You can now view the musical montage of footage I shot during the Bewdley portion of the 2008 live street theatre performance of Sabrina and the Engineer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6edixabJgA
Showing posts with label 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2008. Show all posts
Saturday, 16 October 2010
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Sex & Ethics (2008)...
This was my first educational DVD, and I was charged with the task of filming and editing the whole thing. At this point it was the biggest filmmaking project I had been involved in, and it was great experience.
The DVD consists of eight films (four topics split into two films each), with added student group discussion (and teacher’s notes too). The DVD is about ethical theories and issues related to sex and relationships.
It was a great opportunity to really come up with arresting visuals – personally, my experience of educational videos (that dates my education, haha) was usually one of boredom, of something rather staid. Obviously I didn’t want to be responsible for filming and editing something that wouldn’t keep the students interested in watching – so I was able to come up with an interesting style.
We not only used a whole wealth of Public Domain stock footage (to use as-is, or re-cut and re-contextualise), but I also got to put together colourful and interesting sequences through various means (layering video, colouring, shooting re-enactments/scenarios in different ways etc).
The project wasn’t the most organised I’d worked on, so that was an education in itself – but it has helped to improve my own organisation, shooting, editing and filmmaking in general – plus, it also acted as a testing run (in a way) for the next educational DVD, which was all about the environment from a theological stand point.
Follow the below link to the official website, where you can also see four video clips:
http://www.ethicsonline.co.uk/
The DVD consists of eight films (four topics split into two films each), with added student group discussion (and teacher’s notes too). The DVD is about ethical theories and issues related to sex and relationships.
It was a great opportunity to really come up with arresting visuals – personally, my experience of educational videos (that dates my education, haha) was usually one of boredom, of something rather staid. Obviously I didn’t want to be responsible for filming and editing something that wouldn’t keep the students interested in watching – so I was able to come up with an interesting style.
We not only used a whole wealth of Public Domain stock footage (to use as-is, or re-cut and re-contextualise), but I also got to put together colourful and interesting sequences through various means (layering video, colouring, shooting re-enactments/scenarios in different ways etc).
The project wasn’t the most organised I’d worked on, so that was an education in itself – but it has helped to improve my own organisation, shooting, editing and filmmaking in general – plus, it also acted as a testing run (in a way) for the next educational DVD, which was all about the environment from a theological stand point.
Follow the below link to the official website, where you can also see four video clips:
http://www.ethicsonline.co.uk/
Contempt of Conscience (2008)...
This locally produced documentary about conscientious objectors The Peace Tax Seven had been a few years in the making by the time I joined the project as cameraman and additional editor.
Thanks to my new equipment it was at this point that I was able to move forward again and set myself up officially as a Freelance Filmmaker (prior to this point I had been gaining expenses-only work experience in between my own little side projects).
“Contempt of Conscience” premiered in its finished form at the Milano Film Festival in Italy, 2008. It was also shown at the Reality Uncut film festival in New Delhi, and the Beyond TV film festival in Swansea.
You can view the full film online (in 3 parts) at Ethics Online's YouTube Channel - or via Top Documentary Films.
See the IMDb page for this film here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1294663/
Below is a clip from the film - an original cut of the 'bailiff sequence', which I was able to direct, shoot, and edit.
Thanks to my new equipment it was at this point that I was able to move forward again and set myself up officially as a Freelance Filmmaker (prior to this point I had been gaining expenses-only work experience in between my own little side projects).
“Contempt of Conscience” premiered in its finished form at the Milano Film Festival in Italy, 2008. It was also shown at the Reality Uncut film festival in New Delhi, and the Beyond TV film festival in Swansea.
You can view the full film online (in 3 parts) at Ethics Online's YouTube Channel - or via Top Documentary Films.
See the IMDb page for this film here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1294663/
Below is a clip from the film - an original cut of the 'bailiff sequence', which I was able to direct, shoot, and edit.
Sabrina and the Engineer (2008)...
Similar to “Sturgeon Moon” the previous year, this was another town-wide performance from the Arts Council. It was great to bring the experience from previous Arts Council projects onto this one and further hone my ‘run & gun, from the hip’ filming skills.
It was also a great opportunity to get some fantastic looking shots – giant water jets shooting into the air, dancers, fireworks, the whole kit and caboodle.
