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The process diary of film director Glendyn Ivin
Filtering by Category: Inspiration
"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic."- Jim Jarmusch
I find it interesting that Alex Roman who directed the short film The Third And The Seventh below decided to portray the cameras you see in the film as antique and definitely antiquated. The 'prop' cameras are in the frame perhaps only as an a novel and aesthetic reminder of a device that once was the best and perhaps only way to capture 'reality'.
It's interesting because the film is entirely created in CGI. Nothing new about that I guess, but I dont think I have ever seen entire 3D environments look and 'feel' quite as real as this. Nothing has been photographed traditionally in the film. It's all created via computer and Roman's amazing aesthetic, lighting, modelling, textures and no doubt, obsessive attentional to detail. The film has no narrative and is more a formal exploration of architecture that doesn't exist (in the real world) and the second half drifts off in a more surreal and less 'realistic' direction, but there are some sequences in the first half that are really impressive and make me think that the way we make films really is changing forever.
I guess this 'shooting live action' thing was fun while it lasted...
A short 'making of' can be found here.
Thanks for the link Collin!
I know very little about this film apart from what it's beautifully raw trailer tells me. Which isn't much. It makes me ask a lot of questions and gives me very few answers. Which makes me really want to see it! Add it to the top of my 1500.
Is there anything more eerie sounding than an air raid siren? Can anybody translate Vincent Cassell's monologue?
I wrote about The Burning Leaves a while back. I used a song of theirs called Home on the closing credits of Last Ride. I was totally obsessed with that song for a long while and I still feel lucky I was able to make it part of the film. It's been a long time coming but I recently received a copy of their self titled debut album. I thought it would be good, but was I wrong. It's freaking sublime! Recorded at home with vintage gear, listening to this album feels like discovering a forgotten classic from the 70's.
The Burning Leaves to quote one reviewer "make haunting, melancholic vignettes that sound like they might break if you listen to them too loud." It's an accurate description. For me they tap into something so achingly beautiful with such simplicity that it seems all to effortless, but I'm sure they have sweated over every heartbeat of the 41 mins of the album.
My one complaint is that the album is only available through their MySpace page (Fifteen bucks! Free Postage!) For better or worse these guys are fiercely independent and so far have done everything themselves. No label. Which I'm more than impressed with, but it's a crime that this album isn't in every record store, in every city (both on and offline). I fear it's going to become an undiscovered masterpiece. But what do I know... I'm not a musician nor am I in the music industry. Enough rambling.
I didn't take the photos below, but I wish I did. I hope to work with Indie and Craig again soon.
Photos by Elena Heatherwick. Cool work on her blog!
Last week I went to a taxidermist to research an element of a film I'm developing which I haven't mentioned here (yet). Needless to say the place was pretty fascinating. I've always found taxidermy and the process itself interesting. This particular place was large and sterile and they delt with a huge number of dead things from both here and over seas. It was very 'factory' like. I'm actually looking for something a little more, shall we say 'backyard'.
Also... on this same day while riding home from the office I crashed my motorcycle when a driver changed lanes and didn't "look left, look right, look bike'! I ended up slamming into the gutter and breaking my arm. So while I may not be as stuffed as our little friends above I am a little battered and bruised and will be typing with one hand for the next five weeks or so. Bummer.
I've spent some time recently taking photographs on the set of my friend Amiel Courtin-Wilson's feature film Hail. It's been really inspiring sitting on the front line and watching Hail come together. Amiel is known for his wonderful documentary films and this is one of the few times he has directed 'fiction'. And I'm sure from what I have been seeing the lines between documentary and fiction will be well and truely blurred. If you are a regular reader, you'll know this is the kind of approach to film that really gets me excited. Amiel is working with a very small crew of only about five people, allowing him to work intuitively and spontaneously. I like it a whole lot! Below are some portraits I have taken of 'Dan' who not only 'stars' in the film, but the story of Hail is drawn closely from his life and those around him. The film is currently in post and will premiere early next year. Can't wait.
Speaking of Cinema Verite I saw the legendary Albert Maysles give a master class years ago and he said something very similar to this. It's a quote I've thought about almost daily since. Albert rocks!
I have really enjoyed looking through the short films and images at CameraBag.tv. A site that aims to "Celebrate image makers and highlight the beauty and style of the camera". The profiles find a nice balance between creative process and camera geekery. There are only four photographers profiled there at the moment, but it looks as though it will continue to be updated.
