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Geek Vibes Nation
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
‘Charliebird' Filmmakers On Winning Best Narrative Feature And Why They Chose To Make A Film In A 1:1 Aspect Ratio
When attending a seasoned film festival like Tribeca, it's difficult for a film to truly surprise you. This isn't to suggest the many lovely indie narratives debuting at the festival don't have their merits, but with limited resources often comes limited opportunities to reinvent the wheel. However, Charliebird is an exception to that rule, if only because it is the only film across the entire festival (and likely several editions of the festival) to be presented in a 1:1 aspect ratio. Notably thinner than a standard 1.33:1 aspect ratio often seen in classic cinema but not thin enough to evoke a smartphone screen, it's a bold choice to make for your directorial debut. Yet, it came naturally for Charliebird's director, actress Libby Ewing. 'It all happened really organically,' Ewing told Geek Vibes Nation mere hours before it was announced the film won two Tribeca Festival awards, including Best U.S. Narrative Feature. 'I was really drawn to the images of Petra Collins and snapshots, frames within frames, and portraits. When Luca got on board, he suggested turning an anamorphic lens vertically.' Rather than shoot the film with a traditional widescreen lens and crop in to present the film in a thinner aspect ratio, cinematographer Luca Del Puppo took a 1.5:1 anamorphic lens and squeezed it to make for a taller, longer image. 'The idea was to not start with a spherical lens on a digital negative, which is usually a 1.78:1 sensor or a 1.5:1 cropped in, but instead apply a 1.5:1 anamorphic to a 1.5:1 sensor and extend the negative vertically,' Del Puppo says. 'It's uncropped, but you'll never know that watching it.' 'For me, it always comes back to story,' Ewing said. In Charliebird, screenwriter Samantha Smart portrays Al, a music therapist who works with terminal children in a Texas hospital. Most of her patients are very young children, but one day she is assigned to Charlie (Gabriela Ochoa Perez, who won the Tribeca Award for Best Performance in a U.S. Narrative Feature), a teenage patient who has already given up on her own life. As Al breaks down Charlie's walls and makes a true friend, Al's own trauma begins to bubble up to the surface. 'This woman is boxed in by her own design. For me, it was a no-brainer. She is not facing her past; she's immediately in the center of her life and not doing anything about it. For me, [1:1] was a no-brainer.' 'Something that was immediately important to us was that we were using the full canvas, the full digital negative,' explains Del Puppo. 'By compressing and re-expanding, it seems like you're doing needless work, but it does affect the depth of field and the size of the image…you're going to see a very restricted frame, but it's a much wider vertical than anything you're used to seeing.' This is how Del Puppo could shoot extremely intimate scenes with Smart without losing any visual information. For example, Del Puppo shot many scenes of Smart driving a truck while in the passenger's seat. This is extremely close to his subject, but the film's full format sensor allowed Del Puppo to have a broader depth of field that could capture Smart and her surroundings while still being close up. Naturally, this made for a uniquely intimate shoot. 'There was a kinship there,' said Smart, referring to the trust she had with both Ewing and Del Puppo on set. 'After every take, Libby was holding my hands with ice cubes because she knew, as an amazing actress herself, what I was going through and what I needed. Luca and our sound mixer were so delicate and tender and emotionally with me that it felt a little bit like flying…it was like I knew he was there, also like I didn't know he was there. We just knew it felt sacred, and I cannot imagine having done this film without them, with that energy and that trust.' Moments after our virtual interview, Tribeca announced Charliebird's twofold awards win, a delightful surprise for a competition slate featuring big names and seasoned veterans. Shortly after the announcement, Ewing took to Instagram. 'I have no words…just immense gratitude.' In our full interview with the trio, condensed for brevity and clarity below, they dive into the process behind making the 1:1 aspect ratio a reality, how they formed trust on set, and how Smart dug into her own experience to write a deeply personal story. – Let's cut right to the chase: this is the first time I've seen a 1:1 aspect ratio on screen. What was the conception behind it, as well as the unique challenges that come from making a film this way? Libby Ewing (director): As I was pulling my look book together, I was really drawn to the images of Petra Collins and snapshots, frames within frames, and portraits. When Luca [Del Puppo] got on board, he suggested turning an anamorphic lens vertically. Sam [Smart] was gracious enough to do some test runs with