Musicians are natural-born documentary subjects: They say outrageous things, they look fabulous doing it, and they might just let you license their music for free (if they like you). Anyone who rises to rock star level fame is either a tortured soul or a creative genius — or, sometimes, both. The challenge in making a music documentary is to rise above mere hagiography and tell a story most fans have never heard before, which can be tricky when you’re dealing with people as obsessively beloved as Kurt Cobain or Amy Winehouse.
In some cases, the best stories are discovered behind the scenes: the forgotten backup singers, the recluse who discovers his fame decades later, the brother living in the shadows of the rock star. Whether famous or unknown, there is nothing quite as daring as getting on a stage and singing your guts out — and no creative skill as revered...
In some cases, the best stories are discovered behind the scenes: the forgotten backup singers, the recluse who discovers his fame decades later, the brother living in the shadows of the rock star. Whether famous or unknown, there is nothing quite as daring as getting on a stage and singing your guts out — and no creative skill as revered...
- 3/5/2018
- by Jude Dry, Chris O'Falt, Kate Erbland, Steve Greene, Jenna Marotta, Eric Kohn, William Earl, Anne Thompson and Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Here’s your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress, as presented by the creators themselves. At the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.
In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
Raisin’ Cain: The History of Cain’s Ballroom
Logline: “Raisin’ Cain” will be a cinematic journey told through the music and artists that have made this Tulsa music venue legendary. It will celebrate its 92 years, exploring the ties between Cain’s, the Tulsa Sound, and a myriad of musical genres.
Elevator Pitch:
We hope to preserve the storied history of the legendary Honky-Tonk, Cain’s Ballroom. “The Home of Bob Wills” has hosted 3 generations of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Wanda Jackson to the Sex Pistols, The Police, U2 and many others. The film will tell...
In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
Raisin’ Cain: The History of Cain’s Ballroom
Logline: “Raisin’ Cain” will be a cinematic journey told through the music and artists that have made this Tulsa music venue legendary. It will celebrate its 92 years, exploring the ties between Cain’s, the Tulsa Sound, and a myriad of musical genres.
Elevator Pitch:
We hope to preserve the storied history of the legendary Honky-Tonk, Cain’s Ballroom. “The Home of Bob Wills” has hosted 3 generations of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Wanda Jackson to the Sex Pistols, The Police, U2 and many others. The film will tell...
- 11/2/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
The Tribeca Film Festival announced its jurors for this year’s event, which runs from April 16-27. The list includes Toni Collette, Lake Bell, Whoopi Goldberg, Catherine Hardwicke, Heather Graham, Anton Yelchin, Paul Wesley and 26 other leaders of the filmmaking community.
In addition to the Festival’s main competition juries in seven categories, Tribeca named Delia Ephron, Natasha Lyonne, and Gary Ross to select the second annual Nora Ephron Prize, which awards $25,000 to a female writer or director.
Click below for the entire list of jurors, with biographical information courtesy of the Tribeca festival:
World Competition Categories
The jurors for...
In addition to the Festival’s main competition juries in seven categories, Tribeca named Delia Ephron, Natasha Lyonne, and Gary Ross to select the second annual Nora Ephron Prize, which awards $25,000 to a female writer or director.
Click below for the entire list of jurors, with biographical information courtesy of the Tribeca festival:
World Competition Categories
The jurors for...
- 4/8/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
The famous rock is gaining momentum now. On Saturday, the 340-ton boulder was hauled 60 miles from a quarry atop a 196-wheel transporter to Los Angeles County Museum of Art where it will be on display as Levitated Mass under the direction of California sculptor Michael Heizer. And soon, The Hollywood Reporter writes, footage from the enormous stone's trek to Lacma will be featured in the documentary The Boulder, directed by Doug Pray (Art & Copy, Surfwise) and produced by Jamie Patricof (Blue Valentine, Half Nelson). “The film will be about what Lacma and the artist are endeavoring to create, and how they’re going about it," Pray said. "But it’s also about how people are reacting to it—some people find it gorgeous, and others are annoyed. There are a lot of haters: ‘This is stupid; it’s just a rock.’” But some are just ticked that in a city with miserable traffic,...