Below is a video about the project, as put together by Silva Productions:
Visit the below links for more information, and lots of pictures of the event.
http://www.severnproject.com/2008/home.html
http://www.severnproject.com/2008/bewdley.html
http://www.severnproject.com/2008/bridgnorth.html
And here are some screenshots from a musical montage of some of the footage I shot during the Bewdley performance.
It was also a great opportunity to get some fantastic looking shots – giant water jets shooting into the air, dancers, fireworks, the whole kit and caboodle.
Below is a video about the project, as put together by Silva Productions:
Visit the below links for more information, and lots of pictures of the event.
http://www.severnproject.com/2008/home.html
http://www.severnproject.com/2008/bewdley.html
http://www.severnproject.com/2008/bridgnorth.html
And here are some screenshots from a musical montage of some of the footage I shot during the Bewdley performance.
Friday, 14 August 2009
Planet Sci-Cast (2008)...
A friend of mine (who has been in a few of my short films) asked me for a bit of help with filming a little video for the Planet Sci-Cast competition (make a 90 second short film which demonstrated something fun to do with physics that you could try at home).
I did offer to film it on my camera and edit, but to make sure we stayed within the rules, we just filmed it far more simply (hence the comedy 'back of an envelope' idea ... although seeing other entries we could have gone further on the look with ease).
Anyway - it took a fun idea (to do with friction), and it was a simple demonstration of the principle. There was another video that was inspired by the same 'try this at home' segment on some physics magazine (I forget the name now), which won out over us - but even still, we were nominated in the "best film by an adult team" category, which was nice.
I did offer to film it on my camera and edit, but to make sure we stayed within the rules, we just filmed it far more simply (hence the comedy 'back of an envelope' idea ... although seeing other entries we could have gone further on the look with ease).
Anyway - it took a fun idea (to do with friction), and it was a simple demonstration of the principle. There was another video that was inspired by the same 'try this at home' segment on some physics magazine (I forget the name now), which won out over us - but even still, we were nominated in the "best film by an adult team" category, which was nice.
Saturday, 8 August 2009
Contempt of Conscience 2008 showings...
No, not a typo, I am indeed talking about 2008.
I'd already mentioned a few times here on the blog that Contempt of Conscience was shown at the 2008 Milano Film Festival in Italy, but it was also shown at another couple of festivals in 2008 - for which I now have the information on (it was just one of those things, I never got around to getting the information until today when it happened to come up in the conversation).
Anyway, the two other showings in 2008 were as follows:
Reality, Uncut - New Delhi, 15th September 2008
"Contempt Of Conscience, 4 pm - An attempt at decoding UK's Peace tax problem"
http://mid-day.com/whatson/2008/sep/150908-Open-Frame-a-thought-provoking-international-film-festival.htm
Beyond TV Film Festival - Swansea 22nd November 2008
"Contempt of Conscience by Clarity Productions (Scotland)
Filmed over 5 years as British conscientous objectors refuse to pay tax supporting the War on ‘Terror’. (50min)"
http://www.undercurrents.org/beyondtv/
http://www.gn.apc.org/calendar/beyond-tv-film-festival
I'd already mentioned a few times here on the blog that Contempt of Conscience was shown at the 2008 Milano Film Festival in Italy, but it was also shown at another couple of festivals in 2008 - for which I now have the information on (it was just one of those things, I never got around to getting the information until today when it happened to come up in the conversation).
Anyway, the two other showings in 2008 were as follows:
Reality, Uncut - New Delhi, 15th September 2008
"Contempt Of Conscience, 4 pm - An attempt at decoding UK's Peace tax problem"
http://mid-day.com/whatson/2008/sep/150908-Open-Frame-a-thought-provoking-international-film-festival.htm
Beyond TV Film Festival - Swansea 22nd November 2008
"Contempt of Conscience by Clarity Productions (Scotland)
Filmed over 5 years as British conscientous objectors refuse to pay tax supporting the War on ‘Terror’. (50min)"
http://www.undercurrents.org/beyondtv/
http://www.gn.apc.org/calendar/beyond-tv-film-festival
Memories of Falling Ash (2008)...
This short was made for the 2008 Frieze Film “Road Movie” YouTube project. They were looking for YouTubers to submit their own 3 minute long films, taking inspiration from Cormac McCarthy’s excellent book “The Road”.
