DON BERRY LLC

I recently went to see a 70mm screening of Spartacus --for two reasons--I’d never seen it shown in a theater--in any film format--and since it was also photographed in 70mm, I couldn’t pass up the chance. The version they showed was in fact a 1991 print--the Robert Harris restoration. At this point, I could tell you that seeing this movie projected filmically vs. digitally made all the difference, made it the best experience I could have had. I would be lying, though. The fact is that I would have had no problem seeing Spartacus in a digital venue--in fact, I only just missed a chance to see a Fathom Events presentation of it at a chain cinema, a month earlier. So seeing Spartacus on film as opposed to off of a hard drive and through a Sony 4K DLP system was more a matter of convenience than choice. I have no problem with digital projection. Mainly because, as most spectators, whether they grew up with film, as I did, or not, would probably agree, digital cinema is perfect--no...

We live an age of genre labels. Every TV series, book, video game, and movie is forced by critics and promotional campaigns to fit into certain slots—as a result I think deeper meanings and alternative readings can sometimes get lost. Recently, I did a blogging on the Showtime series Dexter, writing that w hile ostensibly that show's main character, Dexter Morgan, is a serial killer, I also likened him to a real world superhero and cited some of the traits for that genre and how they were present. Now, I'd like to take another very popular show, AMC's series The Walking Dead , just finishing its third season on the air, and offer an alternative view. While the post-apocalyptic horror premise and accompanying elements are obvious in the show and reinforced with a very effective use of rural locations and a bare bones visual style, as well as state-of-the-art prosthetic and CGI effects —I would find TWD little more than a pedestrian effort if I didn't also s...

We have all seen the flood of super hero films released into theaters over the past several years as well as a resurgence of super-hero TV shows. But I want to look at how the super hero premise has been used with very non-traditional and even unlikely subject matter, in two TV series, specifically. Firstly, I like to define the term super hero very broadly, not just someone with incredible strength or the ability to transform themselves physically, or even a being who harnesses science or technology to evolve themselves (whether intentionally or as is often the case, through some accident) but any individual who has a unique talent that can be used for good or ill and that involves great moral responsibility. Other traits include a nemesis, and often a mentor figure, as well as the necessity to hide his or her identity from the World at large. That said, I now want to point out how these traits can exist outside of the mainstream super hero world that we have come t...

I have just completed another video for International Education Services (IES) that focuses on the importance of understanding how to do busiess with other cultures , specifically China, South Africa, Brazil, and India. Mary Goetter, President and CEO of IES, has been quoted on many occasions as saying that “it is vital for U.S. companies doing business in other cultures to be able to not only understand the language BUT THE CULTURAL CUSTOMS, as well. American business people typically take the attitude that their way of communicating and of looking at the World is the only way. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. In fact, U.S. companies lose millions every year in lost opportunities because of their failure to thoroughly familiarize themselves with the cultures that they are trying to do business with.” In a few more days you will be able to check out the latest video at IES' two websites: FortuneCookiesLearn.com AND InternationalEducationServicesLLC.com

Elizabethan Drama (Shakespeare) Classical Drama (The Greeks) Panoramic: Many Places/Elastic Time Unified: One Place/Real-time Action: Onstage: Fights/Battles Action: Always Off-Stage (Described) Character: Monologue (break 4 th Wall) Confident Character: Dialogue w/Chorus Diction: Varies (Nobility vs. Commoner) "Common Man" Diction: High (Noble) Upper-Classes

Conventions : Film vs. Stage FILM STAGE Panoramic (Loose Time/Many Locations) Unified: One Place/Tight-Time/Real-time Visual (Camera expresses everything) Dialogue: Words=feelings, ideas, emotions Action: On-Screen Action (typically) off-stage Character: What they do Character: What we hear them tell us

It is well-known that since the earliest days of the motion picture industry most films have been based on novels or short stories. Still true more than ever in recent decades. However, despite this practice, it is also true that many books DO NOT adapt well into films. As someone who has worked in video production and studied film history and criticism for many years, I can say without question that there is no way to actually "film" a book. The motion picture medium and the written word are two entirely separate creative mechanisms and the best we can ever hope for is a rough translation. This is not to say that some books are not more adaptable than others though. Below, I have listed some of the most common traits that make a book (or short story) "filmable."  Let's take a look: Typically any novels or short stories that employ third person omniscient narration and that spend a lot of time "in the head" of the character (internal emphasis) DON...