Archive Eight
October 4, 2005
- Bits & Pieces
Back up to those high lands ...
 Just
arrived at Mt. Shasta for the second
Mt. Shasta International Film Festival, slated for the 7th,
8th and 9th. If you're in the area, you should check it out.
It should be a real treat ...
Now that
I've been focused on directing, I've been watching films with a
completely different eye. Not that I haven't observed
directorial styles and techniques before, but it's just made me
more aware (and more knowledgeable?) of what they are doing,
trying to do, or should be trying to do than I was before.
Makes the dozen or so films I plan to see this weekend as much of
a learning experience as anything else (hope to be able to enjoy
them too) ...
It's been
about six weeks since I finished my last script draft, and I
haven't looked at it since. So I figured it's about time,
since I should have enough distance from it and hopefully can go
over it with a fresh attitude, and get it ready for another
analysis and draft ...
Also this
week I'll be putting my short film ideas to script. Am
excited about this, as I keep thinking of more ideas and
directions. The challenge may be to keep them short enough,
as we know how shorts can sometimes be more than they should be
and turn out to be way too long. Oh well, if need be, I'll
just make more shorts (as long as I don't lose mine) ...
By the
way, those of you interested in shorts should check out the
comment below ...
347 days
and counting ...
J-Alden
Comments --
The Journal of Short Film -- 10/4
Your readers might want to hear about our new project ---
The Journal of Short Film. Volume 1, Fall 2005 is being
released today. Below is the text of the press release.
Thanks for your good blogging
work!
Karl, publisher, The Journal of Short Film
COLUMBUS, OH – October 4,
2005 “Filmmaking is the new writing. The short film is the new
short story.”--publisher, The Journal of Short Film
Short film is quickly
becoming the most talked about art form that no one ever sees.
Such films are rarely screened outside of obscure festivals. This
lack of a venue led Karl Mechem—an unknown filmmaker and textbook
editor by trade—to publish the first film quarterly on DVD.
Modeling The Journal of Short Film on a literary journal, he
announced the call for submissions in the spring of 2005. Volume 1
will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
It is the JSF’s intention to
be short film’s new venue, to introduce masses of independent
filmmakers to the world, and to popularize short film. It is also
interested in diversity: almost half of Volume 1’s filmmakers are
women, and a wide range of film is represented, including
narrative, documentary, and experimental work.
While filmmaking is being
revolutionized by digital technology, film distribution is not.
“I can’t understand what distributors are missing—shortening
attention spans, the DVD-buying craze, and the popularity of d.i.y.
work all point to short film taking off,” Mechem says. He notes
recent film phenomena like the 2005 Tribeca Film
Festival’s short film contest
on Amazon.com, New York City’s first Gotham City Short Film
Festival, the Current TV network’s broadcasts of
independently-produced short documentaries, and podcasts that are
quickly becoming video-casts.
Mechem had a film-related
epiphany in West Africa in 2004. While shooting documentary
footage in Mali with his cheap digital camcorder, he bumped into
an American woman with a cheap camera doing the same thing. He
realized digital technology had changed everything. “The digital
camera has brought the Gutenberg revolution to filmmaking.
Johannes, not Steve. It will be the most democratic thing ever to
happen to film.”
But it’s not just art that
Mechem wants to democratize; politics is next. The JSF’s first
spin-off publication will be The Journal of Political Film, coming
this winter. Its purpose will not be one of the Left or Right, but
will focus on exploring political communication.
The JSF’s publisher and
editors are acutely aware of the economics of film distribution.
Like many of the films in the Journal, it is produced with
volunteer help and Apple software. Its office is an apartment in
central Ohio. For more details, check out www.theJSF.org.
October 10, 2005
- The Film Festival -
Some truly international flair ...
Wow, what fun! I spent the last three days seeing a
number of
films from all over the world. That in itself may not seem
such a big deal, but in this tiny mountain town of about 3,000, it
could be considered as such. After the filmmaker's symposium
on Sunday, I got to talk to several of the filmmakers and they
seemed completely enthralled by the area. A couple were so
bold to predict that this festival was in the beginning stages of
becoming a major filmmakers festival. Mainly because how
well they were treated by the people who put the festival on ...
Thanks to
those of you who have emailed with suggestions for cameras, and
who have referred me to places to look. Your input is
greatly appreciated, as I'm not one who's kept up with what's out
there or one who's really much of a techno-guy (even though I do
know my way around camera gear fairly well). It also seems
we're on the cusp of being able to get very affordable HD cameras.
Hhmmm ...
After
perusing my script I've decided to workshop it and shoot about a
dozen scenes from it. So, I'll be getting hooked up to some
local theater people. I figure that will help me both in
rewriting the material and in growing my directing experience.
I'll let you know how that theory works out ...
341 days
and counting ...
J-Alden
October 16, 2005
- Directing Theory -
One view of the certain simplicities of cinematic storytelling ...
