NOVEMBER 2024 DROPS RECAP
NOW OVER 1.5 MILLION SHOTS ON SHOTDECK!
Hello ShotDeck community! This month, we added over 44,000 new screencaps to our library from hundreds of films, television series, commercials and music videos, taking us past the milestone of 1.5 million fully-searchable screenshots on ShotDeck! You can sign up today for a free 2 week trial, giving you full access to the world’s largest library of cinematic reference images.
This month, we also launched our official integration with Canva, giving you access to our entire library directly within the Canva interface. Simply type in keywords related to your desired visuals and ShotDeck’s database will provide a curated selection of images that fit your needs. You can also directly access any decks you’ve built in ShotDeck within Canva’s interface, allowing you to directly edit and design your presentations.
MICROBUDGET MASTERPIECES
This month, we released a selection of Microbudget Masterpieces on ShotDeck. Making a film can often seem like an impossibly expensive endeavor, but these movies, all made for less than $250,000, prove that you can make something amazing and innovative on a shoestring budget.
Our selection includes vastly different portrayals of Los Angeles, from Swingers, a classic of the “hangout” genre that launched the careers of household names like Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn and Doug Liman, to Killer of Sheep, Charles Burnett’s triumphant drama that took vérité techniques and reimagined them in a more contemplative visual style. There’s also films such as Take Out, Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou’s electric portrait of New York City’s Chinatown which was shot for just $3,000, Tiny Furniture, Lena Dunham’s quirky comedy inspired by her mother’s artistic practice, and Paranormal Activity, which became an international sensation and launched one of the most well-known horror franchises of this century. Check out these movies and this month’s other Microbudget Masterpieces today!
And if you like those, here are some other Microbudget Masterpieces you can find on ShotDeck:
THE COMPLETE SOPRANOS
Back to the Bada Bing! This month, we released Seasons 3, 4, 5 and 6 of The Sopranos on ShotDeck, completing our collection of the entire series with over 17,000 fully tagged and searchable screencaps now available for you to research and add to your decks!
One of the most popular and influential television series of all time, The Sopranos has been credited with launching the second golden era of American TV, ushering in the “prestige cable” TV show and redefining the place of the Italian-American gangster in American life.
NEW FILMS ON SHOTDECK
In November, we added new movie stills from some of 2024’s biggest summer hits to our library.
Check out shots from films such as A Quiet Place: Day One, MaXXXine, Dìdi (弟弟), Janet Planet, and Twisters, as well as from older classics such as The Last Detail, About Elly, Lost in America and The Act of Killing.
TECHNICOLOR MUSICALS
We released hundreds of shots from eleven Technicolor Musicals in November, celebrating some of the most visually arresting musicals of the 1940s, 50s and 60s from all over the world, all made with one of film history’s most well-known color processes.
First introduced as a two-color system, before eventually becoming its more well-known three-strip form, and finally a single-strip “monopack”, Technicolor was a family of color motion picture processes that revolutionized the use of color in mid-20th Century movies by not requiring any special equipment to project it in theaters. But the new technology also came with drawbacks. Special, bulky sound blimps were required on set, cameras needed triple the amount of film, and the process of splitting the image reduced the amount of light reaching the film stock, causing big budgets and boiling hot sets from all the additional lights that were needed to expose shots adequately.
Still, Technicolor brought the world some of its most celebrated films, especially in the musical genre. This month, we’ve curated Technicolor Musical classics like The Music Man, Guys and Dolls and My Fair Lady, as well as international titles such as Mother India and underrated gems like Brigadoon, Sweet Charity and Calamity Jane.
ITALIAN NEOREALISM
In November, we also released hundreds of shots from 6 iconic entries in the Italian Neorealist movement. Characterized by stories set in working-class communities, often filmed in real locations using first-time or non-professional actors, Italian Neorealism shone a vital lens on Italian life in the aftermath of the social and economic turmoil wrought by World War II.
Our curation of Italian Neorealist films this month includes Umberto D., Vittorio De Sica’s masterpiece that follows the struggles of an elderly pensioner as he struggles to make ends meet (which also features one of the all-time great dog performances!); Roberto Rossellini classic (and Martin Scorsese favorite) Paisan, which studies the relationship between American soldiers and Italian locals in the aftermath of the war; and Dino Risi’s Il Sorpasso, an all-time classic in the road comedy genre.
MUSIC VIDS & COMMERCIALS
In November, ShotDeck released over 5,000 shots from 100 new music videos and commercials. There are new music videos from 2024’s biggest pop stars, including Sabrina Carpenter and Gracie Abrams, contemporary hip-hop classics from Mura Masa feat. A$AP Rocky, dance anthems from Flume and PinkPantheress, and indie rock jams from The Lumineers and TW Walsh, as well as dozens of others!
On the commercials side, check out new work representing brands such as Coca-Cola (in a “non AI generated commercial”), Dior, Facebook, Jeep, NFL, Nike, Adidas, and many more!
December promises to be another huge month, with tens of thousands of new screencaps coming to you from more of 2024’s biggest hits, a deeper dive into some of the most popular titles in our library, collections from masters like Éric Rohmer and George Méliès, some of this year’s most popular television series, and hundreds more music videos and commercials. Keep your eyes peeled!
