Golden Men!
On this day in 1929, the first ever Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, CA. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was concocted by then head of MGM studios, Louis B. Mayer, as an NPO for the advancement and improvement of the film industry. Well, leave it to Hollywood to be fancy, and, within two years, they were giving out golden statues. In the beginning, things were a lot different; the winners were announced before the dinner/ceremony, which was only attended by about 250 folks, and the 15 statues were handed out in a quick, five minute ceremony after dinner. Actor and Academy president Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., presided over the ceremony, and presented awards such as best picture to the $2M blockbuster WWI picture Wings, and best actor/actress awards to Emil Jannings and Janet Gaynor.
F11 Rentals would like to point out that the revolutionary and ground-breaking film The Jazz Singer, the first ever "talkie", was not awarded best picture, as it was seen as an unfair advantage since it had sound. F11 Rentals completely agrees with wardrobe and craft services, that sound on film is an unnecessary nuisance, and they got just what they deserved. (FiveSix Productions doesn't agree with those sentiments.)
In 1942 secret ballots entered the picture, making the ceremony much more exciting. Mix secret ballots, fancy dresses and tuxedos on a Red Carpet, and all the glitz, glamor, and lights of Hollywood, and... announcing the wrong film as "best picture", and we've got quite an exciting event on our hands each February.
Check out History Channel for more on this and other old subjects. And make sure to tell all your friends about FiveSix Productions, the best Las Vegas video production company!
California Love
FiveSix Productions loves, and is proud of our home state: Nevada... but we also love California! The beaches, the mountains, the cities, stars, and palm trees. So, we are excited, each and every time we get to cruise out there. Recently, we had such an opportunity, and were able to jet out to Los Angeles. While we were tackling a bit of a sad subject for most of our shoot, there were some bright and positive aspects, and we got to work with one of our favorite clients. We even found time to visit our friends at Cinebags and head up to the Griffith Observatory and catch a classic Hollywood sunset (complete with L.A. smog). Until next time, we'll be here in Sin City, doing our Las Vegas video production thing. Oh, have your people call my people, we'll do lunch.
Uncle Oscar
We here at FiveSix Productions, in little ol' Las Vegas, Nevada, have lofty dreams. Whether it's corporate interviews, the trade show floor, commercials, feature documentaries or more, we love and embrace our craft; we also love the passion and dreams of those pursuing Hollywood dreams! We support, encourage, embrace, and share the dreams of all those inspiring to always do and accomplish more in this awesome industry of film, television, and all else dreamers dare to dream. Enjoy the night fellow artists and dreamers. See you on set.
Roger Deakins On: Hippy Nonsense
Roger Deakins balls out. He's an actual cinematographer, not just a cameraman. This D.P. from the Isle of Britain, has been bringing pictures into motion, and painting the world with lights for over forty years- much longer than that uneaten pile of biology in your vegetable drawer. He's been the D.P./cinematographer on such classics and masterpieces as The Shawshank Redemption, No Country For Old Men, A Beautiful Mind, and Skyfall, just to name a few. He has been nominated for 13 Academy Awards, and 110 other prestigious awards, and won 74 times. His latest endeavor has him working again with the Coen bros on Hail, Caesar!, (previously, he was the DP on the epic masterpiece (and one of my personal favorites) The Big Lebowski), a project that brought him back to working with celluloid. Check out this interesting article in Variety, where Mr. Deakins gives his impressions on his experience working again with film, on a period piece, and again with the Brothers Coen. (((Digital is the present, and the future- that's the point. (All due respect to film users- but...))))