chris ross art and film

Jan 21 2012

5 INSPIRING THINGS

inspiring / recommended - 7 days ago - chris

(It’s my new thing for the new year – blogging in list form.)

1. aesthetics of joy – a great blog, with the subtitle design + delight. My favorite recent entry – the Rothko-inspired cookies.

2. The wonderful documentary on Woody Allen by Robert Weide that aired on PBS. A very intimate look at his process and a terrifically entertaining film overall – a must if you’re a Woody Allen fan like me.

3. Great books! I’ve been reading a lot lately and have been simply blown away by The Corrections and Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, as well as The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (which has one of the best book covers I’ve ever seen.)

4. The work of Dan Stiles – especially his gorgeous artwork for The Sisters Brothers.

And finally…

5. Tebowie – not just hilarious, it also sparked a revival of David Bowie classics in my house.

Enjoy.

Dec 31 2011

MY GHOST PROTOCOL FOR 2012

inspiring / recommended - 4 weeks ago - chris

I saw Mission Impossible 4 and, what can I say? It’s awesome. (Well done, Brad Bird, Tom Cruise, et al!) If you haven’t already, you should go see it at once – on the big screen, preferably IMAX.

I loved this movie so much it has informed my New Year’s resolutions for 2012. Here they are, in no particular order – the top 5 things I learned from Mission Impossible 4:

1. “Light the fuse.”

Like a battle cry, but no need to yell – that’s right, it’s time to get started.

2. Have a plan, but don’t be afraid to change it up.

By busting out a fellow inmate in your Russian prison at the last minute, for example.

3. Visit a foreign country.

Always a good idea, and something I don’t do enough.

4. Be persistent, daring, and bold in pursuit of your goals.

Even if it means going back outside the building to get in – oh, yeah.

5. Exercise.

Your body is your best instrument and you never know when you, too, will be doing your own stunts.

BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR!

Dec 10 2011

BELLFLOWER

inspiring / recommended - 7 weeks ago - chris

I rented this movie last night* after reading about it and it’s creators in Filmmaker magazine.

It is a highly original, emotional, and intense film. It has an unreliable narrator (one of my favorite narrative modes), and some beautiful and striking cinematography. It also has a terrific making-of story that is super inspiring in a DIY, balls-to-the-wall kind of way.

And the title (taken from a street in the film) makes me laugh.

This is a picture of some Bellflowers-

And this is a picture from the film-

Check it out.

* that’s right- I still rent movies. Yay, Film Buff!

Nov 19 2011

THE BREAST TIME OF YEAR

film community / inspiring / recommended - 2 months ago - chris

Yup, this weekend is when one of my all-time favorite film fests happens- Breast Fest 2011.

If you live in the Toronto area, I highly recommend checking it out. It’s incredibly well put together and in my experience the films have always been highly entertaining, inspiring, and moving.

Rethink is the organization behind it all and here’s a very clever PSA they did recently promoting self-exams-

Oct 23 2011

DELIVER ME

project updates - 3 months ago - chris

Freshly released from it’s contract with short film distributor Ouat! Media, I present to you my very first attempt at filmmaking- Deliver Me.

Made in 2006, at a point when I had taken exactly one filmmaking class* and never been on a real film set in my life, this short is strangely still my favorite filmmaking effort so far. What can I say? It’s really raw, but it makes me laugh, and, weirdly, every theme in this film (obsession, denial, addiction issues, health issues, etc.) has surfaced again and again in all my work since.

Enjoy.

*the excellent LIFT workshop – Super 8 Guerilla Filmmaking for Absolute Beginners

Sep 25 2011

WHAT’S NEXT?

project updates - 4 months ago - chris

Long time no blog.

Apologies for that, faithful readers- I’ve been back in action writing and working on set, leaving little time for blogging, unfortunately.

I have, however, some good news I’d like to share with you… I just finished (and by just, I mean, like 5 minutes ago) a real, honest-to-goodness draft of a new feature script. And it rocks. Seriously.

Let’s call it R&F for now, and aside from a little spell-checking, it is ready to submit to the Canada Council for a scriptwriting grant which would (hopefully!) fund another draft or two.

In other news, Nicola and I heard from the CFC again and once again learned that the shortlist selection process has been delayed- this time until mid- October.

Oh, boy…

Sep 3 2011

END OF SUMMER TOP 5

inspiring / project updates / recommended - 5 months ago - chris

As summer winds down I feel the need for a little… I don’t even know what to call it… Re-cap? Refresher on what’s been happening?

A whole lot of not much, to be honest. Oh, sure there’s been good progress made on the writing front (difficult to write about and most likely boring to read about), I’ve had films in a couple of festivals (thank you Parkdale Film & Video Showcase and Wakefest!), but aside from that, I’ve been JC* and it’s been a terrific summer for filling up the much-depleted artistic gas tank.

So, instead of a re-cap, I offer you a few things that I really enjoyed this summer, that (if you are not already familiar with), I would recommend checking out this fall.

1. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. Terrific book. One of the best I’ve read in years. (A Nicola recommend, so there you go.) Also, The Outlander by Gil Adamson (A Fiona Walker recommend. And gift- thanks Fee!), and lastly, a bit of delicious non-fiction- The Chairs Are Where The People Go by Misha Glouberman with Sheila Heti. (This one is particularly fun if, like me, you live in the west end of Toronto.)

2. Spending time in nature. I especially recommend going to some place where you can’t get cell phone reception. This was a magical thing for me and led directly to enjoying #1.

3. The work of Miranda July and Mike Mills. Ok, so what if they’re married- do they deserve to be lumped together? Probably not, but I can’t stop thinking about them as a package now. A narrating cat, a subtitled dog. Their films have too many sweet similarities not to compare and contrast. And enjoy, in their own special way.

4. The hipstamatic app for iphone. A friend tried to turn me on to this last year, but what can I say? I was blind. I was stubborn. Probably, I was just lazy. But now… This little app has single-handedly rekindled my love of taking pictures (and image-making in general) and has led me to begin a new series of paintings. It’s awesome.

5. Michael Bolton. Seriously. Enjoy.

* JC = Just Chillin’ in the instant messaging lingo of my 10 year old niece

Aug 24 2011

ENCOURAGING WORDS

inspiring - 5 months ago - chris

This is courtesy the Westside Studio Blog and their guest Niall Kelly. I’ve certainly felt this, but have never articulated it as well as Ira Glass does here:

Here’s to closing the gap!

Aug 19 2011

IT’S ALL HAPPENING IN SEPTEMBER

film community / project updates / recommended - 5 months ago - chris

Nicola and I finally got word about our application to CFC Features:

“Due to various circumstances the selection committee is still finalizing their decisions for the short list, and the turnaround time for notifying applicants is taking longer than usual. Please know that your project is still in consideration for the short list. We anticipate final decisions to be made by early September, with interviews happening later that month.”

That’s fine – I love September. That old back-to-school feeling of renewal and fresh starts and new projects. And, of course, there’s also that fun little film fest.

Speaking of which… Cinematographer extraordinaire Ben Lichty (the man behind the camera on Two Words) has a film in this year’s TIFF – Ingrid Veninger’s I am a good person/I am a bad person.

I am a person who is looking forward to this film.