- 3/13/2012
- by Brett Smiley
- Vulture
Sean Penn is in negotiations to produce and star in a film based on the life of surfing icon Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz.According to Variety, Alan and Gabe Polsky will also produce with Penn.Paul Feldsher, who was a producer on the films "The Four Feathers" and "Waking Up in Reno," will write the screenplay.Paskowitz became a cult hero for ditching a successful medical practice and hitting the road in a camper with his wife and nine kids. His family founded the first surf camp in the continental U.S. and is referred to as the "First Family of Surfing."Paskowitz, who is 89, was the subject of Doug Pray's 2008 documentary "Surfwise."Penn was last seen in 2008.s "Milk" which won him his second...
- 7/2/2010
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
Sean Penn is going back into the ocean to surf some waves! As you know Penn launched his acting career over 30 years ago playing surfer dude Jeff Spicoli in the classic film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The actor is now in negotiations to play surfing icon Dorian "Doc" Pasowitz.
Penn is also set to produce the film based on the eccentric Paskowitz and his family. Also producing are Alan and Gabe Polsky, who recently produced the Werner Herzog-directed Bad Lieutenant reboot.
Variety reports that the Polskys optioned the life rights to the Paskowitz clan, whose nomadic beach existence was recently the subject of Doug Pray's documentary Surfwise. "For the past two decades, producers from Matt Weaver to Graydon Carter have tried unsuccessfully to secure the life rights to the now 89-year-old Paskowitz. The patriarch finally gave his blessing to the Polskys once they were able to attach Penn to the project.
Penn is also set to produce the film based on the eccentric Paskowitz and his family. Also producing are Alan and Gabe Polsky, who recently produced the Werner Herzog-directed Bad Lieutenant reboot.
Variety reports that the Polskys optioned the life rights to the Paskowitz clan, whose nomadic beach existence was recently the subject of Doug Pray's documentary Surfwise. "For the past two decades, producers from Matt Weaver to Graydon Carter have tried unsuccessfully to secure the life rights to the now 89-year-old Paskowitz. The patriarch finally gave his blessing to the Polskys once they were able to attach Penn to the project.
- 7/1/2010
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Academy voters are already putting in their ballots for these two performances: Meryl Streep has signed on to play former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for director Phyllida Lloyd, who Streep worked with on Mamma Mia!, while Sean Penn has signed on the play Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, the patriarch of “surfing’s first family.” Streep’s film is called The Iron Lady, the script written by Abi Morgan, co-financed by Pathe and Film4 and described as a “story of a woman who smashed through the barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male-dominated world. The story concerns power and the price that is paid for power, and is a surprising and insightful portrait of an extraordinary and complex woman.” [THR] Thatcher made as many enemies as she did friends (if not more), and was regarded by many to be brutal in her tactics and conservation decisions. Streep should destroy the role,...
- 7/1/2010
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
A few years ago the documentary Surfwise came and went without nearly enough attention, even though it was well-crafted, entertaining and focusing on a truly worthy subject: Doc Paskowitz and the family of nine children he raised to be surfers. They lived all together in a camper and in self-created poverty, were on strict diets containing no fat and sugar, and many became champion surfers in their teens. You can learn more about the remarkable Paskowitz family in an interview I did with Doc, his wife Juliette and two of their sons. Or you have another option now-- you can watch the Sean Penn biopic version of the story. According to Variety, Paskowitz has agreed to sell his life rights to Penn as a producer, and the actor may star in the resulting film as well. Producers Alan and Gabe Polsky had spent decades trying to convince Paskowitz to sign...
- 7/1/2010
- cinemablend.com
Sean Penn is in negotiations to produce a biopic on surfing icon Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz and his family, reports Variety . Penn may star in the film as well. Alan and Gabe Polsky are also on board to produce. The trade says that for the past two decades, producers have tried unsuccessfully to secure the life rights to the now 89-year-old Paskowitz, who was the subject of Doug Pray's documentary Surfwise . The patriarch finally gave his blessing to the Polskys once they were able to attach Penn to the project. Penn's close friend Paul Feldsher will write the screenplay.
- 7/1/2010
- Comingsoon.net
The life of a documentary filmmaker can be a grueling one, spending months in the editing room putting your film together once you've actually figured out a topic, done all the interviews and figured out exactly how to approach the subject. For filmmaker Doug Pray ( Scratch ), it's been especially tough as he's spent the last four years making three documentaries at once, including the already-released Surfwise about the eccentric family values of surfer Dr. Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz and Big Rig . On Friday, his latest doc Art & Copy takes a fascinating look at the world of advertising--and yes, we do mean Fascinating--through the eyes and words of roughly a dozen of the pioneers in the field from those at the core of the groundswell of the industry during the...