From the submitted shorts, those behind the project selected a number (of which I was one) and proceeded to use the wealth of footage to put together four 3 minute shorts, which made up the aforementioned “Road Movie”. It was a really fun and creative project to get involved in, and it was a real joy to put together some really strong images in high contrast black & white (which suited the tone of the book perfectly, in my eyes).
The four segments were shown in October 2008 on Channel 4’s “3 Minute Wonder” showcase programme.
View the full length version of "Memories of Falling Ash" here:
Finally, you can view the Frieze Film 2008 YouTube channel here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/FriezeFilm2008
From the submitted shorts, those behind the project selected a number (of which I was one) and proceeded to use the wealth of footage to put together four 3 minute shorts, which made up the aforementioned “Road Movie”. It was a really fun and creative project to get involved in, and it was a real joy to put together some really strong images in high contrast black & white (which suited the tone of the book perfectly, in my eyes).
The four segments were shown in October 2008 on Channel 4’s “3 Minute Wonder” showcase programme.
View the full length version of "Memories of Falling Ash" here:
Finally, you can view the Frieze Film 2008 YouTube channel here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/FriezeFilm2008
Signing Off (2008)...
Following on a few weeks after “VHS: Long Play”, I set about putting together my next zombie-related film – although this time there were no on-screen zombies. Instead it was a one-hander, so the primary focus of this film was working with an actor who would convey a large story all through dialogue in a simple setting.
The UK has been ravaged by a virus that has turned the people into flesh-eating zombies, and this film’s lone protagonist is the sole survivor of the last outpost to fall to the undead – he’s the last human in the country – but he’s dying, and he now must deliver his parting message to whomever may one day find his body.
I was very pleased with this short, not only the performance (which was the first time I had been really able to work with someone who was a student of acting), but the visual presentation also.
View the film, posted on YouTube, via this handy embed here:
The UK has been ravaged by a virus that has turned the people into flesh-eating zombies, and this film’s lone protagonist is the sole survivor of the last outpost to fall to the undead – he’s the last human in the country – but he’s dying, and he now must deliver his parting message to whomever may one day find his body.
I was very pleased with this short, not only the performance (which was the first time I had been really able to work with someone who was a student of acting), but the visual presentation also.
View the film, posted on YouTube, via this handy embed here:
VHS (2006) & VHS: Long Play (2008)...
VHS (2006):
My first narrative short since “Trapped” the previous year, this quirky horror story is about a guy who unceremoniously ditches VHS in favour of a rapidly expanding DVD collection. This film was inspired by my own disliking of how the industry so unceremoniously disregarded VHS as soon as DVD came along – dismissing it harshly and indeed unfairly (the industry insistence on making the vast majority of videotapes ‘pan & scan’ presentations was one of the main reasons the picture quality was comparatively poor).
In the film, the DVD fanatic ends up transported into a hellish limbo world by a rogue VHS tape, where he is bound to a chair (with videotape) amidst the broken shards of his DVD collection. He is taught a lesson or two by his captor and seemingly sent back to his own reality … or is he?
This short was shown at the Bristol Bloodbath Film Festival 2006, and the Borderlines Film Festival 2007.
VHS: Long Play (2008):
Spurred on by those who really enjoyed the original film, I was able to create this part-remake/part-sequel to 2006’s “VHS” in the summer of 2008. Having not made any of my own indie shorts since the second Zombie Man, it was great to get back into it.
I wanted to put together something simple, and something stylish, the plot this time centring around the first film’s protagonist trapped within this torturous limbo world of the rogue VHS tape that captured him in the first one. I was very pleased with the final product, and it was a simple, quick and easy short to make.
This film was shown at the 2008 Phantasmagoria Film Festival.
You can watch the original VHS here:
And you also watch the sequel here:
My first narrative short since “Trapped” the previous year, this quirky horror story is about a guy who unceremoniously ditches VHS in favour of a rapidly expanding DVD collection. This film was inspired by my own disliking of how the industry so unceremoniously disregarded VHS as soon as DVD came along – dismissing it harshly and indeed unfairly (the industry insistence on making the vast majority of videotapes ‘pan & scan’ presentations was one of the main reasons the picture quality was comparatively poor).
In the film, the DVD fanatic ends up transported into a hellish limbo world by a rogue VHS tape, where he is bound to a chair (with videotape) amidst the broken shards of his DVD collection. He is taught a lesson or two by his captor and seemingly sent back to his own reality … or is he?