Through a strange sequence of events I was able to see some of the 'uncut' rushes from the actual 'heavy metal picnic'. I can't wait to see the final film!
I had a great time at the Vladivostok International Film Festival. The film was received really well. I always thought it had a bit of a russian thing going on in it. It's always nice to get feedback directly from an audience and I had a really lovely man come up to me after one of the screenings and say via an interpreter that he very much enjoyed the simplicity of the story, the more he watched, the more he realised there was more to the story than he first thought, and then in broken english he told me "In the final scene, my brain said 'yes', but my heart was saying 'no'..." I think that was what I was always looking for. I also had an interesting question in the press conference about the violence towards 10 year old 'Chook' (played by Tom Russell). The journalist asked "In Russia there is a saying where children tell their parents 'You did not beat me enough', meaning they have grown up to 'soft' and it is their parents fault. Do you think children should be beaten?" Needless to say there was an 'awkward' pause, before I went on to say that I could never condone any kind of violence towards a children. Not my own, and not to anyone elses. But then again, perhaps I'm one of the soft ones. It was an interesting cultural take on the film though.
I haven't travelled to as many festivals as I have been invited to this year for various reasons, but I was really glad to head back to Vladivostok. I hadn't watched Last Ride for nearly a year and although it was one of those screenings where I sat through and cringed at all the mistakes, the could have beens and I should haves and what ifs, it was really nice to be sitting in the dark and watching the film we made so far away from where we made it.
The photos I mentioned I was going to take have worked out well. I won't post any here just yet. But I wanted to say a special thanks to Dimitry who assisted me in finding a few a people and locations, as well translating and driving. It was really good getting to see another side of Vladivostok with him. Here he is posing with his cool russian made Zenit 35mm complete with a sinister looking 300mm lens and sniper like add ons. Thanks Dimity!
I find this really fascinating...
It just blows my mind that most films don't pass this very simple test.
1. Does the film has more than two women in it, that have names?
2. Do they talk to each other?
3. Do they talk to each other about something other than a man.
Its so simple but when you start going through the movies you love, adore and respect, very few will pass the test. There will be alot of films you think will or should pass, but they won't.
Are our story telling conventions really that rigid and simplified that women can only participate structurally in the most basic of ways? I can think of very few films that pass this test. Thelma and Louise (maybe?), Kiarostami's Ten, Im sure there are more, there has to be. It's alot tougher than you think. Particularly the minute you even step near 'mainstream' cinema.
So, do you know any movies that pass The Bechdel Test?
UPDATE : Head over to www.bechdeltest.com for a comprehensive list of films which pass the test. Interestingly there is a lot of disagreement on what does and not pass with some movies on the list. It looks like alot of films at first, but when you take a closer look only films that have a ': )' after them fully pass. There are some surprising results. Who would have thought Machete would have passed!?
David Lynch is a hero of mine, I love nearly all his films, but sadly I've never been able to get into Inland Empire. As much as I wanted to and I've attemped to watch it a few times there is something about that film which has never clicked. Anyway, the saving grace of Inland Empire is a very special extra feature on the DVD which is a 20 minute film of David Lynch cooking himself a dinner of the ancient grain Quinoa and some broccoli. Doesn't sound that exciting, but believe me it's one of the most strangely satisfying cooking shows you'll be lucky enough to see. It's not so much the Quinoa, but a story he tells while he sits on his dark balcony and has a cigarette while he waits for the the dinner to cook. Maybe it's just me but when I first saw this I was totally mesmerised. It's like Lynch draws you in and hypnotises you as he recounts a train trip he took through Europe many years ago.
I think this is one of the coolest extra features on a DVD I've seen. Bon Appetit!
Part Two is here (there is a point at 5mins 34 that is SO beautifully surreal and so incredibly David Lynch!)
And I recommend the Quinoa too, it's delicious!!
I can't help taking pictures of pictures. I'm OCD about it. To the point where I can't actually remember taking some of the photos below, let alone where they were taken. I just have to take them. If I don't take it when I see it, It will keep me awake at night. I've been taking pictures of pictures for years. My film / clip Paradise is all about shooting pictures of pictures. Kind of the motherload of pictures of pictures. I think for me it's about seeing how the light falls in the original picture and how that corresponds to the light in my picture. A selection from the last few months...
