YOU CAN FIND HOPE FOR FUTURE IN ZOOTOPIA!

Yes, I did just spend my Saturday morning watching a Disney movie, and no I don’t have kids at home. I watched it to catch up on the awards race, and I’m so glad I did, and I think the movie should win an Oscar Awards.

Zootopia is a must see for anyone, big and small. It is scarily timely and left me crying at the end because I hope we can have the same ending in real life when we survive this…

Tyrus Wong, The ‘Bambi’ Artist Who Endured America’s Racism, Gets His Due

The late Tyrus Wong, whose paintings formed the basis of Disney’s iconic film, is finally receiving the recognition he deserves.

By Katherine Brooks via huffingtonpost.com

Even if you’ve never heard the name Tyrus Wong before, you’ve likely seen his work. Maybe not in a museum or gallery, but you’ve probably enjoyed the late artist’s fascinating brushstrokes ― or the films that they inspired ― in the comforts of your home.

Until his death last year at the age of 106, Wong was considered America’s oldest living Chinese-American artist and one of the last remaining icons of Disney’s golden age of animation. Few people outside of his studio could identify him during his lifetime, but his art was eerily ubiquitous. Handpicked by Walt Disney to guide one of his films, Wong’s watercolor sketches formed the basis of “Bambi” and, later, Warner Bros.′ live-action movies like “Rebel without a Cause.” His calligraphic imagery wound its way onto Hallmark Christmas cards, kites and hand-painted California dinnerware. He did show in galleries and museums, too ― with greats like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, no less. 

And yet, it wasn’t until recently ― later in his life ― that he began receiving the recognition he deserved. It was in 1942 when he painted a minuscule buck leaping through a forest felled by blazing flames, an electric landscape that would heavily influence the World War II-era movie about a fawn who lost his mother. Seventy-five years after “Bambi,” Wong is the subject of an “American Masters” film on PBS, a documentary portrait that reveals how he overcame a harrowing immigration process and years of racism in the United States to become one of the most prolific artists in recent memory.

“Tyrus Wong’s story is a prime example of one of the many gaping holes in our society’s narrative on art, cinema, and Western history,” Pamela Tom, the director behind “Tyrus,” set to air on PBS Sept. 8, explained in a statement. “By telling his story, I wanted to shine light on one of America’s unsung heroes, and raise awareness of the vital contributions he’s made to American culture.”

Her 90-minute documentary follows Wong from his birth in Canton (now Guangzhou), China, to his attempts to immigrate to the United States in 1919. Detained for a month, he, along with his father, endured extensive interrogation before being allowed to enter the country, only to live in poverty once they arrived. As multiple sources in the film point out, American society in the 1920s and ’30s was not kind to Chinese-American communities ― many immigrants saw only a few options for work, including acting as laundry men, house boys or restaurant staff. And the world of animation and film, a more than unlikely field Wong fought tooth and nail to enter, was not much kinder. Described as “an old boy’s club,” Wong recounts how he was called a racial slur on his first day with Republic Pictures. 

Still, his sights were ultimately set on fine art. An eventual graduate of Otis Art Institute, the animator, designer, painter and kite maker rose to the coveted status of a Disney Legend by 2001. Beyond that, his work indeed hangs in museums, his name appearing in placards next to other greats. “He had a lot of dignity, but he also felt the pangs of racism,” Tom told HuffPost in an earlier interview. “I think Tyrus represents success. He represents someone who’s a survivor, who broke these racial barriers.” 

Today, immigrants in the U.S. continue to face astounding obstacles. Just a few days before the premiere of “Tyrus,” President Donald Trump and his administration initiated the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protections, putting nearly 800,000 young undocumented immigrants at risk of deportation if members of Congress fail to strike a deal. Wong’s story illuminates just how difficult it is to succeed in a world that’s designed to test your limits at every turn. 

“It’s so unlikely,” a voice in the film’s trailer declares of Wong’s biography, “and that’s what makes it so valuable.”

How Does the New It Movie Deal With Stephen King’s Orgy Scene?

By E. Alex Jung via www.vulture.com

Since its publication in September of 1986, It has enjoyed a long shelf life, first as a book that spent 14 weeks at the top of the New York Times best-seller list and then worming into nightmares as a TV mini-series in 1990 starring Tim Curry as the titular demonic clown/embodiment of children’s deepest fears. The monster, which a group of kids simply name “It,” manifests as something different for each person based on their specific fears — burning houses, lepers, a dead sibling — and, perhaps because of this, the story has maintained a compelling hold on our collective psyches for more than 30 years. This week, It hits theaters for the first time as a feature film, with a script that was originally set to be directed by Cary Fukunaga, before New Line decided to pivot to Andy Muschietti. (Fukunaga retains a writing credit on a reworked script).

But one controversial scene from King’s novel has dogged the book and subsequent adaptations. After defeating It, the kids get lost in the sewer tunnels on the way out; this is attributed in part to the fact that they’re losing their “connection” to one another. The solution is to bind them together, which Beverly — the only girl in the story’s main group of protagonists, called “the Losers” — says can only happen if each of the boys has sex with her. Where they’re timid and unsure, she’s confident and maternal. (King writes the first boy Eddie comes to her “the way he would have come to his mother.”) The sex is a “consensual” gang bang, with each of the boys losing his virginity, and thus entering manhood, through Beverly.

The ’80s was a bonkers time, but the orgy scene in particular has aged poorly; critics and readers looking back at it have called it everything from “disturbing” to “sick” to “insane.” A Reddit reader from last year simply asked, “WTF?” and generated over 500 comments. For almost ten exhaustive pages, King describes each of the boys having sex with Beverly and their orgasms as a version of “flying.” (You also get the sense that King is a bit of a size queen.) Beverly’s desires are positioned as a way for her to overcome her own fears around sex, but mostly the narrative centers on how the boys literally enter adulthood through Beverly’s vagina. Kingreleased a statement a few years ago through his fan site Stephenking.com, where he wrote, “I wasn’t really thinking of the sexual aspect of it… Intuitively, the Losers knew they had to be together again. The sexual act connected childhood and adulthood.” Perhaps most horrifying to modern sensibilities is that there is no talk of birth control, condoms, or a realization that a circle jerk would have sufficed.

When the new adaptation was announced, many wondered whether it would feature the scene, or some version of it (though the 1990 version eschewed it entirely). As fans often like to say: It’s canon. So does the new version feature a bunch of kids engaging in an orgy? The tl;dr version: No. But while it evades the obvious graphic horror and legal problems of minors simulating group sex, the new film retains a lot of the original scene’s problems — namely, its regressive gender politics and sexualization of its adolescent-girl lead.

The 2017 film flattens and reduces Beverly as a character in retrograde ways. It plays up the love triangle between Beverly (Sophia Lillis), Bill (the protagonist played by Jaeden Lieberher, who loses his little brother Georgie at the start of the film), and the chubby kid, Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), who pines for Bev and writes her a precocious love haiku. The climax of the film — when the Losers reconnect to defeat It after they initially disband — is prompted by It capturing Beverly and taking her to its lair. From there, it’s a classic tale of a damsel in distress: When Bev’s friends come upon her, she’s suspended in midair, like a pendant lamp. The boys eventually get her down, but she’s zoned out, her eyes clouded over. And just as in Sleeping Beauty, Ben kisses her and she awakens. She exists first and foremost as an object of their desire.

