After Friday's lunch meeting I was excited to look at Vivian's work, and found that her blog really highlighted her goals and ambitions. She has shared many projects very similar to what she is aiming for, and that really helped me to get a sense of what the final product might be. Each example was highly colorful, incredibly detailed, and very bold. For each one it seemed that an underlying message of unity could be detected - even if the piece was constructed out of hundreds of different strings or statements. I think it's very exciting to see a project in which the community can get involved, then see the finished project at the end of the year. That way it is Vivian's vision, but it belongs to a wide expanse of people; it is a very unique method of creating artwork. I can't wait to see more!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Kubrick's Other Work
While conducting research for my thesis, I have seen nearly all of Kubrick's work, including his original short The Boxer, Spartacus, Kubrick: A Life in Pictures and even Room 237 (a feature documentary exploring the various conspiracy theories surrounding The Shining). I had not, however, seen the behind the scenes documentary that his wife, Vivian Kubrick, had produced detailing the making of The Shining. I found this on Youtube while reviewing scenes from A Clockwork Orange, and was immediately infatuated with the 30 minute film. Clearly Kubrick wasn't the only member of his family who fostered a talent in filmmaking. While I had seen many photos of Stanley at work I had seen hardly any footage, and was ecstatic to see him in action. With large productions such as The Shining the bustling and intense atmosphere on set is typical but exciting to witness as someone who has only worked on small scale productions. If you would like to watch the short documentary, it can be found here.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Moving Forward
Now that Consider the Lilies has been presented and posted online, I have had some time to focus on smaller projects for college submission, and my thesis regarding Kubrick. Most recently, I completed a short, unofficial music video for Timber Timbre's song "Obelisk." I planned the video based heavily upon the sound - the disturbing highs and lows of violins and the steady beat that drives the short song home. In many horror trailers, movies, and shorts, the quick-cut is utilized as a tool to manipulate the viewer's instincts. Some of the most frightening material is created when one is not entirely sure what they have just seen. This instinctual fear of sinister ambiguity is what inspired most of the video's creation. I myself am not entirely sure what the story may be, but I did have a word in mind as I shot and edited it: witchcraft. The entire thing was conceptualized, shot, and edited (this video would have been a failure without heavy editing) within 24 hours. Should you watch it, please do so in HD. It is available for streaming here.
I have been slowly but surely working on my Kubrick thesis - I am just beginning my analysis of "A Clockwork Orange" a controversial, but notoriously groundbreaking movie. While I do not really address my personal opinion on this controversy within the thesis, I will say that I believe many critical or angered viewers simply did not register the movie as a whole. The ultra-violence at the beginning is hard to watch - sure - but what really matters is what comes next. When I think of this movie my mind does not jump to these first minutes that have caused so much anger, but instead the methods of the governmental facility, the cold world that Alex returns to. I believe these moments are what the film is truly about.
I have been slowly but surely working on my Kubrick thesis - I am just beginning my analysis of "A Clockwork Orange" a controversial, but notoriously groundbreaking movie. While I do not really address my personal opinion on this controversy within the thesis, I will say that I believe many critical or angered viewers simply did not register the movie as a whole. The ultra-violence at the beginning is hard to watch - sure - but what really matters is what comes next. When I think of this movie my mind does not jump to these first minutes that have caused so much anger, but instead the methods of the governmental facility, the cold world that Alex returns to. I believe these moments are what the film is truly about.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
After the Premiere
In the calm after the premiere of Consider the Lilies I have had some time to cool down, and even upload the project to my Youtube channel (the link will be available soon). In this period between the completion of the film, festival submissions, and the conclusion of my thesis paper regarding Kubrick, I have had some time to watch some films at my leisure. In this post I hope to share some independent projects I have had the luck to discover - and will remember when approaching my next project.
The first is a music video that was released last week by one of my favorite musical artists. I was struck by the accompanying video in a way I had not been for some time. Music videos with this level of simplicity but stunning originality are not common. This video (Sex, Death, & Landscapes - Tom Rosenthal) can be found here.
As someone who hopes to work on the creation of music videos in the future I plan to keep this one central as a reminder of how effective a simple piece can be.
The second project I discovered was an animated short called "The Man With the Beautiful Eyes", based off of the spoken narration of Charles Bukowski, a poet. While the words of the story hold the majority of what makes this piece powerful - I was deeply moved by the way such profound words were coupled with dynamic and intense imagery. While I am no animator, I recognize the importance of such a piece for all filmmakers to see. I believe it is truly a hidden gem. The five minute video can be seen here.
The first is a music video that was released last week by one of my favorite musical artists. I was struck by the accompanying video in a way I had not been for some time. Music videos with this level of simplicity but stunning originality are not common. This video (Sex, Death, & Landscapes - Tom Rosenthal) can be found here.
As someone who hopes to work on the creation of music videos in the future I plan to keep this one central as a reminder of how effective a simple piece can be.
The second project I discovered was an animated short called "The Man With the Beautiful Eyes", based off of the spoken narration of Charles Bukowski, a poet. While the words of the story hold the majority of what makes this piece powerful - I was deeply moved by the way such profound words were coupled with dynamic and intense imagery. While I am no animator, I recognize the importance of such a piece for all filmmakers to see. I believe it is truly a hidden gem. The five minute video can be seen here.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Fall Projects
This fall I am completing two major projects, both revolving around my personal interest in film production and studies. The first, and soon to be released project is a 20 minute documentary examining the juxtaposition between hydraulic fracturing and the natural phenomena within a small town in northwestern PA. The piece was filmed between two cameras - chiefly the Sony AX2000 and less so on the HDRFX7 model - over a period of about five weeks. Both of these cameras I purchased myself with savings specifically for the production of the documentary. Now, after a month of editing, critical feedback, and revision the film has been burned onto a DVD and will be presented to a large audience in Kiggins on October 12th. I plan to speak before the showing and answer questions afterwards.
The style of the film itself was inspired by two documentaries - first Baraka, created by the cinematographer of Koyaanisqatsi, both wordless films produced between 1987 and 1993. There is no narration and very little background noise. The piece is both highly personal and publicly relevant.
For my thesis regarding Kubrick, I am examining three of his films through a filter highlighting his statements about human nature. The first film, 2001 a Space Odyssey approaches the human spirit. A Clockwork Orange addresses the evil bureaucracy of modern day human interaction. Lastly, Eyes Wide Shut is an examination of relationships, intimacy and the animalistic piece within the human psyche.
The style of the film itself was inspired by two documentaries - first Baraka, created by the cinematographer of Koyaanisqatsi, both wordless films produced between 1987 and 1993. There is no narration and very little background noise. The piece is both highly personal and publicly relevant.
For my thesis regarding Kubrick, I am examining three of his films through a filter highlighting his statements about human nature. The first film, 2001 a Space Odyssey approaches the human spirit. A Clockwork Orange addresses the evil bureaucracy of modern day human interaction. Lastly, Eyes Wide Shut is an examination of relationships, intimacy and the animalistic piece within the human psyche.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
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