us, and we sent it to our colorist. It came back, and it was the choice that made the most sense to us. It all happened really organically. It feels like a bold idea – this is my first feature, is this like a statement I'm making? – but it was so supported by the story. For me, it always comes back to story. This woman is boxed in by her own design. She has no horizons forward. She is not facing her past; she's immediately in the center of her life and not doing anything about it. That fed into this idea that all the characters are boxed in. For me, it was a no-brainer. I know it's a really bold choice, but it didn't feel like a bold choice. Luca Del Puppo (cinematographer): Something that was immediately important to us was that we were using the full canvas, the full digital negative. The idea was to not start with a spherical lens on a digital negative, which is usually a 1.78:1 sensor or a 1.5:1 cropped-in, but instead apply a 1.5:1 anamorphic to a 1.5:1 sensor and extend the negative vertically. It's uncropped, but you'll never know that watching it. Ah! I assumed you were using a standard horizontal aspect ratio and cropping in. My interest is piqued! What did you shoot with? Del Puppo: We started with a full-frame camera, the Sony VENICE, which is a 1.5:1 native aspect ratio. It has the same aspect ratio as your dad's old Nikon that he used to take all the family photos, which comes back to something else Libby and Sam wanted. They wanted to have that feeling. Then, for the 1.5:1 anamorphic squeeze, Atlas makes these great lenses [the Orion series]. They're a new company, but they've been used on really major pictures like Anora and Everything Everywhere All at Once. They had two things. The lens is a 1.5 squeeze, so we knew we would get a one-to-one negative, and it had a great close focus, so I could get close to Sam in certain key moments. By compressing and re-expanding, it seems like you're doing needless work, but it does affect the depth of field and the size of the image so that it gets much closer to a medium format negative. You're going to see a very restricted frame, but it's a much wider vertical than anything you're used to seeing. It's a very different perspective shift. There are scenes in this movie where you are in the car with Sam, and there is so much more depth of field than if you were trying to shoot it with a typical digital close-up lens, right? Luca: Right. You're getting more depth of field vertically and less depth of field horizontally. That is amazing, thank you for that insight. Sam, you're both the star and screenwriter of Charliebird, and I love a good piece of autofiction. To the best of your ability, where exactly do you end and the story begin? Samantha Smart (screenwriter/star): Oh, that's a good question. God, it's funny, early on I was writing this film and presenting it to Libby and was like, 'I think I wanna play this character and I want you to direct it.' I always thought it would serve the story to have an outside perspective, and Libby's so brilliant and collaborative. I have such trust in her. I never once thought I would need to do more than what I did, but after a couple of years creating Al [Sam's character], I got to the point where I told Libby, 'You're gonna have to cast someone else. It's so far from me. She's bleach blonde, she's tatted up. I'm not gonna be able to do this.' I got a little bit scared, but Libby helped me find her. In a way, I think almost every character [in the film] is a triad of myself, someone else I knew in Texas, and then a third entity I can't really explain. Without wanting to sound lofty, it's all me and it's all not me. Once I found each character's voice and who they were, I just listened to them and wrote what they said, which sounds really…whatever. [laughs] I don't know another way to write. There's a very meta thing that happens as you watch the movie. You meet Al, and the first thing you learn about her is that she is forced to confront the most emotionally devastating things, and she is compartmentalizing that in order to do the job. Then, the audience is also forced to engage with that same material, and then they have to compartmentalize it in order to continue watching the movie. I'm curious if you had to confront that same compartmentalization. Smart: I had the idea [for the film] and then unfortunately went through some stuff that enabled me to write it, some personal loss that is very different from Al's. I've been leaving Texas my whole adult life, but when I began writing, I found myself right back where I started. The backstory of Al as a kid – even though we went with a more ambiguous choice – that's very much based on things that I experienced growing up, and I realized I needed to deal with it on the page. I want to go back to the camera work and the close focus. Sam, I can imagine this was a unique shooting experience given the intimacy of both the material and the camera. How did you approach your relationship to the camera on set? Samantha: It started with the trust between me and Libby. I've