It’s an odd decision, in part because this is a more classically sexist narrative than what Fukunaga and Chase Palmer wrote in their original screenplay (which was leaked online after Fukunaga and the studio parted due to “creative differences”). In fact, some of the major differences between the old and new scripts involve Beverly in this way; the new script sexualizes her several times, like when she flirts with a middle-aged cashier at a pharmacy to help the boys steal some supplies. (In the Fukunaga script, the hypochondriac kid Eddie, played by Jack Dylan Grazer, fakes a medical emergency). In Fukunaga and Palmer’s version, Beverly flirts with zero old dudes and needs no saving. She goes with the boys to Pennywise’s lair, launches herself into a waterfall and goes headlong into the fight.

The Fukunaga script does have elements of physical horror that hew more closely to the book. But the focus is different: Beverly’s It manifests as blood — buckets of blood that spew from the sink — and Fukunaga makes it clear that the blood is a metaphor for her own fears around growing up and becoming a “woman,” something she fears would make her more of a sexual object to men, including her father. The new version, on the other hand, removes the physical horror, but leaves in the male gaze: Her father leers at her, calling her his “little girl” and attempting to harm her physically, but there is no blatant indication of sexual abuse. And while the bathroom blood remains, it’s not visually connected to her period or to her fear of her dad, making it seem displaced and random.

The Fukunaga version also wisely sidestepped the orgy scene, but still contains a moment where the kids are lost in the sewer, starting to panic. Beverly reins them all in in a way that’s appropriately childlike and innocent.

BEVERLY

Guys, stop it. Focus.

Everyone turns to Bev. Their muse. Their light.

SHE TAKES EDDIE’S FACE IN HER HANDS

SHE TAKES STAN’S FACE IN HER HANDS

SHE TAKES RICHIE’S FACE IN HER HANDS

SHE TAKES MIKE’S FACE IN HER HANDS

SHE TAKES BEN’S FACE IN HER HANDS

SHE TAKES WILL’S FACE IN HER HANDS

While the new adaptation of It doesn’t go as far as 1980s Stephen King did, it’s simultaneously both more PC and more conservative than Fukunaga’s script, cutting out the messy parts of Beverly’s life and character to turn her into a trope — a girl who flirts and needs to be saved — rather than metaphorizing her fears. One scene that unites all versions, though, is when the kids each cut their palms and hold hands in a final blood oath. Of course, in the new version, Beverly and Bill have to have their Hollywood kiss, and they do so with her leaving a bloody handprint on his cheek. But it’s weird and gross and funny — and, unlike King’s orgy, seems exactly like something a kid would do.

 ANOTHER RECOMMENDED ARTICLE ABOUT THIS TOPIC:

CNN and Volvo Present the Solar Eclipse in an Unprecedented 360° Virtual Reality Live-Stream

via cnn.com

CNN and Volvo Cars USA will present the solar eclipse from multiple locations, coast to coast, in an immersive two-hour 360° live-stream experience starting at 1PM ET on August 21, 2017.

The astronomical and historic virtual reality event will be available all around the world in 4K resolution at CNN.com/eclipse, CNN’s mobile apps, Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus via Samsung VR, Oculus Rift via Oculus Video and through CNN’s Facebook page via Facebook Live 360.

"CNN's Eclipse of the Century" will allow users to witness the first total solar eclipse to traverse the United States for the first time in nearly 40 years. The live show, hosted by CNN’s Space and Science Correspondent Rachel Crane and former NASA Astronaut Mark Kelly, will harness stunning imagery from specially-designed 4K 360° cameras, optimized for low-light, that will capture seven 'total eclipse' moments – stretching from Oregon to South Carolina.

While only a fraction of the country will be able to witness the total eclipse in-person, CNN's immersive livestream will enable viewers nationwide to "go there" virtually and experience a moment in history, seven times over. The livestream will be enhanced by real-time graphics, close-up views of the sun, and experts from the science community joining along the way to explain the significance of this phenomenon.

As part of Volvo’s partnership with CNN, four of the seven live-streams will feature branded content produced by CNN’s brand studio Courageous for Volvo and integrate 2018 Volvo XC60s specially outfitted with advanced 360° cameras. The groundbreaking live 360° content by Volvo will spotlight four influencers in different locations, sharing their unique perspective and excitement for the future as they witness the solar eclipse from helicopters and road tours along the narrow path of totality. For more on Volvo’s partnership with CNN centered on the 2017 total solar eclipse, visit www.RacingTheSun.com.

Additionally, on television, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers will explain the science behind the solar eclipse, its course and timing; and CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt will profile the excitement around the historical event. CNN correspondents will report live from locations across the path of the solar eclipse, with Marquardt in Oregon for the start, Stephanie Elam in Missouri, Martin Savidge in Tennessee, and Kaylee Hartung in South Carolina.

NEW CAA STUDY SAYS DIVERSE CASTING INCREASES BOX OFFICE POTENTIAL ACROSS ALL BUDGETS

by Tre'vell Anderson Contact Reporter via latimes.com

There’s been little debate over the moral arguments behind increasing diversity on- and off-screen in Hollywood, but the economic arguments haven’t always been so clear.

While women, people of color, LGBTQ folk and other historically marginalized communities in Hollywood continue to insist “diversity pays,” the box office success of films with diverse casts such as “Hidden Figures” ($230.1 million worldwide) and “Get Out” ($251.2 million worldwide) is inevitably deemed a “surprise.”

A new study and database crafted by Creative Artists Agency, however, is aiming to take some of the surprise out of box office performance, noting that across every budget level a film with a diverse cast outperforms a release not so diversified.

Additionally, the data, to be released during a private leadership conference dubbed Amplify on Wednesday in Laguna Beach, demonstrates that the average opening weekend for a film that attracts a diverse audience, often the result of having a diverse cast, is nearly three times on average a film with non-diverse audiences.

"One of the interesting things that the most successful movies share is that they’re broadly appealing to diverse audiences." — Christy Haubegger

“One of the interesting things that the most successful movies share is that they’re broadly appealing to diverse audiences,” said Christy Haubegger, leader of CAA’s multicultural development group, who oversaw the study along with agency executive Talitha Watkins. “People want to see a world that looks like theirs.”

The impetus for the talent agency’s Motion Picture Diversity Index came following the release of the Motion Picture Assn. of America’s Theatrical Market Statistics report, which found that non-white moviegoers made up 49% of tickets sold in 2016, and 45% in 2015. Because the numbers outpace the 38% of the U.S. population who are non-white, CAA became interested in the audience makeup of the top-grossing films of the year. With additional data from comScore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak and Gracenote’s Studio System, the goal was to determine the correlative factors of diverse casting, diverse audiences and box office success.