When it
comes to the world of directing (and actually much of the
filmmaking world itself), I have a couple bones to pick. As
a youngster enamored with the craft of storytelling, I had easily
been seduced by the magical workings of imagination. And as
I grew older that spilled over into the world of cinematic
storytelling. In all the self-delusion that such imagined
worlds can sometimes easily hide, I usually didn't see (or turned
my attention away from) the darker side of 'the process' ...
What do I
mean by that? The self-importance of the creative process.
The self-importance that one's vision can be so 'important' or
'relevant' or 'special'. Yes, the self-importance that is so
rampant in our celebrity society, and of course, so rampant in our
film industry. I'm sorry to say that I get awful sick of the
self-importance of us all and how so important it is what we do,
and that the whole world must stop and see what it is that we have
done that is so damn special ...
Hey, sorry
about that. I just had to let it out, but it seems we have
lost something in the storytelling process. We are the
creators, the purveyers, the caretakers, the givers, the passers,
the servers, of THE STORY. It's about the story, stupid.
Not about us. We serve the story of the world, to the world,
and for the world ...
Having
been a writer for a long time, and in all that I have been
learning about directing, I have developed a theory about
cinematic storytelling. As storytellers, we are just the
conduit, the channel, the lens, through which the story is being
processed, and then told to our respective culture. The main
thing is to not get in the way. When we do, we make
ourselves more important than the story, and thus cheapen and
deaden it, and the true story trying to be told never really is.
For all that's left is the empty vessel to pump up and out our
insecure little egos, a fake story that many in the world may try
to enjoy, but they know in their heart of hearts, soul of souls,
and spirit of spirits, that it is not the real thing. A
facsimile of any reality is still just a facsimile, and the world
is certainly full of those ...
And when
that happens as much as it does today? Well, then we get a
world like we have today, as fake as we have today. But,
it's what we bought into, isn't it? Or is it? I hope
in all sincerity that when my turn comes around next year, I won't
add to that empty heap. Guess we'll see. I'll try to
get out of the way, and just let it happen ...
Tidbits:
While on the subject of directing, I thought I'd pass along some
of the workshops currently available out there;
Action Cut,
Power Directing,
Filmmaker's Central,
Travis-Jontz, and
Judith Weston. Of
course, there are others, but these can get you started ...
335 days
and counting ...
J-Alden
Comments --
RE: Digital Cameras -- 10/20
In reference to getting a digital camera, forget about the
mini-DV's. You ought to consider getting an HD camera.
Some inexpensive ones have hit the market, with more just on the
horizon. One to check out now is the Panasonic AG-HVX200,
which you can get for less than $6K. JVC and Sony also have
ones in that neighborhood.
Mark
October 21,
2005 - Script Workings -
Enough chefs in the kitchen does a gourmet make?
...
Yes, I
just shipped my screenplay off the script analyst today, once
again. To take another creative flogging? Maybe so.
Will it pay off? Does it really pay off? Can it pay
off? Actually, I have been asking myself just these very
questions, wondering if all this high-falooting genius analysis
can make a perceivable difference in what I'm trying to accomplish
...
Or does it
just muddy the waters more? And give the illusion of
progress in the creative process? Many of us are aware of so
many film projects that endure the onslaught of multiples of
writers. Just look at the credits of quite a number of
studio films these days and it's no wonder that viewers can be so
easily lost in muddled, confusing and inconsistent storylines ...
Am I
selling out my vision to secure my insecurity? Am I losing
my sense of adventure to ensure a wider audience? Am I
deluding myself into thinking I can't really write the screenplay
I should? Or is the corner I sometimes think I written
myself into, exactly where I should be? Points, questions
and ponderings I should definitely consider, as I get closer and
closer to vision that keeps trying to be born. Sheesh, now
I'm getting the sense of the pain and difficulties of childbirth.
But damn it, do I really need all these doctors in the delivery
room with me? ...
330 days
and counting ...
J-Alden
October 26,
2005 - Ojai Film Festival -
Another excursion into a festive film playland
...
I spent
part of last weekend at the
Ojai Film Festival,
and of course didn't get to do everything I wanted. But one
of the more intriguing events was a panel, Actors on Directors, in
which several actors spoke about what it was like working with
particular directors with whom they'd collaborated.
Obviously, this intrigued me, given my current situation.
The actors were Gena Rowlands, Timothy Bottoms, Diane Ladd and
John Diehl. I was impressed with Gena and Diane, while
Timothy and John were more enigmatic, and not quite as
forthcoming. Which might have something to do with what Gena
expressed at one point ...
