At age 72, Werner Herzog remains as prolific and as hard-working as he was when he was just starting out. The legendary filmmaker has covered so much ground, both as a documentarian and a director of fiction films, and he has built a reputation for himself for the way each of his films carry his distinctive voice.

Herzog held a 90-minute masterclass at the Locarno International Film Festival back in 2013 ... In Herzog’s masterclass, the director primarily takes questions from the audience, and this Q&A session gives us a fascinating glimpse inside the filmmaker’s craft, with the conversation leaning heavily towards his documentary work.

He has embraced the ever-evolving technology that’s used for filmmaking and emphasizes that anyone should be able to make any kind of film they want today. He does not accept excuses or complaints. Furthermore, he expresses his distaste for film schools and feels that you can learn more if you travel by foot for four months.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-90-minute-masterclass-with-legendary-director-werner-herzog-20150403

Check it here if you are curious.

https://www.rode.com/myrodereel/watch/entry/7519

Although I am pretty happy, the film is quite different from what I had envisioned, so, if you are really curious, you may want to check the script and shot list here https://drive.google.com/open?id=1y7...zHvAxX-UtjLKcL

And finally, the embarrassing part: The competition has a public's award (aka popularity contest). If anyone is so kind, I would love to get some votes.

Also, if anyone else has submitted an entry, feel free to use this thread (or create your own, or keep it hidden and never talk about it)

Shot on GH5 and Laowa Macro lens.

New studio opens in Belgium with specialised underwater stage

The studios’ water stage – which it claims is one of the first of its kind – includes a 21x24 metre tank with a depth of nine metres. It was built for about 40% of the total cost of the studios – about €9.2m (about $10.3m).

Features within the tank include an infinity unit which allows the creation of an underwater view of the ocean; and two moveable platforms, which can adjust the working depth of the pool. The platforms also allow for a dry set weighing up to 20 tonnes to be constructed above water, and then completely submerged to a required depth. This means the stage can shoot interior flooding scenes, as well as scenes set on water.

Michiels said, “These effects are not new, but in most cases they are built for one feature film. We have built this to be a standard tool in our studio, so more productions can use it in a more efficient way, because it’s already tested and safe.”

https://www.screendaily.com/news/new-studio-opens-in-belgium-with-specialised-underwater-stage/5138232.article

https://www.litesstudios.com/water-shooting

Sound surrounds us. Whether it's sound we choose to hear, like the music we play in our headphones, or sound we'd rather do without, like the noise of the city, we live in a sonic world that we seldom think twice about.

But sound can cure the sick and make the blind see. It can even change the taste of food.

Sound is affecting us, and the world we inhabit, in many fascinating and surprising ways. Sonic Magic: The Wonder and Science of Sound reveals the historic power, promise, and potential of sound - and a strange phenomenon called cymatics that has created a new scientific mystery.

https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/sonic-magic-the-wonder-and-science-of-sound

Why is shopping so difficult on Singles Day?

... in recent years people started to find that, compared to being single, it’s not necessarily easier to shop on this day.

Does it really save me money? This is the most critical question. Some e-commerce platforms are blamed for raising prices before Singles Day.

A customer put a pair of 399 yuan earphones in the shopping cart, and witnessed it rising to 549 yuan in the Singles Day presales period. “Spend 499 yuan and subtract 150 yuan”, but it’s not cheaper than before actually, the customer posted on Weibo.

Some products can only be bought with the promotions during Oct 20 to Nov 11, as the product pages are changed into a Singles Day version, and the “pay” button is replaced by “pay the deposit”, which means shoppers can’t buy it directly.

https://silvimedia.com/2018/11/11/why-is-shopping-so-difficult-on-singles-day/?fbclid=IwAR2BlWqh3TVx-UsRGKRvcW8-Ec-3CRP5iQ99R66I7C2a-xVLYfPgJlzzJIk

Douglas Rain, Voice of HAL 9000 in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ Dies at 90

Douglas Rain, who voiced the soft-spoken HAL 9000 robot that went rogue in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” has died. He was 90.

The Stratford Festival, which Rain, who was a dedicated Shakespearean actor, co-founded in 1952, said that Rain had died of natural causes in Stratford, Ont. in Canada.

The festival said Rain performed at the festival for more than 45 years.

All of Rain’s voiceover work for HAL was done in post-production. Other actors were considered for the role, including Martin Balsam, who was eventually dismissed as too American, and Nigel Davenport, who was too English. Kubrick decided to deal with the problem is post-production.

https://variety.com/2018/film/news/douglas-rain-dead-dies-2001-a-space-odyssey-hal-9000-voice-1203025809/

He was born in Winnipeg in 1928 and began his career as a radio child actor. After attending the University of Manitoba, Rain travelled to London to study at the Old Vic Theatre. He returned to Canada and in 1953, was one of the founding members of the inaugural season of the Stratford Festival, playing the Marquis of Dorset and Tyrrell in William Shakespeare’s "Richard III." Rain was also the understudy of Alec Guinness, who played the title role that season. Guinness later became famous for playing a variety of roles, most notably Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first Star Wars movie.

https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/douglas-rain-stratford-festival-actor-and-voice-of-hal-in-2001-a-space-odyssey-dies-at-90-1.4172564