CAA examined 413 theatrical films released from January 2014 through December 2016, detailing cast ethnicity for the top 10 billed actors per movie, a total of 2,800 people. They found that for the top 10 grossing movies in 2016, 47% of the opening weekend audience (and 45% in 2015) were people of color. Moreover, seven of the 10 highest-grossing movies from 2016 (and four from 2015’s top 10) delivered opening weekend audiences that were more than 50% non-white.

From there, the study notes that at every budget level, a film with a cast that is at least 30% non-white — CAA’s definition of a “truly diverse” film — outperforms a release that is not truly diverse in opening weekend box office. And on the audience side of things, the average opening weekend for a film that has a “truly diverse” audience, pegged at 38% to 70% non-white, is $31 million versus $12 million for films with non-diverse audiences.

The numbers suggest a more diverse cast brings a more diverse audience, which brings in more money.

The best-performing movie of the films evaluated, which had an approximately 40% diverse cast and a 38% diverse audience, was “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” starring Daisy Ridley and John Boyega.

Also of note was the study’s evaluation of racial casting by genre. According to the study, the whitest genres casting-wise are horror and fantasy, and the most diverse genres are comedy and thriller.

As for what audiences want to see, white people are more likely to flock to drama and romance; black people to biopics and thrillers; Hispanics to horror and animation, and Asians to fantasy and animation.

“The hope is that seeing real numbers attached to the success of the inclusion of more voices and diverse casts will be further motivation for studios, networks and others to be really conscious of the opportunity,” said Richard Lovett, CAA’s president.

He highlighted the study as yet another way that the agency has made diversity a “moral imperative.” In the #OscarsSoWhite furor, many studios laid blame at the agencies’ collective feet.

But already in 2005, CAA began diversifying its internship pipeline by recruiting from top colleges with large black, Latino and female populations. In 2015, it created a traveling Road Show to brief film and television studios and networks on content that appeals to multicultural audiences and the availability of diverse artists working across all areas of the industry. It also continues to seek out and support diverse clients through various writing and leadership programs.

The efforts are paying off, as CAA’s revenue from multicultural clients increased 14% from 2015 to 2016, and the company was highlighted in a USC study for representing the largest share of female and African American directors.

SOME PODCAST THAT ARE A MUST-LISTEN IF YOU WORK IN THE FILM INDUSTRY

by Skye Von

Well, of course a must-listen is relative, but I do think these podcast are super helpful and informative for anyone in the film industry.

1. The Treatment:

My favorite is Elvis Mitchell's The Treatment on KCRW. I don't think there is a better interviewer living today. I am not only amazed by Elvis's immense knowledge but what I think makes him so special, is that he possess a sensitivity and understanding of the bigger picture of a filmmakers/writer/producer's internal inspiration, motivation and intention. Actually most of the times, he surprises the interviewees themselves when he points out something seemingly obvious about their life work, which they themselves had not been aware of. I love those moments because they make his interviews so rich.

Psst, don't tell anyone, but I would count it as one of the biggest accomplishments if Elvis were to invite me on his show- right up there with winning an Oscar!

http://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/the-treatment

  2. The Business:

Another great podcast is Kim Masters's The Business. Kim is Editor-at-Large of the Hollywood Reporter, and she covers film, as well as TV. This is a great one to stay up to date with what is the buzz in the Hollywood Entertainment world on a weekly basis and also feature insightful interviews with filmmakers and other shakers in the industry.

http://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/the-business

   3. The Spin-Off:

Kim Masters created The Spin-Off with Joe Adalian, and Michael Schneider, her banter buddies on The Business, after the three realized that the world of TV business deserves a podcast all on its own. Similarly to The Business, this podcast will keep you up to date on what is happening in the business this week, but specifically regarding the TV world, and of course it also features great interviews with creators of the TV business. 

http://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/the-spin-off

  4. The Frame

The Frame on KPCC hosted by John Horn is another fantastic podcast that should be on everyone's list, even though it is much broader because it also covers art, music, publishing; basically anything related to media and art. Since it airs every weekday, I just pick and choose the podcasts which focus on film and TV.

http://www.scpr.org/programs/the-frame/

   5. Voice of VR

With many of you, like myself, having made or making or thinking about making the switch into VR & AR, I recommend you check out Voices of VR. The podcast is published three to five days a week featuring interviews with the pioneering game developers, enthusiasts, and technologists driving the resurgence of virtual reality. It’s hosted by Kent Bye, who has traveled to the top VR gatherings around the world since May 2014 to bring you a diverse range of VR perspectives and insights from over 500 makers and seasoned academics. When I first started working in this field two years ago, it is here that I learned the lingo I needed to translate my wild ideas into reality and also about the technology currently available and the challenges others face which relate to my own and helped me grow as a VR content creator. 

 I am only listing my favorite industry podcasts here, but I also recommend that as a storyteller you add story podcasts like The Moth, This American Life or Strangers to your listening list. These story podcasts are a wonderful source of inspiration for ideas for storylines and characters for me. 

Five things future DC films should borrow from Wonder Woman

by Kwame Opam@kwameopam  via theverge.com

Wonder Woman had an arduous task to pull off on its way to the box office. As the fourth entry in the DC Extended Universe film franchise, it needed to succeed where Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad each failed by being dour, poorly made, and overly violent. It also needed to be the first blockbuster starring a female superhero to land at the box office, proving decades of skepticism wrong in the process. It’s an unenviable position to be in, but the film was a success despite its underdog status, making its record-breaking $100.5 million debut in North America and critical acclaim that much more astounding. Wonder Woman was a trailblazer for female heroes in comics, and now she’s a trailblazer at the movies.

Wonder Woman’s theatrical success is no accident. Unlike its cinematic cousins, Wonder Woman is cleaner, more fun, and more sure of itself in ways that we should demand from our superhero movies. Marvel and DC, it’s time to take notes.

IT HAS CLEAR STORY

BvS and Suicide Squad have a whole host of problems shared between them, but the most egregious issues relate to their muddled, often nonsensical narratives. Superheroes don’t exist in worlds that look a whole lot like our own, what with the flying people and aliens with eye lasers, but their stories should adhere to some kind of internal logic that keeps viewers invested beyond the spectacle. So it’s frustrating when these tentpoles revolve around stories that, say, pit Batman against Superman because Lex Luthor happens to hate Superman because of undercooked father issues that have nothing to do with Batman. Or when the shrewd, ruthless Amanda Waller thinks a guy who’s really good with guns and a woman in clown makeup can take on a being who can survive a nuclear blast.

‘WONDER WOMAN’ SATISFIES BECAUSE IT MOSTLY MAKES SENSE

Wonder Woman, on the other hand, is satisfying because it makes sense. Or as much sense as a movie inspired by a pulp story written for children in the 1940s can, anyway. Diana of Themyscira is raised among a race of women warriors bred to keep the world safe from war. War comes to the shores of Themyscira. Diana takes it upon herself to fulfill her duty and save the world. She soon discovers that the world is far more complicated than she ever knew, but she grows enough to believe that the world is still worth saving. That’s as straightforward a story as you can get, and it leaves plenty of room for introspection, nuance, and action that pulls viewers right into Diana’s world.

