Contents Cover: Philip Seymour Hoffman: Triumph of the Uncommon Man
With two films in release (Spike Lee's 25th Hour and Todd Louiso's Love Liza), one upcoming (Anthony Minghella's Cold Mountain) and a Sundance premiere (Richard Kwietniowski's Owning Mahowny), Philip Seymour Hoffman has raised the art of scene-stealing to new heights-and frequency.
by Jennifer M. Wood

Top 10 Cities to Live and Make Movies in 2003
MM's third annual countdown of the most indie-friendly cities in North America.
by Lenny Smith

Art of the Actor-Director
Today's best films are being made by actors. Jon Favreau, Bill Paxton, Stanley Tucci and Forest Whitaker tell us why.
by Allen Baldwin

How to Avoid a Lawsuit in Waiting
In today's litigious world, the act of producing a film puts you face to face with all kinds
of potential legal peril. Find out how to avoid being vulnerable.
by Walter J. Coady, Jr.

Dante Ferretti's Designing Dreams
The legendary production designer and his wife, set decorator Francesca LoSchiavo, discuss art, collaboration and Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York.
by Phillip Williams

The Future of Movies on the Internet
The Internet's arrival seemed to herald a seachange in the way we would watch movies. What happened?
by Brita Wanger

Direct to TV
Just a few years ago there were two types of directors: those who made feature films and those who worked in episodic TV. The distinctions are beginning to blur.
by Andy Rose

Digital Cameras: Top DPs Speak
When investigating the digital medium, there's no better source than the experts. Several top DPs talk about which cameras to use and why.
by Jennifer M. Wood

Why Independent Film is Alive and Well
The mainstream media has been heralding the death of indie film as we know it. But rumors of its demise may be greatly exaggerated.
by Timothy Rhys

Three or More Reasons Why Independent Film Will Survive
A challenge to the year's highest-grossing moviemakers.
by Sherman Alexie

Unsung Heroes of 2002
Though their passings didn't make many national headlines, their contributions to cinema history shouldn't go unrecognized.
by Bob Mastrangelo

COLUMNS & DEPTS.

MM Notebook

Letters

Home Cinema: The Best & Worst of 2002
by Travis Crawford, Coby Carlucci & James Menzies

Festival Beat: Denver, Woodstock
by Jennifer M. Wood

World Cinema: Hong Kong to Hollywood
by Patrick J. Gorman, Esq.

How They Did It: Lava
by Joe Tucker

On Location: Miami

Oscar-Winning Perspectives on Producing
by Shelley Friedman

Mixed Reviews

Profile: Fernando Mereilles
City of God
by Ryan Mottesheard

Crossing the Line: Andre De Toth
by Patrick Francis

Contents Cover: Robert Duvall: Soldier of Fortune
He's a writer, producer, director, Oscar-winning actor-and we believe him when he says his best work is yet to come.
BY TIMOTHY RHYS

Something Old, Something New
While the thought of seeing Chucky, Rocky or Freddy yet again may cause even diehard film buffs to cringe, Hollywood studios have more than 20 sequels in the pipeline. Screenwriters Adam Herz (American Wedding), Kate Kondell (Legally Blonde 2) and Don D. Scott (Barbershop 2) discuss creating originality in something familiar. Plus, upcoming sequels that 'had to be made.'
BY ANDY ROSE WITH JAMES L. MENZIES

Small Market, Big Box Office
Leave the New York or LA metro areas and you're likely to face a dearth of independent cinema at local theaters. But film companies, distributors and festivals are devising innovative ways to engage smaller film markets.
BY CHRISTOPHER HENDERSON

Squeezed, Screwed and Hardballed
Roy Frumkes and Rocco Simonelli, screenwriting-partners-turned-digital-moviemakers, discuss how to navigate the marketplace without selling out.
BY JENNIFER M. WOOD