She felt
that female actors opened up easier with male directors than male
actors, because there usually seemed to be some kind of macho
control thing going on. And even though she had worked with
female directors, I got the feeling she preferred male ones, even
though she said she was lucky enough to work with Ida Lupino (this
opened up a whole discussion about the differences of working with
one or the other). Course, she worked with one of the better
ones a big part of her life, her husband John Cassavetes, who she
spoke about very admiringly. She mentioned how much in love
with actors he was (course we was one too), and how that helped in
his process. She reiterated being gentle with actors, and
'don't use honesty as a weapon'. She also spoke about what
it was like being directed by her son (quite different than his
dad), but that's a whole big story in itself ...
Diane
seemed like a very smart lady and gave high marks to working with
David Lynch and Martin Scorsese, and discussed how open and giving
they could be at one moment, and then how focused and detailed at
another. Both seemed to be quite 'in the moment' when they
were in rehearsals and on set. She also mentioned directors
she didn't like working with (without naming them of course) and
why ...
Timothy
and John were curious fellows. They both expressed some
great points, but seemed a bit put out in expressing them. I
got the feeling this was not something they normally do. In
fact, I guess Timothy was a last minute replacement for Malcolm
McDowell, who bowed out, and would have spoken about Stanley Kubrick. Timothy spoke about working with Peter Bogdanivich,
and the craziness surrounding The Last Picture Show.
I got the feeling he and his director didn't get on too well.
I always thought he was an actor who had a lot of potential and
should have had a lot more success than he did. That was
touched on a bit, but mostly avoided by the moderator, for obvious
reasons ...
Anyway,
after the panel I got to meet both Gena and Timothy, and consider
it a treat to have been able to do so ...
325 days
and counting ...
J-Alden
October 31,
2005 - Directing Theory, Part 2 -
What does a director do? .. or .. What should (s)he really do?
...
Once
again, a few more dumpable words into the ongoing argument.
Film directing can seem so overwhelming, overbearing and overly
complex, which makes me wonder at times if it could be too much of
a job for one person, like President of the US of A, or Federal
Reserve Chairman, or, uh, well, you get the gist. Of course,
that isn't true in an obvious way, as lots of people have directed
films (but quite a few less have done the other jobs). But
have they done them well, and could they have done what they did
without the help of so many people? To the first question, I
think not on many occasions, and to the second question,
emphatically no on all occasions ...
The
dramatic arts (theater, film, TV, etc.) is a rare art form that
takes a team of people to pull it off. And the director
needs them all, or he fails. And so in reality, they
actually work with him, not for him.
This is an important distinction to me, for I hate working for
dictators, and certainly don't like myself if I become one.
I know we could go on and on about the complexities and details of
directing, but I'd like to break it down and simplify it a bit ...
It seems
the director has three main jobs; 1) getting honest performances
from the actors, 2) running a tight set, and 3) recording the
performances with the proper camera setups and supporting
technology. Now, does he really do all this? Of course
not. But he obviously needs to oversee it. Let's start
with #2, running the set. For sure, he should have an
efficient 1st AD handle all the nuts and bolts of that job, who of
course then reports to him. Right? As far as #3,
recording the performance. Guess what? That's why he
hires a great DP, who should know a whole lot more about it than
he does. Again, right? But where the rubber really
hits the road is with #1, directing the performance ...
Again, a
three-fold objective for a director in his working with actors.
He must get actors to connect to the material, connect to each
other and finally connect to him. Without that foundation
put in place, there is nothing to build on. And working with
actors is all about building layers upon layers, so they can
gradually inhabit the skin of a character, breathe life into them,
and become who they really are ...
Actors and
what they do completely amazes me. But watching them work
over the years, and having done a little acting myself, I have to
admit to having mixed feelings about it all. A good,
dedicated actor in action is a sight to behold. They give so
much of themselves, and put themselves is such incredibly
vulnerable positions, that I don't know how they function.
It's that part that puts me in awe of them and their process.
On the more negative side, the huge egos and chest thumping, look
at me and how great I am, personas that can be quite off putting
(sometimes fed by hyped up media types). I know they are
sensitive creatures with elevated insecurities, for they search so
much for acceptance and love, that it seems so downright
crippling. Anyway, enough of that. I do look forward
to working with them ...
For in the
end, you can forget about #2 and #3, if #1 doesn't work.
Because without honest and sincere performances, who cares how
great the shot looks or how efficient everyone worked? The
audience certainly won't, 'cause remember, that's why we're doing
this. We're telling a story, for an audience. And in
the end I guess, that's what the director really has to do, be the
proxy audience during shooting and communicate to the actors
whether what they're doing will satisfy an audience or not.
It's not about satisfying the director, but the audience that the
director is temporarily pinch hitting for. The whole team in
the end must realize this, and work to achieve this objective ...
Captain,
communicator, visionary, creator, motivator, psychologist,
collaborator, unifier, storyteller, audience. A
director is all these things, at the very least ...
Tidbits: I'll be heading to the
HD Expo this week, and the
Screenwriting Expo
next week. I'll let you know how that goes ...
320 days
and counting ...
J-Alden
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