IT ISN’T OVER-STYLIZED

Much has already been said about the DCEU cinematic aesthetic. Man of Steel and Batman v Superman director Zack Snyder loves spectacle — so much so that some of his scenes in movies like 300 don’t feel so much like moments as splash panels lifted directed from the source comic. Those choices plagued his DCEU movies, while the choices made in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad blended gritty, grimy action with Day-Glo colors, making for a confused visual experience.

Wonder Woman is certainly stylized when it wants to be. The numerous slow-motion shots of the Amazons and Diana herself come right out of the Snyder stylebook. But when the film takes a step back to let them be awesome on-screen, fighting on horseback or taking artillery shells head-on, it’s that much more thrilling.

IT’S FUNNY

This is an area where Wonder Woman is not only leaps and bounds ahead of the DCEU’s previous films, but where it’s also able to give some of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe a run for their money. The film is intermittently hilarious, thanks in large part to the chemistry and comic timing of Gal Gadot and Chris Pine.

GAL GADOT AND CHRIS PINE HAVE GREAT COMIC TIMING

Where a film like Guardians of the Galaxy is able to mine laughs out of the Guardians’ screwy family dynamic, Gadot’s Diana and Pine’s Steve Trevor are two worlds colliding in the funniest possible ways. There are several moments where the movie seems to acknowledge that Diana, warrior princess, coming to man’s world is a patently silly concept, but the movie betrays so much affection for her and the people around her that the silliness brings laughs and real smiles. Especially when it comes to Steve trying — and failing — to gently undermine Diana, and Diana doing whatever she wants to do anyway.

IT’S SURPRISINGLY DIVERSE

The superhero genre has always been deeply white and male, and creators have struggled to change that, even in this franchise era when seemingly any superhero, no matter how obscure, can get a movie. (Remember Jonah Hex?) Wonder Woman, as the character’s first ever solo theatrical movie and the first female superhero movie since 2005’s awful Elektra, was always going to be a standard-bearer for women in the tights-and-capes crowd. But, given that Wonder Woman has become a modern pop-culture symbol for all women, the specter of white feminism meant that it needed to include people of color in a way that other films in its genre didn’t.

Thankfully, the movie manages to pull this off. The Amazons are formidable warrior women with a variety of skin tones, and they’re never sexualized for leering viewers. London (or what we see of it, anyway) is similarly diverse. And Diana’s comrades in arms include two actors of color, Saïd Taghmaoui and Eugene Brave Rock. Is the movie perfect on this front? No. After leaving Themyscira, the movie fails to really center the story of any female character beyond Diana’s own, and Doctor Poison (Elena Anaya) is woefully underutilized. But what’s there works so well that it’s a little hard to find fault in the shortcomings.

IT’S REFRESHINGLY SINCERE

On their way to the front lines, Diana and Steve pass by an ice-cream vendor. He buys her a scoop, and she eats it with such visible delight that she tells the vendor he should be very proud. It’s an affecting moment, because it strikes at two things that make Wonder Woman a great character. First, she’s able to see more clearly than anyone around her that there’s good in the world. Second, she believes that such goodness is worth defending. In just an instant, we get a clear glimpse at what drives her, and that instant is more joyful and sincere than anything the DCEU has offered to fans until now.

‘WONDER WOMAN’ IS SINCERE IN A WAY THE OTHER DCEU FILMS AREN’T

DIVE UNDERNEATH THE ICE OF THE ANTARCTICA

by Skye Von

As part of The Antarctica Series, The New York Times takes you on, above and below the Antarctic ice in four virtual-reality films. The one that stands out is Under A Cracked Sky. 

It premiered at this year's Tribeca Film Festival where it was praised widely and stood out from most other virtual-reality experiences there, even though it did not feature any elaborate 3D environments, special effects or any interactivity. Under A Cracked Sky is a simple linear narrative documentary experience. No frills about it. And it does not need them. Because it has a good story and a worthy reason to be told in 360. 

Under A Cracked Sky lets you dive under the sea ice of the Antarctic, where the clearest water on Earth lies, with two research divers at McMurdo Station, one of whom has more experience under the ice than anyone else on the planet. The divers narrate as they take you on a journey to encounter seals, explore ice caves, glide past stalactites of frozen seawater and swim over a rocky black seabed crawling with life.

When I took the journey under the ice, I was struck not only by the beauty of this underwater world but also by how much the experience simulated the feeling of being under water in my body. I am a certified diver, but not a very experienced one yet, and still, every time get the feeling of feeling like a fish out of water (yes pun intended) when I go underwater. I got that same exact feeling when I was in Under A Cracked Sky. Just like I need to do in real life, I had to tell my body that it was ok and I had to steady my breathing. 

Of course, some of you might ask why anyone would want to put themselves in an uncomfortable experience like this. As any other divers will tell you, the reward of being underwater is worth the discomfort because of the underwater beauty and euphoric and rejuvenating sensation that comes from having to calm your body to remain safe.

But to get back to the experience, it is the VR creators ability to create this immensely powerful visceral experience that makes Under A Cracked Sky a real success. Of course, the story in context with the state of our environment and the sheer uniqueness of the access also add to it. And of course the unbelievable beauty of the world below. 

Under A Cracked Sky proofs that a great VR experience does not rely on gimmicks, technology or gamification, but that relies as all mediums do on great storytelling, great characters and subjects, and great environments that call for a 360 coverage.

Under A Cracked Sky has now been released on NYT VR website and app. Download the NYT VR app for a fully immersive experience, which I recommend, or watch it below: 

A movie about an Asian sex robot aims to challenge stereotypes

By Alan Zilberman via washingtonpost.com

A scene from Anne Hu's short film “Cake.” (Courtesy of Anne Hu)

There is a giant box on the living room floor, and a young, attractive, white couple quiver with anticipation as they sit before it. They have been looking to spice up their sex lives, and the box contains their latest solution: a lifelike Asian sex robot, complete with a black corset and spiky black heels.

This is the premise for “Cake,” a short film by New York-based director Anne Hu that is having its local premiere at the D.C. Asian Pacific American Film Festival on Sunday. What makes “Cake” unique — and what elevates its premise into a sharp critique of typical Asian representation in popular culture — is that Hu herself plays the sex robot.

It is not unusual for directors to put themselves in their own films. Alfred Hitchcock became famous for his little cameos, while aging actor-directors such as Kevin Costner and Mel Gibson would typically play the heroic lead role. But by playing the robot and literally objectifying herself, Hu is more vulnerable than the typical filmmaker.

In a recent interview, Hu explains the casting choice was a statement of purpose: “I had always intended to cast myself originally. Then I got scared, backed out, and held auditions for the role. But it never felt right.”

Hu’s performance is silent, and yet her face — dispassionate and hostile — is a comic response to the couple, who speak about their sex lives with an exaggerated, sunny disposition. She adds that casting herself “made me feel like the statements I wanted to make were louder, more in-your-face.”

