LINKS & STUFF: Golden Globes, Syd Mead, True Grit, & Christopher Nolan

Starting today, every other weekend, I will be posting the best links, articles and news in the world of film, art, design, architecture, and social media marketing that I’ve found online during the week. If you want to stay in the loop before Friday rolls around follow ADM on Twitter (@artdepartmental) and on our brand new Facebook page where I post all the latest and greatest Production Design news.

Links of the Month

• The Golden Globes aired Live this past Sunday and I live tweeted them @artdepartmental. You can check out that level of… ummm… sarcasm and wit, here. I really wish celebrities could learn how to take a joke. Ricky Gervais was nearly the only thing watchable at this year’s Globes (with the exception of some of the knockout dresses) yet he is still taking heat. I say leave the man alone, but unlike the poor celebrities he supposedly ‘hurt’, Gervais can take it like a man. Great article here about ‘Why the Golden Globes Suck’. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Oh yeah… here’s a full list of the winners.

• Ten super amazing tips and rules on email etiquette that people in the film industry should definitely read entitled: Email Etiquette for the Super-Busy. I found it incredibly helpful and will try to implement these rules slowly but surely throughout 2011.

• Neil Blomkamp is going balls to the walls for his new film, Elysium, with the addition of Blade Runner‘s very own ‘Visual Futurist’, Syd Mead, who has agreed to design the film and is notoriously hard to get. The film is still looking for financing but with the heavy hitters he has on board I’m sure we’ll see them up and running in no time. To read up about this check out this article from The A.V. Club and be sure to watch the video about the incomparable Syd Mead.

• An exclusive Production Design Featurette for True Grit was released this week to incontention.com to increase the visibility and Oscar competition for Production Designer Jess Gonchor who regularly works with the Coen Brothers.

• I have tried explaining this many times but have always been at a loss for words. I’m glad this article could state what I never could: The Difference Between Art and Design. And, YES, there is a huge difference. Also worth mentioning, as a fellow tweeter said this week, “Just because ‘Art Direction‘ has the word ‘Art’ in it, doesn’t make it subjective.” ;)

• BAFTA nominations were announced this week. Click here for the full list. Best Art Direction nominees went to the usual suspects: Alice in Wonderland, Black Swan, Inception, The King’s Speech, and True Grit. Personally I think it’s really short-sighted to not nominate Dante Ferretti’s exquisite designs in Shutter Island.

• This past week Vanity Fair posted a great article about Guy Hendrix Dyas’ production design in Inception which has been getting a fair bit of awards praise as of late. The most interesting thing Dyas makes clear is that “only 5% of our scenes used green screen”. Can Alice in Wonderland claim that? No, sir/madam, it can not.

• BY FAR THE BEST THING I FOUND THIS WEEK: An hour long podcast by Wired Magazine interviewing none other than Christopher Nolan. The man doesn’t do a lot of interviews but what makes this interview extraordinary is the level of eloquence and insight he provides into his creative process and his latest work, Inception. This isn’t a fluff interview. He gets to the heart of who he is as a filmmaker and how he plans his films meticulously. He also mentions had he not become a filmmaker he likely would have went into Architecture. No wonder his films are gorgeous. Bestill my heart Christopher Nolan; my latest filmmaker crush.

Video of the Month

Thoughts?

Rose Lagace | @artdepartmental

Posted by Rose Lagacé

Rose Lagacé is a production designer for film & television by day and an emerging filmmaker by night. Rose is also the creator and editor of Art Departmental where she celebrates the art and craft of production design.

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