This short was shown at the Bristol Bloodbath Film Festival 2006, and the Borderlines Film Festival 2007.
VHS: Long Play (2008):
Spurred on by those who really enjoyed the original film, I was able to create this part-remake/part-sequel to 2006’s “VHS” in the summer of 2008. Having not made any of my own indie shorts since the second Zombie Man, it was great to get back into it.
I wanted to put together something simple, and something stylish, the plot this time centring around the first film’s protagonist trapped within this torturous limbo world of the rogue VHS tape that captured him in the first one. I was very pleased with the final product, and it was a simple, quick and easy short to make.
This film was shown at the 2008 Phantasmagoria Film Festival.
You can watch the original VHS here:
And you also watch the sequel here:
Friday, 13 March 2009
The Day The Earth Stood Still 2008...
Aye, a bit behind on this one - but it's not exactly like it's worth rushing to see. Far from it - just "worth a watch", especially as I've recently seen the original 50's version ... unsurprisingly, it's a case of the original movie "for the win".
The remake starts fairly promising, with a thankfully quite faithful update of Gort - but it all quickly goes downhill once Klaatu Reeves legs it with micro-biologist woman and her snotty-little-know-it-all-gets-in-the-way-snide-bastard step-son tagging along for the ride, which is basically staggering from one place to another evading the authorities.
There doesn't feel like there's any real purpose in their farting around, it all seems to be set up to stall for time so that Klaatu Reeves can learn that mankind is worth saving by using micro-biology woman and her shitty little step-son as unintentional ambassadors for human kind.
If I was Klaatu, I'd have bitch-slapped that snotty little kid for being a gigantic, arrogant pain in the arse - why is it, that kids in movies and TV, often end up being such know-it-all shits that just fuck everybody's day up? You'd have also thought that micro-biologist woman would have explained to her snotty little WoW-playing step-brat that his KIA father was a military engineer, not some arse-kicking GI Joe knock-off ... i.e. kid, you shouldn't demand that mankind destroy an alien visitor "just in case" - a complete 180 from the original movie, which had a kid with some intelligence and faith ... even if his relationship with Klaatu was damn-near paedo-like in this day-and-age of 'paedo's are everywhere!' fear.
Bung in a toothless role for Kathy 'bust an ankle or two' Bates, and a shoe-horned-in appearance by John Cleese as "the professor" - a character who is introduced so poorly you wonder if they lopped out five minutes of "why the fuck are you, Mr Matrix, erasing all my very complicated equations from my chalk board? ... oh you're an alien? ... and this is the answer to my questions? oh okay then" - none of that, and then step-brat goes and thoroughly fucks up everyone's day ... and you've got a rather luke warm hodge-podge soup.
Strange that it's only after Klaatu senselessly slaughters two helicopters, pilots-and-all, that step-shit realises "hey, this Klaatu guy isn't bad" ... indeed, what an utter little bastard.
Then Gort is chucked out the window in favour of that crap you saw in the trailer of trucks and baseball fields getting rinsed by grey clouds, and mankind gets handed the shittiest ending of all.
**SPOILER START**
We'll let you live and develop your way of life, but we're gonna royally screw up your technological advances, industry, incredibly important scientific research, and economy by somehow disabling all power - WHAT. THE. FUCK?!
Then the movie just cuts out ... seriously, what the crap was that turd-pile?!
**SPOILER END**
So aye - decent start, but then it all turns into a mush of nonsense and running around (script before plot, not plot before script, unfortunately), and it ends on a completely rubbish note ... without enough Gort, nor some of the most famous words in cinematic history - Klaatu, Birata, Niktoo - WHY REMAKE A GREAT FILM AND THEN NOT USE THOSE WORDS?!
See - visually flash, utter nonsense.
The remake starts fairly promising, with a thankfully quite faithful update of Gort - but it all quickly goes downhill once Klaatu Reeves legs it with micro-biologist woman and her snotty-little-know-it-all-gets-in-the-way-snide-bastard step-son tagging along for the ride, which is basically staggering from one place to another evading the authorities.
There doesn't feel like there's any real purpose in their farting around, it all seems to be set up to stall for time so that Klaatu Reeves can learn that mankind is worth saving by using micro-biology woman and her shitty little step-son as unintentional ambassadors for human kind.
