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 Willa Harlow 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.
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
1 Sept 2026
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 Video06:28 - Paths to the Boutique Label Industry11:26 - Acquiring the Rights to the Dollars Trilogy16:48 - The Technical Challenges of Restoration25:22 - Finding and Trusting Reference Prints32:07 - Restoring the Look: HDR and Source Fidelity38:50 - The Nightmare of Techniscope Negatives46:15 - Audio Restoration: Mono and 5.1 Mixes52:41 - Rescuing Audio from LaserDiscs and VHS01:10:08 - Extended Cuts and Versioning01:16:05 - Encoding, Quality Control, and Fidelity in Motion01:40:40 - 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=kbE33341qX0Spencer’s Interview with James Flower:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D87IseQlKL4
Shownotes and Resources: https://sadhillmedia.com/filmformally
21 Jul 2026
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 - Introduction03:14 - Russian Ark and Dirk's Early Projects12:45 - The Evolution from Film to Digital Workflows21:03 - Antichrist and late-'00s digital workflows.36:26 - Defining "Look Development", and working with Roy Andersson49:13 - Working with Hélène Louvart on Happy as Lazarro and Romeria and emulating MiniDV01:01:43 - Working on THE PIMP, HDR grading, and using color references.01:05:44 - Image Attributes, Steve Yedlin's Display Prep Demo, and Demystifying Digital Imagery01:21:12 - 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=6IugTH2VwDkThe Hitchhiker's Guide to Digital Colour: https://hg2dc.com/
Edited by Griffin Sheel
Shownotes and Resources: https://www.filmformally.com
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