Film Formally gets granular about how movies work by studying a technique or trait through its best examples. Independent filmmakers and friends Devan Scott and...
Commentary 6 - STILL PROCESSING with Sophy Romvari
FILM FORMALLY is back! This month, friend of the podcast Sophy Romvari’s films are premiering on the CRITERION CHANNEL and to mark the occasion we’ve recorded a set of commentaries for six of these films - NINE BEHIND, IT’S HIM, PUMPKIN MOVIE, NORMAN NORMAN, IN DOG YEARS, and STILL PROCESSING.
To listen along, have the film ready to go and hit “play” when prompted within the episode after the introductions.
Please note that, due to sync necessities, there are a few gaps in the episode’s discussion: we’ve filled with with snippets of Will’s original score for the film.
STILL PROCESSING (2020)
A box of stunning family photos unseen for decades awakens lost memories as they are viewed for the first time on camera.
In this episode, we discuss:
Hybrid documentary and fictional elements.
Still Processing’s long production and post-production schedule.
Photographic storyboards.
Audience expectations and documentaries about grief.
Composing the score.
What did we learn?
Sophy’s films can be seen on the CRITERION CHANNEL - feel free to sign up for a free trial if you aren’t a member.
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26:21
Commentary 5 - IN DOG YEARS with Sophy Romvari
FILM FORMALLY is back! This month, friend of the podcast Sophy Romvari’s films are premiering on the CRITERION CHANNEL and to mark the occasion we’ve recorded a set of commentaries for six of these films - NINE BEHIND, IT’S HIM, PUMPKIN MOVIE, NORMAN NORMAN, IN DOG YEARS, and STILL PROCESSING. We’ll be releasing one per week for the next six weeks.
To listen along, have the film ready to go and hit “play” when prompted within the episode after the introductions.
IN DOG YEARS (2019)
Old dogs are celebrated in ten short stories about love, loss, and letting go.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why the CBC hired Sophy to make a dog documentary.
Cinemascope as a canine-friendly aspect ratio.
A talking head documentary without talking heads.
Documentary structure.
Will and Sophy’s correspondence editing style.
Sophy’s films can be seen on the CRITERION CHANNEL - feel free to sign up for a free trial if you aren’t a member.
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15:08
Commentary 4 - NORMAN NORMAN with Sophy Romvari
FILM FORMALLY is back! This month, friend of the podcast Sophy Romvari’s films are premiering on the CRITERION CHANNEL and to mark the occasion we’ve recorded a set of commentaries for six of these films - NINE BEHIND, IT’S HIM, PUMPKIN MOVIE, NORMAN NORMAN, IN DOG YEARS, and STILL PROCESSING. We’ll be releasing one per week for the next six weeks.
To listen along, have the film ready to go and hit “play” when prompted within the episode after the introductions.
NORMAN NORMAN (2018)
A young woman grapples with the declining health of her beloved dog in this film about mortality, cloning, and Barbra Streisand.
In this episode, we discuss:
Creative “Labour” and filmmaking.
Cross-country collaboration.
Norman’s TIFF pass.
Conceptual cinema.
The opportunities afforded by non-traditional modes of production.
Sophy’s films can be seen on the CRITERION CHANNEL - feel free to sign up for a free trial if you aren’t a member.
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13:40
Commentary 3 - PUMPKIN MOVIE with Sophy Romvari
FILM FORMALLY is back! This month, friend of the podcast Sophy Romvari’s films are premiering on the CRITERION CHANNEL and to mark the occasion we’ve recorded a set of commentaries for six of these films - NINE BEHIND, IT’S HIM, PUMPKIN MOVIE, NORMAN NORMAN, IN DOG YEARS, and STILL PROCESSING. We’ll be releasing one per week for the next six weeks.
To listen along, have the film ready to go and hit “play” when prompted within the episode after the introductions.
PUMPKIN MOVIE (2017)
Two women trade stories of misogyny while carving pumpkins over Skype as part of a Halloween tradition.
In this episode, we discuss:
The film’s extremely truncated pre-production and production timelines.
Ultra low-budget filmmaking and unconventional production methods.
Structuring 45-minute conversations with editing.
Documentary, fiction, and the way that PUMPKIN MOVIE inadvertently became a hybrid of the two.
Sophy’s films can be seen on the CRITERION CHANNEL - feel free to sign up for a free trial if you aren’t a member.
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15:59
Commentary 2 - IT’S HIM with Sophy Romvari
FILM FORMALLY is back! This month, friend of the podcast Sophy Romvari’s films are premiering on the CRITERION CHANNEL and to mark the occasion we’ve recorded a set of commentaries for six of these films - NINE BEHIND, IT’S HIM, PUMPKIN MOVIE, NORMAN NORMAN, IN DOG YEARS, and STILL PROCESSING. We’ll be releasing one per week for the next six weeks.
To listen along, have the film ready to go and hit “play” when prompted within the episode after the introductions.
IT’S HIM (2016)
An unexpected encounter during an afternoon at the cinema catapults a young woman into a confrontation with her own grief.
In this episode, we discuss:
Creative geography.
The learning process of collaboration.
Working with actors on an indie budget.
Remastering NINE BEHIND and IT’S HIM.
Restructuring IT’S HIM in post-production.
The transition from the relatively large production of IT’S HIM to the stripped-down minimalism of PUMPKIN MOVIE.
Film Formally gets granular about how movies work by studying a technique or trait through its best examples. Independent filmmakers and friends Devan Scott and Will Ross leverage years of experience watching and making movies to bring you spirited and approachable conversations, offering brick-by-brick analysis and discussions about how films work.
Ireland