Jim McQuaid - Turnip Films
First a view camera / darkroom / Zone System guy. Now filmmaker & screenwriter in Durham NC. 20+ short films of my own, stories of human connection. Also work as DP, AD, general advice. Moderating local screenwriters group since 2016.
www.turnipfilms.com
- Just saying. I’ve always enjoyed Jeopardy. I’m even okay with the new host. Ken something, right?
- I would love to hear Democrats committing to Tom Friedman’s immigration wisdom: “A high wall and a wide gate.”
- Gosh, you mean tariffs aren’t for grand economic reasons?
- While I love (“classic?”) photography, it has effectively ceased to be a medium of significance. When the word “deepfake” is common, the set of connections that makes a photograph unique and wondrous are effectively discarded in society at large. More to say later, of course. #photography #deepfake
- One of the most interesting, realistic, and wise discussion of filmmaking arts I know is the newsletter postings of Noam Kroll. #filmmaking noamkroll.com
- #scriptsky. Advice to film editors. “When in doubt, read the script.”
- Lewis Hine? There’s a TV ad for GMC trucks that includes a brief shot of a vintage construction worker riding on a ball-hook that looks like an animation from a Hine Empire State image. Curious if that’s true.
- The new book by Walter Murch - Suddenly Something Clicked - is wonderful, clearly written by a great artist. #cinema
- Fascinated, encouraged by Cloudflare’s action to limit AI scrapping. Maybe there’s hope?
- I just have to say… Elisa Slotkin for President.
- Go see Celine Song’s new film The Materialists. It’s amazing, funny, insightful, sad, joyous, well-written and beautifully photographed. Did I mention that I loved it way beyond my expectations (which were high based on Past Lives). #indiefilm
- #AI Here’s where I’d like to see AI widely deployed: traffic lights!!! It’s Sunday morning and I’m the only car at the intersection waiting for the left turn light… it’s not much intelligence required to see that maybe it would be good to just give me a green light?
- Just saying: I’m ready for the Democratic Party to become the party of responsible fiscal policy. Hey, the Republicans have given up on that!
- A vision only works when it comes with a bridge that connects it to real work. (Joel Trammell)
- Just saying. When the lead feature of a software upgrade is “8 new emojis” I not inclined to bother. And the message seems clear: it’s not a tool, it’s a playground. Sorry Apple.
- I’m quite happy with the structure of my current short film: many short scenes with little dialog which are essentially emotional moments. However, as producer, I’m toiling to produce my 17-page script which has 18 unique locations! #indiefilm #ncfilm
- I think I have found the best book there is on screenwriting: “Short Film Screenwriting” by Austin Bunn. A “devil’s in the details” treatment of key aspects of screenwriting illustrated by the full script of numerous successful short films. #scriptsky #screenwriting
- I’m making a film which has many scenes that are a single emotional moment remembered. But the upshot of this is that my producer self is too busy. The script is 16 pages but there are 20 locations! #filmmaking #indiefilm
- @filmmakermagazine.com.web.brid.gy Just saying; I saw the big Oscar winning film because of what I read in Filmmaker magazine.
- Fascinating to find a full-page ad for DaVinci Resolve on page 5 of the March issue of Harper’s magazine! #filmmaking #blackmagic
- Privacy researchers at the Mozilla Foundation in September warned in a report that “modern cars are a privacy nightmare,” noting that 92 percent give car owners little to no control over the data they collect, and 84 percent reserve the right to sell or share your information. #privacy
- Visiting where I grew up to explore shooting a scene here in my film about my brother. Struck again by the importance, the weight of actually being in the place. #filmsky #scriptsky
- Thinking about my new year newsletter and reviewing 2024. More to learn but I did spend a lot of money on FilmFreeway….! (On my film Sisters)
- Getting notes on the (near?) final draft of my script for the next film from various folks who understand. Playwright / filmmaker Mark Cornell, actors Kendall Rileigh and Jane Holding and others. #indiefilm #ncfilm
- My daughter’s first book comes out in April. If you’re near Raleigh, NC this event might be fun; www.quailridgebooks.com/event/anniem...
- Starting down a long road to my next film. Even though it’s a short, it looks likely that I will have to do some fund raising. Still working on who-what-where and so far no “when.” #indiefilm #ncfilm
- The kind of thing my eye goes to over coffee.