If I was Klaatu, I'd have bitch-slapped that snotty little kid for being a gigantic, arrogant pain in the arse - why is it, that kids in movies and TV, often end up being such know-it-all shits that just fuck everybody's day up? You'd have also thought that micro-biologist woman would have explained to her snotty little WoW-playing step-brat that his KIA father was a military engineer, not some arse-kicking GI Joe knock-off ... i.e. kid, you shouldn't demand that mankind destroy an alien visitor "just in case" - a complete 180 from the original movie, which had a kid with some intelligence and faith ... even if his relationship with Klaatu was damn-near paedo-like in this day-and-age of 'paedo's are everywhere!' fear.
Bung in a toothless role for Kathy 'bust an ankle or two' Bates, and a shoe-horned-in appearance by John Cleese as "the professor" - a character who is introduced so poorly you wonder if they lopped out five minutes of "why the fuck are you, Mr Matrix, erasing all my very complicated equations from my chalk board? ... oh you're an alien? ... and this is the answer to my questions? oh okay then" - none of that, and then step-brat goes and thoroughly fucks up everyone's day ... and you've got a rather luke warm hodge-podge soup.
Strange that it's only after Klaatu senselessly slaughters two helicopters, pilots-and-all, that step-shit realises "hey, this Klaatu guy isn't bad" ... indeed, what an utter little bastard.
Then Gort is chucked out the window in favour of that crap you saw in the trailer of trucks and baseball fields getting rinsed by grey clouds, and mankind gets handed the shittiest ending of all.
**SPOILER START**
We'll let you live and develop your way of life, but we're gonna royally screw up your technological advances, industry, incredibly important scientific research, and economy by somehow disabling all power - WHAT. THE. FUCK?!
Then the movie just cuts out ... seriously, what the crap was that turd-pile?!
**SPOILER END**
So aye - decent start, but then it all turns into a mush of nonsense and running around (script before plot, not plot before script, unfortunately), and it ends on a completely rubbish note ... without enough Gort, nor some of the most famous words in cinematic history - Klaatu, Birata, Niktoo - WHY REMAKE A GREAT FILM AND THEN NOT USE THOSE WORDS?!
See - visually flash, utter nonsense.
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Frieze Film 2008 - YouTube links...
These are the original edits (the ones shown on Channel 4 were a smidge different, with certain gory images replaced) of the Road Movie project, viewables on YouTube.
Part One:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LW4cbIw3IW8
Part Two:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=X6Qf4ci7QH8
Part Three:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tLe4lglgTGA
Part Four:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tTbcnolKJB8
Enjoy.
...
And yes, there's not been much blogging this month, not sure why ... guess I'm not feeling the blog-juice this month. Anyway, I'm in the midst of writer's block/frustration - trying to get my zombie epic script started ... I finished my X-Files marathon the other day, or about a week ago now actually, and am currently going through Mulder & Scully withdrawal, ha!
Oh yeah, I'm gonna get around to updating my showreel, so expect to see that sometime soon.
Part One:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LW4cbIw3IW8
Part Two:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=X6Qf4ci7QH8
Part Three:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tLe4lglgTGA
Part Four:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tTbcnolKJB8
Enjoy.
...
And yes, there's not been much blogging this month, not sure why ... guess I'm not feeling the blog-juice this month. Anyway, I'm in the midst of writer's block/frustration - trying to get my zombie epic script started ... I finished my X-Files marathon the other day, or about a week ago now actually, and am currently going through Mulder & Scully withdrawal, ha!
Oh yeah, I'm gonna get around to updating my showreel, so expect to see that sometime soon.
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
3 Minute Wonder - further details!
http://www.friezefoundation.org/film
Go to the above link and watch Parts 2 and 4 - where I have footage used.
Obviously everybody only gets brief bits used, as there was 2 hours of chosen footage edited down into four 3 minute shorts, but this means I've had stuff shown on Channel 4 prime time television, and of course I'm credited on the end credits - according to my YouTube channel name of course - which is ZombieWagon.
There's one of my shots (seemingly flipped vertically and horizontally) in the opening titles of each of the four films - again, high contrast black and white footage of the white road markings ... on a road, obviously.
Anyway, in Part 2 my footage is the two high contrast black and white shots driving along a road with a dull sky overhead, at 0:21 and 2:17. (I do actually think Part 2 is the best of the four, and not just because I've got the bulk of my exposure in there, but because I do think it's the best one generally speaking).