Hu first got the idea for “Cake” while she was a student at Ohio State University, earning her degree in marketing and art. “OSU didn’t have a film program, so I took as much of their film/video classes as I could,” she says. After working in an advertising agency and moving to New York, she eventually landed a job in 2016 as a senior producer-editor for HBO, where she edits promotional trailers for shows such as “Game of Thrones” and “Vice Principals.” Hu left the idea for “Cake” alone for years — she originally conceived it a feature-length film — only to return to it as a short in 2015. At under 10 minutes, the film nonetheless took months to write, with a lengthy postproduction process after an intense two-day shooting schedule.

“Cake” is ultimately a comedy, one where Hu’s character serves as a mirror for the audience. Throughout the film, we see one deadpan sight gag after another. At first, we do not see the robot’s face: Hu introduces the character with a close-up of her midsection. She is a consumer product, anonymous and blank. Later, with an unmistakable mix of apathy and disgust, Hu stares directly into the camera. It is a look that says, “Yes, I know what you must think of me, and I do not find it the least bit fascinating.”

Through objectification, “Cake” forces its audience to ask what it means when Asian women are endlessly fetishized. Most directors use their camera to expand their vision, inviting multiple meanings. Hu does the opposite, and her sullen eyes imbue “Cake” with the red-hot focus of a laser.

At age 30, Hu has already made several short films across animation, documentary and traditional narrative. And she is keenly aware of the diversity problem on both sides of the camera. “I think change is slow, especially for the big Hollywood companies, because they’re driven by profits and not necessarily by the art,” she says. “But I would argue that’s changing, considering all the backlash they’re seeing at the box office.”

She points to the recent box-office bomb “Ghost in the Shell,” a film plagued by controversy since its star, Scarlett Johansson, played a humanoid character of Asian descent. “I have to personally fight the ‘submissive Asian woman’ stereotype. [People in the industry] have used that stereotype to my face.” One of the rich ironies of “Cake” is that, despite all the dominatrix gear, Hu’s character is subservient to the wills of horny white people — not that she is too keen about it.

After her film tours the film festival circuit, Hu plans to work on her feature-length debut. It’s a revenge horror film about a daughter in an Asian American family. When her stepmother decides to sell the family home, her long-deceased biological mother comes back from the dead. Like the recent horror smash “Get Out,” the film has the potential to dismantle easy racial stereotypes — positive and negative — by using a familiar genre framework. The structure and payoff of “Cake” is similar to the sketch-comedy show where Jordan Peele, writer and director of “Get Out,” cut his teeth. Based on the strength of her short film, Hu just might become the latest cinematic force to be reckoned with.

HOW TO AVOID “ON THE NOSE” DIALOGUE

via bluecatscreenplay.com by Rob Clarke

Dialogue, it’s a crucial part of any successful script, but also the easiest element to get wrong. Novice writers will often write flat dialogue where characters simply state how they feel, asserting a beat within a scene instead of massaging it into place. If a character is tired, a flat piece of dialogue will express that beat in a line like “I’m sleepy.” while richer dialogue might have the character remark at the time, showing the day has gotten away from him, while matching his words with the action of a yawn. Stating “I’m tired” to express the beat “I’m tired” is obvious, and it’s what’s known as “On the Nose” dialogue.

So, how do we avoid this common mistake?

Well, one way to avoid this might seem counterintuitive, but it could work for you in the long run. If you want to avoid on the nose dialogue, write on the nose dialogue. It’s simple, the better we understand a problem, the easier it is to avoid it when we come across it later. Many writers struggle with scene structure and often times this boils down to the fact that they don’t fully understand what their characters want going into the scene and they get lost along the way. Sitting down to write flat, on the nose dialogue before you even begin to write a scene can help you visualize and focus in on what it is that a character wants in any individual scene. Once this is out there, the writer can take those raw beats, emotions, and feelings from the on the nose dialogue and infuse it into the subtext of the scene they’re about to write.

Here’s a short example from a scene most of you will be familiar with. In Jaws, there’s an early encounter between Hooper, the young scientist who relies on gadgets and technology to deal with the shark, and Quint, the hardened fisherman who finds all that silly. The beats of the scene unfold like this: Quint thinks Hooper looks like an ass with all of his equipment, Hooper counters by stating it’s all necessary, and Quint thinks it’ll get him killed.

Here’s what the scene would look like with on the nose dialogue.

Quint: You don’t need all that stuff. You look dumb.

Hooper: I’ll have you know, this stuff is important and special.

Quint: The shark is going to kill you.

And here’s how the real scene plays out:

 Do you see how the exchange takes the beats of the scene –what is obvious about what’s going on– and buries it underneath charm, quips, and even a song. Quint doesn’t call Hooper stupid, he makes a joke at Hooper’s expense, calling him a “half-assed astronaut”. Hooper shows us his equipment is important simply by naming it, and Quint doesn’t flat out tell Hooper that he’s going to die, he just reiterates what a cage does before he starts to sing a song about sailors who are never seen again. The beats are the same, one is just more obvious than the other.

Early drafts are usually full of on the nose dialogue. That’s okay, you’re still figuring everything out at that stage. Don’t waste it. Use the flat, obvious dialogue to better understand your characters. When you know the intention of what’s being said, it’s easier to come up with creative ways to hide it.

You’re not alone with this problem, but next time you’re looking at a page that’s on the nose, remember, you don’t look dumb, you’re a half-assed astronaut.

“LEARN DIALOGUE IN 10 MINUTES” | The Backstory, Screenwriting Staffing

via Screenwriting Staffing by Founder of Screenwriting Staffing, Jacob N. Stuart

Hollywood has a short attention span. Unlike writers, who think they have all day to sit and ponder, plotting out their next script, or revising and revising a screenplay until their fingers are numb, the truth is: THEY DON’T. So in between your writing breaks (or more like looking yourself up on Google) take 10 minutes to learn the key recipes for success when writing dialogue.

SUBTEXT. Ben: “You can never ask me to stop drinking. You understand?” Sera: “I do.” – (“Leaving Las Vegas”, Oscar Winner.)

I think this is one of my favorite line(s) in ANY movie. Any dialogue examples will only make sense to the reader if the reader has watched the film. But for anyone who has seen ‘Leaving Las Vegas’, this quick, yet intense exchange of words, holds invaluable subtext. Ben’s line is on-the-nose, and purposely done. We know he’s lost his wife, son and job. He has sold his belongings, and methodically plans to kill himself in Vegas by use of the bottle, no exceptions. But when Sera says “I do”, does she understand? The words “I do” is only a quick fix, an answer that clearly masks how she feels, but can momentarily end this conversation. Sera is not concerned about his drinking habits. His purpose in her life, at least for time being, serves as a selfish distraction from her prostitution life. And finally ,after many years of sorrow, she’s found someone who is “worse off” than she is. So what is Sera “really” saying? She’s saying “No, I do NOT understand. But who cares, as long as you stay.” Subtext in dialogue is the ONLY truth in a character’s speech. Subtext is the underlying meaning of the character’s “surface” dialogue. But this can only be achieved when the writer understands the real motivation of his characters.  It is very common for actors to cross out any “parenthetical” direction under the character’s dialogue. An actor wants to personally interpret what the character is really saying. This will not only influence the actors “actions” during their dialogue, but also what words they emphasize. Without subtext, your characters are dull. And you will unfortunately find that the audience does not truly understand your characters, which will later force you to add too much exposition dialogue.

