News & Features – Page 4 – Carolwood Productions

Beautiful

When someone first raved to me about the film “Bella”, my initial reaction was somewhat lukewarm. This was probably due to the short summary that was given at the time which went something like, “…it’s a movie about a cook who used to be a soccer player and this pregnant woman in New York”.

Based on that description, I was in no rush to view the film. However, the movie kept coming up in casual conversation with several other people, so into the Netflix queue it went.

After watching the film, here is my summary to you, “…it’s a movie about a cook who used to be a soccer player and this pregnant woman in New York”. However I will add, “and it’s one of the best films we’ve seen in years. I remember thinking as I was watching it, “every person in the country needs to see this!” It’s THAT GOOD.

The character development is such that you will get almost instantly involved inside of the story. The technical look of the movie is fantastic. It was shot almost entirely hand-held and was done with careful lens choices which serve to draw you into the frame and environment of the film.

The word that comes to mind upon reflecting about the story is “Refreshing”. Treat yourself soon and see “Bella”. A uniquely refreshing, inspiring and beautiful film.

“How (not) to Hook Up Your Home Theater”

News & Features

So, now that the Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD war is over, where are all those inexpensive HD players. Where are all the Hollywood movies in all their high def, widescreen glory? Well, with a new iteration of the Blu-ray spec about to be deployed, and players priced still relatively high, consumers appear to be in no rush to go out and plunk down large dollars for a new system…yet. If you saw the recent release of the Goofy animated short, “How to Hook Up Your Home Theatre”, you’ll have an idea of what may be in store for Mr & Mrs America as they attempt to install a new HD system. In this gem of a cartoon, the Goof makes all the mistakes necessary to “instruct” the audience how not to attempt the installation. Indeed, we all feel his pain as he happily careens through the process toward HD bliss. The miles of cables, the inscrutable instructions, the digital clocks all blinking 12:00, 12:00, 12:00! Our memories may be too short to remember the time it took to really roll out the standard definition, DVD revolution. Though it seemed to displace the VCR with ease, the preparation, learning, and workflow-wrenching for video producers all happened early on, when only a few titles were being released by the studios. I’m guessing that Blu-Ray will really gather steam this late Fall and Winter, just in time for the Christmas season. So for now, relax and enjoy that thrice-viewed DVD copy of “Snow White” as the dust settles… and prices drop.

Blu-ray vs HD-DVD; and the Winner Is…

News & Features

After years of pitched battle, involving warring factions from the production, electronics and consumer camps, Blu-ray has finally won the war. With Wal-Mart throwing it’s distribution muscle behind the Blu-ray high definition format today, HD DVD has all but lost the long, hard battle.

For several years now, independent video producers have been watching these developments very carefully as the battle has progressed. While producers have been gaining excellent high definition production and post-production tools, the final step in the HD distribution chain has been missing; how to deploy the final product to the client.The frustration with a lack of a clear distribution method has dragged on for much too long.

In the meantime, online distribution has begun to step in and fill the gap, gaining a valuable foothold in the distribution chain through such products and services as Apple TV, and Netflix’ Instant view services. In fact, I believe the Blu-ray victory will be tempered as on-line distribution becomes the deployment method of choice sooner than later.

Meanwhile, we can now look forward to the Blu-ray format quickly maturing and gaining widespread distribution in the form of players and disks. This, along with the inevitable price drops will assist with Blu-ray’s eventual displacement of the venerable standard definition DVD as the primary media distribution format.

Persuasion

News & Features

Believe it or not, we don’t purchase many movies. One that warrants a place in our library is Persuasion, based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name. Starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds, this 1995 BBC / WGBH / Masterpiece Theatre is one of the best of the Jane Austen screen adaptations. One interesting item is the relatively few people involved in the production of the movie. You may be surprised at what a great film has been created by such a minimal cast & crew, at least by “modern” standards. Indeed, the credits roll by very quickly. A truly fabulous film produced by a lean crew.

Today In History – A Grand Beginning

News & Features

Carolwood-Sign — Carolwood Drive, Holmby Hills, California

Many people ask us how Carolwood Productions got it’s name. Clients, business colleagues, Disney aficionados. Wait a minute, Disney Aficionados? How do they figure in to the mix? Ok, here’s the story. In June of 1992, we were returning from a family camping trip to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. This particular vacation was memorable due to the escape of a convict from a local prison. He was armed and presumed dangerous, and we were tent camping in Mather campground. We saw many law enforcement people walking around with rifles slung over their shoulders as they patrolled the area searching for the criminal. In the evenings, helicopters would fly low overhead with high-powered spotlights scanning the campground, hoping to illuminate the escapee. Aside from all this excitement, it was still a great trip. The police action only added zest to the proceedings. After about a week we were driving home across the desert. For some time, I had an idea that I wanted to take our video production company full-time and strike out on my own. The concept was slowly but surely growing as a possibility with me… but what to name this new enterprise? I’ve always been a fan of many things Disney, and particularly interested in Uncle Walt himself. Another area of common interest is our love of trains, particularly the steam-powered variety. Back in the early 50s, Walt Disney used to operate (as a hobby) a 1/8 scale live steam railroad in his backyard on Carolwood Drive in Holmby Hills, California. He named the railroad line after the street he lived on, “The Carolwood Pacific Railroad“. Walt worked hard to produce the best quality entertainment and strove to push the creative envelope, and I thought it would be a nice tribute to Walt and the enterprise he built to name our company “Carolwood Productions”.