worked with her before. We're very close, and I knew that, with anything I was gonna try, she would hold me up, build me up, and direct me in the right way. Then, Luca and I had just filmed a short about a year before, so we had a dialogue and a comfort between us. The three of us are just film nerds, photography nerds. There was a kinship there. On day three, we were starting with the scene where Al is at home in a drunken state. That was obviously very difficult for many reasons, but Libby had given me choreography. After every take, Libby was holding my hands with ice cubes because she knew, as an amazing actress herself, what I was going through and what I needed. Luca and our sound mixer were so delicate and tender and emotionally with me that it felt a little bit like flying. I don't know what Luca was doing with his body to catch me, but it was like I knew he was there, also like I didn't know he was there. We just knew it felt sacred, and I cannot imagine having done this film without them, with that energy and that trust, because it allowed me to not have to think. From my perspective as a viewer, it seems like that scene was the most challenging scene to shoot, but maybe I'm wrong, Libby? Ewing: It wasn't in the most surprising way. There are always the scenes that you're nervous about, and the way that we built our schedule, having the crew and Sam do all of that early on, was nerve-wracking. But I have to say that day was really special because everyone was just so locked in, and everyone respected what was happening. The way that Sam brought herself to the role changed the alchemy of our set. The whole crew was like, 'Oh, I get it. I know what we're making.' Something happened that night where that trust was built, and then we led with that. When we brought in our other actors, Luca, Sam, and I had a real shorthand. Luca––I don't know what he is, he's not of this earth. I felt like he was connected to my brain all the time. Smart: Libby would, like, telepathically tell us to do something, and we would do it. Del Puppo: It's not every day that you get to work with two people who have what Libby and Sam have, and you recognize it pretty quickly. We didn't have tremendous resources on this film, but what Libby did so brilliantly as a director was find days ahead of time where we could shoot, build them into the schedule, and be super specific about all the shots so that then when Sam and I were alone together in the truck, for example, we knew what we were doing. One of the best experiences of my life was shooting the last scene. What made it holy was Libby setting us up, and Sam and I being in the moment. Luca, from a DP's perspective, is there a methodology to making sure you're capturing information when you're dealing with such a sensitive depth of field? Del Puppo: Look, the depth of field is tiny. We're at minimum focus, and I'm pulling focus and just trying to stay with Sam because what she's doing is amazing, and you can see it. There's also a two-stop iris pull, so you're doing two things with your fingers. You spend your whole life getting technical, so then what, so then you can be proud of yourself? You have to throw all that stuff away. I get really impatient with DP's saying things like, 'My frame, my light.' That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard. I don't have patience for that. You try it and you get it and if you don't get it, then you feel like shit because Sam and Libby just did something that can't be replicated, so just do it. Smart: For the final scene, there was a lot of pressure. We had five minutes of light. By the time we were rounding the street to be able to go for it, our safety car had an issue. We lost contact on our walkie-talkie. Luca's in there holding the entire camera setup by himself. I was just ready and, this sounds so 'woo,' but we could feel Libby being like, 'Just fucking go.' So, I just started driving, and we got it. I don't know how we did it. It was a really special day. Ewing: Luca came back to our little home base in this vacant parking lot and showed me the playback, and I burst into tears. It was just perfect. All that trust built to that 15-minute shot, and it was just stunning. Del Puppo: The camera's 30 pounds, we're on an anamorphic lens. We don't have a three-person camera team. We shot the whole thing handheld without an easy rig. As a DP, at a certain point, you ask yourself, 'Is this big black easy rig thing going to distract from the film? If it is, then just hold the camera.' I know that it sounds banal, but some of these decisions were that simple. Knowing that you had that 30 pound set up shooting handheld with no rig is fucking crazy. Del Puppo: Well, I'm short and wide, so it works out. Ewing: He's a beast. He just needed a second dinner every night. You just gotta keep him fed and fueled. It's like Michael Phelps loading up carbs before a big swim. Ewing: That's right. Luca: Sam brought us to a great burger place on the first night. It really was a family affair, and we just kept going back there for more.
