At Hammer to Nail.
- Sujewa
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Schools in southern states beat African American female students - Human Rights Watch
What? US schools beat their students as a part of their disciplining process? Are we all of a sudden in like the 1830's? Did the country go through a time machine without me noticing it? Read the messed up news at Human Rights Watch. From the HRW article:
"The report found that in the 13 southern states where corporal punishment is most prevalent, African-American students are punished at 1.4 times the rate that would be expected given their numbers in the student population, and African-American girls are 2.1 times more likely to be paddled than might be expected. There is no evidence that these students commit disciplinary infractions at disproportionate rates."
And:
"The report documents several cases in which children were beaten to the point of serious injury. Since educators who beat children have immunity under law from assault proceedings, parents who try to pursue justice for injured children encounter resistance from police, district attorneys, and courts. Parents also face enormous, sometimes insurmountable, obstacles in trying to prevent physical punishment of their children. While some school districts permit parents to sign forms opting out of corporal punishment for their children, the forms are often ignored."
Read the rest of the article here. Reform time baby, reform time. Also, lawsuits time. Also, time to move your kids out of schools in the south.
- Sujewa
"The report found that in the 13 southern states where corporal punishment is most prevalent, African-American students are punished at 1.4 times the rate that would be expected given their numbers in the student population, and African-American girls are 2.1 times more likely to be paddled than might be expected. There is no evidence that these students commit disciplinary infractions at disproportionate rates."
And:
"The report documents several cases in which children were beaten to the point of serious injury. Since educators who beat children have immunity under law from assault proceedings, parents who try to pursue justice for injured children encounter resistance from police, district attorneys, and courts. Parents also face enormous, sometimes insurmountable, obstacles in trying to prevent physical punishment of their children. While some school districts permit parents to sign forms opting out of corporal punishment for their children, the forms are often ignored."
Read the rest of the article here. Reform time baby, reform time. Also, lawsuits time. Also, time to move your kids out of schools in the south.
- Sujewa
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Reeler at work
Or rather The Reeler Stu VanAirsdale trying to work on a recent weekday morning in Manhattan while I am taking photos of him & asking him questions for the blogger doc. Thanks for the patience Stu.- Sujewa
That's an awesome view
That's Indie Film Blogger Road Trip doc subject Anthony Kaufman hanging out at his balcony; with Manhattan in the background & Brooklyn below.- Sujewa
Richard Rodriguez interview
Interesting interview with author Richard Rodriguez at Scott London's site. From the interview:
"London: Do you consider yourself more Mexican or more American?
Rodriguez: In some ways I consider myself more Chinese, because I live in San Francisco, which is becoming a predominantly Asian city. I avoid falling into the black-and-white dialectic in which most of America still seems trapped. I have always recognized that, as an American, I am in relationship with other parts of the world; that I have to measure myself against the Pacific, against Asia. Having to think of myself in relationship to that horizon has liberated me from the black-and-white checkerboard.
London: Do you think of yourself as an Indian?
Rodriguez: Yes, although it was something I did not know about as a child. I had an Indian face, but I never saw it as Indian, in part because in America the Indian was dead. The Indian had been killed in cowboy movies, or was playing bingo in Oklahoma. Also, in my middle-class Mexican family indio was a bad word, one my parents shy away from to this day. That's one of the reasons, of course, why I always insist, in my bratty way, on saying, Soy indio! — "I am an Indian!" I think it's an important thing for a Mexican to say, especially now with the rebellion in Chiapas. Mexico has to confront her Indian face, and yet she refuses to do so. When you turn on Mexican television, it's like watching Swedish TV: everyone is blond."
More here.
- Sujewa
"London: Do you consider yourself more Mexican or more American?
Rodriguez: In some ways I consider myself more Chinese, because I live in San Francisco, which is becoming a predominantly Asian city. I avoid falling into the black-and-white dialectic in which most of America still seems trapped. I have always recognized that, as an American, I am in relationship with other parts of the world; that I have to measure myself against the Pacific, against Asia. Having to think of myself in relationship to that horizon has liberated me from the black-and-white checkerboard.
London: Do you think of yourself as an Indian?
Rodriguez: Yes, although it was something I did not know about as a child. I had an Indian face, but I never saw it as Indian, in part because in America the Indian was dead. The Indian had been killed in cowboy movies, or was playing bingo in Oklahoma. Also, in my middle-class Mexican family indio was a bad word, one my parents shy away from to this day. That's one of the reasons, of course, why I always insist, in my bratty way, on saying, Soy indio! — "I am an Indian!" I think it's an important thing for a Mexican to say, especially now with the rebellion in Chiapas. Mexico has to confront her Indian face, and yet she refuses to do so. When you turn on Mexican television, it's like watching Swedish TV: everyone is blond."
More here.
