Restoring the Dollars Trilogy with James White & James Flower of Arrow Video

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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. NORMAN NORMAN (2018) A young woman grapples with the declining health of her beloved dog in this film about mortality, cloning, and Barbra Streisand. In this episode, we discuss: Creative “Labour” and filmmaking. Cross-country collaboration. Norman’s TIFF pass. Conceptual cinema. The opportunities afforded by non-traditional modes of production. 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.

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. PUMPKIN MOVIE (2017) Two women trade stories of misogyny while carving pumpkins over Skype as part of a Halloween tradition. In this episode, we discuss: The film’s extremely truncated pre-production and production timelines. Ultra low-budget filmmaking and unconventional production methods. Structuring 45-minute conversations with editing. Documentary, fiction, and the way that PUMPKIN MOVIE inadvertently became a hybrid of the two. 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.

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. IT’S HIM (2016) An unexpected encounter during an afternoon at the cinema catapults a young woman into a confrontation with her own grief. In this episode, we discuss: Creative geography. The learning process of collaboration. Working with actors on an indie budget. Remastering NINE BEHIND and IT’S HIM. Restructuring IT’S HIM in post-production. The transition from the relatively large production of IT’S HIM to the stripped-down minimalism of PUMPKIN MOVIE.