USA Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Barbra Streisand swoons with McCartney, Dylan, Mariah on lush duets album: Review
The woman who served us 'People,' 'Evergreen,' 'The Way We Were' and more than 100 other singles doesn't need to record another album. She barely needs to leave her surely-gardenia-scented bedroom. But Barbra Streisand, 83, has always been not just indefatigable, but interested: In creating, in songcraft and in pushing herself. After 60-plus years in show business, she's earned the right to drop the New York hustle ingrained in her DNA and take a breath. Her 37th studio album, 'The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two,' is that breath. It's a cozy, comforting audible hug from a parade of familiar friends, including Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Josh Groban, Sting, Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey. Even Bob Dylan hopped aboard this love train. Streisand's new duets release is the companion to 2014's 'Partners,' with Groban as her only repeat collaborator. While her voice is still that voice – rich in timbre, sleek in tone – she's chosen to share the microphone again because it's a comfort zone. Some of Streisand's finest work has been bolstered by worthy peers, from Barry Gibb ('Guilty' in 1980) to Neil Diamond ('You Don't Bring Me Flowers' in 1978) to Celine Dion ('Tell Him' in 1997). Not so much Don Johnson ('Till I Loved You' in 1988). Continuing her stretch with these 11 cross-generational songs, including a pair of newbies – one with Sam Smith ('To Lose You Again') and the other with Grande and Carey ('One Heart, One Voice') to complete a diva triumvirate – Streisand soars. Highlights are many, but here are a few. More: New music documentaries rock the big screen at Tribeca 'Letter to My 13 Year Old Self' (Laufey) The young Icelandic jazz-pop singer Laufey spoke to Streisand's inner awkward teenager with this heart-piercing ballad from her 2023 album, 'Bewitched.' This lusher recording, laden with plucked strings and two creamy voices blending seamlessly, is more than a deeply affecting ballad with lyrics such as, 'You'll grow up and grow so tough/charm them/write your story/fall in love a little too/the things you thought you'd never do.' It's a poignant look back at how the trivial things that felt like an emotional avalanche as a teen shape us, as well as the importance of taking pride in shutting out the noise. 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' (Hozier) Popularized by the late Roberta Flack, this cooing ballad can sound plodding and endless with the wrong arrangement. But over a blanket of velvety strings, Streisand turns Irish indie-rocker Hozier into a smitten Romeo. Their pacing is like a dance, dipping and rising while always staying within the lines for four and a half minutes of lyrical seduction. 'My Valentine' (Paul McCartney) In its native form, this 2012 Paul McCartney song written for wife Nancy Shevell drifts along on gentle piano and guitar, McCartney's voice authentically imperfect. With Streisand, it's evident how he strives to meet her note for note, breath for breath, as strings swell in the pockets of the lyrics. It's easily McCartney's sweetest vocal since his 'Flowers in the Dirt' days. 'The Very Thought of You' (Bob Dylan) A duet in the making since 1970 between the shy poet laureate of contemporary music and the preeminent songbird of the past six decades doesn't disappoint, primarily because Streisand coaxed Dylan to actually sing. Streisand has said it was his choice to record Ray Noble's 1934 pop standard, and it's a style that suits him as he sings softly with only a hint of his distinctive nasal twang. They seem like the most incongruous pairing, but both hail from the same Greenwich Village haunts, tethered at the core for life. More: Bruce Springsteen is releasing his 'Lost Albums': The songs you haven't heard but need to 'One Heart, One Voice' (Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande) Much as when Streisand teamed with Celine Dion for the vocal duel 'Tell Him,' this seemed like another opportunity to play 'who can run the vocal scales the longest.' Instead, this otherwise generic ballad that preaches the merits of rejoicing in partnership, love guiding the way and sacred gardens with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, showcases a trio steeped in restraint. Grande and Carey sing with delicacy, while Streisand augments their shared vocals with her own resonant tone. They're the holy trinity of glorious sound.
