Show Notes
USC Postdoctoral Fellow and Cinephiliacs host Peter Labuza joins us to dissect the history of montage. Specifically, we discuss the use of montages in Pre-Code Hollywood cinema. In the brief period between the introduction of synchronized sound and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production [AKA Hays] Code, artists like Slavko Vorkapich pioneered the use of montages: sequences which condense time and space to convey story beats, emotional states, and break the rules of conventional realism.
More from Film Formally
Movies these days are dim, flat, dull. You know it, we know it, everyone seems to know it. But is it true? If so, how did we get here? If not, is it mere nostalgia, or is something deeper amiss? To sort through the wreckage of this discourse, Film Formally gets back to basics with a Willa-and-Devan-hash-it-out special. 00:00 - Why Don't Movies Look Like Movies Anymore? Why Do They Look Like That? 07:10 - What is the "that"-ness of "Why do Movies Look Like That?" 12:05 - Generational Imprinting & Romanticization of Past Cinema 21:45 - A look at 2026 cinema: are things that dire? 31:45 - A brief history of film aesthetics. 41:10 - Corporate Consolidation in Hollywood 48:10 - We Are All Grampa Simpson Now
In today's episode, James Flower and James White from Arrow Video join us to discuss the world of film preservation and boutique home video labels, and in particular their recent release of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy. The story of this restoration of Leone's opus is one of years of false starts, hunts for reference prints and high-quality source materials, navigation of complex technical hurdles, and maddening quality-control processes. Join us as we tell the tale! 00:00 - Introduction to Arrow Video06:28 - Paths to the Boutique Label Industry11:26 - Acquiring the Rights to the Dollars Trilogy16:48 - The Technical Challenges of Restoration25:22 - Finding and Trusting Reference Prints32:07 - Restoring the Look: HDR and Source Fidelity38:50 - The Nightmare of Techniscope Negatives46:15 - Audio Restoration: Mono and 5.1 Mixes52:41 - Rescuing Audio from LaserDiscs and VHS01:10:08 - Extended Cuts and Versioning01:16:05 - Encoding, Quality Control, and Fidelity in Motion01:40:40 - Packaging, Artwork, and Tony Stella’s Legacy Works Cited: Arrow Films:https://www.arrowfilms.com/Spencer’s 2025 Discs of the Year Awards:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbE33341qX0Spencer’s Interview with James Flower:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D87IseQlKL4 Shownotes and Resources: https://sadhillmedia.com/filmformally
If any modern colourist has seen it all, it’s Dirk Meier. From the long-take trenches of the early digital masterpiece Russian Ark and the boundary-pushing slow-motion of Antichrist, to emulating distinct formats in Happy as Lazzaro and Romeria, Meier has witnessed many of the key inflection points in digital cinema. Now, he joins Film Formally to share his war stories, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and his philosophy for look-development and aesthetic frameworks in the digital era. We discuss how to conceive and define visual language through an analytical lens, breaking down images into variables of color, texture, and motion. We also dive into insights from Meier’s collaborations with directors like Roy Andersson and Lars von Trier and cinematographers like Hélène Louvart, explore the nuances of celluloid and MiniDV emulation, and the ways in which digital workflows allow for nonlinear image design. 00:00 - Introduction03:14 - Russian Ark and Dirk's Early Projects12:45 - The Evolution from Film to Digital Workflows21:03 - Antichrist and late-'00s digital workflows.36:26 - Defining "Look Development", and working with Roy Andersson49:13 - Working with Hélène Louvart on Happy as Lazarro and Romeria and emulating MiniDV01:01:43 - Working on THE PIMP, HDR grading, and using color references.01:05:44 - Image Attributes, Steve Yedlin's Display Prep Demo, and Demystifying Digital Imagery01:21:12 - Colour Grading Secret Agent Devan's LetterBoxd list on Digital Cinema: https://letterboxd.com/devanagscott/list/digital-cinema/Steve Yedlin's Display Prep Demo: https://www.yedlin.net/DisplayPrepDemo/'The Fog of Log': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IugTH2VwDkThe Hitchhiker's Guide to Digital Colour: https://hg2dc.com/ Edited by Griffin Sheel Shownotes and Resources: https://www.filmformally.com
In this extra-hot special emergency dispatch episode, Devan's in Bologna, Italy at Il Cinema Ritrovato, the world's premiere archival film festival! Every year, tens of thousands of cinephiles gather in Italy to watch old movies presented anew. He's joined by Tom Charity, VIFF Centre's year-round programmer, to discuss this remarkable festival, the films they saw, and all the questions raised by various methods of film exhibition. Chapters: 00:00 - Welcome to Bologna 01:02 - What is Il Cinema Ritrovato? 02:59 - All the Directors are Dead"07:07 - Old European Cities & Heat Waves10:20 - Festival Highlights: Barbara Stanwyck & Co.18:25 - Pakeezah (1972)23:26 - What Price Glory (1926) & MoMA Restorations26:11 - Ball of Fire (1941)27:58 - The Devils (1971)29:05 - Ludwig (1973)34:23 - Carbon Arc Projection38:50 - 35mm and DCPs: the showdown. Shownotes and Resources: https://www.filmformally.com
Film Formally returns! What's changed? 1. We're a video podcast now! 2. We're a monthly podcast now! Otherwise, you know the drill: Devan Scott and Willa Harlow Ross - and sometimes a guest - dive deep into the formal building blocks of cinema. Or sometimes preservation. Or sometimes even more niche academic topics! All the stars are here. This week: Devan went and made a video essay debunking myths about shooting format size, and it stirred up some controversy! We're here to sift through the pieces and and answer some questions about exactly we talk about when we talk about format size. We'll discuss the finer points of image formation, perspective distortion, rectilinearity, and why industry icons inadvertently perpetuate misconceptions. Welcome back! Chapters:00:00 – The Return of Film Formally!07:31 – Format Size Discussion13:26 – Breaking Down the Physics: What is Format Size?24:50 – Depth of Field and Image Blur Circles37:58 – Editing Influences: Errol Morris and the "Vlogging" Aesthetic46:21 – Resolution Talk Shownotes and Resources: https://www.filmformally.com WORKS CITED: Devan's video essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nqa-OBV5ikSteve Yedlin's display prep demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suZtYPIADHMCine Lens Manual: https://store.ascmag.com/products/the-cine-lens-manual