Film Formally

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 Video
06:28 - Paths to the Boutique Label Industry
11:26 - Acquiring the Rights to the Dollars Trilogy
16:48 - The Technical Challenges of Restoration
25:22 - Finding and Trusting Reference Prints
32:07 - Restoring the Look: HDR and Source Fidelity
38:50 - The Nightmare of Techniscope Negatives
46:15 - Audio Restoration: Mono and 5.1 Mixes
52:41 - Rescuing Audio from LaserDiscs and VHS
01:10:08 - Extended Cuts and Versioning
01:16:05 - Encoding, Quality Control, and Fidelity in Motion
01:40:40 - 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=kbE33341qX0
Spencer’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 - Introduction
03:14 - Russian Ark and Dirk's Early Projects
12:45 - The Evolution from Film to Digital Workflows
21:03 - Antichrist and late-'00s digital workflows.
36:26 - Defining "Look Development", and working with Roy Andersson
49:13 - Working with Hélène Louvart on Happy as Lazarro and Romeria and emulating MiniDV
01:01:43 - Working on THE PIMP, HDR grading, and using color references.
01:05:44 - Image Attributes, Steve Yedlin's Display Prep Demo, and Demystifying Digital Imagery
01:21:12 - 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=6IugTH2VwDk
The 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 Waves
10:20 - Festival Highlights: Barbara Stanwyck & Co.
18:25 - Pakeezah (1972)
23:26 - What Price Glory (1926) & MoMA Restorations
26:11 - Ball of Fire (1941)
27:58 - The Devils (1971)
29:05 - Ludwig (1973)
34:23 - Carbon Arc Projection
38:50 - 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 Discussion
13:26 – Breaking Down the Physics: What is Format Size?
24:50 – Depth of Field and Image Blur Circles
37:58 – Editing Influences: Errol Morris and the "Vlogging" Aesthetic
46:21 – Resolution Talk

Shownotes and Resources: 
https://www.filmformally.com

WORKS CITED:

Devan's video essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nqa-OBV5ik
Steve Yedlin's display prep demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suZtYPIADHM
Cine Lens Manual: https://store.ascmag.com/products/the-cine-lens-manual

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

NINE BEHIND (2016)

Calling her grandfather in Budapest to learn about the Hungarian film industry, a woman instead finds the conversation shifting to her family’s history.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Sophy’s early works leading up to NINE BEHIND.

• The influences and production of NINE BEHIND.

• The lessons learned on this set and how they informed Sophy’s next film, IT’S HIM.