The Energizer bunny has nothing on Sidney Lumet. He turned 83 last summer and just keeps going. He has directed over 40 movies and judging by the early response to his latest film, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, he is still at the top of his game. What’s remarkable about his career is not only his longevity and the number of great movies he’s made, but the range of material he’s tackled. Even as his frequently corrupt characters sought justification, there was always an honesty about the filmmaking. In our DGA Interview, Glenn Kenny catches up with a loquacious Lumet in a rare moment when he isn’t working.

Lumet started out working in television in the ’40s and would surely appreciate the energy that the new breed of producer/directors are bringing to their job. The demand for better-looking, higher quality programming makes it a logical move for directors to handle producing chores as well. But it’s not an easy job—really two jobs—as Jeanne McDowell reports in “Double Duty.”

Innovations are not limited to how television and movies are being made, but also how they’re being seen. More and more programming is pouring onto the Internet and it’s becoming a crowded playing field as Alex Ben Block details in “Heavy Traffic,” part of our ongoing series on new developments in technology.

On the other side of the equation, independent filmmakers are faced with the question of how to negotiate this constantly shifting network of possibilities. With the Think Tank of the Independent Directors Committee, the Guild has been active in monitoring cutting-edge innovations in film distribution that may ultimately have an impact on all members. Amy Dawes attended two meetings of the Think Tank and writes about the hot-button issues and out-of-the-box solutions being discussed in “The New School.”

When talking about the independent spirit of directors, no one is more out of the box than Werner Herzog. He has always been a filmmaker who has done things his own way, and never more so than on his 1982 masterpiece Fitzcarraldo in which he transported a steamboat over a mountain in the Amazon. In Shot to Remember, Herzog explains how he achieved this amazing feat of filmmaking chutzpah.

On a larger scale, action directors are always challenging conventions and trying to come up with new ways to shock an audience. While most of their work is meticulously planned, there is also that moment of wild inspiration. Steve Pond visits with some of the top practitioners in the field and reports on their method behind their madness in “Thrill Rides.”

And finally, the Quarterly has always attempted to encourage discussion, questions and an open mind about issues in the industry. In that vein, we offer Michael Moore’s In My Opinion column about his experience with film piracy and how he believes that may not be the most serious problem facing filmmakers today. You may not agree with his conclusions, but I think you’ll find his points provocative and stimulating. As always, I will be curious to hear what you think. Enjoy the issue.

Best,

James Greenberg
Editor in Chief