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
This London, Ont., complex was built in 2017 — one-third of its townhomes have had leaks
Six months after Simon Huo bought his newly built townhouse in July 2017, news of water problems began to trickle in. Before long, it turned out to be more of a gusher affecting him and dozens of his neighbours. The townhouse complex is off Sarnia Road, just east of Hyde Park Road. Huo's is one of 161 attached units in the complex built by Rand Developments. Branded "Tribeca," the attached townhouses are packed together on narrow streets with New York-inspired names such Battery Park and Manhattan Way. The design is modern, featuring a multi-toned mix of metal and brick exterior finishes. "It was brand new, so you don't expect problems," said Huo of his townhouse, which is on a street called West Village Square. Like many of the buyers in the complex, Huo rented out his townhouse after he bought it, although he's living in it now. In January 2018, his tenant sent him photos of water seeping behind the baseboard under the front window of the second-floor bedroom. Huo said Rand responded and made repairs to the roof. The baseboard was replaced and reports from the tenant about water problems stopped. In the fall of 2021, his tenant left and Huo moved in. He soon noticed water damage on the new baseboard in the same spot. He paid to have a roofer fix the issue, but said the water infiltration problems continued to mount over the months and years. They included a leak in the en suite bathroom ceiling. Huo cut away the wall board beneath the front window in his second-floor bedroom to expose the source of the leak. There was extensive water damage and the 2-by-6 framing members were blackened and crumbling. A video Huo shared with CBC News shows water pooling inside the wall. Huo also hired Neil Travis of Keystone Properties to investigate the roof and fix the problem. CBC News interviewed Travis, who said the problems included: The use of short pieces of metal flashing on the roof parapet instead of full pieces, which Travis said resulted in them becoming leak points. A lack of roofing cement to seal spots where nail heads are exposed above the shingles. Missing metal drip edges. Not enough underlayment beneath the shingles at the roof edge. When asked by CBC News to assess the roof installation overall, Travis was blunt, saying: "It's pretty shitty." CBC News made multiple requests for comment from Rand and the company's founder and owner, Randy Mackay, but did not receive a reply. Other units have water problems While he continued to deal with problems in his townhouse this spring, Huo began to reach out to neighbours in the complex. He said he took this step because he started to notice others were hiring roofers to fix leaks. Huo sent a survey in a Google document to the owners of all 161 units, asking them to fill it in and describe any water problems and their efforts to get them fixed. CBC News has reviewed the responses. In total, 53 report some kind of water infiltration problem, including water seeping through ceilings, water-stained and blistering drywall, even electrical circuit breakers tripping after water in the walls contacted live outlets. Some of the respondents said Rand made efforts to fix the problems. Others, however, claimed the company has been difficult to reach and unresponsive to their complaints. Many owners said their walls, carpets and ceilings regularly become wet during heavy rains. Last winter's heavy snows and subsequent ice damming were also frequently mentioned as moments when water leaked or seeped into the living spaces. 'As a new homeowner, that was scary' Arsalan Saleem, 35, was among the dozens of neighbours who responded to Huo's survey. A busy professional with two young children, Saleem was expecting to avoid major maintenance bills when he became a first-time homebuyer. He paid $430,000 for the house on Tribeca Lane in September 2020. At the time, the house was only three years old, so he didn't expect to see any roofing problems, but soon noticed his neighbours were having issues. "Right after we moved in, we saw contractors working on the roofs right in front on my house," he said. "Then I started noticing more people getting work done. Then came my turn." A year after he moved in, Saleem said, he noticed water leaking into his daughter's bedroom during a thunderstorm. The water filled up the ceiling light like a fish bowl, eventually dripping down and soaking the carpet, he said. Having a water-filled electrical fixture in his daughter's bedroom was particularly unnerving. "As a new homeowner, that was scary." He moved his daughter out of the room and hired a roofer, who pointed to exposed nail heads as likely leak points. "He said it was a bad roofing job," said Saleem. Between the roof and another water penetration problem on a front window, Saleem said he's out about $2,000. CBC News visited the complex this week and spoke to more than a dozen tenants and homeowners. One man, who declined to be interviewed, told CBC News he paid $12,000 to have his entire roof replaced. Four others said they've experienced leaks, but they were renting the unit