Producer Peter Mavromates as they share their insights and experiences creating the stunning visuals for David Fincher’s Oscar nominated movie Mank in Dolby Vision HDR. This session provides insights into their methodology and workflow for creating this stunning black-and-white Hollywood epic Netflix movie.

Connect with Dolby: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn

Celebrating Enduring Cinematography: The 35th Annual ASC Awards

Mank, Two of Us, The Truffle Hunters, The Mandalorian, Motherland: Fort Salem, The Crown and The Queen’s Gambit take top honors in this year’s ceremony.

Samantha Dillard
April 19, 2021
The American Society of Cinematographers

Hosted by Turner Classic Movie’s Ben Mankiewicz, this year’s ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography celebrated spectacular imagery, masters of the craft, and the ways in which the industry has adapted in the wake of Covid-19.

One such way that was recognized, celebrated and even employed to produce the awards show was virtual production. Cinematography’s biggest night, which typically takes place in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at the Hollywood & Highland complex, was instead held in the virtual space on Sunday, April 18, with special live moments captured at the historic ASC Clubhouse. This marked the first time in the show’s history that it was livestreamed to a global audience.

The event kicked off with a performance from the show’s live orchestra while a reel played, showcasing the indelible cinematography captured by ASC members — as well as some of this year’s honorees and nominees. Mankiewicz and ASC Awards Chair Dana Gonzales, ASC then welcomed nominees, guests, sponsors and audience members.

[…]

The final award of the day — in the Feature Film category — was presented by filmmakers Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC and James Deakins to Erik Messerschmidt, ASC for his work on Mank. This category was sponsored by Keslow Camera. This is Messerschmidt’s first ASC nomination and win.

Read the article and watch the full event

Shot Talk: Mank, with Director David Fincher and Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt

Lawrence Sher, ASC
April 18, 2021
Shotdeck

We’re extremely excited to share with you the latest addition of our Shot Talk interview series. Legendary filmmaker David Fincher and his incredible cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt sit down with cinematographer Lawrence Sher to discuss their 10x Oscar-nominated film Mank.

This episode has the kind of technical deep-dive discussions that you’re not gonna get anywhere else, including the philosophy of black and white vs. color cinematography, detailed FX breakdowns on several important scenes from the film, and why Fincher avoids Steadicam at all costs.

Along with the interview, we’re also releasing a bunch of great shots from the film, so you can start adding them to your decks and getting inspired right away!

But before you dive in and watch the filmmaking mini-masterclass above… make sure to go check out Mank, streaming now on Netflix.

Sign up for an account at ShotDeck, the world’s first fully-searchable film image database. It’s an invaluable research and educational resource that makes life easier for anyone in Film, Media, Advertising, and Education.

If you are creative, Shotdeck is the place to get inspired and discover new films and talented artists through our meticulously tagged database of still images, all while saving you time.

Search by film title, keyword, location, color, or a dozen other criteria to quickly find the exact “shots” you need to communicate your vision for your next project.

Shotdeck also on: YouTube, Instagram, Twitter