EXPOSITION. There is nothing I hate more than watching a TV pilot which shows a married couple sitting on the porch and listening to the husband saying, “Honey, you know we’ve been married for 25 years.” Of course she knows! But writers feel the need to add information that is not only organic, but OBVIOUS. How can a writer ensure that the audience knows the couple have been married for 25 years? Simple. In your action and description lines, highlight family photos with kids in their later teen years, or a wedding photo that is well worn and faded with the couple looking dramatically younger. And instead of having the couple cuddled on the couch hand in hand like a newlywed bride and groom, show them stretched out on the couch, with a bucket of ice cream in between them. Get the point? Add subtle action and description rather than obvious dialogue. There is a time for exposition. And it IS needed. For the most part, every film has expositional dialogue. But the best films take advantage of this at the beginning by communicating key information that the audience MUST have in order to fully understand the story. But remember, it’s always better to show, not tell.

GENERIC ROLES. It was always so embarrassing in film school when we held casting calls. It’s bad enough we can’t pay the actors for their time and that the film will never be seen by an audience, but the fact we brought these actors in to read a line for a ‘front desk clerk’ at a hotel which says, “Thanks for staying with us, come back again.” First, you must ask yourself if this scene is even needed, and if it is, does there really need to be dialogue. Can’t the clerk just wave goodbye? Try giving the front desk clerk something interesting to say, something that gives the audience a clear understanding about the hotel’s charm, size, and personality. You can also use this opportunity to give insight into your protagonist’s personality by having the front desk clerk do something silly or even obnoxious. This will allow the audience to see how your “hero” reacts. But please, don’t waste an actor’s gas money just to read a generic line by a generic character.  

SPEECHES. It is said that dialogue should be only of maximum of 2-3 lines. Having white space on a script is very important. And while “real” people don’t typically give long speeches , every great script should have ONE long and powerful speech. This should not be done at the beginning (unless it pushes the story forward) but at the end.

One of my favorite examples of a great speech is in “Scent of a Women”. The script is full of fabulous one-liners and memorable quotes, but one of the most stunning parts of the film happens when Colonel Frank Slade delivers his bombshell support for Charlie at the school. The impact of his “speech” was breathtaking, and the film wouldn’t have worked without it.

SILENT FILMS. Think silent films are dead? What about 2011’s Oscar-winning Best Picture : The Artist?  We go to the movie to see moving images. If we want lengthy dialogue and text we will read a book. Now I’ll admit, I go to Tarantino’s films to hear his characters speak, but he’s an exception. But writing is not a visual art. Turn the volume off on your favorite movie. Watch it all the way through. Do you still understand the characters goals? Do you understand the theme and message the director is trying to capture and preach? If the film was done right ,this can be achieved. It’s not uncommon for writers to write their script with only action and description first, and then later add the dialogue. I do not personally use this method, but many writers find it’s more important to tell the story visually before they tell the story verbally. Think about it.

COMMANDING A VOICE. I’d say over 75% of scripts that are never produced can be credited to the lack of “voice” for each character. It’s 120 pages of a writer speaking in the same tone and voice, giving us a boring sermon. Screenplays that work owe much of their success to “real” voices which come from “real” characters. Try this: Black out the character’s name in your entire script. Then go back in and re-read the screenplay. Can you differentiate between characters? Do you know who is speaking and who they are speaking to? If not, you are setting yourself up for failure. As a previous screenplay reader covering multiple scripts in a day, I wanted to scroll through these scripts as fast as I could. The ones which were most impressive and enjoyable were the ones I didn’t need to “check” and see who was speaking, I just knew.

VOICE OVER. I love voice-overs and will continue to use them when needed. But when do voice-overs destroy a screenplay? Well, there are many explanations on why and how this happens. But when a writer, for whatever reason, can’t fix character development or plot holes, they tend to revert to voice-overs which is a cop-out. So, before writing a voice-over you need to ask yourself, “Can my voice-overs be removed yet the story will still makes sense?” If yes, consider taking them out. Think of a director who watches his film and comments on it to an audience while they watch it. The director is adding insight, added bonuses, and layers to the story — something the naked eye may not see. Could “Shawshank Redemption” work without Morgan Freeman’s voice-overs? Yes, it could. But what the voice-overs provided was flare, personality, and a sense of continuity. The film’s success was achieved by clever writing and by allowing the characters actions to dictate the story first. The voice-overs were just the icing on the cake.

CONCLUSION: THE CONCEPT. Look, screenplays are bought on concept, not dialogue. So every writer should first focus on the overall concept of the script. When a writer has a compelling story to tell, the script is already half- way to selling. But dialogue should not be overlooked. It can add a great break when a script has a lot of action. Dialogue sticks with us, quoted by people for years and years. It can make us cry and laugh at the same time. Just remember, if you create a story worth telling, characters that are memorable, and an ending that will blow an audiences socks off, adding in the dialogue will come naturally, a total breeze.

Good Luck, & Get Started!

In honor of the Earth Day 2017 and March for Science, little GIANT Wolf and State Media Productions are releasing the first trailer of the 360-documentary NO APOLOGIES, which highlights how the American people won't apologize for believing in the importance of science, proof and scientific truth. 

We at little GIANT Wolf and State Media Productions stand firmly behind the core values and beliefs of the March for Science:

Science protects the health of our communities, the safety of our families, the education of our children, the foundation of our economy and jobs, and the future we all want to live in and preserve for coming generations.

That is why we will march tomorrow, in the name of science, in the name of future generations, and in the name of our planet. 

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 360: When a 50-year War Ends

by Skye Von

Last September I traveled with a 360-video team into the Colombian jungle with Total Cinema 360 for The Wall Street Journal and Google VR Daydream.

We sought to document the last days of the guerrilla group FARC and report on the peace conference that was taking place there. We spent time with the FARC to learn about their way of life, and their hopes for the future as peace was within reach. 

Needless to say, it was a once in a lifetime experience and amazing slice of history to record in 360 since this type of life is now thankfully a thing of the past and does not exist any longer.

This experience is for anyone who wants to learn more about the FARC's history and anyone who wants to take a journey into the Colombian jungle like it has never existed before and will never exist again.

Interaction vs. Immersion: The Challenges of Mobile VR

by Sadah Espii Proctor

There is a difference between interaction and immersion.

It’s something that I’m learning in theatre, and now it’s something that I’m coming to understand in regards to virtual reality (VR).

I see the debates between 3DOF (3 degrees of freedom) vs. 6DOF (6 degrees of freedom) and what constitutes as a “real” VR experience.

* 3DOF — being able to move your head and look around in a fixed position

* 6DOF — being able to move your head and look around, and also move about the space

I think developers sleep too much on mobile VR.

We take our smartphones everywhere. They are already integrated in our everyday life. One of the benefits of mobile VR is that you can experience something wherever you are. You don’t have to be tethered to your laptop/desktop (wire or wireless), or have to leave your home to go to the movies, theatre, opera, etc.

You can experience something wherever you are.

