[ebooks] Video Demystified: A Handbook for the Digital Engineer by Keith Jack in Arts-Photography

Description

It wasnt so long ago that the Sundance Film Festival was an inconsequential event somewhere in Utah; and Miramax was a tiny distributor of music documentaries and soft-core trash. Today; of course; Sundance is the most important film festival this side of Cannes; and Miramax has become an industry giant; part of the huge Disney empire. Likewise; the directors who emerged from the independent movement; such as Quentin Tarantino; Steven Soderbergh; and David O. Russell -- who once had to max out their credit cards to realize their visions on the screen -- are now among the best-known directors in Hollywood. Not to mention the actors who emerged with them; like Matt Damon; Ben Affleck; Ethan Hawke; and Uma Thurman. Down and Dirty Pictures chronicles the rise of independent filmmakers and of the twin engines -- Sundance and Miramax -- that have powered them. As he did in his acclaimed Easy Riders; Raging Bulls; Peter Biskind profiles the people who took the independent movement from obscurity to the Oscars; most notably Sundance founder Robert Redford and Harvey Weinstein; who with his brother; Bob; made Miramax an indie powerhouse. Biskind follows Sundance as it grew from a regional film festival to the premier showcase of independent film; succeeding almost despite the mercurial Redford; whose visionary plans were nearly thwarted by his own quixotic personality. He charts in fascinating detail the meteoric rise of the controversial Harvey Weinstein; often described as the last mogul; who created an Oscar factory that became the envy of the studios; while leaving a trail of carnage in his wake. As in Easy Riders; Biskinds incisive account is loaded with vibrant anecdotes and outrageous stories; all of it blended into a fast-moving narrative. Redford; the Weinsteins; and the directors; producers; and actors Biskind profiles are the people who reinvented Hollywood; making independent films mainstream. But success invariably means compromise; and it remains to be seen whether the indie spirit can survive its corporate embrace. Candid; mesmerizing; and penetrating; Down and Dirty Pictures is a must-read for anyone interested in the film world and where its headed.