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Film Formally: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Will Ross & Devan Scott
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.
Latest Episodes
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- 2 days ago48 min
Day For Night
Why is it so difficult to make night scenes look real? We expect believable darkness in our cinema, but also storytelling clarity: two goals that frequently clash. How do filmmakers square this circle? Are we heading towards a more realistic depiction of night, or are we simply rearranging cultural signifiers? In our first live episode, we explore the aesthetics and science of day-for-night cinematography from the early work of Georges Méliès to the silhouette-heavy work of midcentury studio cinematographers to modern digital solutions such as those found in Mad Max: Fury Road, Nope, and Knives Out. Edited by Griffin Sheel Post-Production by Moving Image Agency Gaffers: Shafi Sekalala, Deejay Papin-Giroux, Elijah Marche Lamp Operators: Vlad Salyuk, Riley Berger-Tse, Julie Le Hegarat Practical Lighting: Lucy Nie Key Grips: Mina Greenberg Motamedi, Rebecca Jaimes Jaspe Grips: Latascha Hartarto, Masayuki Iwase Camera Operators: Alex Maksymec, Mackenzie Boyle, Olivia Niese Camera Assistants: Zoe Li, Sage Laing, Shuvo Shadique Monitor Technician: Toad Chow Location Sound: Quinn Funk Assistant Director: Ella Grace Supervisor Leif Bergsma
- Sep 22, 202650 min
Are Movies Getting Uglier?!
Movies these days are dim, flat, dull. You know it, we know it, everyone seems to know it. But is it true? If so, how did we get here? If not, is it mere nostalgia, or is something deeper amiss? To sort through the wreckage of this discourse, Film Formally gets back to basics with a Willa-and-Devan-hash-it-out special. 00:00 - Why Don't Movies Look Like Movies Anymore? Why Do They Look Like That? 07:10 - What is the "that"-ness of "Why do Movies Look Like That?" 12:05 - Generational Imprinting & Romanticization of Past Cinema 21:45 - A look at 2026 cinema: are things that dire? 31:45 - A brief history of film aesthetics. 41:10 - Corporate Consolidation in Hollywood 48:10 - We Are All Grampa Simpson Now
- Sep 1, 20261h 50m
Restoring the Dollars Trilogy with James White & James Flower of Arrow Video
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
- Jul 21, 20261h 47m
Digital Colour w/ Dirk Meier, Colourist of 'Secret Agent'
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
- Jun 30, 202644 min
Il Cinema Ritrovato: A Festival Dispatch
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
- Jun 9, 20261h 2m
Large Format Myths (Film Formally is back!)
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
- Apr 19, 202226 min
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.
- Apr 12, 202215 min
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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About Film Formally
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.
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