Film Making Seminar

Are movies about stories, affairs of the heart and life struggles? Of course, but it takes a measured cinematic hand to pull off such a feat. If it were easy to tell stories on screen, many writers would switch over to this very lucrative profession. For a look at filmmaking at it best, one need only flip through movie networks available with satellite TV packages and see the masters in action. From Orson Welles and Billy Wilder to modern masters, these films deliver on a variety of levels.

1. Mulholland Drive. With dialogue which could come straight out of a soap opera and images that make horror films seem tame, David Lynch is certainly the most original filmmaker working today. On top of that, he is one of the most technically gifted directors on the scene, making his films at time seem like a higher power toying with the audience’s emotions. In Mulholland Drive, Lynch married his outrageous ideas with a storyline that was almost able to be followed. See this thrilling film on IFC in HD.

2. Citizen Kane. What’s the big deal? Viewers expecting a boring film will find something of a wild ride when checking out Citizen Kane for the first time. Forget about the innovations in camerawork and overlapping dialogue; by simply following the story and getting wrapped up in the tremendous energy of Welles’ film, you are experiencing cinema at its best. Sure, the camera-dissolve techniques are impressive, but Welles’ pure charisma in the lead role is equally engrossing. High definition is a must for this film.

3. Oldboy. From the opening scenes of Oldboy, you can tell that something special is afoot. Expert editing presents a sloppy, overindulgent main character who does not know when to shut up. The viewer doesn’t expect an impromptu imprisonment to follow, nor one of the most fantastic revenge pictures, but that is what lies on the horizon. Perhaps the greatest picture to come out of Korea ever, Oldboy is a thriller fan’s dream come true. See it on IFC with a satellite TV film package.

4. Sunset Boulevard. Some members of the Hollywood elite were angry that Billy Wilder went so far in his skewering of the movie making industry and Tinseltown itself, but what a film he made. As everyone knows, Hollywood has survived. Wilder went so far as to cast a faded starlet as his faded starlet and an old director as an old Hollywood director. It’s film noir at its best and filmmaking at its best. See Sunset Boulevard on TCM.

5. Volver. Spanish master Almodovar has always had more than few tricks up his sleeve, but with Volver he blended together his mastery in storytelling and technique seamlessly. Penelope Cruz stars as a mother ought to protect her daughter and start a new life while her own mother appears to have passed away in a fire. Nothing is quite what it seems in Volver. See this film on the Independent Film Channel in HD.