James Mangold's Identity Crisis
At the age of 21, James Mangold was the envy of every aspiring moviemaker, landing a development deal at Disney only weeks after graduation. But things don't always work out the way you plan. On the eve of his latest release, Identity, Mangold looks back on his journey.
BY RYAN MOTTESHEARD

The Zen of Screenwriting Software
Finding true love in the world of writing programs isn't easy, but MM recently went on a dating spree, test-driving the best-selling software on the market.
BY NEIL TURITZ WITH JASON MANN

Could You Shoot The Deer Hunter on DV?
Twenty-five years after its release, Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter still holds up as cinematic masterpiece. But could today's moviemakers create similar emotional impact using DV? Top cinematographers weigh in on the issue while the film's original DP, Vilmos Zsigmond, reminisces.
BY BOB FISHER

The Dos and Don'ts of Dialogue
For as many conversations as we engage in and eavesdrop on every day, it's still not easy to duplicate that natural energy, flow and realism in a screenplay.
BY CHRISTINA HAMLETT

Getting the Best Sound for Your Movie
Sound is one aspect of the film craft which, because of the medium's overwhelming visual bias, is often undernourished-even by experienced moviemakers. But savings taken out of the front end of production can come back to bite you during post.
BY PHILLIP WILLIAMS

Making Waves: Sound Technology in the Field
With a wealth of new toys comes a host of technical variables to consider.
BY PHILLIP WILLIAMS

The Right Way to Raise Money for a No-Budget Film
A veteran indie film consultant and production accountant shares his thoughts on the best ways to raise money for a no-budget film.
BY JERRY KOLBER

Mogul by Day, Screenwriter by Night
One could look at today's studio landscape and say that screenwriters have never been in a better place than they are today, with three WGA members occupying key seats of power at major studios. But is anything going to change for the better?
BY KIRSTEN SMITH

COLUMNS & DEPTS.

MM Notebook

Letters

Callboard

Documentary: Once Upon a Time in America
Two new documentaries, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and A Decade Under the Influence, investigate the disillusionment-and brilliance-of the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s.
BY JENNIFER M. WOOD

How They Did It: The Chinese Shoes
A moviemaker learns to overcome technical challenges-and embrace the digital revolution-while shooting a short film in Paris.
BY VICTOR MUH

Flash Forward: Light Years from Lake Wobegon
Actor/musician John Hawkes has made a career out of embracing the underdog.
BY JENNIFER M. WOOD

Festival Beat: Park City 2003
MM hits the Park City scene at Sundance, Slamdance, Nodance, Slamdunk and Tromadance.
BY BELINDA BALDWIN, JASON MANN & JENNIFER M. WOOD

World Cinema: The Fall of Bollywood
A country whose film industry has long been considered their one 'unifier' is coming to terms with a changing market-and audience.
BY IAIN BALL

Profile: Lasse Hallstr?m
Oscar-winning writer/director Lasse Hallstr?m finds comedy in the oddest places as he prepares for his latest venture, An Unfinished Life.
BY DONALD DEWEY

Profile: Lisa Cholodenko
With one foot in contemporary cinema and the other back in the 1970s, Lisa Cholodenko creates a sense of place and purpose in Laurel Canyon.
BY JENNIFER M. WOOD

On Location: San Francisco
Independent moviemakers are finding all the inspiration they need on the streets of San Francisco.

Fifty MM Moments
Fifty memorable quotes from our first 50 issues.

