I’ve always been a fan of the director’s commentary on DVDs (I would really love to hear Iñárritu discuss his films!) In fact, if I have the time, I’ll watch a film three times: once to watch it, a second time with the director’s commentary, and a third time to appreciate what the director discusses.

Sadly, many director’s commentaries are disappointing (I suppose speaking about one’s art is a gift that not all artists possess?) So…when I come across a really good director’s commentary, I like to pass on the intel. In case you were wondering, yes, Tom Hooper’s director’s commentary on The King’s Speech DVD is well worth watching – a real education in film/directing. Hooper discusses his relationship with his art directors and location scouts, how he uses the locations to visually tell his story, how the soundtrack contributes to telling his story, which lenses he chooses to use (when and why), and much more. Hooper’s an excellent director and would be an excellent educator as well, I think. Until he begins teaching, however, check out his director commentaries!

If you’re interested in learning more about Hooper’s directing style right now, check out Wikipedia.

If you are as yet unfamiliar with Creative Screenwriting Magazine’s podcasts, now is the time to get acquainted! Host (and Senior Editor) Jeff Goldsmith does excellent, in-depth interviews with many top screenwriters (both independent as well as big-budget filmmakers). I recently listened to his interview with Edward Burns and felt compelled to post about it.

With the release of the Blu-ray edition of Robin Hood, Ridley Scott has made his storyboards available to th world. Blu-ray functionality makes it possible to look at the storyboards while watching the film. This is a great boon for both cineastes as well as film students, providing amazing access to the inner workings of

Having grown up overseas I am always looking for ways to connect with the global film community. As the world shrinks, it’s worth looking to other countries for (among others) educational and economic reasons. Producing films overseas can often be an excellent bargain plus, if handled subtly, the foreign-ness of other countries can add a

Sam Raimi’s response to a question at ComicCon is golden: “My advice to young filmmakers is to make a movie every week…write every night and every weekend shoot for two days…[edit] and get a response…see where it works and where it doesn’t work…where your ideas weren’t being communicated properly and learn from that experience sitting