See the gorgeous stills above? Amazing, right? Yes, they are actual stills from movies. It does, however, take a good and trained eye to spot them and take them at the right time. Specifically, a cinematographer's eye. That's what Donnacha Coffey is. Who is Donnacha Coffey, you ask? (pronounced DONN-uh-Kah, if you were wondering). A cinematographer, of course. With quite a few credits on IMDB. It's that trained eye that allows "Dawn" to be the mastermind behind film-grab.com.
You enter the site, type in just about any movie, and you'll find a bunch of screengrabs from films in chronological order. It's certainly some strenuous work. But with the diligent eye and passion of Dawn, you can be sure the final product will be fantastic.
So, we decided to speak to the creator of film-grab.com.
FFS: How did the idea to make FILM-GRAB.com start?
DC: When I left college, we had just got into a worldwide recession but I was eager to work so ended up on a lot of low or no budget shoots, either directing or DP-ing; inevitably at script meetings I would refer to this or that film, and inevitably had to grab stills from my huge DVD collection. Alongside this, I was using Tumblr a lot and just appreciating the power of a good still. I eventually realised if I found the stills I gathered helpful, others would too, and the site was born.
FFS: What was the first movie you screengrabbed?
DC: My first is one of my favourites, Wendy and Lucy. I just love the whole look and texture, beautiful colours.
FFS: Which film has been the most enjoyable to get stills from?
DC: Hmmm, that's a tough one. For sheer variety, Daisies by Vera Chitylova was a joy.
FFS: For those who might ask or don't know, what's the protocol for presenting the images and avoid copyright conflicts?
DC: The images are presented under fair use, for education and reference purposes only. I don't sell anything on the site, as I know I don't own the imagery.
FFS: Tell me 5 favorite films of yours (no order, just any).
DC: Jaws, The Fly, Blue Velvet, Wendy and Lucy, Five Easy Pieces.
FFS: What are some films you haven't worked on that you look forward to working?
DC: Oh man, my list is infinite. I'd love to tackle traditional Disney animation and I'm always interested in world cinema, finding unique voices from out of the mainstream.
FFS: What are your goals for the site?
DC: The goal is for it to just grow and grow. I want everyone to know if they're looking for a particular still from a particular movie, they'll find it there.
Check out film-grab.com!
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