In Part 4 I have a brief shot used at 1:35 (grey image with 'ash' falling through the frame - it's originally snow of course).
So aye, on the grand scheme of things and comparitively speaking I have had a good amount of footage used - and of course my original, uncut film can be seen both on the Frieze Film 2008 YouTube page, as well as my own YouTube channel (as linked to in the links section on the right hand side of my blog).
As for air times - well, as I've got a shot used in the opening credits, that gets shown before all of the films, but as for the specific parts I'm further used in:
Part 2 - Tuesday 14th October 2008, Channel 4 at 7:55pm (or an hour later on C4+1)
Part 4 - Thursday 16th October 2008, Channel 4 at 7:55pm (or an hour later on C4+1)
And as previously noted at the top of this blog post, you can see all the films on the Frieze Film 2008 website.
Go to the above link and watch Parts 2 and 4 - where I have footage used.
Obviously everybody only gets brief bits used, as there was 2 hours of chosen footage edited down into four 3 minute shorts, but this means I've had stuff shown on Channel 4 prime time television, and of course I'm credited on the end credits - according to my YouTube channel name of course - which is ZombieWagon.
There's one of my shots (seemingly flipped vertically and horizontally) in the opening titles of each of the four films - again, high contrast black and white footage of the white road markings ... on a road, obviously.
Anyway, in Part 2 my footage is the two high contrast black and white shots driving along a road with a dull sky overhead, at 0:21 and 2:17. (I do actually think Part 2 is the best of the four, and not just because I've got the bulk of my exposure in there, but because I do think it's the best one generally speaking).
In Part 4 I have a brief shot used at 1:35 (grey image with 'ash' falling through the frame - it's originally snow of course).
So aye, on the grand scheme of things and comparitively speaking I have had a good amount of footage used - and of course my original, uncut film can be seen both on the Frieze Film 2008 YouTube page, as well as my own YouTube channel (as linked to in the links section on the right hand side of my blog).
As for air times - well, as I've got a shot used in the opening credits, that gets shown before all of the films, but as for the specific parts I'm further used in:
Part 2 - Tuesday 14th October 2008, Channel 4 at 7:55pm (or an hour later on C4+1)
Part 4 - Thursday 16th October 2008, Channel 4 at 7:55pm (or an hour later on C4+1)
And as previously noted at the top of this blog post, you can see all the films on the Frieze Film 2008 website.
Monday, 13 October 2008
3 Minute Wonder...
As previously mentioned, I took part in the Frieze Film 2008 "Road Movie" project (with my short "Memories of Falling Ash", as seen on my YouTube page). Part of the project was for the organisers to pick some of the submitted shorts to be used for four 3 Minute Wonder shorts on Channel 4 at 7:55pm - October 13th through 16th (Mon, Tue, Wed, and Thur).
Of the 140 videos 'attached' to the FF2008 YouTube page, 38 were picked by the project director - of which, I am one.
So fingers crossed they'll use some of my footage in one or more of this week's 3 Minute Wonder slots on Channel 4 at 7:55pm (or indeed Channel 4 +1 at 8:55pm), they obviously liked it enough to pick it, so hopefully that's a good omen and then I can say I've had stuff shown on Channel 4's well-known shorts showcase in prime time television territory, which would be pretty cool.
As for the project itself, as previously stated it's based on/inspired by the 2006 Cormac MacCarthy novel The Road, which I recently bought and am now reading - pretty good actually, I look forward to seeing the film adaptation with Viggo Mortensen.
Of the 140 videos 'attached' to the FF2008 YouTube page, 38 were picked by the project director - of which, I am one.
So fingers crossed they'll use some of my footage in one or more of this week's 3 Minute Wonder slots on Channel 4 at 7:55pm (or indeed Channel 4 +1 at 8:55pm), they obviously liked it enough to pick it, so hopefully that's a good omen and then I can say I've had stuff shown on Channel 4's well-known shorts showcase in prime time television territory, which would be pretty cool.
As for the project itself, as previously stated it's based on/inspired by the 2006 Cormac MacCarthy novel The Road, which I recently bought and am now reading - pretty good actually, I look forward to seeing the film adaptation with Viggo Mortensen.
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Frieze Film 2008 - "Memories of Falling Ash"...