Contents



FEATURES

Fiercely Independent Women
The statistics for women in film aren't encouraging, but confident young moviemakers like the dozen profiled here aren't letting stats-or men-keep them down.
BY JESSICA HUNDLEY, JAMES L. MENZIES, PAULA SCHWARTZ & JENNIFER M. WOOD

The Adventures of Guy Pearce
After much Hollywood success, actor Guy Pearce is still a feisty, insecure, hilarious bloke determined to go his own way.
BY JAMES GRANT

Cinema Speed-Dating
Just like speed-dating, agents and producers playing the field need to be wowed from the get-go.
BY CHRISTINA HAMLETT

Improvising the Perfect Script
'Naturalistic' writer-directors Robert Duvall, Mike Leigh, Ken Loach and Henry Jaglom let their actors in on the creative process.
BY PHILLIP WILLIAMS

Robert Rodriguez's New Toy
His phenomenal success may have sprung from his days with a 16mm camera, but auteur Rodriguez shows he's still a rebel as he divorces film in favor of his new sweetheart, HD.
BY MEL RODRIGUEZ III

MM's Guide to Film Education
From one day to one year, completion certificates to PhDs, London to Los Angeles, whatever your educational desire, the growing crop of film programs is making experts out of novices every day.

Film School Perk Sheet
Where can you get the biggest bang for your film education buck? Find out which film schools are offering the most unique-and money-saving-perks for their students.
BY JASON MANN

Moviemaking Education on the Festival Circuit
From Arizona to Australia, 'film school' is taking on a whole new meaning, as aspiring moviemakers have begun training in an unexpected venue: the worldwide film festival circuit.
BY BRYAN REESMAN

The 25 Greatest Girl Power Movies Ever Made
From Carrie to Chaos and Alien to Amelie, MM counts down the 25 greatest Girl Power movies of all time.
BY KIRSTEN SMITH

Does Sex Still Sell?
Women have really come a long way in the film industry over the past few years... Haven't they? The perceptions and the facts are alarmingly different.
BY BELINDA BALDWIN

Kid Moviemakers in the Digital Revolution
Armed with a boatload of high-quality consumer digital technology and a few original ideas, thousands of young moviemakers are quietly reshaping our entire visual world.
BY GREGG ROSSEN

A Brief Interlude with Giovanni Ribisi
Despite the fact that he has been languishing in the camera's eye since the tender age of nine, Giovanni Ribisi is rarely at ease in the spotlight. Here's why...
BY JESSICA HUNDLEY

Parting the Wizard's Curtain
Despite what you've heard about all the technological advancements, taking video to film is still not a simple process. On assignment from MM, one 'insider' gets some top transfer experts to reveal what makes their job easy... and a living hell.
BY JAMES D. TOCHER

MovieMaker Road Trips: 10 Drive-In Theaters Worth Visiting
MM looks at the resurgence of a cultural classic-and discovers a few drive-ins worth the drive.
BY MONTY MICKELSON

Basics on Budgeting Your Movie
'Budget' comes from the French meaning 'small purse.' Big surprise. But whether you crunch the numbers yourself or hire someone else to do it, here are a few things you should know.
BY JERRY KOLBER

The Economics of Oscar
Those glitzy year-end Oscar ad campaigns may seem extravagant, but studio execs aren't making any apologies. 'When Oscar talks, the box office listens.'
BY RANDY NELSON WITH DOUG ATCHISON

COLUMNS & DEPTS.

MM Notebook

Letters

Documentary: Liz Garbus Gets Out of Prison
With her new film, The Nazi Officer's Wife, Garbus shows she's more than just an Oscar-nominated documentarian with a knack for examining the criminal justice system.
BY TRAVIS CRAWFORD

How They Did It: Zero Day
One young writer-director explains how to go from lousy temp job to award-winning moviemaker in
two years or less.
BY BEN COCCIO

Crossing the Line: My Time with Frankenheimer
In the last three months of his life, Hollywood legend John Frankenheimer didn't just teach the author a few things about moviemaking-he taught him something about being a person.
BY JOHN WEIDNER

Festival Beat: Truth and the Tropics
MM hits the beach for the Bermuda International Film Fest-and breaks out the barbecue at Full Frame.
BY JASON MANN & TIMOTHY RHYS

Behind the Scenes: Seabiscuit
MM goes behind the scenes with Gary Ross, Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, William H. Macy and Elizabeth Banks on Seabiscuit.