- 8/19/2009
- Comingsoon.net
If Don Draper and his fellow Mad Men have taught us anything, it is that advertising, without a doubt, matters. The show gives us a juicy glimpse into the inner machinations of an advertising agency, and how advertisements (and the people who create them) are able to chronicle a time, a place and a generation. But who were the real mad men, the real movers and shakers behind the advertisements we grew up on? Art and Copy, a festival favorite that hits theaters this Friday, chronicles the profound cultural impact made by advertising, and in turn, by the (mostly unsung) creatives behind the message. Tribeca Film asked our own creative, designer Tanya Codispodi, to watch the film and talk with director Doug Pray (Scratch, Hype!, Surfwise). Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.
- 8/19/2009
- TribecaFilm.com
Another monster release slate this week finds, amongst other things, interpretations of the Irish troubles, both real and imagined. Also, we meet the real life Mad Men, Qt's Basterds and the godfather of African-American indie film as a bearded ten-year-old boy.
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"Art & Copy"
Filmmaker Doug Pray ("Surfwise") goes inside the advertising industry to uncover the creative minds behind such iconic slogans as "Got Milk?" and "Just Do It," encountering a multitude of contrasting viewpoints, from those who feel they have whored themselves out in the name of commerce to those hopelessly addicted to the rush of satisfying the constantly changing needs of the modern world. Don Draper, eat your heart out.
Opens in New York.
"The Baader Meinhof Complex"
This year's German nominee for the best foreign-language film Oscar, Uli Edel's adaptation of...
Download this in audio form (MP3: 15:35 minutes, 14.3 Mb) Subscribe to the In Theaters podcast: [Xml] [iTunes]
"Art & Copy"
Filmmaker Doug Pray ("Surfwise") goes inside the advertising industry to uncover the creative minds behind such iconic slogans as "Got Milk?" and "Just Do It," encountering a multitude of contrasting viewpoints, from those who feel they have whored themselves out in the name of commerce to those hopelessly addicted to the rush of satisfying the constantly changing needs of the modern world. Don Draper, eat your heart out.
Opens in New York.
"The Baader Meinhof Complex"
This year's German nominee for the best foreign-language film Oscar, Uli Edel's adaptation of...
- 8/17/2009
- by Neil Pedley
- ifc.com
Yesterday came the yearly announcement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as it extended 134 invitations to several artists and executives "who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures" read the press release. Of course all of them can decline, but I wouldn't necessarily expect that to happen as all who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2009 to the Academy's roster of voting members. "These filmmakers have, over the course of their careers, captured the imagination of audiences around the world," said Academy President Sid Ganis. "It's this kind of talent and creativity that make up the Academy, and I welcome each of them to our ranks." The list follows below and reading around the best analysis I saw of it came from Nathaniel Rogers at The Film Experience who, among other things, pointed out the addition of longtime Darren Aronofsky's...
- 7/1/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued invitations to 134 members of the film community to join the group. There were a maximum of 166 open slots to fill this year, but the various branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them.
Hugh Jackman, who hosted the most recent Oscar show, has been invited to join. So have Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, James Franco and Michelle Williams. The list even includes a number of comic performers like Michael Cera, Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd.
Voting membership in the organization has held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception at the Academy's Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills in September.
"These filmmakers have, over the course of their careers, captured the imagination of audiences around the world," Academy president Sid Ganis. Said. "It's...
Hugh Jackman, who hosted the most recent Oscar show, has been invited to join. So have Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, James Franco and Michelle Williams. The list even includes a number of comic performers like Michael Cera, Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd.
Voting membership in the organization has held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception at the Academy's Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills in September.
"These filmmakers have, over the course of their careers, captured the imagination of audiences around the world," Academy president Sid Ganis. Said. "It's...