So I'm perusing around the internet, as you do, last night and came across this thing about Frize Film doing a thing about short, experimental films related to The Road, a book by Cormac McCarthy.
http://www.friezefoundation.org/film
I find this out on September 13th, and the deadline to get your films uploaded to YouTube is September 15th. I ponder over night what I could do for it, and revisit the site today - the 14th - and decide to have a go. So I went away, looked through a bunch of my previously shot, but as-yet unused footage, and put together a short experimental piece, in high contrast black & white.
I used music previously provided to me by Brian Wright (I've used his music previously on a few of my shorts) and just dived right in and put it together quite quickly as I was quite enjoying the immediacy of it all - especially getting to use footage I'd shot ages ago for projects that either went nowhere, or shots that were simply never used on other projects, or simply footage that was shot to just have - just in case they were needed, such as now.
So, with the project being about a post-apocalyptic road journey, I decided to follow the 'ashen landscape' route (which is one element of the visuals mentioned in the book - so I've read about anyway, I haven't read the book - but now certainly plan to do so, as it sounds right up my street).
I took footage of driving along a road, which was fortunately mostly empty (so I cut out any passing vehicles) on a rainy, dull day and combined it with footage I'd shot a good couple of years ago now of when we last had snow - which, in high contrast black and white, looks like falling ash upon an ashen landscape.
The notion of the film, is that we're seeing the perspective of a passenger who is journeying through a barren landscape, but keeps having flashes of memories (that appear almost like photographs) of the ashen landscape - these memories denoted by quick fades between the road and the memories, to signify the person blinking in and out of reality.
So indeed - that's what it's about, and I'm currently uploading it to YouTube - so check it out there within the new few hours (it's September 14th at 6pm as I'm writing this).
I've certainly rarely put something together so quickly, and rarely had as much fun and sense of freedom as I have done with this little experimental short.
*Additional*
Just thought I'd mention the tractor with trailer at one point, in case anybody thinks "er, post-apocalypse with a tractor, you wot?" - well, for one, it's not an apocalypse where everyone has died, and for two it's a reference to an idea in the videogame STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, in which they have "death trucks" that bring dead men out from the centre of the zone - so the tractor and trailer in my little experimental short, that's supposed to be a sort of death truck if you will - that's the idea behind that shot, so just in case you were wondering, there you go.
http://www.friezefoundation.org/film
I find this out on September 13th, and the deadline to get your films uploaded to YouTube is September 15th. I ponder over night what I could do for it, and revisit the site today - the 14th - and decide to have a go. So I went away, looked through a bunch of my previously shot, but as-yet unused footage, and put together a short experimental piece, in high contrast black & white.
I used music previously provided to me by Brian Wright (I've used his music previously on a few of my shorts) and just dived right in and put it together quite quickly as I was quite enjoying the immediacy of it all - especially getting to use footage I'd shot ages ago for projects that either went nowhere, or shots that were simply never used on other projects, or simply footage that was shot to just have - just in case they were needed, such as now.
So, with the project being about a post-apocalyptic road journey, I decided to follow the 'ashen landscape' route (which is one element of the visuals mentioned in the book - so I've read about anyway, I haven't read the book - but now certainly plan to do so, as it sounds right up my street).
I took footage of driving along a road, which was fortunately mostly empty (so I cut out any passing vehicles) on a rainy, dull day and combined it with footage I'd shot a good couple of years ago now of when we last had snow - which, in high contrast black and white, looks like falling ash upon an ashen landscape.
The notion of the film, is that we're seeing the perspective of a passenger who is journeying through a barren landscape, but keeps having flashes of memories (that appear almost like photographs) of the ashen landscape - these memories denoted by quick fades between the road and the memories, to signify the person blinking in and out of reality.
So indeed - that's what it's about, and I'm currently uploading it to YouTube - so check it out there within the new few hours (it's September 14th at 6pm as I'm writing this).
I've certainly rarely put something together so quickly, and rarely had as much fun and sense of freedom as I have done with this little experimental short.
*Additional*
Just thought I'd mention the tractor with trailer at one point, in case anybody thinks "er, post-apocalypse with a tractor, you wot?" - well, for one, it's not an apocalypse where everyone has died, and for two it's a reference to an idea in the videogame STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, in which they have "death trucks" that bring dead men out from the centre of the zone - so the tractor and trailer in my little experimental short, that's supposed to be a sort of death truck if you will - that's the idea behind that shot, so just in case you were wondering, there you go.
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