2017

Documentary films often have a hard time at the box office. It’s tough for the typically low-budget productions to break through the Hollywood blockade, no matter how compelling a story they tell. But […]

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For those readers who have recently won the lottery, have I got an opportunity for you!

The Prop Store, a vendor of prop memorabilia and original props in London, will be auctioning off a ludicrous treasure trove of movie and TV props and costumes on September 26. The collection includes more than 600 items, including a bunch of props from science fiction and fantasy classics.

Like what, you say? The list includes a Xenomorph egg from Aliens; the Seventh Doctor’s Panama Hat from Doctor Who; Bill Murray’s Ghostbusters jumpsuit; Peter Quill’s Star-Lord helmet from Guardians Of The Galaxy; Indiana Jones’ bullwhip from Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade; the Nazgûl Witch-King of Angmar’s crown from Lord Of The Rings; and an official red shirt form the original 1960s Star Trek. You can see the larger gallery over at WIRED.

In an email to WIRED, one of the Prop Stores’ experts, Brandon Alinger said, “The pieces have been sourced from a variety of different places, including private collectors, studios and production companies, industry personnel, and rental houses.” So this auction draws from a number of different sources, which helps explain its size.

While I assume the price tags for these items are far outside most of our budgets, it’s still fun to see all the props and costumes that have been saved from these films. And as much as one part of me wants to run around the house screeching triumphantly in my Nazgûl crown, it’s probably a good thing that I don’t have the cash for this bonanza. (Though I can always craft my own…)

(Via WIRED and io9; image via CBS Television)

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—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

In this video, YouTube critic and filmmaker The Nerdwriter (Evan Puschak) looks at how Emmy-nominated director Reed Morano and her cinematographer Colin Watkinson “created an extremely concentrated aesthetic, one that is beautiful and terrifying at the same time” for The Handmaid’s Tale. Specifically, Puschak looks at how they use a technique known as shallow focus to help us identify with Offred and her life in an authoritarian state and to heighten the story’s underlying message.

“Super shallow depth of field has become something of a cliche in indie filmmaking,” says Puschak. “…It’s a fashion, more than a technique. So it’s really, really cool to see an episodic show like The Handmaid’s Tale incorporate the effect in a systematic way, as a motif of its visual language.”

Puschak argues that the super shallow depth of field in The Handmaid’s Tale accomplishes a few things at once. For example, these close-ups are “an effective way to get the audience to identify with Offred, but they also point to an important theme: that, as a slave in an authoritarian state, where your physical being is effectively controlled by someone else, your only agency is mental.”

In another example, Puschak argues that the cinematic, beautiful look of these shots suits the specific nature of Gilead’s dystopia. Rather than a post-apocalyptic wasteland, it’s “a meticulously manicured New England full of sunlight and green foliage.” This place is a nightmare, but it’s one with a pretty facade – so the cinematography and direction should reflect that.

Puschak also reviews a number of other ways that this technique enhances the message and themes of the show. Since I’m not a cinematographer or director myself, I love how this video helped me understand why and how the show’s visuals could get so deep under my skin.

Director Reed Morano, who shot the first three episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale, was nominated for two Emmy Awards for her work, and this video helps to illustrate why it was so buzzworthy. “It’s just rare that you see this device used so effectively,” Puschak concludes.

It’s almost like women directors are skillful artists who deserve to be hired…Am I right, Hollywood?

(Via io9 and The Nerdwriter; featured image via Hulu)

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We see you, ladies!

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