- Sujewa
Funny video art - The Final Countdown
What is the immobile video camera trying to tell me? Horrible cover, but funny video overall. Andy Warhol might have enjoyed this.
Searching for otherness in media images
From Racialicious (thanks Stuff White People Do for the link):
"I grew up trying to spot the otherness in whites—such as Janet on “Three’s Company” or the star of “Wonder Woman,” who, it turns out, is half-Mexican—because I was hungry to see myself represented in a medium in which my kind was mostly invisible. But that’s not the only reason I make such connections. On a subconscious level, I believe that I respond to white society’s rejection of blackness by projecting blackness onto whites. The rationale is that, if whites are part-black themselves, their racism doesn’t just amount to hatred of people of color but to a sort of self-hatred. In this way, it is easy to see how racism isn’t just damaging to its so-called targets but to society collectively."
Read the rest here, interesting stuff.
- Sujewa
"I grew up trying to spot the otherness in whites—such as Janet on “Three’s Company” or the star of “Wonder Woman,” who, it turns out, is half-Mexican—because I was hungry to see myself represented in a medium in which my kind was mostly invisible. But that’s not the only reason I make such connections. On a subconscious level, I believe that I respond to white society’s rejection of blackness by projecting blackness onto whites. The rationale is that, if whites are part-black themselves, their racism doesn’t just amount to hatred of people of color but to a sort of self-hatred. In this way, it is easy to see how racism isn’t just damaging to its so-called targets but to society collectively."
Read the rest here, interesting stuff.
- Sujewa
Monday, August 18, 2008
Brandon Harris interviews James "Off The Black" Ponsoldt
At Spout, check it out. Here is the intro:
"Relaxed and genteel with a disarming smile and quick wit that strike you immediately upon meeting him, James Ponsoldt, the Athens, GA native who made a big impression at Sundance 06′ with his tragically underseen Nick Nolte high school baseball umpire drama Off The Black, is a well-rounded guy. He has a masters degree from Columbia, was the president of his class at Yale, edited the student paper, was a receiver on the varsity football team and reads modernist literature with regularity. Perhaps more importantly, the Filmmaker Magazine contributor and Sundance Institute Lynn Auerbach Screenwriting Fellow for his adaptation of Benjamin Percy’s Iraqi war short story Refresh, Refresh was also one of the founding members of Yale’s Porn n’ Chicken club, where students gathered to watch XXX films and eat fried chicken."
Read the rest here.
- Sujewa
"Relaxed and genteel with a disarming smile and quick wit that strike you immediately upon meeting him, James Ponsoldt, the Athens, GA native who made a big impression at Sundance 06′ with his tragically underseen Nick Nolte high school baseball umpire drama Off The Black, is a well-rounded guy. He has a masters degree from Columbia, was the president of his class at Yale, edited the student paper, was a receiver on the varsity football team and reads modernist literature with regularity. Perhaps more importantly, the Filmmaker Magazine contributor and Sundance Institute Lynn Auerbach Screenwriting Fellow for his adaptation of Benjamin Percy’s Iraqi war short story Refresh, Refresh was also one of the founding members of Yale’s Porn n’ Chicken club, where students gathered to watch XXX films and eat fried chicken."
Read the rest here.
- Sujewa
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Slow Down at Washougal
From M. David Lee III:
""SLOW DOWN..." WE'RE READY TO SCREEN!
Triple Sticks Productions, is proud to announce our feature film, “Slow Down… You’re Dating Too Fast!” will screen at the “2008 Washougal International Film Festival” August 21th – August 24rd on Saturday, August 23rd, between 10am-6pm. (www.washougalfilmfest.org)
The film chronicles five adults trying to work and date in modern society. Instead of the tried and true approaches to dating, these brave souls look for love in a most unusual way… “Speed Dating.”
“Slow Down… You’re Dating Too Fast!” is a comedy that will show you just what happens when you take a “different” approach to dating… this is NOT how your parents did it.
“I think we have a phenomenal screening time! When you go to the theater to see the film, I think folks will walk away really smiling and laughing and that's what we had hoped would happen when we made the film. I can't wait until Saturday!"
M. David Lee III
Producer, Writer, Director, D.P., Editor
Our official screening location and time are:
Slow Down... You're Dating Too Fast!
Saturday August 23rd between 10am-6pm
Washburn Auditorium
1201 39th St.
Washougal, WA 98671
Additional Notes:
- There are 32 speaking roles.
- The film was shot in Memphis and Mississippi
- It was made for under $1,000.00 dollars
- It was shot in 6 days
In addition to screening at the 2008 Washougal International Film Festival, “Slow Down… You’re Dating Too Fast!” made it’s World Wide release on DVD, Monday July 21st. To purchase a copy of this amazing film, log onto our web site at: www.triplestickspro.com For more information on Triple Sticks Productions, this film, stills, or to schedule interviews please contact: triplesticks@earthlink.net OR (901) 351-8032"
""SLOW DOWN..." WE'RE READY TO SCREEN!
Triple Sticks Productions, is proud to announce our feature film, “Slow Down… You’re Dating Too Fast!” will screen at the “2008 Washougal International Film Festival” August 21th – August 24rd on Saturday, August 23rd, between 10am-6pm. (www.washougalfilmfest.org)
The film chronicles five adults trying to work and date in modern society. Instead of the tried and true approaches to dating, these brave souls look for love in a most unusual way… “Speed Dating.”
“Slow Down… You’re Dating Too Fast!” is a comedy that will show you just what happens when you take a “different” approach to dating… this is NOT how your parents did it.
“I think we have a phenomenal screening time! When you go to the theater to see the film, I think folks will walk away really smiling and laughing and that's what we had hoped would happen when we made the film. I can't wait until Saturday!"
M. David Lee III
Producer, Writer, Director, D.P., Editor
Our official screening location and time are:
Slow Down... You're Dating Too Fast!
Saturday August 23rd between 10am-6pm
Washburn Auditorium
1201 39th St.
Washougal, WA 98671
Additional Notes:
- There are 32 speaking roles.
- The film was shot in Memphis and Mississippi
- It was made for under $1,000.00 dollars
- It was shot in 6 days
In addition to screening at the 2008 Washougal International Film Festival, “Slow Down… You’re Dating Too Fast!” made it’s World Wide release on DVD, Monday July 21st. To purchase a copy of this amazing film, log onto our web site at: www.triplestickspro.com For more information on Triple Sticks Productions, this film, stills, or to schedule interviews please contact: triplesticks@earthlink.net OR (901) 351-8032"
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The bloggers from the doc & their blogs & sites
While I am off editing Indie Film Blogger Road Trip, check out blogs & sites of (& related to) the 14 bloggers featured in the doc:
::Anthony Kaufman
*Stu VanAirsdale
- Defamer
*Melissa Silverstein
*Erica Ginsberg
*Chuck Tryon
*Gabe Wardell
*Paula Martinez
*Tambay Obenson
*Noralil Ryan Fores
*Brandon Harris
*Armando Valle
*KJ Mohr
*Brian Geldin
*Sujewa Ekanayake
::
Friday, August 15, 2008
Bigfoot carcass in Atlanta?
According to this New York Times article, a body of a dead Bigfoot has been found, and it is in a freezer somewhere near Atlanta. Read more at NYT. If this does turn out to be a real Bigfoot body, I am gonna have some bragging rights over someone for a long while to come (I've always thought that Bigfoot, aliens, undiscovered live dinosaurs left over from the dinosaur age were very much possibilities, while most of my friends do not believe that is the case). Of course deepest sympathies go out to the family of the dead Bigfoot.
- Sujewa
- Sujewa
Russia using cluster bombs in Georgia - Human Rights Watch
From Human Rights Watch site:
"(Tbilisi, August 15, 2008) – Human Rights Watch researchers have uncovered evidence that Russian aircraft dropped cluster bombs in populated areas in Georgia, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring dozens, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called upon Russia to immediately stop using cluster bombs, weapons so dangerous to civilians that more than 100 nations have agreed to ban their use.
“Cluster bombs are indiscriminate killers that most nations have agreed to outlaw,” said Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. “Russia’s use of this weapon is not only deadly to civilians, but also an insult to international efforts to avoid a global humanitarian disaster of the kind caused by landmines.” "
Read the rest of the article here.
- Sujewa
"(Tbilisi, August 15, 2008) – Human Rights Watch researchers have uncovered evidence that Russian aircraft dropped cluster bombs in populated areas in Georgia, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring dozens, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called upon Russia to immediately stop using cluster bombs, weapons so dangerous to civilians that more than 100 nations have agreed to ban their use.
“Cluster bombs are indiscriminate killers that most nations have agreed to outlaw,” said Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. “Russia’s use of this weapon is not only deadly to civilians, but also an insult to international efforts to avoid a global humanitarian disaster of the kind caused by landmines.” "
Read the rest of the article here.
- Sujewa
Thursday, August 14, 2008
"Federal officials considering a rule allowing health care workers to refuse to provide contraceptives" - Houston Chronicle editiorial article
From the Houston Chronicle (heard about this story through Friends Are My Art Form blog):
"Health and Human Services officials are considering a draft regulation that would classify most birth control pills, the Plan B emergency contraceptive and intrauterine devices as forms of abortion because they prevent the development of fertilized eggs into fetuses.
The rule, which does not require congressional approval, would allow health care workers who object to abortion on moral or religious grounds to refuse to counsel women on their birth control options or supply contraceptives. It would forbid more than half a million health agencies nationwide that receive federal funds from requiring employees to provide such services. Pharmacists could use the rule as a justification for refusing to fill birth control prescriptions, and insurance companies could cite it as a basis for declining to cover the costs."
Read the full article at the Houston Chronicle.
And if you don't like what you find out, go here to do something about it.
- Sujewa
"Health and Human Services officials are considering a draft regulation that would classify most birth control pills, the Plan B emergency contraceptive and intrauterine devices as forms of abortion because they prevent the development of fertilized eggs into fetuses.
The rule, which does not require congressional approval, would allow health care workers who object to abortion on moral or religious grounds to refuse to counsel women on their birth control options or supply contraceptives. It would forbid more than half a million health agencies nationwide that receive federal funds from requiring employees to provide such services. Pharmacists could use the rule as a justification for refusing to fill birth control prescriptions, and insurance companies could cite it as a basis for declining to cover the costs."
Read the full article at the Houston Chronicle.
And if you don't like what you find out, go here to do something about it.
- Sujewa
Back from the land where all the waitresses are from Russia & all the indie film bloggers live in Brooklyn
While in NYC earlier today I eat at two restaurants; one in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn. The servers I had at both restaurants were from Russia; good people - talked about the war over there with one while I eat (was running short on time at the 2nd place, no time for small talk).
All the NYC bloggers I interviewed for Indie Film Blogger Road Trip, except for two (Geldin in Queens, VanAirsdale in Manhattan), live in Brooklyn. I also know of several other bloggers that live in Brooklyn. It is possible that most of the blogs you read today were written by writers living in Brooklyn - it's the Brooklyn Renaissance 2008 style baby (the Brooklyn Digital Renaissance?). Filmed the very final blogger interview for the doc this afternoon - with Anthony Kaufman - guess where?
More on the trip tomorrow, with photos & links, after I get some sleep.
Thanks a lot Vamoose bus for a quick ride to & back from NYC. Vammose folds space, they have the spice.
- Sujewa
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Able Danger in DC
From Brian Geldin:
"9/11 Conspiracy Thriller ABLE DANGER Plays 9/11 Truth Film Festival at Busboys and Poets in DC
WASHINGTON, DC, August 12, 2008 – ABLE DANGER, the acclaimed independent conspiracy thriller by filmmaker PAUL KRIK, will make its Washington, DC, debut as part of the the Alliance for Global Justice's and DC911truth.org's 9/11 Truth Film Festival at Busboys and Poets. The festival starts at 6pm on September 11 in the Langston Room of Busboys and Poets located at 2021 14th St NW. Other films playing in the festival include Alex Jones' "Terror Storm," a history of false flag operations, and "The Reflecting Pool," a dramatization of an investigation of the official story on what happened on 9/11. More info at http://www.busboysandpoets.com/.
That same evening in New York City, ABLE DANGER opens for an exclusive week-long engagement at Two Boots Pioneer Theater. More info at http://www.twoboots.com/pioneer/.
ABLE DANGER is the story of Thomas Flynn, a Brooklyn 9/11 truther (played by Adam Nee), who falls into a noir pastiche when a mysterious Eastern European beauty (played by Elina Löwensohn, Independent Spirit Award nominee for “Nadja”) arrives at his bookstore-café with irrefutable proof of American secret intelligence involvement in the planning and execution of 9/11. When Thomas is implicated in the murder of his friend and employee, he’s forced to unravel her complex web of lies while attempting to fight his natural attraction to her. As it turns out, she possesses the Able Danger hard-drive, the smoking gun that proves the identities and methods of the real architects of 9/11, and Thomas is willing to risk everything to expose the truth. The film gets its title from the real secret government program of the same name that destroyed 2.5 terabytes of data in March 2001, and the café featured is based on the very real Brooklyn café for radical readers, Vox Pop.
With a Masters Degree in existential philosophy and a background in TV commercials, most recently known for his Kanye West mock-infomercial viral (as seen on YouTube), Krik has created ABLE DANGER, his first feature film. It has been blazing the festival trail, starting at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam where it premiered in a 400-seat theater, selling out all three nights, and opened the Brooklyn International Film Festival where it received Outstanding Achievement in Production. It then screened at Cannes, and was an Official Selection at the Transylvania, Philadelphia, Pifan (Korea) & Warsaw film festivals.
Vist http://www.abledangerthemovie.com/ for more info."
- Sujewa
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
La Vie de Boheme at BAM on Tue night
From BAM's site:
"La vie de bohème (1992) 100min Tue, Aug 12 at 4:30, 6:50, 9:15pm
Directed by Aki Kaurismäki
A playwright, an artist, and a musician struggle to make ends meet on the Left Bank in modern-day Paris. “Aki Kaurasmäki is one of my heroes, and this film in particular had a direct effect on GTK. It’s pretty much perfect, and says it all while being funny and precise. I got a chance to thank Aki for his films in person, his response was that I ‘should enjoy youth while it lasted.’”—Azazel Jacobs"
On Tropic Thunder, certain kinds of movies that win Oscars, other matters
Nice post by Charles Judson at ATL 365 blog; from the post:
"And folks on the other side should keep in mind that the end of the Blaxplotation era didn't usher in a new age of enlightened and well rounded black characters. That took another 20 years."
Read the rest here.
- Sujewa
"And folks on the other side should keep in mind that the end of the Blaxplotation era didn't usher in a new age of enlightened and well rounded black characters. That took another 20 years."
Read the rest here.
- Sujewa
Does blogging help other creative writing or does it hurt it?
Blogging is certainly good for generating publicity for films, speaking as a filmmaker, and it is also good for creating a community; gives several people something in common, new friends are made, etc. But, being a filmmaker also means being a creative writer; movies are first created on paper (most fiction movies) and that kind of writing is different than journalistic writing (reportage, getting the facts down & getting it to the readers in a certain form) or publicity focused writing (such as blog posts created to announce a DVD's availability, a film screening, etc.). Creative writing requires periods of not writing a lot; instead thinking, jotting down small notes, research, wrestling with panda bears, exploring info. on new things. So, if you are in the habit of blogging daily, might that get in the way of making progress on your fiction film scripts? Perhaps. Maybe such temporarily-off-the-record writing (as work done on fiction feature scripts are not readily available for readers immediately as blog posts are) needs to be done on certain days with blogging set aside for other days. Because a little bit of blogging (also blog reading) can lead to a lot of blogging on one day. Also, a little bit of creative writing can lead to a lot of creative writing in one day. So, for me at least, it may be best to designate certain days as possible days to blog & certain days as definite days to work on scripts; to make sure that the need to write is not fulfilled by blogging & that fiction feature scripts get done.
On a related note, did not blog all day or spend any significant amount of time reading blogs yesterday (the day that ended 16 minutes ago :), and it was not bad - got a lot of other work done. So, it is possible that life without reading blogs or blogging may not suck. I was away from computers & engaged in finishing up a large task; moving 300 or so boxes, and that made it easy to not think about blogs. So, maybe having something relatively big or important going on is one way to get away from blogs. But what happens if I end up getting an iPhone or some such device where I can check out blogs while on the road, or while doing other stuff ???
Keeping 'net activity to some blogging (on a weekly basis), occasionally checking MySpace, checking e-mail couple of times a day/as needed for biz, updating web sites as needed for biz reasons, may be good limits to have as far as time spent doing stuff on or for the web.
Religions of the future will no doubt have laws regarding internet use.
Definitely not gonna get on Twitter or Facebook. I've got enough internet-work addictions.
I wonder when newspapers were first invented if some people got really into them; spent hours a day reading them, or making them/writing them before being a journalist became an actual profession. Let's try to find out, on the web of course.
- Sujewa
On a related note, did not blog all day or spend any significant amount of time reading blogs yesterday (the day that ended 16 minutes ago :), and it was not bad - got a lot of other work done. So, it is possible that life without reading blogs or blogging may not suck. I was away from computers & engaged in finishing up a large task; moving 300 or so boxes, and that made it easy to not think about blogs. So, maybe having something relatively big or important going on is one way to get away from blogs. But what happens if I end up getting an iPhone or some such device where I can check out blogs while on the road, or while doing other stuff ???
Keeping 'net activity to some blogging (on a weekly basis), occasionally checking MySpace, checking e-mail couple of times a day/as needed for biz, updating web sites as needed for biz reasons, may be good limits to have as far as time spent doing stuff on or for the web.
Religions of the future will no doubt have laws regarding internet use.
Definitely not gonna get on Twitter or Facebook. I've got enough internet-work addictions.
I wonder when newspapers were first invented if some people got really into them; spent hours a day reading them, or making them/writing them before being a journalist became an actual profession. Let's try to find out, on the web of course.
- Sujewa
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Saturday, August 09, 2008
2 example of relatively poor/not focused on wealth building & ultimately marketers of an intellectual product who have reshaped the world
Being an agnostic, I approach religion primarily as a human creative/intellectual product (which allows me access to any positive universally human elements contained in religions while shielding me from superstition, tribal mania & other "down sides" of religion). And the dissemination of religion, the work being performed by religious organizations, as possibly interesting & useful (to base other organizations/work on) examples of how humans organize to carry out certain tasks, to help themselves, in many cases.
Let's take a look at 2 religions; Christianity and Buddhism, from the perspective of analyzing success or failure of these two organizations (very broadly speaking) on Earth. And to see if there are any ideas that are useful to indie filmmakers in the story of those two organizations.
Christianity is said to be a little over 2000 years old. Buddhism over 2500 years old. By any current/modern day standard of durability of an organization; a company, a nation, etc., these two are massive successes.
Christianity reshaped Europe, and then was itself reshaped by the Enlightenment. Buddhism reshaped Asia, and was itself reshaped by European colonization & competition.
Both organizations (again, very loosely speaking) offer ways with which for their audience (to use an entertainment industry term) to deal with existence. On a smaller scale, movies perform a very limited degree of the same function (often offers escapism, sometimes offers hope, sometimes useful instructions, and sometimes community & support for various projects).
What were the big corporate and intellectual competition for these two organizations, in the beginning? I guess you could say the Roman Empire for Christianity, and Hinduism for Buddhism. Though their competitors at time of inception were wealthier, better organized, & more powerful, both Christianity and Buddhism - 2000 to 2500 years later - have out survived and have achieved far more than the Romans or Hinduism of long ago (this one is a little bit difficult to see; but Buddhism led to a reform in Hinduism, and at present Hinduism is largely confined to India, while Buddhism is an international religion; also is relevant to a lot of "secular" life in Asia). How was this possible?
There are many answers to that question, but two that are worth looking at, from the perspective of an indie filmmaker, are: 1. universality/ease of access - it was relatively easy - after a while - for anyone to buy into/become a part of the two religions mentioned; far more easier than becoming a Roman to a useful degree or battling with the caste system and other limitations/barriers in Hinduism, and 2. focus on the need of the audience/being able to adapt relatively quickly to the need of the audience/missions of service.
As indie filmmakers compete with Hollywood for audiences, it may be useful to analyze how low cost, service oriented intellectual & emotional products such as religions (in this case Christianity and Buddhism) became, ultimately, far more successful than their bigger & wealthier competition at the time.
Indie filmmaking is very accessible for filmmakers, we should look at our films and see if they are also accessible for people who share our space & time with us; perhaps, even if we are generally focused on niche stories & story telling, ever so often we could make more accessible movies in order to bring in new customers/audiences to better support our on-going filmmaking & distribution practices.
Also, one of the key elements that have lead, in my view, to the success of Christianity & Buddhism in this world is their focus on service. Are there ways that individuals & organizations with the ability to make & distribute movies - indie filmmakers of the present basically - can be more useful to the community/people who live near where we each live (or for that matter, anywhere in the world - since our reach is long now due to the web)? Assisting people is a great way for them to learn about, and hopefully get a positive impression of, your organization, or you, and maybe ultimately your movies.
Religion is magic, and cinema is also magic. The fact that religious organizations (again, outfits that disseminate ultimately an intellectual & emotional product/experience, much like movies) started by relatively poor but committed people have achieved vast successes on Earth may be a source of inspiration and hope for indie filmmakers who compete against much wealthier & powerful rivals.
- Sujewa
Let's take a look at 2 religions; Christianity and Buddhism, from the perspective of analyzing success or failure of these two organizations (very broadly speaking) on Earth. And to see if there are any ideas that are useful to indie filmmakers in the story of those two organizations.
Christianity is said to be a little over 2000 years old. Buddhism over 2500 years old. By any current/modern day standard of durability of an organization; a company, a nation, etc., these two are massive successes.
Christianity reshaped Europe, and then was itself reshaped by the Enlightenment. Buddhism reshaped Asia, and was itself reshaped by European colonization & competition.
Both organizations (again, very loosely speaking) offer ways with which for their audience (to use an entertainment industry term) to deal with existence. On a smaller scale, movies perform a very limited degree of the same function (often offers escapism, sometimes offers hope, sometimes useful instructions, and sometimes community & support for various projects).
What were the big corporate and intellectual competition for these two organizations, in the beginning? I guess you could say the Roman Empire for Christianity, and Hinduism for Buddhism. Though their competitors at time of inception were wealthier, better organized, & more powerful, both Christianity and Buddhism - 2000 to 2500 years later - have out survived and have achieved far more than the Romans or Hinduism of long ago (this one is a little bit difficult to see; but Buddhism led to a reform in Hinduism, and at present Hinduism is largely confined to India, while Buddhism is an international religion; also is relevant to a lot of "secular" life in Asia). How was this possible?
There are many answers to that question, but two that are worth looking at, from the perspective of an indie filmmaker, are: 1. universality/ease of access - it was relatively easy - after a while - for anyone to buy into/become a part of the two religions mentioned; far more easier than becoming a Roman to a useful degree or battling with the caste system and other limitations/barriers in Hinduism, and 2. focus on the need of the audience/being able to adapt relatively quickly to the need of the audience/missions of service.
As indie filmmakers compete with Hollywood for audiences, it may be useful to analyze how low cost, service oriented intellectual & emotional products such as religions (in this case Christianity and Buddhism) became, ultimately, far more successful than their bigger & wealthier competition at the time.
Indie filmmaking is very accessible for filmmakers, we should look at our films and see if they are also accessible for people who share our space & time with us; perhaps, even if we are generally focused on niche stories & story telling, ever so often we could make more accessible movies in order to bring in new customers/audiences to better support our on-going filmmaking & distribution practices.
Also, one of the key elements that have lead, in my view, to the success of Christianity & Buddhism in this world is their focus on service. Are there ways that individuals & organizations with the ability to make & distribute movies - indie filmmakers of the present basically - can be more useful to the community/people who live near where we each live (or for that matter, anywhere in the world - since our reach is long now due to the web)? Assisting people is a great way for them to learn about, and hopefully get a positive impression of, your organization, or you, and maybe ultimately your movies.
Religion is magic, and cinema is also magic. The fact that religious organizations (again, outfits that disseminate ultimately an intellectual & emotional product/experience, much like movies) started by relatively poor but committed people have achieved vast successes on Earth may be a source of inspiration and hope for indie filmmakers who compete against much wealthier & powerful rivals.
- Sujewa
iTunes & indie filmmakers
Scott Kirsner looks around to see if iTunes is accessible to indie filmmakers; to sell their work through the service. From Kirsner's post in CinemaTech:
"I’ve harped on this issue since 2005, the year that Apple first started selling movies and TV shows on iTunes. Since then, iTunes has become the dominant marketplace for legal movie sales and rentals; in June, Apple said iTunes users were renting or purchasing 50,000 movies a day. (Apple’s rivals, like Amazon Unbox, Movielink, and CinemaNow, have never disclosed how many movies they sell and rent – but my belief is that they’re bit players.)
So how do you get your movie sold on iTunes?"
Read the rest at CinemaTech.
- Sujewa
"I’ve harped on this issue since 2005, the year that Apple first started selling movies and TV shows on iTunes. Since then, iTunes has become the dominant marketplace for legal movie sales and rentals; in June, Apple said iTunes users were renting or purchasing 50,000 movies a day. (Apple’s rivals, like Amazon Unbox, Movielink, and CinemaNow, have never disclosed how many movies they sell and rent – but my belief is that they’re bit players.)
So how do you get your movie sold on iTunes?"
Read the rest at CinemaTech.
- Sujewa
Friday, August 08, 2008
Shooting Untilted NYC Comedy 9/15 - 11/15 & updates on the other 3 current projects
While the momentum thingy is happening (or while I think it's happening) & while I still don't mind being relatively poor & working hard, important things/film projects will get done in the coming weeks & months; an update:
- Date Number One DVD project: After 10 straight days of work I have this coming weekend off, I plan on fixing 2 sound issues & then creating the master DVD so that I can order some copies to sell starting later this month. This project is way overdue for completion & release (started it in 2004!), but that's cool, sometimes it goes like that.
- Indie Film Blogger Road Trip doc: Filming some final interviews the middle of next week, continuing with editing next weekend, should be completed at the end of this month/August. Then it'll be sent out to festivals.
- Actress: Script & some casting & some location selection work is happening. Official pre-production work will begin around 8/15, and I expect the film to be shot, in the DC area mostly, by 10/1. Editing after that, probably will have it completed by Jan 1 '09.
- untilted NYC comedy - Looks like I have a place to stay FT in NYC starting 9/15, so work on this project will begin around then; this is a relatively light & easy project as far as physical production is concerned; so I expect it to be shot by 11/15. Editing after that, I'd like to have the film edited/completed by 2/1/09.
All projects are feature length, in digital video, & are ultra-low budget.
So that's what I'll be doing for the rest of my summer, all of fall, & most of winter - most weekends & some night. On the bright side (or the brighter side, I guess making movies is its own reward) I should have 4 new features, all completed in '08 or early '09, in distribution (DNO on DVD & some screenings, other 3 movies at hopefully fest screenings or other screenings) by the middle of '09. And all of them available on DVD by late '09.
All projects made possible by DIY ultra-low budget production & self-distribution philosophies & methods devised, discussed & popularized by hundreds of filmmakers over the years, the generous & very significant/essential assistance of friends & supporters, & $s from day job work.
Pretty cool, pretty cool.
- Sujewa
- Date Number One DVD project: After 10 straight days of work I have this coming weekend off, I plan on fixing 2 sound issues & then creating the master DVD so that I can order some copies to sell starting later this month. This project is way overdue for completion & release (started it in 2004!), but that's cool, sometimes it goes like that.
- Indie Film Blogger Road Trip doc: Filming some final interviews the middle of next week, continuing with editing next weekend, should be completed at the end of this month/August. Then it'll be sent out to festivals.
- Actress: Script & some casting & some location selection work is happening. Official pre-production work will begin around 8/15, and I expect the film to be shot, in the DC area mostly, by 10/1. Editing after that, probably will have it completed by Jan 1 '09.