For some serious filmmaking inspiration check out Ingrid’s website. In particular I recommend checking out her press kit where you can read all about her process and the film’s journey and just generally marvel at her chutzpah.

Aug 14 2011

CFC RESULTS

project updates - 6 months ago - chris

… are still not in!

After a May 27 deadline and an expected wait of 6-8 weeks, Nicola and I have yet to hear anything about our CFC Features application.

Meanwhile, the summer is sliding by in waves of writing and working on set. This past week saw a break from both, though, as I took a much-needed and much-appreciated vacation. It’s amazing what a little time in nature, (especially time out of cell phone range) can do for a person- I’m feeling refreshed and inspired.

My partner and I went to a place very far up north, a place I haven’t been to in 10 years. In fact, the last time I was there I was at a very different stage in my artistic life.

Country Road, 2001, by Chris Ross

Yes, I was painting landscapes.

When I spent the majority of my time painting, my Mother always told me I should paint landscapes (“because people like landscapes”)* and one year, sick of working in restaurants to support my art, I decided to see if she was right. Well, people don’t like landscapes, they love landscapes, and I gained a new appreciation for landscape paintings and painters. It was a strange and difficult year, though, as I’m not naturally drawn to this subject matter as an artist and painting, which was previously a joy, became a job. At the same time, I was just starting to explore the film path and was increasingly frustrated by the bizarre fact that all my time was being sucked up by these landscapes. I did make some money from this experiment, but the effort required (it takes time to do anything well) and the increasingly soul-less feeling I was feeling didn’t quite balance out, so back to the restaurant it was…

Anyway, while up north [...]

Continue Reading…

Jul 29 2011

SARAH POLLEY’S NEW PALETTE

recommended - 6 months ago - chris

TIFF recently published the list of films coming this way in September and Sarah Polley’s Take this Waltz is one of the Gala Presentations.

I’m quite excited to see this film. It has a great director, great cast, rumored great script (it made The Black List a couple years ago) and a very appealing colour scheme.

Still from Sarah Polley's Take this Waltz with Michelle Williams and Luke Kirby

Part of this image is featured in the poster for the film and I love the poppy, primary colours and gorgeous summertime lighting. (Other images from the film on the TIFF website show more of the same.)

I also love the way this particular photo captures a sort of old-fashioned Norman Rockwell kind of feeling (the diner setting, the old milkshake machines), but subverts it at the same time with their suggestive expressions and martinis.

Nice work SP & DP Luc Montpellier!*

Looking forward to September…

* and, of course, the rest of the cast & crew. (some of whom I know personally and am happy to report that they all spoke very highly of SP and had a lovely experience working on this lovely looking film.)

Jul 24 2011

THE THING ABOUT MIRANDA JULY…

recommended - 6 months ago - chris

… is that she’s just so awesome.

a still from MJ's first film "Me and You and Everyone We Know"

Inspiring in a way that makes me want to be exactly like her. Except I know that I’m not exactly like her and even trying to be exactly like her would be the exact opposite of being exactly like her because she seems to be so totally herself that she would want everyone else, including me, to be totally themselves, too.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out her new blog for her new movie The Future, or her old blog, which includes her new blog and everything else.

Jul 17 2011

10 REASONS TO LOVE ELECTION

recommended - 6 months ago - chris

No, not election(s) in general, Election the movie from 1999, directed by Alexander Payne and written by him and Jim Taylor from a novel by Tom Perrotta. Starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon.

I recently got back a stack of DVDs from Fiona (of Deliver Me, Two Words, and Pink fame), which I lent to her last year after she broke her knee, and promptly re-watched one of my all-time favs. If you’ve never seen this film, I strongly encourage you to do so immediately and have thoughtfully compiled a list of reasons why…

1. The story. So simple, yet so brilliant. A solid piece of entertainment built around a high school election that also manages to explore it’s very serious theme of ethics and morals on every level (including filmically!).

2. Matthew Broderick as Jim McAllister. Fantastic actor, and a pleasure to have watched go from great teen movies (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) to great adult movies (see also You Can Count On Me).

Reese Witherspoon & Matthew Broderick in Election.

3. Reese Witherspoon as Tracy Flick. One of my favorite actresses working today. Can do leading lady as well as character pieces. Comedy. Drama. She sings. She’s amazing. Reese can do no wrong.

4. Discriminating and excellent use of swear words.

5. The language/writing in general. (As highlighted by DVD scene selection titles such as ‘harmonious & productive’, and ‘slanderous accusations’.)

6. The voice overs. While most films demonstrate how one voice-over is too much, Election proves that four is just right.

7. The music. Not just the wonderful score by Rolfe Kent, but the excellent song choices and wonderful ‘sting’ used whenever Reese Witherspoon’s character gets mad (a piece by Ennio Morricone originally composed for the spaghetti western Navajo Joe)

8. Larry Fouch. The Election Committee Chairman played by Nick D’Agosto in [...]

Continue Reading…

Jul 15 2011

MOON OVER BASE CAMP

life on set - 7 months ago - chris

An homage to K. Hughes, after her terrific series of base camp sunrise/sunset photos…

Full Moon Over Base Camp (with a hint o' craft truck), 2011*

Full Moon Over Base Camp (from the series, my favorite lock-ups), 2011

Full Moon Over Base Camp, (Mack truck detail), 2011

*framing & title inspired by my work today- police ID photo on grey with a hint o’ American flag – Thank you, J. Moore and B.M. Holzberg.

Jul 4 2011

THE WAITING GAME

project updates / writing - 7 months ago - chris

It’s been a busy time here at CRAAF headquarters.

Doing lots of dailies, mostly on TV shows, with one notable feature film exception. Long hours all around, but also managing to get some writing in- I recently finished a (very) rough draft of a new feature script and it’s been incredibly refreshing to live in a different world after the ‘Emily’ onslaught with the CFC application.

Speaking of which… In just a few short weeks, Nicola and I find out if we’ve been short-listed for a interview even though I managed to bounce the application check (yep, just plain forgot about it- very unlike me). Nicola was understandably pissed, and for a heart-stopping weekend I thought I’d gotten us kicked out of the whole selection process. The kind folks at the CFC were very understanding, however (apparently this happens more than you’d think) and let us hang in there (hoping ‘hang’ isn’t the operative word here). I also managed to have a major script breakthrough on ‘Emily’- the kind that naturally happens only after you’ve submitted an important application. Fantastic for the project as a whole, but anxiety-producing for the pending submission. (If only they could read the script that’s in my head!)

And so it continues- working & waiting. Waiting & working.

Jun 27 2011

ROOKIE BLUE

life on set / recommended - 7 months ago - chris

I meant to get this up last week in time for the Season 2 Premiere, but here it is, in time for the 2nd episode this Thursday on Global at 10pm.

I worked on this show quite a lot as a daily AD. It was a sweet gig- working downtown with a great crew and super talented cast.

Best of luck to Rookie Blue for their second season!

Jun 26 2011

SOME LAUGHS UNDER THE STARS

film community - 7 months ago - chris

Pink screens in Fuller Avenue Parkette

Last night Pink screened in the “Screening Under The Stars” program of the Parkdale Film & Video Showcase.

This was the first time I, or any of my collaborators, had seen this little short with an audience and we were pleasantly surprised at the amount of laughter we got for our efforts. I have to say there is little else that is as gratifying as making people laugh (making them cry? maybe I’ll find out one day…).