- 6/30/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Every year in Toronto, the Hot Docs Film Festival [1] manages to assemble an exciting assortment of top-notch documentary films from around the world. This year was certainly no different, and a number of the movies have already picked up distribution deals and are well on their way to gaining mainstream attention. However, there are always plenty of diamonds in the rough as well, amazing films that sadly may never find the audience they deserve. So which upcoming documentaries are hits and which are near-misses? Read on for our full report from the 2009 Hot Docs Festival! Best Worst Movie When he was 11 years old, Michael Paul Stephenson was cast in a low budget horror movie called Troll 2. He, along with many of the other actors, thought that it would be their ticket to big time acting careers, but were shocked to find out afterward that the final product was a complete disaster.
- 5/27/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
- Many would say that at this year's Academy Awards got the documentary film category "right". The "right" doc film won and even the final nominees were worthy mentions. But all this doesn't make the Cinema Eye Honors mission less "important". Now in their second year and with eleven categories, a quirky film such as Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg receives a little bit more acknowledgement before disappearing on shelves, those who edit and photograph doc films have any evening reserved all to themselves and newbies to docu filmmaking world have a shot at getting some cred and mingle with the right crowd. The ceremonies take place on Sunday, we'll be reporting on who the winners are from the categories below. Make sure to check out their newly designed website. Outstanding Achievement In Production Henry Kaiser - Encounters At The End Of The World Simon Chinn - Man On Wire
- 3/24/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
Doug Pray has directed documentaries ranging from Hype!, about the exploitation of the grunge music scene in Seattle, to Infamy in 2005, about graffiti culture, to last year's Surfwise, about the surfing Paskowitz family and their eccentric patriarch. Pray's Sundance premiere Art & Copy is a scattershot look at some of the pillars of advertising including George Lois, Lee Clow, Dan Wieden, M ...
- 1/22/2009
- by Kevin Kelly
- Spout
Doug Pray has directed documentaries ranging from Hype!, about the exploitation of the grunge music scene in Seattle, to Infamy in 2005, about graffiti culture, to last year's Surfwise, about the surfing Paskowitz family and their eccentric patriarch. Pray's Sundance premiere Art & Copy is a scattershot look at some of the pillars of advertising including George Lois, Lee Clow, Dan Wieden, Mary We ...
- 1/22/2009
- by Kevin Kelly
- Spout
It's just about time for myself and a few trusty Cinematical cohorts (James Rocchi, Scott Weinberg and Eric D. Snider) to pack up our bags and head for the mountains of Park City, Utah -- home to, of course, the Sundance Film Festival. Once we're on the ground, we'll be posting reviews, interviews, scene/party coverage, photos, videos and whatever else there is to throw online that way you, our most loyal readers, will feel like you're right smack in the middle of the biggest film festival of the year. And to get the ball rolling, here are our 12 most anticipated films of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
12 Most Anticipated Sundance Films 1. Big Fan
The Wrestler screenwriter Robert D. Siegel returns to New Jersey as director for this drama about a hardcore NY Giants fan (Patton Oswalt) who suffers major consequences when he's beaten up by his favorite player.
We Say: Hey Giants fans,...
12 Most Anticipated Sundance Films 1. Big Fan
The Wrestler screenwriter Robert D. Siegel returns to New Jersey as director for this drama about a hardcore NY Giants fan (Patton Oswalt) who suffers major consequences when he's beaten up by his favorite player.
We Say: Hey Giants fans,...
- 1/14/2009
- by Erik Davis
- Cinematical
by indieWIRE (January 4, 2009) Editors Note: This is part of a series of interviews, conducted via email, profiling dramatic and documentary competition and American Spectrum directors who have films screening at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
"Art & Copy" takes us inside a powerful, yet surprisingly unknown, industry to reveal the most influential creative forces tapping the zeitgeist of our time. Think of those commercials we can never seem to get out of our heads. Each one is the brain child of an industry typically associated with pandering and manipulation. Is great advertising actually a rare and rebellious accomplishment more akin to--dare I say it--art? Beginning in the 1960s, a creative revolution revitalized the advertising industry. Bill Bernbach launched the Volkswagen Beetle, prompting viewers to "think small." Dan Wieden coined "Just Do It" and forever changed the way we motivate ourselves athletically. Phyllis Robinson empowered the "me generation" with a Clairol tagline. Hal...
