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Desmond Hale

Desmond Hale is the pen name of the publication's accountable editor. The editor reviews sources, quotations, rights and disclosures, and approves each article before it is published.

Articles

Business

California's Program 4.0, read for independent films

California's film credit program sets aside $75 million a year for independent films. The January 2026 guidelines fix the rates, caps, minimums and the ranking rule, and several other states changed their programs in 2026.

Wren Calder · 5 min read · Policy explainer

Craft

Walter Murch's Rule of Six, in practice

Murch ranks six criteria for deciding where to cut, with emotion first and spatial continuity last. The ranking tells an editor which rules to break when they conflict.

Wren Calder · 4 min read · Craft explainer

Making

Tangerine: what a feature shot on iPhones needed

Sean Baker's 2015 Sundance feature used iPhone 5S cameras, an anamorphic adapter, a stabilizer and a conventional sound kit. This is the rig, the schedule and the post workflow, as published accounts describe them.

Wren Calder · 5 min read · Production breakdown