That’s one thing that Hollywood has fought against in regards to video-on-demand (VOD) and streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. And as you can see, it’s a losing battle.

I know we’re in the infancy stages of VR, but we have to get out of our heads what our personal feelings are on “true VR” and look at the devices that people use to consume content.

If you create non-engaging content, it will fail to reach people whether or not someone has the freedom to move around in that virtual environment or not.

The technology may not yet be up to where our dreams are at, but that doesn’t excuse a lack of engaging content. We have had amazing experiences with worse graphics, so we REALLY have to pay attention to how we’re crafting our material.

“VR is an isolating experience.”

What is it like to create for an audience of 1? What is it like to create an experience that someone feels is just for them? An experience that they leave and tell their friends that they have to also experience this moment? How do you create an experience that’s not meant to be physically shared with others?

“You can’t move around in mobile VR.”

Again, we experience many things that demand that we sit still. We watch movies, go to the theatre, etc. We watch our favorite heroes fly across the screen, drown in a puddle of tears, and learn something new about themselves all while we passively watch. The key thing to mobile VR is IMMERSION. Immersion is the main deal. Being in an uncharted environment is what makes it so interesting. It’s not so much as how I can manipulate my environment. Interaction (as of right now) is limited and experiences/games should be crafted towards that right now instead of complaining about it.

In a VR experience that enables us to move around, how do we add meaning to that heightened level of interaction? What compels someone to move around? What compels someone to interact with and manipulate the elements of their environment? What does it mean to give someone permission to do that, compared to creating a sense of awe and wonder from stillness in mobile VR?

For these kinds of experiences, INTERACTION and IMMERSION go hand in hand, but shaping interaction is a key ingredient.

Every medium has their own limitations that shape how we craft and experience that medium.

Virtual reality has its own capabilities, but it also has its own limitations. Rather than fight against them, we should use that as a map to help us create the best ways of creating the best experiences for our audiences.

In the theatre, I work as a dramaturg. A dramaturg has an adaptable role, but we research contextual information for plays, facilitate/co-facilitate the development process for playwrights and ensembles, give feedback on work, critique productions, and look at different structures to tell stories. (and more..)

I LOVE narrative (linear or non-linear) structures. It’s one of the most interesting things I find about virtual reality. And I believe that we can embrace the limitations of it, despite the amount of freedoms it gives us.

Sadah Espii Proctor is a dramaturg, performer, and sound & media designer based in Brooklyn, New York. She collaborates with artists and technologists to develop immersive, interactive, and performative experiences. Influenced by Cyberpunk, Visual Kei, and Afrofuturist movements, she aims to create a "cyborg theatre" that integrates the body with technology in live performance.

Sadah is a fellow at Timewave Festival/NYU's VR/AR Story & Game Studio. She has served as a mentor for MIT's Hacking Arts hackathon. She is also a past recipient of the SH//FT scholarship for the Oculus Connect 3 conference and has taught workshops at NYU's ITP Camp.

I work less than I want in the sci-fi genre, but if I had to pick one, then it would definitely be it. And this January, I did direct a sci-fi short I wrote for the Sci-Fi Anthology Scifive, which is coming soon to a galaxy near you... Until then I am working on some other sci-fi scripts in development, and have sci-fi constantly on my mind. So I am always looking for more inspiration and solutions to how to solve some aspects of a story that I am currently working on realistically and based in science. The article below list some great resources for finding inspiration and those answers.

Four Blogs That Will Improve Your Sci-Fi Screenplay

By admin via screencraft.org

Perhaps more than any other genre, sci-fi writers can benefit from keeping up with the latest science and technology news and research, as well as Futurist thought leaders.. Whether you’re looking for the real-world discoveries that will spark a new story, or need sharper insights to bring authenticity to an existing script, here are some of the best blogs to add to your reading list.

1. Shelly Palmer

Shelly Palmer writes blog posts on technology, media, marketing and politics. Recent posts that seem especially intriguing for sci-fi writers include The Five Jobs Robots Will Take First and The Five Jobs Robots Will Take Last.

Compare #3 on each of those lists: Journalists and Politicians. Can you guess which job the robots are predicted to replace first, and which they won’t be able to take over for?

2. Futurism

The Futurism blog provides the latest news, infographics, and videos on the science and technology that are shaping the future of humanity, including AI, robotics and virtual reality.

Take this recent article: Tech May Widen the Gap Between Rich and Poor

When we think of new technologies and the future, we often imagine everyone having equal access to advances that make life easier, faster, more exciting. But what if that’s not the case?

The author points out: “New technologies have always cost some people their livelihood while helping many others.” Imagine the story possibilities in a world where this has occurred.

3. Evolution Shift

David Houle writes about future trends in healthcare, education, energy, technology, and the global economy.

Houle’s post about the discovery of red dwarf sun Trappist-1 takes an interesting angle on this “major step forward in answering the question about whether there is intelligent life elsewhere in the Cosmos.” Specifically, why haven’t we heard more about it? Quoting Marshall McLuhan, “Societies have always been shaped more by the nature of the media by which men communicate than by the content of the communication.”

What story ideas do these observations spark for you?

4. Future Conscience

Future Conscience is a futurist ethics blog that explore all avenues of human progress through the eyes of a future conscience. There’s a huge archive of articles that will surely get your story wheels turning. But just for a change of pace, I’ll point out another way the site can help:

Here’s their round up of the Top 10 Futurist Websites.

That’s right – a fascinating rabbit hole that will likely steal away your writing time today, but it may be well worth it!

I wasn't the only one to pick up on the powerful use of the deer imagery, A.M. NOVAK did as well and I am featuring his article below, but not many did. Of course, there were so many other powerful uses of symbols and the genre that America thankfully did pick up on, as Frank Bruni dissects in The Horror of Smug Liberal very accurately and brutally honestly.

In his article Frank Bruni also pointed me to an interesting aspect of the horror genre that I had not thought about before since I have to admit I am not a big horror fan. Frank Bruni draws a link between certain horror films and social issues, such as Rosemary’s Baby and abortion and The Stepford Wives and women’s liberation, and now between Get Out and Black Lives Matter. Again I find this very accurate and have a new found appreciation for the horror genre, not only because of Get Out.

It is needless to say that Get Out is everything a movie should be and more, horror or not. With this film Jordan Peele has established himself as one of the best and most relevant screenwriter and directors we have at the moment. We need more filmmakers like him.

Not Your Trophy: Deer Imagery in Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’

BY A.M. NOVAK ON MARCH 22, 2017 

Jordan Peele’s psychological horror Get Out has consistently drawn large box office numbers since its February 2017 release. As with Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby or any Stanley Kubrick feature, it’s the carefully layered subtext that bears repeat viewings. As black photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya, Black Mirror) and his white girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams, Girls) venture to upstate New York to meet her parents, race is revealed to be more of an issue than Rose originally let on. Get Out explores many notions: the duplicitous nature of liberal racism, the cumulative damage of microaggressions and appropriation, assimilation versus acculturation. But it’s the deer imagery, and the insinuations about race and resistance, that continue to elude audiences.

