Structure: A Beautiful Mind

A structural overview of A Beautiful Mind (2001). It took me a while to appreciate this gem by Akiva Goldsman and directed by Ron Howard. Not sure why. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, so I had a good reason for looking into it. Screenwriter Goldsman had a personal attachment to the … Read more

Structure: Up

A structural overview of UP (Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Thomas McCarthy 2009 I’ve been a big Pixar fan since stupidly missing out on the theatrical run of The Incredibles. In 2008 the festival potential of my own short animation Tin Can Heart – wr/dir. by Rod March – vaporised when Wall-E appeared weeks after the … Read more

First, Break All the Rules

When I asked this student which one thing she remembered above anything else, she replied: “That you can break the rules, and get away with it.” She was not my student. In itself there’s nothing wrong with trying, but it saddens me that Heath Ledger’s last Australian film, Candy, was an example of a film … Read more

Glossary

The following is a basic list of terms I believe you should have an understanding of. To be a professional, it is crucial you can communicate with others to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your work. It is not enough to know and understand Syd Field’s set of phrases, as some hot shots may … Read more