December 1998

Beta SP is still the industry standard, but digital video is hot on its heels. So what's the big draw? For many local videographers, it comes down to great picture quality and lightweight cameras at a much more affordable price.

"Eternal Embrace" might sound more like a romance novel than a one-hour TV pilot. Well, technically, it's both. Shot in the Swampscott/Boston areas, the TV series chronicles the experiences of a Spirit taking on different forms to help the characters of the week’s show. The pilot episode centers on a dying woman who lives vicariously through romance novels. The Spirit comes to life as the "Rogue" – the main character of her latest novel.

And you thought YOU had problems. In director Martin Brest's "Meet Joe Black" (loosely based on the play "Death Takes a Holiday"), the Parrish family is just trying to have an intimate dinner – as intimate as dinner can be in an immense Warwick, RI, mansion – when Death, in the guise of Joe Black (Brad Pitt), shows up at the doorstep. Apparently, William Parrish, the 65-year-old patriarch (the always impressive Anthony Hopkins), is on the verge of a fatal heart attack, and Death makes him read more...

The thought of self-distributing can strike fear in the hearts of independent filmmakers, or it can provide a great challenge. Traditionally, self-distribution has been viewed as a last resort, but there are filmmakers out there who choose to self-distribute. There are those precious few who know their market: Frederick Wiseman’s Zipporah Films has distributed its own films for over 20 years to universities and libraries.

When was the last time you watched Saturday morning cartoons? Me, I was parked in front of the tube only this weekend, but I wasn't vegging out under a 30-minute barrage of animated product placement (and I use "animated" more to describe technique than content). I was watching "Squigglevision," which has returned to ABC for a second season this fall, sporting a new format and new characters, and between laughs I was learning stuff.

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