"Art & Copy" takes us inside a powerful, yet surprisingly unknown, industry to reveal the most influential creative forces tapping the zeitgeist of our time. Think of those commercials we can never seem to get out of our heads. Each one is the brain child of an industry typically associated with pandering and manipulation. Is great advertising actually a rare and rebellious accomplishment more akin to--dare I say it--art? Beginning in the 1960s, a creative revolution revitalized the advertising industry. Bill Bernbach launched the Volkswagen Beetle, prompting viewers to "think small." Dan Wieden coined "Just Do It" and forever changed the way we motivate ourselves athletically. Phyllis Robinson empowered the "me generation" with a Clairol tagline. Hal...
- 1/5/2009
- by brian
- indieWIRE - People
Some documentarians think like essayists, propagandists, abstract painters, or magazine reporters. Doug Pray approaches his documentaries as though he's writing books. From his earliest films, Hype! and Scratch, to his latest, Surfwise, Pray has shown an ability to cover a lot of ground without rambling aimlessly or sacrificing the kind of rhythmic editing and image-gathering that makes a documentary artful. In Surfwise, Pray tells the story of Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz and his nine children, who spent the '60s and '70s traveling the country in a beat-up Rv, living hand-to-mouth while surfing as much as possible. Pray leaves few aspects of the Paskowitz legend unexplored, or overexplored. There will be no need to ask, "But what about.?" while watching Surfwise. Pray will eventually get to it. And with the Paskowitzes, there's a lot to get to. Doc's story alone is remarkable; an early success in the medical community, he was.
- 6/19/2008
- by Noel Murray
- avclub.com
By Neil Pedley
This week sees the return of the Wachowski brothers, Tarsem Singh ("The Cell") and Henry Bean ("The Believer") to the big screen, not to mention new films from documentarians Nick Broomfield ("Tupac and Biggie") and Doug Pray ("Scratch"). On the other hand, after running around Tribeca, we still need to catch up on last week's releases.
"The Babysitters"
The idea of the spunky teenage boy succumbing to the allure of an experienced older woman is the kind of Hollywood golden goose that launches major careers (think Dustin Hoffman). But when the roles are reversed, the result is the directorial debut of David Ross that sees an entrepreneurial high schooler (Katherine Waterston, daughter of Sam) and her friends turn their babysitting ring into a call girl service, realizing there are alternative ways to pay for college besides waiting tables. It stars when one local dad (John Leguizamo) goes...
This week sees the return of the Wachowski brothers, Tarsem Singh ("The Cell") and Henry Bean ("The Believer") to the big screen, not to mention new films from documentarians Nick Broomfield ("Tupac and Biggie") and Doug Pray ("Scratch"). On the other hand, after running around Tribeca, we still need to catch up on last week's releases.
"The Babysitters"
The idea of the spunky teenage boy succumbing to the allure of an experienced older woman is the kind of Hollywood golden goose that launches major careers (think Dustin Hoffman). But when the roles are reversed, the result is the directorial debut of David Ross that sees an entrepreneurial high schooler (Katherine Waterston, daughter of Sam) and her friends turn their babysitting ring into a call girl service, realizing there are alternative ways to pay for college besides waiting tables. It stars when one local dad (John Leguizamo) goes...
- 5/5/2008
- by Neil Pedley
- ifc.com
- It's been said a million times over: kids need structure and limits. I imagine being a good parent is how well you establish these rules but I can't imagine doing this without the actual foundations of home, school and something ressembling the white picketed fence. Praise the invention of the Super 8 camera, and specifically, well-preserved Super-8 footage that families safely store away to prove me wrong. May 9th, Magnolia Pictures will be theatrically releasing a docu film that doesn't come to us without the monster-wave fanfare but with a film festival log that includes last year's Toronto Film Festival. Director Doug Pray's Surfwise looks at a family where the mother had an easy bake oven as a stomach, a bohemian father who had a strict life philosophy and their nine offspring (7 sons in rapid succession: David, Jonathan, Abraham, Israel, Moses, Adam, and Salvador Daniel. Then they had one daughter,
- 4/16/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
Swerve Festival -- a new film, art and music festival celebrating West Coast creative culture -- will run Sept. 28-30, screening three indie films at the Barnsdale Art Park in Hollywood. Screening are Doug Pray's documentary Surfwise, Mike Hill's docu The Man Who Souled the World and Anton Corbijn's biopic Control. Jonathan Wells serves as director of the fest, created by Fuel TV, which will telecast closing night ceremonies on Nov. 9.
- 8/24/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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