Wednesday Morning In Your House

Holy potatoes. I should feel astonished. It's the last week of the semester, but somehow it doesn't quite seem that way. The rest of campus bears a different sentiment. Mobbed computer labs, congested libraries - these small products of life escaped me long after I signed up to sell books for over a year. Some of these kids need to understand that academic life is not to be confused with reality. I'm talking to you, freshman. You're privileged to have some borrowed time on your hands before enlisted to work at the local bag factory. Sometimes I'm tempted to pull up a chair next to some unassuming student and grab his or her pockmarked face and say, "stay here... stay as long as you can."

A lot of transitioning happened on the way to make it to the end of this first leg of grad school. Some of these pivotal adjustments came from the film project I made and the others that I've assisted with. I never really did a proper follow up to the production that took place. Perhaps some stories are best shared in person. Big lesson of the semester that will carry over into post-grad work: You are incapable of controlling every aspect of your plans before a shoot.

My lead actress unexpectedly had to drop out in the middle of first day preparations. What to do? Step in and take her spot and make appropriate arrangements in between directing the crew. Welcome to the Biz. No time to pout. Fortunately, I managed to complete a coherent film utilizing film stock. What a remarkable feeling to break free of the digital camera for once. Earlier I collected the rest of my rushes to present before break. While reviewing some footage in the editing suite I took some random stills to post here:

I'm holding both a croquet mallet and an umbrella and the refrigerator stored around four or five gallons of milk. I can't say I deliberately set out to include that much milk as part of the mise-en-scéne for the kitchen, but if it gives the film some edge I'm completely on board.

Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe

My friend Kayla.

The semester is nearly complete and I'm in Boston having celebrated a pleasant Thanksgiving with Jason, Bethy, and her family. Caught a screening of Milk and tomorrow a game of squash and more sights of the city. Before going to bed I watched Werner Herzog on Late Night With Conan O'Brien.

Losing a bet to Errol Morris.

Ballast

Ballast is the film debut of editor-director-writer Lance Hammer. The film is set in the Mississippi Delta and observes (almost exclusively) three family members affected by a suicide. Hammer has been touring behind the film which earned him a best director award at the Sundance Film Festival.

Here's a look at the trailer:

The preferable quicktime version of the trailer here: Ballast

Last night I found myself amid a modest crowd of
spectators in the Westcott Theater where Hammer screened the film and stuck around to hold a Q&A session. The film is largely improvised and performed by non actors who were encouraged to spin their own idioms around Hammer's dialogue. There is no real point of view from any of the characters. Hammer explained that he was more interested in the tone and
authenticity of the location.

"I had been traveling back there for ten years - I was drawn to it."

There is a familiar small-town lull condition to Ballast in which characters wander and suffer in silence, but I'd argue that this film is a cut above art-house cliché. It's really quite interesting in that it conveys an unusual sense of gentleness through its bankrupt atmosphere, shot entirely on location in Mississippi. It helps that it's beautifully photographed, too. From the start these three characters each harbor their own distinct resentment of life, but by the third act there is a smart, amicable, and completely believable gesture in the plot that demonstrates a lot of maturity in Hammer's writing.

If you notice Ballast playing in your local cinema one of these days I'd suggest giving it a try. It successfully strays from most of the indie mumblecore movement that has dominated this past decade.

Jenni Potts "Another Way" Video

Inadvertently, without any expectation of posting the Potts video , I delivered a presentation this week that touched on DIY culture and the persistent rise of the self-taught, self-promoted artist. I showed clips from past projects and relished the opportunity to spotlight some of the slapstick methods we undertook as a collaborative team back home. There's been ongoing discussion over the amateur and the devaluation of the professional in the advancement of the digital media environment. Information is completely accessible and at unprecedented speeds. It's a thought that I find myself marveling over from time to time. Above all, it was gratifying to activate some conversation in the classroom with something honest and spirited from my personal attempts in creating art.

And so this entry conveniently bookends some thoughts I posted three months ago as I began my departure from Bellingham. Tomorrow I'm off creating another project, but finding myself within some very different circumstances. We'll see.

Enough already.

In true DIY fashion, here is the official music video for the Jenni Potts track "Another Way" off her debut album Take This And Go. The video was shot in one morning for a duration of four maybe five hours using some lamps and a curtain rod. It also has dogs n' stuff.

Jenni Potts - Another Way *note Mike Wilson cameo

Special thanks to Karl Peterson for managing to export this video into its proper format.

Deafening High Fives Heard 'Round The World

LET'S ROCK!

(Congratulations, America.)

America Now

Did you hear?

Our hero Brad Neely is back and picked up for twelve installments of a new one-off series called America Now. It is airing right now exclusively on adultswim.com every weekday until the election. On Nov. 1st-4th adultswim the tv channel will also broadcast these shorts.

Laughter is the best medicine.

thanks [adultswim].

EXT. HOUSE - DAY

Gmar Chatimah Tova. It's Yom Kippur and I'm sorry, but I'm not fasting. No disrespect, but I must utilize this day off. There's work to be done! And food is too big a driving force for completing work as you may know. I "gotta have my pops," as they say.

Yesterday I went location scouting at my friend Sarah's house for my film. What a huge help she's been. Over a week ago I was fortunate enough to run into her shooting pictures for class when she agreed to let me use her home as the principle site for my project. Here are some pictures of the house that i will likely use for the shoot:

The story calls for two women in their thirties that can pass off as sisters. Know anyone in Upstate, NY that can act?

The New York Film Festival is wrapping up it's festivities this weekend. All week some of my classmates and I excitedly planed to carpool and leave tomorrow. Given that Nuit Blanche in Toronto fell through the previous weekend, I was hopeful this jaunt to the city would succeed. Unfortunately, plans changed and our driver recently decided he couldn't find the time to go after all. Saddies. Some interesting screenings from Paris and Japan going on that I was curious about. I also wanted the chance to see Darren Aronofsky speak about his filmmaking process live.

Having some technical hiccups exporting the Potts video. I feel bad delaying it for Jenni and the Clickpop team. I'm working on resolving the issue. Here's a screen grab teaser for you:


Halloween plans?