| "The Witness" Investigates a 50-Year-Old Murder to Present a Film About False Narratives
James Solomon's documentary "The Witness" tells the story of Bill Genovese, who spends over a decade investigating the 50-year-old murder of his older sister Kitty Genovese. The case was notable because there were reportedly 38 witnesses who heard the attack from their apartment building but did not go down to help.
"In many respects, the film is about perception and false narratives, and how the stories we tell ourselves, whether in the middle of night or across 50 years, shape our lives even if they didn't really happen, but we told ourselves they did," Solomon says. "A lot of it is how life is seen through filters that we all have. Making a film like this, you learn that a crime multiple people witnessed, whether they heard or saw, is as much about the witnesses themselves, as what actually happened. Everything is filtered through our own experience, through our own hopes."
"O.J.: Made in America" Sources Archival Footage of Different Textures
ESPN's "O.J.: Made in America" attempts to tell the complete story of O.J. Simpson--from the storied athlete to the accused murdered and, now, convicted felon serving a long prison sentence. To do so, the seven-and-a-half hour series relies on a ton of archival footage, including the infamous footage of the trial of the century.
"The trial footage is a certain number of cameras and it's crappy video from the '90s. It's not the most beautiful looking footage but it is familiar to people who saw it at the time," producer Caroline Waterlow says. "Knowing that footage was a big element in the film we wanted to flush out the other parts of the story with more diverse textures."
Taking Flight: National Drone Show
We're only just starting to see what's possible for video professionals using unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and the opportunities are already amazing.
"We live in exciting times," says Scott Strimple, a pilot, cinematographer and producer for CinemaVisuals, a company specializing in low-altitude cinematography and photography. "We're witnessing the birth of the civilian small unmanned aircraft industry. The attraction is the camera's unrestricted freedom of movement, giving just about any visual artist the ability to provide a fresh perspectivean ability previously reserved for high-budgeted Hollywood projects. As artists, storytellers and filmmakers, we are always excited about new ways to communicate with our audience."
With that in mind, I'd like to let you know the dates for our 2016 National Drone Show, a conference and expo about UAS video production. Held Dec. 7-8 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., the National Drone Show brings thousands of video professionals together for two days of cutting-edge discussions and demos of the latest UAS solutions. We'll have a drone flying cage, screenings of our D.C. Drone Fest entries, free-to-attend sessions on the exhibit floor covering the latest drone technologies and regulatory topics, and in-depth training sessions for UAV users.
Ryan White Captures the Drama of Being Serena Williams in New Documentary
Director Ryan White's "Serena" documents the year 2015 in the personal and professional life of tennis superstar, Serena Williams--showing both sides of the athlete as she experienced one of the simultaneously most triumphant and heartbreaking years of her career.
"Serena has a way -- and I don't think it's conscious -- of delivering drama. That is very cinematic," White says.
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