On Location: Chicago
Windy City moviemakers tell us why Chicago is their kind of town.

Flash Forward: Actors of the Next Generation
With acclaimed performances in The Believer and The United States of Leland, Ryan Gosling is one young actor worth watching. And on the eve of her screenwriting and acting debut, 15-year-old Nikki Reed still thinks she's just your average teenager...
BY JENNIFER M. WOOD

Sponsored Editorial: The Academy of Converging Arts
One new film school is finding success by reaching out to a different kind of constituency.

Contents The Thinking Woman's Sex Symbol: William H. Macy
After years of playing the 'best loser in the business,' Bill Macy steps into the role of leading man with The Cooler.
BY JESSICA HUNDLEY

Rulers of the Rental House
Before you can yell 'action,' you've got to have all the right equipment. And before that, you have to make sure you're asking all the right questions of all the right people.
BY JENNIFER M. WOOD WITH ETHAN BULLARD

White (Makes Some) Noise
Charlie Kaufman may get all the ink, but you could make a strong case for Mike White as Hollywood's most idiosyncratic screenwriter.w
BY RYAN MOTTESHEARD

Illeana Douglas' Woolworth Touch
From the set of her latest film, The Californians, Illeana Douglas speaks with MM about her legendary career and why it helps when people can't place her.
BY DAVID FEAR

Director.com
David Lynch and Peter Greenaway are just two directors who are using the World Wide Web to reach the largest possible audience.
BY SAUL AUSTERLITZ

The Editorial Challenge
Even with all the new technology, editors still face enormous challenges in the cutting room. Several of today's top editors speak about how they deal with-and overcome-some typical problems.
BY TIM RHYS & JENNIFER M. WOOD

The Mythology of Anthony Minghella
The highly celebrated and oft-awarded writer-director of Cold Mountain seems destined by both geography and birth to identify himself with the knotty concerns of the outsider.
BY PHILLIP WILLIAMS

Film Technique for the Digital Age
Looking for maximum picture quality on a minimum budget? Look no further than these techniques and gadgets, which will enhance the look of any indie picture.
BY TIM RHYS & JENNIFER M. WOOD

Scare Tactics
Is it by coincidence or design that so many of our most bankable directors got their feet wet-and hands bloodied-in the micro-budget, horror genre?
BY DAVID GROVE

COLUMNS & DEPTS.

MM Notebook

Letters

Festival Beat: Tales from the Underground
While underground film festivals may lack the prestige of their more established counterparts, these fledgling events can be invaluable to the not-ready-for-Sundance moviemaker.
BY CHRISTOPHER ZARA

Home Cinema: How to Watch a Movie
For many of us, movies are much more than mere entertainment. They educate, indoctrinate and captivate the mind. But do moviegoers have a social responsiblitiy?
BY JOHN W. WHITEHEAD

Documentary: The Soul of a German Man
Growing up in Germany, Wim Wenders not only heard the blues, but identified with the messages of sadness and lament from an America deeply divided by racial strife. In The Soul of a Man, he revisits his childhood.
BY COLLIN KELLEY

How They Did It: God, Sex & Apple Pie
The challenges a first-time moviemaker faces in getting his or her film made are nearly universal. But what it takes to get that same film seen is a much different-and just as hard-won-battle.
BY JEROME COURSHON

Profile: Takashi Miike
The rising son of Japan's current New Wave proves you don't have to be over-the-top in real life to create some of the most memorable-and jaw-dropping-scenes in recent cinema history.
BY DAVID FEAR

On Location: Austin & Houston
Making movies at home in the Lone Star State is a way of life for residents of Austin and Houston.

Flash Forward: Action's Back
Nona Gaye and Shin Koyamada will show their stuff in two of the year's most anticipated action movies, The Matrix and The Last Samurai.
BY JESSICA HUNDLEY

Sponsored Editorial: Post Production Playground
New York City's choice for post service and expertise.