and reported the issues to their landlords. Tarion warranties have expired Ontario's Tarion Warranty Program is intended to protect new-home buyers in the event of various defects. Its coverage includes major water penetration, however the coverage expires after seven years. CBC News contacted Tarion for comment about the Sarnia Road townhouses built by Rand. In a statement, Tarion called it "a complex situation," but said it received no complaints about the townhouses in the Tribeca complex during the seven-year coverage period. Despite this, Tarion said it has been working to help the homeowners and encourage the builder to address issues. "At this time, we understand that the builder is working actively with the homeowners to try to resolve the problems," the statement said. "We understand that the homeowners are in a difficult situation, but are encouraged by the builder's response and shows that this builder is willing to try to address matters even beyond its statutory obligation." Huo, who estimates he's out about $4,000 in repairs, argues the problems at his complex are so extensive that Tarion has an obligation to step in and extend the coverage period. He said he wasn't aware of the Tarion program until it was too late. "This issue is from construction, from the beginning of the house — it should be covered," he said.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fans React to Cher's Recent Red Carpet Appearance: 'My Queens Together'
Fans React to Cher's Recent Red Carpet Appearance: 'My Queens Together' originally appeared on Parade. Cher made a rare red-carpet appearance this week, attending the Tribeca Film Festival screening of actress Mariska Hargitay's documentary My Mom Jayne, and fans couldn't get enough of seeing the 79-year-old icon alongside Mom Jayne, a documentary directed by Hargitay, explores the life of the Law and Order: SVU actress' iconic late mother, Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay was just three years old when her mother died in a car crash, and the film—her directorial debut—marks the actress' search for the mother she never truly knew. Hargitay's good friend Cher (that must be a fun girls' night out) walked the red carpet in support of the film—and the budding filmmaker. Fans loved the a video shared to social media of Cher and Hargitay together on the My Mom Jayne red carpet, one fan wrote, 'OMG! Cher and Mariska,' while another commented, 'My queens together.' One fan called the pairing a 'phenomenal duo.' We couldn't agree more. And since Cher is just about the only actress who hasn't guest starred on SVU, we hope her red carpet appearance gives the producers a hint to take this pairing to the small screen. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Fans React to Cher's Recent Red Carpet Appearance: 'My Queens Together' first appeared on Parade on Jun 14, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Vogue
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Maria McManus Resort 2026 Collection
Earlier this year, Maria McManus began experimenting with lace after coming across an Irish linen tablecloth her Aunt Bibi had made. 'I'm not a super floral crochet person, but I was like 'OK, this is meaningful,'' she said at the time, and three seasons later, it's been a thrill to see how that discovery begat a round of experimentation and pushing of the creative boundaries for the designer. 'I think it allowed me to think about sustainability differently, not being like, 'Oh my God, it has to be recycled,' but that there can be more things to the story.' she explained during an appointment at her Tribeca home which often doubles as a showroom. Artisanal French Dentelle de Calais-Caudry lace, which is 'certified and protected by the French government' continued to play a starring role in her resort collection, trimming slinky slip dresses made from her favorite Naia Renew fabric, and in delicate floral-patterned skirts. But its influence could also be felt elsewhere, as in the light-as-air cardigan knitted with three different floral patterns inspired by the lace itself, or even in the pair of organic cotton jeans with a 'shredded' detail on the waistband and pockets. They were still beautifully finished, and lined in her trademark grosgrain ribbon, but the layers had been left unfinished, fraying—a kind of proof of the handwork that goes into actually making them. But that doesn't mean McManus has stopped her tireless search for new materials and new sustainable technologies. This season she introduced a recycled polyester curly 'shearling,' used on a very cool—and glamorous—long statement coat; and a biodegradable nylon with a scuba-like feel that became extra-long leggings turned-wardrobe-essential thanks to the addition of belt loops(!). 'Most nylon comes from the fossil fuel industry—specifically coal—and can take anywhere from a hundred to a thousand years if not longer to biodegrade,' she explained. 'This is made from a fruit polymer, so it reacts more like a paper or a cotton, and will biodegrade in five years in an industrial landfill. The mill was started by this woman named Regina and she is amazing, everything she does is sustainable in some way.'