Chris’ journey begins with a bad omen. During his drive with Rose to the Armitage residence, the relative normalcy of their trip is shattered when they collide with a deer. Its body catapults into the woods just off the road, and the couple pulls over to recover. Chris feels compelled to exit the car and steps into the woods to see if the deer is still alive, standing over the dying animal as it gasps its last breath. Close ups are intercut with shots of Chris’ transfixed face, hinting at something simmering under his calm exterior. Later, during his first trip to the “Sunken Place,” Chris reveals his greatest childhood shame to Rose’s hypnotherapist mother, Missy (Catherine Keener: he didn’t act quickly enough to save his own mother in the hours after her hit-and-run accident, and was thus responsible for her death. At this point, it’s clear that Chris goes back to see the dying deer because it served as a reminder of his mother’s death. From the film’s beginning, writer/director Peele clues the audience in as to the deer’s significance as a symbol.

The biggest indicator that the deer means something more is most apparent when Chris first meets Rose’s father, Dean (Bradley Whitford), in person. His reaction to the deer story is notably odd. He praises Rose for hitting the deer and goes on to rant about the entire species and how they ruin the local neighborhoods. To eradicate them is a service to the community, according to Dean. This scene not only sets an odd tone for the rest of Chris’ interactions with the family, but it also primes the audience for what’s to come. We’ve all heard or read this rant before in the comments section of an article about POC. Instead of deer, however, the comments are often aimed at non-white people and how they ruin neighborhoods, how unassimilated they are and how they need to be locked up (or worse) for everyone’s safety. Later in the film, the reveal that the Armitage family appropriates black bodies for the convenience and use of wealthy white society is justified as being for the greater good or, in other words, as a service to the community. Dean’s out-of-place tangent, then, is not just referring to the deer, but what — or whom — it represents to him.

At first, it seems peculiar that Dean speaks so lowly of deer, considering he has the imposing head of one mounted on the wall of the rec room where Chris is later held against his will. It’s not just a deer head mounted to the wall, either; the antlers indicate that the deer is likely male, also known as a buck. That in itself isn’t enough to make one pause, since it was clear early on that Dean was a hunter of sorts, and procured many exotic souvenirs during his travels abroad. During the grand tour of the house, he casually showed off his trophies from far-off African locales. Statues. Instruments. Tapestries. Elements he had cherry-picked from black culture to display in his own home; a simple-but-effective display of black appropriation. Like the black people Rose hunted and seduced, Dean’s favorite bits of blackness were given new life as decorative trophies. The biggest trophy of all, though, is displayed in the recreation room.

A buck’s taxidermied head mounted in a rec room is nothing special on its own, but in Get Out, the connected historical context makes it a far more sinister image. A buck is also a known post-Reconstruction racial slur, used to describe black men who refused to acquiesce to white authority figures and were considered a menace to white America. The “black buck” became a stereotype in America throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries that reduced African-American men to the villainous role of savage brutes, who would cause devastation to white property (including the rape of white women), and thus necessitated brutal measures in order to maintain order, for the good of the community. In Get Out, it is in this context that the buck’s mounted head is transformed into a symbol of white dominance over the black male. That the trophy is displayed above the television (used to mentally “tame” Chris into submission via hypnosis) is no mistake.

Further, it’s no mistake that Chris escapes the recreation room the way he does. He resists the family’s hypnosis cues by picking and stuffing cotton (from the armrests on his chair) into his ears, the racial irony of which is particularly satisfying, and was confirmed as intentional by Peele in a New York Times podcast. As Rose’s brother Jeremy (Caleb Landry Jones) comes to collect Chris, he bludgeons the young man with a bocce ball; another sweet spoonful of irony in which he fulfills the brute athletic “purpose” that Jeremy insisted upon earlier. Chris then impales a shocked Dean with the antlers of the very buck that loomed over him moments before. The antlers are both a literal and a metaphorical implement of resistance, and their indication is clear: Chris is not a wild beast to be tamed, and he will not be another ethnic trophy for the Armitage estate. With the prior knowledge of Dean’s awkward raving about the deer population needing to be kept under control, it becomes especially poetic that a physical token of the dehumanization of black people becomes a tool for tearing him down and, by extension, the nuanced oppression that he represents.

Like the color red in The Sixth Sense, the imagery in Get Out is both visually striking and packed with power. Jordan Peele saturates that imagery with subtextual power, using the deer as a symbol for Chris’ past trauma, the animalization and appropriation of people of color, forced deference to the white man and, finally, as an instrument of defiance. With so much gold mined from one visual element, it’s safe to assume that Get Out will continue to entertain and provoke with multiple viewings, making it a valuable addition to any film lover’s collection.

In honor of Snowstorm Stella and as most of us have been given a day of work, I am looking back at some of the greatest movie scenes set during a snowstorm. 

I think we can agree that snow and especially snowstorms offer the most dramatic cinematic backdrop without needing much manipulation. Furthermore, in their inherent harshness and their inherent unlikeliness of human survival, if caught in one, they become a powerful story tool, and many great movies have used it from the Shining to Fargo to Day After Tomorrow.

Arguably the most famous and most successful snow storm scene is the Maze Scene at the end of The Shining:

Of course, I am featuring Fargo where snow and the blizzards are such an integral part of the movie and they story. And it does not mean that the characters need to be inside the storm or the cold as in the last scene when Marge remarks on what a nice day it is:

I would have listed Fargo, the TV show, before Fargo, the movie, if I had been able to find the full scene from Season 1 Episode 6 with my favorite snowstorm scene when Molly chases Malvo and is shot by Gus by mistake. However, I found the beginning of that scene in which the snowstorm adds to the cinematic drama and value:

Obviously, snowstorms and blizzard can and are used often more plainly as the protagonist of the film and are what the hero has to battle. The Day After Tomorrow's Super Freeze is one of the best examples of our characters having to fight for their survival:

Some other great snowstorm survival movies are Everest and Alive where the characters in the storm are pushed to the extremes of snow survival:

Also, in McCabe & Mrs. Miller the snowstorm is used for its brute deadly force, but also as a powerful juxtaposition to the town fighting a fire. This combination of snow and fire is also used in a quite different movie, Die Hard 2:

I am listing Hanna's opening scene less because there is a snowstorm, but because of snow's scenic quality. The scene is by far one of my favorite opening scene in a movie, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that it is just incredibly beautiful to look at because of the wintery landscape:

Another great combination is the snowstorm and a ski chase as in the destruction of the snow fortress in Inception:

And since I am listing the ski chase in Inception, I am going to list my favorite ski chase of all times, which is in James Bond's On Her Majesty's Secret Service which does not include a snow storm but lots of snow.

But snow and snowstorms are also magical! And the blizzard in Legend is a clear outward representations of the inner tumult and transformation of the central characters:

In the Empire Strikes Back, the snowstorm not only acts as enforcing how far the rebels are willing to go to fight the evil empire by hiding on a planet that is completely inhabitable and how they can actually have a chance since they can survive there, but it also delivers a great opening to a movie:

And I will leave you with one that is much less sad but equally as magical, the snowstorm created my Edward in Edward Scissorhands: