Latest news with #MPSE
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘House of the Dragon' director and cinematographer on the ‘spontaneous creativity' of the fan-fave ‘The Red Sowing'
One of the standout episodes of House of the Dragon's second season was "The Red Sowing," from director Loni Peristere and cinematographer Vanja Černjul. In a new Gold Derby interview, the artisans share their insights from the fan-favorite seventh episode, which centered on Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and her urgent quest to acquire more dragon riders. House of the Dragon, the prequel series to HBO's megahit Game of Thrones, was created by Ryan Condal and author George R. R. Martin, with D'Arcy leading the ensemble cast alongside Emmy nominee Matt Smith (The Crown) as Prince Daemon Targaryen and Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower. Season 2 is eligible at the 2025 Emmys, and filming for Season 3 is underway right now in England. More from GoldDerby Golden Reel Awards: MPSE bans generative A.I. sound from awards eligibility to 'keep artists at the forefront' Clancy Brown, Joel McHale, and more actors who self-submitted at this year's Emmys Netflix debuts 'In Your Dreams' trailer, Keke Palmer joins 'Spaceballs' sequel,' and more of today's top stories Gold Derby: Vanja, you've been quoted as saying that Season 2 was 'a testament to the marriage of meticulous planning and spontaneous creativity.' Talk us through what that means to you both. Vanja Černjul: What was wonderful about House of the Dragon is that we were given a proper amount of time to really prepare and get ready. Loni's background is in visual effects, so he really knew how to take advantage of all the tools that we had available. We storyboarded a lot of it, and it was just a wonderful process. But then, I had situations where it was raining on location, but we were completely adapted to what was happening. We planned for a sunny summer day in Wales and a couple of times we had mist and clouds, and we learned that it worked even better for the scene that we couldn't plan it better. Loni Peristere: There's a scene with Alicent, as she goes for her wander in the woods. We spent a lot of time growing flowers in this field, and we had this concept of Alicent going out into this ideal space as she tries to escape the Red Keep, maybe for the one last time, and we showed up on location, and it was pouring rain, and somehow it just made that scene a thousand times better to be pouring rain, and when she went into the water it was so much sadder as the water poured down on her. So that's that spontaneous creativity that we just embraced together. Similarly, you know the opening scene on the beach. We spent a meticulous amount of time in prep figuring out the right time to be there, so we could have this beautiful golden morning. And yet here we were again in the rain and the wind, and it just made it angry and it really lent to the scene to have Emma D'Arcy screaming through the wind. It just made it so much more powerful, and that is that spontaneous creativity that Vanja is referencing. HBO What was the most challenging part of the scene where Alicent wades into the Kingswood Lake? Peristere: The best part of our relationship is that we really appreciate the craft of cinema. We were given an episode that had a sequence like this with no dialogue, but we needed to convey Alicent's emotional state — her desire for freedom. I think Vanja and I probably rejected 15 different lakes, to find this space, because what we wanted to feel is that as she comes out of the Kingswood and into this lake, we wanted to 'break out of jail,' with the physical cinematic trees of the Kingswood, and then break out and be faced with this epic baptismal visual. We literally had to do it with a tenth of the crew that House of the Dragon normally has, because it was such a difficult location. Černjul: It was a good lesson in how sometimes the most impressive shot you can get just by being at the right place with just the camera. We decided to shoot the last couple of shots of the scene in the studio, so that beautiful shot of Olivia's hair going through the water; that was in-studio, and the two overhead shots also were in the studio. Peristere: And again, spontaneous creativity, the beautiful shot of the hair underwater that we ran backwards, so it looked like her hair was growing towards the camera. HBO The sequence that everyone wants to talk about is of course Hugh Hammer claiming Vermithor. What was the most difficult part of getting that whole sequence right? Černjul: There were many scenes in this episode where the script offered opportunities for a really cinematic approach, and Loni knew how to take advantage of that, because it's maybe one quarter of the episode that has no dialogue. When there's no dialogue, cinematography and sound really become the main language, the cinematic language that the narrative is communicated through. And that's a dream for a cinematographer. That's why this episode was so special for me, because of that particular sequence. Loni knew from the very beginning that he wanted to do a large section of the action in a oner. The most difficult challenge was orienting ourselves in this large blue screen space. We had a large stage, but the actual imagined space was supposed to be five times larger than the stage that we had, and the only physical things that were built were the plinth that you see in the background, and everything else was blue screen. So, we needed to orient ourselves, like once you determine the light source, for example. Where is that light source now, because you're supposed to be much deeper into the cave. And how large is the dragon in this large space. Orientation in the imagined space was challenging. I remember another challenge was that we really wanted a really raw handheld feel, and we wanted to film the whole sequence handheld. We fortunately had a rehearsal the day before, and Kieran was running so fast that it was really hard to keep up with him with a handheld camera, and the image became too shaky. We had amazing grip support, and our key grip came up with a solution real quick. He built the cable cam that supported the handheld camera. So, the shot ended up being a hybrid between handheld and cable cam, and we came up with that the day before. Peristere: There was a lot of stunt folks that we lit on fire! HBO A highlight sequence is where Ulf is flying over King's Landing, and then Aemond retreats when he sees Rhaenyra at Dragonstone surrounded by dragons. Talk us through shooting the sequence. Peristere: Vanja actually drew that frame himself. He hand drew it himself! Černjul: The composition of all these characters in that frame was so important because it was going to be the last frame of the episode. We were trying for a while, and then I finally drew the characters and played with the composition in Photoshop. Peristere: The idea that Rhaenyra was going to confront Aemond with a wall of dragons, a wall of nuclear weapons, changes the entire power dynamic of this entire series. What made it such a powerful thing was the writing, which gave us the opportunity to develop the visuals to support that. And that's what we really wanted to do when we read it. We knew that this is part of the narrative that is going to carry on for many seasons. HBO Loni, when you're witnessing a really committed performance from an actor, how do you collaborate and provide guidance or guardrails without compromising the intensity and the raw emotion that they're giving you? Peristere: That's a really good question to relate to this particular sequence, because Kieran's communion with the dragon was written as a quiet moment in the script, where Vermithor and Hugh were going to come together slowly, and Rhaenyra was going to watch it. And then Kieran decided to scream at the dragon on his own, and I remember when he did that, I couldn't believe it. I was like, "Wow!" It's giving me shivers just thinking about it, like how that happens with actors that are really good at their craft. That's how you commune with Vermithor, the second biggest dragon in the Westeros universe. That's how you do it. You show that dragon that this little man is bigger than it, and it was mind-blowing. Those moments happen quite a lot. We have an incredible cast that offers these types of moments because they are that good, and no matter how much prep, no matter how much experience Vanja has in photography, or I have in visual effects, nothing can compare with how a great actor can transform the word. HBO You have both just come off a really long day on set, so you're in the thick of Season 3. Obviously, you can't spoil anything, but what can we generally expect? Peristere: It's definitely everything that the fans want. Everything they've read in the book, everything that they know is coming. This season goes to 11. Černjul: The thing that I noticed when I came back, and I was very happy to be back, was that all other key collaborators came back as well, which says a lot about how much we enjoyed this opportunity to be part of building this universe. It's really a family now. But the fact that everybody was happy to come back says a lot about the experience that we have on set. The first two seasons of House of the Dragon are now streaming on HBO Max. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby Tina Fey on 'The Four Seasons': 'It was a challenge to be restrained about where we put jokes' 'The best job I ever had': 'From 'Supernatural' to 'The Boys,' Eric Kripke talks his biggest hits — and miss (ahem, 'Tarzan') 'Cross' star Aldis Hodge on building an aspirational hero — who's not a superhero Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Golden Reel Awards: MPSE bans generative A.I. sound from awards eligibility to ‘keep artists at the forefront'
The Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) are taking a definitive stance: The Golden Reel Awards will honor only human artistic achievement. In a world where Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is rapidly infiltrating creative industries, the MPSE is taking proactive steps to preserve the integrity and humanity of sound editorial, design, and foley artistry. In a press release issued Thursday, MPSE president David Barber stated, "It is an enormous question to ask: how much of our humanity are we willing to give away to technology, especially in the arts? The time to ponder that question, set up boundaries, and guide how A.I. is assimilated into our workflow and lives was yesterday. The dam of A.I. has broken, and the waters are upon us. Choosing what we embrace as award-worthy filmmaking is a way of diverting those waters while we grapple with this exponential change. As A.I. technology infiltrates and permeates our industry, rules and accepted practices for its use need to emerge that keep artists at the forefront." More from GoldDerby Clancy Brown, Joel McHale, and more actors who self-submitted at this year's Emmys Netflix debuts 'In Your Dreams' trailer, Keke Palmer joins 'Spaceballs' sequel,' and more of today's top stories 'Cross' star Aldis Hodge on building an aspirational hero - who's not a superhero The press release further stated: MPSE has always promoted and will continue to value the human endeavor of artistic creation. Our Golden Reel Award honors people who utilize their skills and artistry to push the boundaries of storytelling through sound. We support and prize technological advances that assist artists in their creations. However, standards for the legal and ethical use of Generative A.I. have yet to be established and are far from being accepted broadly. What we choose to promote as award-worthy points to how much we value the human endeavor of artistic creation. Because of these concerns and our organization's mission to uphold and celebrate the creative human endeavor of sound and music editorial, sound design, and Foley artistry, the MPSE will not be accepting projects for awards consideration where Generative A.I. is used to create elements for the final soundtrack. Golden Reel Award qualification rules are being updated and will be published on our website soon. As the industry evolves to adopt tools and techniques, current or yet to be developed, our board of directors and A.I. committee are poised to evolve our stance on this issue, ensuring we adhere to our mission. We remain open to what the technological future may bring in support of the humans working in the craft of sound editorial. The 73rd Annual Golden Reel Awards will be held on Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Los Angeles. Best of GoldDerby Stephen King movies: 14 greatest films ranked worst to best 'The Life of Chuck' cast reveal their favorite Stephen King works, including Mark Hamill's love of the 'terrifying' 'Pet Sematary' From 'Hot Rod' to 'Eastbound' to 'Gemstones,' Danny McBride breaks down his most righteous roles: 'It's been an absolute blast' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MPSE Bans Projects That Use Generative AI From Golden Reel Awards Consideration
The Motion Picture Sound Editors said Thursday that it will no longer consider projects in which Generative AI is used to create elements for the final soundtrack for the group's annual Golden Reel Awards. The move comes the same day as members of animation, actor and writers guilds gathered at France's Annecy Animation Film Festival to protest the use of the growing technology, which has many in the creative industries wary about what AI means for their creativity, skills and livelihoods. More from Deadline Animation, Writers & Actors Guilds Hold 'Historic' Anti-Generative AI Protest At Annecy: 'GenAI Seeks Not To Support Artists, But To Destroy Them' MPSE Golden Reel Awards: 'Wicked', 'Dune: Part Two', 'Wild Robot' Among Film Winners – Full List Late-Night Talk Emmy Category Reduced To Three Nominations The MPSE's new rules surrounding GenAI will be added to the guidelines for the next Golden Reels, the annual awards ceremony that honors outstanding achievement in sound editing, sound design, music editing and Foley artistry in film, television and gaming. 'We support and prize technological advances that assist artists in their creations,' the MPSE said in a press release today announcing the move. 'However, standards for the legal and ethical use of Generative A.I. have yet to be established and are far from being accepted broadly. What we choose to promote as award-worthy points to how much we value the human endeavor of artistic creation.' The MPSE added that its board of directors and A.I. committee are 'poised to evolve our stance on this issue' and pledged to 'remain open to what the technological future may bring in support of the humans working in the craft of sound editorial.' 'It is an enormous question to ask: how much of our humanity are we willing to give away to technology, especially in the arts?' MPSE president David Barber said. 'The time to ponder that question, set up boundaries, and guide how A.I. is assimilated into our workflow and lives was yesterday. The dam of A.I. has broken, and the waters are upon us. Choosing what we embrace as award-worthy filmmaking is a way of diverting those waters while we grapple with this exponential change. As A.I. technology infiltrates and permeates our industry, rules and accepted practices for its use need to emerge that keep artists at the forefront.' Best of Deadline 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A.I. Sound Will Not Count for MPSE Golden Reel Awards
From search engines to email summaries, A.I. tools are now legion in our everyday lives. In filmmaking disciplines, they are no less endemic. But the Motion Picture Sound Editors have decided that Generative A.I. tools will not have a place in its Golden Reel Awards, which annually celebrate excellence in sound editing in feature films, broadcast, gaming, and interactive media, as well as giving out awards for individual recognition to leaders in the field. Within sound production, A.I. can be used for voice generation, dialogue cleanup, and speech enhancement in applications like Descript and and both Adobe and Avid have pushed AI features for 'boosting creativity' in more industry-level editing workspaces like Audition and Pro Tools. Just to name a few uses, A.I. features pitch or change the quality of human speech, generate wholly AI speakers from a written script, or remove silences between speakers — although, as sound designer Taylor Moore pointed out to IndieWire, working in that algorithmic way can destroy important context for audiences and can actually rob creators of the chance to make artistic choices. More from IndieWire Gold List TV Honors 'Squid Game,' 'Deli Boys,' 'The Studio,' and More Jacinda Ardern Documentary 'Prime Minister' Shows Us How the New Zealand Leader Is the Anti-Trump 'The urge with all the hyper-intelligent machine learning, polishing mix algorithms out there and the ease with which modern technology allows you to pull all the silences out and all the breaks — I mean, I could hit one button on Pro Tools and it'll strip all the silences and shorten the dialogue so there's no gaps. But that destroys it,' Moore told IndieWire. The MPSE's Golden Reel qualification rules are currently in the process of being updated and re-published on the MPSE website, detailing what it will mean in practice to not accept projects for awards consideration where Generative A.I. is used to create elements for the final soundtrack. The organization also said that the MPSE board of directors and its A.I. committee will continue to study the existing and evolving tools on the market and make additional changes to the awards guidelines as appropriate. But the MPSE wants to firmly come down on the side of supporting human artists working in sound and music editorial, sound design, and Foley artistry. 'We support and prize technological advances that assist artists in their creations. However, standards for the legal and ethical use of Generative A.I. have yet to be established and are far from being accepted broadly. What we choose to promote as award-worthy points to how much we value the human endeavor of artistic creation,' the MPSE released in a statement announcing their ban on projects that utilize Generative A.I. David Barber, president of the MPSE, added in the same statement that, 'It is an enormous question to ask: how much of our humanity are we willing to give away to technology, especially in the arts? The time to ponder that question, set up boundaries, and guide how A.I. is assimilated into our workflow and lives was yesterday. The dam of A.I. has broken, and the waters are upon us. Choosing what we embrace as award-worthy filmmaking is a way of diverting those waters while we grapple with this exponential change. As A.I. technology infiltrates and permeates our industry, rules and accepted practices for its use need to emerge that keep artists at the forefront.' Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