- untilted NYC comedy - Looks like I have a place to stay FT in NYC starting 9/15, so work on this project will begin around then; this is a relatively light & easy project as far as physical production is concerned; so I expect it to be shot by 11/15. Editing after that, I'd like to have the film edited/completed by 2/1/09.
All projects are feature length, in digital video, & are ultra-low budget.
So that's what I'll be doing for the rest of my summer, all of fall, & most of winter - most weekends & some night. On the bright side (or the brighter side, I guess making movies is its own reward) I should have 4 new features, all completed in '08 or early '09, in distribution (DNO on DVD & some screenings, other 3 movies at hopefully fest screenings or other screenings) by the middle of '09. And all of them available on DVD by late '09.
All projects made possible by DIY ultra-low budget production & self-distribution philosophies & methods devised, discussed & popularized by hundreds of filmmakers over the years, the generous & very significant/essential assistance of friends & supporters, & $s from day job work.
Pretty cool, pretty cool.
- Sujewa
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Filmmaker interview fest 2: Jarmusch, Nair, Van Peebles, Lee, Allen
Well, one of these is not a director interview but a director playing a character doing an interview type bit in Annie Hall, but, maybe close enough:
- Sujewa
- Sujewa
Tell Congress to Rein in DHS Travel Abuses
From ACLU:
"DHS travel abuses include:
1. A terrorist watch list with over one million names on it, growing by twenty thousand names per month.
2. Security agents that seize laptops, cell phones, and PDAs as Americans enter the United States, with no suspicion of wrongdoing.
3. Invasive airport scanners that let agents conduct virtual strip searches of passengers.
4. A proposal to have every traveler wear an "electro-muscular disruption" bracelet that airline personnel or marshals could use to shock passengers into submission."
Go to the ACLU webpage re: this matter for more information & take action.
- Sujewa
"DHS travel abuses include:
1. A terrorist watch list with over one million names on it, growing by twenty thousand names per month.
2. Security agents that seize laptops, cell phones, and PDAs as Americans enter the United States, with no suspicion of wrongdoing.
3. Invasive airport scanners that let agents conduct virtual strip searches of passengers.
4. A proposal to have every traveler wear an "electro-muscular disruption" bracelet that airline personnel or marshals could use to shock passengers into submission."
Go to the ACLU webpage re: this matter for more information & take action.
- Sujewa
Large hadron collider goes live tomorrow, world may end
On the bright side, this planet had a nice several billion years long run.
Check out the large hadron collider story at Gizmodo.
- Sujewa
Check out the large hadron collider story at Gizmodo.
- Sujewa
The State of Horror
At Horror 101 Armando Valle (one of the bloggers featured in my doc Indie Film Blogger Road Trip) gets us caught up on the current state of the horror film industry, poses problems and solutions, and talks about the challenges facing indie horror filmmakers. From the article:
"We’re not gonna lie to you, fans. Things are bad all over for quality horror cinema. A recent article at Moviemaker.com pointed the current ills of the genre, but let me expand on just how bad the problem is and possible solutions to the problem. As the article pointed out, young horror directors are having trouble cracking the horror audience, the old guard directors like George Romero (although beloved by this commentator) can’t put butts on the theater seats, and Hollywood doesn’t care about the discerning horror fan instead delivering forgettable, terrible PG-13 horror flops one after another. Americanizations and remakes are disappointing fans all over the board. And for the enterprising indie horror filmmaker, chances are that your well-crafted, smart horror flick just won’t be released theatrically regardless of how many awards you win of how much fan buzz your film garners."
Read the rest of the article at Horror 101.
- Sujewa
"We’re not gonna lie to you, fans. Things are bad all over for quality horror cinema. A recent article at Moviemaker.com pointed the current ills of the genre, but let me expand on just how bad the problem is and possible solutions to the problem. As the article pointed out, young horror directors are having trouble cracking the horror audience, the old guard directors like George Romero (although beloved by this commentator) can’t put butts on the theater seats, and Hollywood doesn’t care about the discerning horror fan instead delivering forgettable, terrible PG-13 horror flops one after another. Americanizations and remakes are disappointing fans all over the board. And for the enterprising indie horror filmmaker, chances are that your well-crafted, smart horror flick just won’t be released theatrically regardless of how many awards you win of how much fan buzz your film garners."
Read the rest of the article at Horror 101.
- Sujewa
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Back to NYC next week for at least one more blogger doc interview
I thought filming on Indie Film Blogger Road Trip was done about a week ago, but not so, heading back on the road - to NYC - to interview Anthony Kaufman next week (along with anyone else on my list who may be available). I've started editing the blogger doc; expect to have it finished by the end of this month or early next month. So next week's road trip will definitely be the last filming session for IFBRT.
- Sujewa
- Sujewa
One more video interview: James Spooner, Ayinde Howell
This should have been included in the previous post, but here it is:
- Sujewa
- Sujewa