Anyway, there is a wealth of talent here in Parkdale. This particular fest leans toward the arty, so last night there was a lot of stuff I probably wouldn’t give thirty seconds to, if it passed before me on my tv screen. I’m one of those people who definitely has to see slower paced stuff on the big screen, where I’m sort of, uh, captive and less distracted. Last night, the final film in the program was an abstraction of Norman McLaren’s 1968 film Pas de Deux, which, frankly, I thought would be boring as hell (one look at the description and running time – 12 minutes!), but instead I found it wonderfully inspiring and came away with some ideas for new paintings, of all things! The film is called Plus de Deux, and it’s by an artist named David Frankovich.

Lovely night, all around.

Jun 11 2011

PINK IN THE PARK!

film community / project updates - 8 months ago - chris

Pink was just accepted into the Parkdale Film and Video Showcase!

One of my all-time favorite film festivals, it used to be known as the Parkdale REHAB Film Festival* and it was where I had my first ever public screening. (My first short Deliver Me screened there back in 2007.)

The festival is organized by the Parkdale Beauty Pageant Society, a renewable collective of local artists, curators and arts educators.

Pink is screening at the Fuller Avenue Parkette on Saturday, June 25th, so come on out! In the fest’s words-

“Bring your own blankets and snacks and settle in under the stars for a family-friendly, fun and thought-provoking outdoor screening of new and recent film and video shorts by Parkdale-based artists. Our most popular event is PWYC!”

In other news, Pink’s excellent camera-man, Jon Wayne Brown, just heard that his television project The Small Time was shortlisted for NSI’s TV development program- Totally Television.

Good luck, Jon!

*Parkdale’s all rehabilitated now, hence the name change.

Jun 7 2011

APPLICATION NATION & GOOD NEIGHBOURS

project updates / recommended - 8 months ago - chris

This afternoon I struggled with burning yet another DVD for yet another application. Now, every submission guideline for every grant/film fest/whatever is different, so that means that each accompanying reel/clip/collection of films on the accompanying DVD has to be re-edited/burned/whatever. Being semi-tech-literate, this process usually takes me at least four times longer than it should and today was no exception. This particular DVD is for an application to TIFF’s Talent Lab, a very fun-looking program that takes place during the festival in September.

As DVDs must be dropped off at the Bell Lightbox, I think I will time my drop-off to catch a screening of Good Neighbours – Jacob Tierney’s latest film starring Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, and the wonderful Scott Speedman.

Check out the trailer below – It looks like a deliciously noirish good time.

LATE BREAKING UPDATE:

So engrossed in Good Neighbours, I completely forgot to drop off my DVD while at the Lightbox- doh! Will now have to courier it tomorrow to meet the deadline, as I’m on set all day. Needless to say, the film is definitely worth a watch, especially at the gorgeous Lightbox theatre!

May 27 2011

DONE & DONE!

project updates / writing - 8 months ago - chris

Our application to the CFC Features program, that is.

Yes, Nicola and I slipped our application in under the wire this afternoon, just two hours before the five o’clock deadline. We’re feeling pretty great about the app, but more importantly, about the project itself- we ended up learning a lot about our feature Emily while putting the package together- the part of grant writing I’ve always appreciated. Plus, I learned a lot about grammar! Nicola is just a few months away from getting her PHD in English and I must say, it was both fun and trippy writing with someone who could definitively answer the semi colon question; should it go here?

(No. Definitely not there, in case you were wondering.)

May 25 2011

HOW TO PITCH A MOVIE IDEA – SNAP!

film community / project updates - 8 months ago - chris

Nicola and I have been hard at work on our application to the CFC Features program (3 days to deadline), and one of the most difficult parts of the process has been the film’s marketing strategy.

Of course! How you want to market the film makes you ask the difficult questions that you should already know the answers to (especially if you’re doing a marketing strategy!) – What is this film about? Who is it for? What other films does it remind you of? The first two questions are no problem, but the third is a little tricky, especially if it’s not yet a completed film.

For some reason (procrastination, probably), I thought about this video I saw a few years ago. Not totally related to what I was just saying, but fun all the same…

May 10 2011

THE FUTURE LOOKS GOOD

recommended - 9 months ago - chris

I am so excited to see this movie.

Miranda July. Such an inspiration.

May 6 2011

COLOUR ME KUBRICK

recommended - 9 months ago - chris

Art, film, & colour, oh my!

Found this online the other day (thanks First Showing) – a colour-coded gallery of Stanley Kubrick-related art from La Cinémathèque Française. Wonderful stuff. See for yourself.

May 1 2011

A GOOD MOVIE

recommended - 9 months ago - chris

Barney’s Version was just plain satisfying!

Superb acting*, wonderful craft (including amazing hair and make-up), beautifully photographed and, most important, of course- a juicy story.

It was a fun night out at the Revue.

If you didn’t catch it at the theatres, I highly recommend it as a rental.

*Scott Speedman, in particular, was a revelation.

May 1 2011

CFC FEATURES, TAKE 2

project updates - 9 months ago - chris

Okay, technically it’s take 3, but I can’t really count my first application. I applied alone, with possibly the worst script ever, and the thinking that I was going to switch gears from painting into filmmaking and make a feature film immediately. Don’t get me wrong – I believe it’s possible, but in my case I seriously underestimated my own learning curve. (It’s still curving! Look at it curve! It’s like the God Damn Appalachians!)

Cut to a few years later and the ever-lasting optimism that this is it! The biggest differences between then and now is that desperation and self-delusion have been replaced with simple joy in the process and the confidence that even if we’re not accepted, this film is definitely getting made. How can I be so sure, you ask? Because this time, I have an awesome producer on board!

So, here it goes… the deadline is May 27, 26 days away as of today with quite a few AD dailies booked in there as well. Wish us luck. They’ve expanded the application guidelines this year, so the competition will be fierce!

For more info about CFC Features, click here.

Apr 21 2011

SPRINGTIME IN PARIS IS LOOKING PINK

film community - 9 months ago - chris

Cinematographer Ben Lichty, a friend and collaborator (he shot Two Words) was recently in Europe shooting Ingrid Veninger’s new film and sent me this pic, saying it made him think of Pink.

window display in Paris

I love it- thanks, Ben! Can’t wait to see the new film…

Apr 19 2011

THE JOY OF MAKING MOVIES, er…

life on set - 9 months ago - chris

I began this post on a day off between my 2 weeks of work on set. I was working as an AD on re-shoots of a big movie and, as you can see by the title, the first week went very well.

I was high on the beautiful big-movie lighting and giddy over the collaboration of highly skilled technicians, all in the name of art. The movie was troubled, to be sure, but the key players were all so passionate about getting the story right, it was inspiring to witness.

The second week went, well, less well, and I am very happy to be back working on my own stuff, and throwing my money-making-lot back into the daily game. It’s amazing how long 2 weeks can seem when you’re strapped into the roller coaster of film production.

Apr 5 2011

UN PETIT PINK

project updates - 10 months ago - chris

I did a little spring cleaning on the website and thought I would take the opportunity to share the new version of Pink. This is the silent, 1 minute version that David and I will be submitting to TUFF. Enjoy-

ps. the script re-write went very well (ie, the operation was a success!) and now I’m back on set for a couple weeks.

A better report to follow shortly…

Apr 5 2011

AWESOME MOVIE POSTER ART

recommended - 10 months ago - chris

This was forwarded to me by a friend-

brickhut – a designer’s website/blog with movie posters that perfectly, stylishly, encapsulate the whole film in a single image.

Check out this one for The Breakfast Club-

Beautiful work.

Mar 17 2011

RE-WRITING A SCRIPT IS LIKE…

project updates / writing - 11 months ago - chris

… taking a car apart, looking at all the pieces on the lawn and then trying to put it back together so it will run better. Or, at least, that’s the analogy that’s been in my mind for past re-writes.

As I get ready to start another revision of my feature script ‘Emily’ (yes, the same one I claimed was done in many past posts), a different analogy has come to mind and it’s been freaking me out a little.

This time, I feel like I’m a surgeon who’s about to operate. It’s a risky procedure, and the script will be in a lot of danger, but if I don’t try this operation, it will definitely die. The script has been prepped for surgery and is waiting for me to start writing…

At this point, I should probably mention that I worked on set for just under 19 hours yesterday. Yes. From 1pm Wednesday to 7:45am Thursday. And now, after 6 hours of sleeping in the day, I feel like I’m on drugs.

Mar 14 2011

GETTING THE TONE RIGHT

project updates - 11 months ago - chris

As the re-writes continue on my feature project ‘Emily’, one thing has become clear- the tone of the film is not coming across in the screenplay.

I see the story as a dark comedy/drama/romance where others see only the drama/romance. Sure, there are still other problems with the story, but this is the only one I’m really struggling with how to solve.

London-based filmmaker Joseph Brett cut this trailer to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as an editing exercise and it made me think about the nuances of tone.

Brett says- “My aim was to make it look more like an indie coming of age film; perhaps the kind of film Sofia Coppola or Godard might make.”

I think he succeeded! (Especially in showing how much of an influence music has on tone.)

For my purposes, I’m going to read (and re-read) some screenplays I admire to see how it’s done… And I just might start with one that I think is genius at setting the tone through it’s descriptions (and genius in general); Withnail & I, by Bruce Robinson.

Check out his description of a public house:

This is an Irish pub. It’s filling up in direct proportion to the emptying of the churches. The bar is full of men. Only two women in here and they look like men. Faces like rotten beetroots. One has a tuft of carrot-coloured hair. Everybody here has one thing in common. They have come in here to get drunk. It’s a horrible place. Shit-coloured Formica. Carpet like the surface of a road. The atmosphere is rank with smoke and Irish accent. WITHNAIL leads the way to the bar and is served at once.

Now, I’ve been writing under the guide that if you can’t see it (“… in direct proportion to the emptying of the churches”), don’t describe it.

In his [...]

Continue Reading…

Mar 9 2011

UN PETIT PINK, COMING SOON

project updates - 11 months ago - chris

Today, David and I worked out a new version of PINK that clocks in just under a minute. It’s waaay better than the old version (although, unfortunately has no sound or music).

Fiona Walker in PINK

We’re going to enter the film into TUFF, my new favorite film festival! (where you don’t need sound or music ’cause the films play on the TTC).

Check out their awesome website, where you can watch loads of fun 1 minute films from last year’s festival.

Feb 28 2011

BEST LINE AT THE OSCARS

film community - 11 months ago - chris

“I’m Banksy”

Delivered by Justin Timberlake as he stepped out to present an award.

He could be. He can do everything else.

Love JT.

Feb 23 2011

PLOT FOR THOUGHT

recommended - 11 months ago - chris

I just finished reading Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots: Why we tell stories.

Weighing in at just over 700 pages, I confess I’ve been reading this sucker since the fall. A drop in the hat compared to the author, though, who spent over 30 years writing the thing.

I found the book engaging, compelling, inspiring, and deeply thought-provoking for all manner of story-related things.

I would highly recommend checking it out if you are a writer or a filmmaker, and have no doubt you’ll find something of value, even if you don’t agree with all of Booker’s ideas.

I did a little googling about the author before tackling this post and feel a bit like I fell down the rabbit hole. A controversial fellow, to say the least, but I’ll leave that stuff up to Wikipedia and your own level of interest.

The book got a mixed reception from the literary community, and I thought I’d include this hilarious headline from a review published by Adam Mars-Jones in The Observer-

“Terminator 2 good, The Odyssey bad”
You can read the rest of the review here, but I think The Washington Post’s Denis Dutton is a little more articulate and a little less nasty. (although I don’t particularly agree with either of them)

Feb 11 2011

THE PROBLEM WITH CANADIAN FILM

film community / recommended - 12 months ago - chris

Earlier this week, JWB and I went to a LIFT OUT LOUD script-reading event moderated by Glenn Cockburn, the founder of Meridian Artists.

Now Glenn is an agent and a producer*, among other things, and had many interesting and informative things to say about the state of Canadian film. I was very glad I attended the reading, as much of what he said resonated with me, and I left feeling totally inspired.

According to Glenn, Canadians love to withhold drama while they develop the crap out of stuff. As in… we want to show you a character and show you the world that she lives in, and the world she works in, and the world… well, you get the point- Get to the point!

He used a great example from Good Will Hunting to illustrate this idea about how fast things should happen in (good, compelling) films. ‘How much time (did we think) passes before you see the first math problem in the film?’ We collectively guessed 10 minutes.

Definitely not the problem... a very fun film- check it out.

The answer: not even close to 10 minutes!

Okay, Glenn did give a number, but I thought I’d provide a real specific math-like answer instead. (mostly because I spent part of the morning reading the script online and find his answer so hard to believe, I must confirm it for myself**)

In a Canadian film, it probably would be 10 minutes and here Glenn drove the idea home, saying we might see the math problem, but only after we’d seen the character working as a janitor, eating his lunch alone, reading math books, being depressed, etc.

Over beers after the reading, JWB and I agreed- we’d both been stricken with develop-itis in the past and were working [...]

Continue Reading…

Feb 2 2011

AT THE MOVIES, THE JOY AND THE (LOUD) PAIN

life on set / project updates - 12 months ago - chris

The past two weeks have seen me finish my time on Rookie Blue and get back to my own projects, which means writing, writing, and more writing, broken only by a lot of film & TV watching.

I’ve just begun a major revision on my feature ‘Emily’ and Nicola* and I have starting talking about who we’d like to cast in the film, so this means research! In the last couple weeks I’ve probably watched 15 films at home, tons of clips on YouTube, and even caught a couple movies at the theater, which leads me to the following rant…

Blue Valentine and The King’s Speech. An interesting double bill, and a pretty great night at the movies. The pain of it all comes from the people who go and see movies at the theater (which is awesome, of course), but act like they are at home in their living rooms catching up with friends (not awesome when they are sitting next to you). I’m afraid it taps into my AD rage (leftover from set), where I’ve noticed that some people can’t manage to stop talking. Ever. And are often in my lock-up.**

Anyway, during Blue Valentine, my usual pissiness towards the people talking morphed into genuine astonishment as I realized it wasn’t just the people near me, it was damn near the whole theater! And almost every time the actors were silent on screen became an opportunity for people to chat. Unbelievable. It made me really appreciate the storytellers’ efforts when I noticed they had managed to capture the attention of the entire audience for a quiet moment on screen.***

It also made me appreciate movie-goers in New York City, who might talk to each other, sure, but at least they include you by talking to the screen as well.

This summer, in [...]

Continue Reading…

Jan 23 2011

THE CASTING CONUNDRUM & SOME VERY COOL NEWS

film community / project updates / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

It’s been a productive weekend.

Lots of writing, and a fun film-related night on Friday to kick things off- Cast This! The Ins and Outs of Casting, a panel discussion that’s part of Canada’s Top Ten, organized by TIFF.

new film by filmmaker Ingrid Veninger, one of the Cast This! panelists

This was the official write up on the panel-
Cast This! The Ins and Outs of Casting

The great French director Louis Malle once said that casting was 80% of a director’s job. Find out if it’s actually true and learn about the ins and outs of casting with Canada’s Top Ten filmmakers Denis Côté (Curling), Deborah Chow (The High Cost of Living) and Ingrid Veninger (MODRA), as well as casting agents John Buchan and Jason Knight (Splice) and producers Leonard Farlinger and Jennifer Jonas (Trigger), as they discuss the different approaches they took to casting and developing their films. The panel will be moderated by noted producer Damon D’Oliveira (Rude, Law of Enclosures, Proteus, Lie with Me, Poor Boy’s Game).

So… what did I learn at this panel…? Let’s see… I learned Denis Côté is hilarious. And, oh yeah, there are pretty much no rules to casting a film except that you gotta have a great script that people will actually want to perform. Okay.

Ingrid Veninger said something that night that really struck a chord with me, though. To paraphrase – she said that meeting your collaborators (or casting) is a lot like falling in love. You can set out for the night and say ‘tonight I’m going to fall in love!’ and, of course, when does it ever happen like that? It’s always more like a surprise that happens [...]

Continue Reading…

Jan 10 2011

PINK AND YELLOW, COMING SOON TO A FILM FEST NEAR YOU (I HOPE)

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

craft service on the set of 'Pink'

I was reading over the eligibility requirements for Telefilm funding the other day and noticed that I am one film-in-a-festival shy of officially qualifying. In an attempt to rectify this situation, I’ve submitted Pink and So Yellow to a couple of fests. Keep your fingers crossed, folks!

Jan 8 2011

BEST ART DOCS EVER

recommended - 1 year ago - chris

I saw Exit Through the Gift Shop last night. A documentary by world famous street artist Banksy.

work by Banksy featured in Exit Through the Gift Shop

Great flick, hugely entertaining. Like most films, best seen without knowing too much about it. I will say it was a wonderful introduction to Banksy and his work, though.

Watching Exit Through the Gift Shop reminded me of my all-time favorite film about artists and their work, ironically another documentary about “street/graffitti” artists – Beautiful Losers

A fantastic film. Would make a great double bill with Exit Through the Gift Shop. One film shows what I feel is the meaning and heart of street art, and the other shows the superficial surface and potential for souless-ness, while each of them comment on both sides of the issue.

A roster of incredibly strong and talented artists shows up in each film (with Shepard Fairey appearing in both). Margaret Kilgallen in Beautiful Losers was a particular revelation, but do yourself a favour if you don’t know her or her work, and watch the doc before you look her up.

Jan 7 2011

NEW YEAR, NEW TO-DO LIST

film community / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

From the same source that published the list that inspired my original post, I offer another one for the new year…

That’s right, from Filmmaker magazine: NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR FILMMAKERS by Scott Macaulay. (below is an abbreviated version)

1. Amplify your voice.

Macaulay says – “You have a voice. Make it bigger in 2011. Spread it wider and connect it to more people. If you are working within your own little crew, spread out.”

Hear, hear – My little crew is sooo little, it pretty much has no choice but to get bigger this year!

2. Improve your social.

Macaulay says – “Review your online practices and make them better. Do you blog? Blog more. Or blog less, but more meaningfully when you do.” etc

On this same tip, I would suggest (and am going to try) also improving your “social” skills by participating in others’ social stuff more. Sure, I blog and occasionally tweet, and facebook-whateves, but I rarely participate in group discussions, read way more than I comment on, etc. 2011 – Time to git involved!

3. See the Essential 100.

Macaulay says – “Great films are nourishing. There are treasures for the present in the past. Don’t get caught up with only the newest — make 2011 the year you fill in the cracks of your cinephilia. An easy way to do this is to watch all the films in the Toronto International Film Festival group’s “Essential 100.” It’s a list of classics selected by critics, curators and audiences published alongside the opening of its new Bell Lightbox facility.”

Yay, Scott Macaulay! Givin’ props to the peeps in TO! I 100% endorse this particular resolution, for the classics, sure, but also for the Lightbox – if you love film and live in Toronto, go and see [...]

Continue Reading…

Dec 31 2010

JULIAN SCHNABEL, ARTIST EXTRAORDINAIRE!

recommended - 1 year ago - chris

Yup, I’m a fan. Love, love, love his films and have a (recently acquired) respect for his work as a painter.

Just under the wire (the show closes Jan. 2/10), I saw the retrospective of his work at the AGO; Julian Schnabel: Art and Film. Great show, and very, very inspiring to a painter/filmmaker like yours truly. If you’re not familiar with his films, I highly encourage you to check them out- Basquiat, Before Night Falls, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. (His latest, Miral, is due out in March)*

or, in english, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"

Before I sign off for the year, I thought I’d share my favorite Julian Schnabel moment (from The Diving Bell and the Butterfly):

A man is imprisoned in his body by a stroke and for the majority of the first part of the film, we feel his immobility through an intense POV- He can only see out of one eye and Schnabel makes it real for the viewer. When the sense of claustrophobia is at it’s worst, and begins to feel really unbearable, Schnabel cuts to an image of wild movement (and sets it to a pounding rock song!). It took me a minute to realize what I was even looking at when I first saw it, but gradually realized it’s the back of a woman’s head, and her hair is blowing a million different ways as she rides in a convertible! It felt like such a release and was pure, cinematic joy- I think it’s one of the best expressions of the idea of freedom ever put on film.

So, thanks for the great art and inspiration, Julian Schnabel!

& Happy New Year!

*He also directed the documentary Lou Reed Berlin, which I have yet to check out, but I’m sure [...]

Continue Reading…

Dec 23 2010

CHRISTMAS ON SET

life on set - 1 year ago - chris

It’s been a busy, busy season. Continuing to do dailies on Rookie Blue, setting up the new place, squeezing in some writing time when I can.

Yesterday was my last day on set for 2010 and the locations department did something that has shifted my Christmas Spirit into high gear… The Locations Rookie Blue Christmas Tree. Decorated entirely with garbage found lying around the studio, here it is for your enjoyment and Christmas delight-

The Locations Rookie Blue Christmas Tree

Happy Holidays everyone!

Dec 5 2010

THE RED SHOES & PINK

project updates / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

I watched The Red Shoes for the first time last night and was inspired by the artistry and the incredible economy of the film. The film runs 133 minutes but shots don’t linger longer than necessary to tell the story. The whole thing had a surprisingly modern feeling to it and I could see why Martin Scorcese cites it as one of his all-time faves. I could see Martin Scorcese in it! Obviously, ties are strong between him, his work, and this film. His long-time editor Thelma Schoonmaker was married to one of the directors of The Red Shoes- Micheal Powell (the other part of the writer/director/producer team being Emeric Pressburger), and she and Scorcese spear-headed the restoration of the film to it’s original Technicolor glory.*

The Red Shoes, 1948

Thinking about The Red Shoes led me to re-edit PINK today.

Awhile ago David and I talked about re-editing the film and entering it in the Toronto Urban Film Festival next year. The big challenge is the film has to be 1 minute long (and silent). Today I got it down to a minute and a half and it’s about a million times better than it’s full length version.

When we made the film, I decided to edit it myself to learn about how shots are put together, etc., but I’ve always believed in the benefits of having an actual editor to work on projects with, and today proved that point is a good one. Not that I’ve become a new editor, but I realized how much of each shot was included just because I had feelings towards it that were left over from either the conception or the shoot, and these feelings ultimately got in the way of making the film better.

I was reminded of Zadie Smith’s [...]

Continue Reading…

Dec 2 2010

WRITING INSPIRATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

I’m off today after many busy, fun-filled days on set. Off to re-connect with the reason I work on set in the first place! (and also to organize my house a little)

As it happens, the recent move has inspired me and given me an idea for a new feature script that I’m dying to start writing! So… to get my head out of AD-land and back into screenwriting/filmmaking-land, I procrastinated, I mean, googled, screenwriting tips this morning and found this gem-

“Yes, I can tell you were drinking when you wrote that sequence. Hey, it’s evocative and fast-paced. If only it made any sense…”

I love drinking humor, what can I say? Loads more good tips to be found at Screenwriting Tips… You Hack

Right. I’m off to procrastinate, I mean, organize my office and then get down to some serious writing… wish me luck!

Nov 20 2010

BREAST FEST

film community / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

Last night I attended the premiere of Breast Fest, a film festival dedicated to breast cancer-related films. I went last year as well and continue to be very impressed with the whole shh-bang.

Great organization, great films, great party after, and there’s something incredibly intense and moving about watching films dealing with breast cancer in a room full of people who have all been affected (in one way or another), by the disease.

If you’re in Toronto, I highly recommend checking it out- it’s only on this weekend. Or at least check out their wonderful trailer for the event-

Nov 15 2010

GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS

film community / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

Hello neglected blog. It’s been 3 weeks since my last post and I fear my mind has been occupied by many things, hardly any of them film or art-related.*

That’s about to change, though. I’m writing this post from my new, not-really-set-up-yet-office and thought I would mention a couple things happening this week.

Tonight, for example, myself and fellow filmmaker Jon Wayne Brown (whose short film A Well-Lit Life premieres TODAY on NSI’s Online Short Film Festival) are attending a lecture by John Hamburg, he of ‘Meet the Fockers’ fame. It’s part of the CFC’s comedy lab. Should be interesting and hopefully inspiring.

Later this week, I’m attending the premiere film of Breast Fest (a film fest dedicated to films with some relation to breast cancer). I went last year and was very impressed by the organizers of the event and the films I saw. I would highly encourage others to check it out.

In between, I’m doing dailies on Rookie Blue- a cop show that’s proving to be a great learning experience.

So, there you go – hoping to add some writing into the mix next weekend and voilà- I’m more or less back on track.

So… more soon, and more often as I aim to get back into my once-a-week blogging. But first, I have to finish unpacking…

* I just moved and my mind has been filled with things like packing and finding rubber mats for boots and painting (rooms)

Oct 25 2010

ONE YEAR OF CHRIS ROSS ART AND FILM!

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

Yes, tomorrow it will be a year since I started this blog. Since tomorrow (and for the rest of the week), I am working on a TV show, I thought I would take a moment to address the anniversary today.

In my first post I talked about ‘committing to film’ (and, indeed named my blog after that post for awhile). Today I will celebrate #8 on the list- ‘manage your goals and chart your progress’.

First up, some progress charting- In the last year, I…

-made 2 short films! (So Yellow, and Pink)

-wrote a script for another short (The Moon)

-got a screenwriting grant from the Canada Council!!

-learned how to use Final Cut Pro

-wrote 75 blog posts on my new blog!

-scrapped the script I’ve been working on for a couple of years, started fresh and finished a feature script I actually like!!!

As I head into my second year as a blogger, I’m also moving into a new house, and the new year/new digs combo feels like a genuine fresh start. On that note, here are the ‘goals’ part of the equation- This year, I…

-will raise the money to make my first feature (which I’ll call ‘Emily’ for now), aiming for a shooting date in the winter of 2012.

-will start writing new feature scripts

-will make at least one new short, including ‘The Moon’

-will start painting again (the new digs have space for a little studio)

-will make improvements to the website

Regular readers of this blog will know that this hasn’t been an easy year for me on a personal level, and will also remember that for every gain in the filmmaking sphere there has been a fair share of rejection. I’m feeling optimistic about the coming year, however, and look forward to sharing the journey with you. In the meantime, thanks for reading [...]

Continue Reading…

Sep 28 2010

A PINK LESSON

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

Today I was booked for a daily on the TV show Rookie Blue but, because of the rain, the schedule was changed and I now have the day off! Raining = Writing!

After finishing PINK, and doing some networking at the fests, I’m finally ready to move the feature back to the front burner and get those re-writes cooking! But first… a little procrastination in the form of blogging and a lesson learned from PINK that is highly applicable to the task at hand, namely-

YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE THE STORY TIGHTER!

Yes, indeed. Being a fan of short films that are actually short (5 minutes or less), I tried to edit PINK to be the shortest, most compact, most economical version of itself it could be, and yet… I think it could be shorter still. One sequence I found particularly vexing was the beginning. The first shot was meant to set up the Ivy-head character as a character longing for something/someone. And, in my opinion, it works, because it’s ambiguous as to whether he’s looking at the flowers or the girl…

the flowers, or the girl?

The next sequence (in front of the flower shop), while revealing the Ivy-head’s head, essentially does the same thing as the first shot but perhaps slows things down a little because it’s all about flowers and not about romance, or a question of both.

he likes flowers, we get it already

ok, the reveal is what this scene is for...

While editing the film I looked for a way to cut out the flower shop sequence altogether – just cut to Ivy-head walking and discovering Cherry-Blossom head, right?

what kind of introduction for Ivy-head would this be?

A lack-lustre introduction of his Ivy-head! Plus, [...]

Continue Reading…

Sep 20 2010

TIFF AND WIFT AND AFF, OH MY!

film community - 1 year ago - chris

The thing that sucks about blogging is that when interesting stuff is happening, there is not enough time to write about it!

PINK is, of course, done, and getting out there and getting some really positive feedback. Soon I will post a PINK wrap-up about all the things I learned from this film. In the meantime, though, a quick re-cap of my recent adventures in networking…
TIFF
As some of you may recall, I was debating shelling out some dough for a TIFF ‘networking’ pass in the interest of finding a producing partner for my up-coming projects. After many failed attempts to get one for free, I decided to hang on to my cash and maximize whatever networking opportunities came my way. As it turned out, I worked on Being Erica for the first part of the festival, and went to Halifax for the last weekend of the fest, so… my TIFF experience was basically two screenings and one party.

Screening #1 was a selection of Canadian shorts. It was an impressive program, and, while watching, I decided I would approach the producers of the best films in the hopes that they are looking for new projects. Towards that end, some light networking happened after the screening.

Screening #2 was ‘Sleeping Beauty’, Catherine Breillat’s latest film. It screened at the new Bell Lightbox*, which was totally inspiring (the building not the film, which was OK).

No networking happened at this event, but my friend Lucie and I had a lovely time, and stayed for some drinks at the Lightbox bar, a place I imagine I will be spending a lot of time in, in the future. (the building and the bar)
WIFT
The Party was thrown by WIFT (Women in Film and Television), of which I am a member. As this was my only official networking opportunity, [...]

Continue Reading…

Sep 14 2010

PINK IS DONE!

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

Turns out the colour correction was easy peasy… maybe an hour, tops. The audio, however, was A LOT of work! Man alive… the recording, the editing, the re-recording… it all took A LOT of time!

Yesterday Charlie* and I did the sound mix together, and that was fun! However tedious sound editing is, the mixing is a creative joy.

Now all that’s left is the uploading, which I’m doing as I write this…

* Charlie Finlay, the composer.

Sep 6 2010

BEST CANADIAN FILM EVER

recommended - 1 year ago - chris

Scott Pilgrim vs the World.

Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead star in Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Based on Brian Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel of the same name, Scott Pilgrim is set in Toronto, and in spite of it’s director being a Brit, it’s funding being American** (as well as half the cast), I think this should definitely be considered a Canadian film. Or maybe a Toronto film?* It’s definitely my favorite depiction of my favorite city in film so far. It felt very contemporary but at the same time reminded me of my student days at OCAD.

Anyway, Scott Pilgrim is funny, but it’s not just funny- it’s smart funny. And just plain smart. And subtle. And sweet. And surreal. And absurd. And visually exciting. I loved every minute! (well, maybe not every minute of the fighting – the only part I felt dragged a bit.)

Also, in spite of being set in winter, hockey is never mentioned! Big points in my book & a minor miracle in general as it’s something that every other film set in Canada seems to feel the need to do… and usually in a not-so-subtle way.

I worked on the film, briefly (I did a couple days on second unit), and I know lots of other folks who were a part of the crew. By all accounts it was a challenging shoot (well, what shoot isn’t, right?), but what a great finished film! Congratulations to all who helped make it happen and big thanks to director Edgar Wright and lead Michael Cera for pulling it off in such an awesome way! I can’t remember the last time I was so entertained at the theatre, and so appreciative of all the sweet little details.

I highly recommend it and look forward to seeing it [...]

Continue Reading…

Sep 1 2010

GREAT CLOONEY MOVIE POSTERS

recommended - 1 year ago - chris

I was futzing around with my website today (that’s fooling around for those of you not hip to my advanced tech talk), and I posted a mock up of a little postcard I’m designing for the release of PINK. This page will be the new “home” page of the website for awhile- at least until the film is posted and then for some time after, I reckon.

In the interest of further colour correction procrastination, I thought I would also post a new great movie poster for a film opening today- The American, starring George Clooney.

The poster was designed by MOJO, a company also responsible for the Scott Pilgrim Vs The World posters. (A point I bring up only because I saw the film last night and loved it!)

The poster for The American reminded me of another great poster, for a film also starring George Clooney, which is hands down my favorite film I’ve seen him in, (and an all around favorite)- Out of Sight, directed by Steven Soderbergh. This poster was designed by BLT & Associates.

This film is fantastic- Jennifer Lopez is terrific. Steve Zahn is in it. So is Don Cheadle (playing a real baddie, too). Albert Brooks. Need I say more? Rent Out of Sight tonight! (Or go see Scott Pilgrim Vs The World at the theatre).

Aug 31 2010

PINK FOLEY FOLLIES, PART DEUX

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

A lighter week on set last week led me to get some much needed sleep and I decided to try again… A lot of trial and error later (and better luck with the weather), and I’ve finally managed to record the foley and sound effects for PINK.

David helped, Tom helped, and even some strangers on the street helped. (“Oh, hello… would you mind backing up and then walking by with your dog one more time…? Thanks!”) By turns fun and frustrating, I’m glad to be moving on… you never realize how noisy your neighbourhood is until you try and record the sound of sneakers walking around outside.

So… what’s left to finish this little film up already? The sound editing is done. The composer, Charlie Finlay, is working on the music as we speak. So that leaves… The sound mix, the colour correction, and then figuring out how to upload* a high quality version to VIMEO & YouTube.

I’m going to try and find a pro to help with the mix, but, being a glutton for punishment, thought I would attempt the colour correction myself. How hard can it be, right? I love colour!**

Colour Correction is Fun! (I hope)

*the technical file-size-aspect-ratio-uploading-stuff is not my strong suit to say the least. So Yellow was dead easy as there’s a button you press in iMovie. At this very moment, I’m waiting to see if a pass on PINK with timecode that I’ve made for Charlie is going to work… Oh, look at that, it didn’t… (This is especially frustrating as I’ve already done it once and I can’t #@%ing remember how to do it again!)

**probably very hard.

Aug 22 2010

FOLEY FOLLIES

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

I’ve been doing a lot of AD dailies* lately… very long hours, very busy days. This week alone was 80+ hours on set. Madness! Trying to keep my own projects advancing at the same time is a challenge to say the least, but I try…

Today I had hoped to record the foley** for PINK. David came over to help, and, neither of us being sound people, it was a bit like the blind leading the blind. (Or should I say the deaf talking to the deaf? Probably not). At any rate, our plan to record outside was kyboshed by the rain, and our efforts inside were just plain bad. I had picked the brains of the sound department folks on set for tips but could not work it out. I must now concede I am in over my head as a sound recordist and will have to find someone to help.

In other news… on Thursday I found out I didn’t get the WIFT mentorship I had applied for last month. A bit of a bummer, of course, and it has cast a shadow over my plans for networking and pitching my feature project at TIFF. An industry networking pass feels prohibitive at close to $400, so at this point I’m not sure how to proceed. Would it be worth it? Could I somehow get a free pass another way? Do I even need a pass? Does anyone know a good sound recordist?

First things first, though… more sleep is desperately needed as I’m back on set tomorrow with a 5:00AM call time.

* working as an assistant director on a daily basis

** newspaper rustling, coffee cups being set down, etc.

Aug 9 2010

GOOD WRITING IS GOOD REWRITING

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

Ah, yes. A finished script- what is that, exactly?

The feedback on the feature is in and it is… helpful. Many thanks to Sheri and Jon for their thoughtful notes and insightful comments.

The good news is, it works! On a more-than-basic level, the story works. The bad news is… well, there isn’t much, except for lots of tweaking, so here I go- back at it…

Aug 8 2010

CANADIAN TALENT – FLOWER AND GARNET

recommended - 1 year ago - chris

While in NYC on vacation a couple weeks ago, I had dinner with my cousin and she asked me about my feature film project. Being the New Yorker she is, she cut straight to the chase. “What’s it about?” “How much money do you need to make it?” and, “If you could cast anyone, who would be in it?” All fine questions, and easily answered.

Or so I thought. I realized I haven’t thought much about casting (except for one key role), and I was stumped. A few names floated through my head while I was writing, but I had pushed them aside, not wanting to fixate on anyone while the characters were developing. As I move into the pitch phase of the project, I know I have to have some names to pull out in a similar conversation to show the pitchee that I, as the pitcher, know what I want.

To that end, I’ve been watching a lot of Canadian movies lately. Now, I know, the question was “If you could cast anyone…”, but either out of a knee-jerk patriotism, or some vague idea that you need Canadian actors to get Canadian financing, my mind has been going automatically for the homegrown answer. Or actor, as it were.

I typically watch more Canadian films than your average Canadian does, but this past week I went for broke and rented a bunch of films. Some were strictly for casting research, while others were films I’d heard about but for one reason or another had never checked out, including…

Flower and Garnet, (2002) written and directed by Keith Behrman and produced by Trish Dolman.

Jane McGregor & Colin Roberts star in/as Flower and Garnet

A lovely film. Beautifully shot and directed. A very assured feature debut from Behrman. Some scenes in [...]

Continue Reading…

Aug 5 2010

BEST MOVIE POSTER OF THE SUMMER

recommended - 1 year ago - chris

Okay, I know I’m a little late off the mark with this one – the film opened in June and I’ve admired the poster since it went up around town. And despite it being early August, I feel pretty safe declaring it the best movie poster of the summer. It’s awesome and I have yet to see anything else that would be serious competition for the title.

It’s by artist Chester Brown, known for his stellar graphic novels.

‘I Never Liked You’ (drawn and quarterly, 1994) was my introduction to Brown’s work and I would highly recommend it.

Aug 4 2010

HAVE A PLAN, BUT ENJOY THE DETOURS

project updates / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

I was in New York City recently and visited the wonderful Strand bookstore, where I picked up a fun little number called 101 Things I Learned in Film School. Feeling a little rusty in the blogging department, I thought I would pick a title for this post from the book, at random.

It’s actually very apropos.

So… I didn’t get into Talent Lab at TIFF, nor was I selected for Pitch This!, but, gosh darn it, those detours have been fun. Today, in fact, I spent the day painting, which is something I haven’t done in a very long time. I took a course this winter on feature film packaging, given by the lovely Eva Ziemsen, who stressed the importance of having a good-looking image for your film’s one sheet*, and today I started a painting that just might be the poster child for the feature, so to speak. And, man, was it fun! More than once I had the thought; “wow, look at me- I am such a talented painter, why the f#@k am I busting my ass to make films?” Now, in the world of painting (in my world of painting), a day like today is extremely rare. To pick up the brush and paint after a few years absence and then walk away happy at the end of the day is nothing short of a miracle, folks. I was having so much fun I even did a little painting of my cat, which, I’m sure you’ll agree, is pure genius.

I call it- "Inspiring Muse, Unhappy Model"

* literally a piece of paper with an image for your film (like a poster), and then the synopsis, genre, contact info, etc. Like a big business card for your movie.

Jul 22 2010

SUMMERTIME AND THE BLOGGING IS…

life on set - 1 year ago - chris

… less frequent.

I wish I could say that’s because I’ve spent July writing in a cottage by a lake without internet access, but, alas not. I’ve been busy doing dailies while I wait for friends’ feedback on my feature script* which means I’ve been wrangling a lot of background.

The past few weeks I’ve been out on a couple of different shows; one tv movie and one tv miniseries in particular. One is contemporary, the other period, and I gotta say… I LOVE watching the transformation of the background performers in a period piece. They come in early in the morning looking like your average sweaty subway crowd and a hour or so later emerge from the process of hair/make-up/wardrobe looking like a million retro bucks. It’s pure movie magic.

The contemporary show, on the other hand, was mostly high school age kids and I always feel less like an AD/filmmaker, and more like, well, a principal on these kind of days. Trying to keep track of 100+ teens** is always a challenge. One hot afternoon we had a couple girls fall asleep in the tent that serves as a change room, later discovered (and awoken) by the background casting representative. When asked how long they’d been in there, they were so busted they couldn’t even lie; “a long time” one of the girls replied.

Another day, (different show) I had to give a very stern speech to the background about not feeding the neighbouring geese cheesies from the craft table in background holding. This, along with the daily reminder to stay away from the poisonous Hogweed plant that was growing in the bushes on the way to set. This is… less movie magic, more… camp counselling. Oh, well. It is summer, after all.

* and well, also, because I’m broke.

** or young [...]

Continue Reading…

Jul 12 2010

APPLICATIONS GALORE

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

I put another iron in the submissions fire today- this one for the Kodak New Vision Mentorship, brought to you by WIFT.

Unfortunately, as I write this blog post, I’m realizing something I should have mentioned in my cover letter… oops! Such is the way with applications like this- it’s a never-ending process that just has to stop at the deadline. Earlier today, I was proof reading* my script, and making quick revisions at the same time. I even stopped the printing to change a couple of lines!

In this particular submission they wanted scripts for stuff in development so, along with the feature (that’s right, folks – it’s out there now!), I included the script for my short The Moon. As I hadn’t looked at that in awhile, I ended up doing a major re-write, but I’m subsequently feeling pretty jazzed about the project and can’t wait to take it to the next level… probably a BRAVOFACT application in September, as this short needs a little bit of money to be done right.

Now… as with grants, the trick is to forget whatever it is you’ve just applied for and get back to work. Right. But first a night on the couch with a movie – I’ve got “For Your Consideration” competing with a couple episodes of Mad Men… We’ll see.

* is that two words or one? A hyphen, maybe? Am I a bad proof reader? Hm… I fear my earlier confidence in my application is starting to ebb.

Jul 7 2010

SHORT FILM ROYALTIES!

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

That’s right! A nice surprise in the mail as royalties for my 2008 short film Two Words arrived in the form of an unexpected cheque. Under the description heading was “Sale to The Accessible Channel”, which I’d never heard of before this morning. Fantastic. Thank you, TacTV! And thank you Ouat! Media – the distributor of the film.

Still from short film "Two Words"

Jun 30 2010

DONE AND DONE! AND NOW WE CAN BEGIN…

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

I finished the script! I actually finished it yesterday (one day ahead of schedule!) and last night Tom and I went out to celebrate.

After I write this, I will fill out my final report for the Canada Council, and once again I’d like to thank them for the grant- the undisturbed writing time has been amazing and wonderfully productive. I’d also like to thank all my friends and family who’ve been so supportive and encouraging of my efforts over the last few years. This is really just the beginning of a long and difficult journey, but there were more than a few times when I wondered if I’d ever make it this far, so thank you all.

Speaking of filmic journeys, I spent the better part of this morning engrossed in someone else’s… The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom, a blog about the recently-wrapped film by Tara Johns (they’re currently in the editing stage). Johns’ posts about the process of bringing her script into production was a very inspiring read for a slightly hungover writer/director hoping to follow the same path in the near future.

Jun 28 2010

FOURTH AND FIFTH ON THE CALL SHEET

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

I recently found myself thinking back to a conversation I had with an actor I worked with last year.*

His character was number four or five on the call sheet** and he told me that can be a very difficult place for an actor to be. You’re a principal, you’re in a lot of scenes; in fact you’re probably in the whole movie, but you’re often not given enough attention by the screenwriter and unfortunately have a less-than-well-rounded character to play. He recommended every screenwriter, upon completing his or her script, give it another pass for the minor characters and make sure they’re as well taken care of as the leads.

Two days left…

* as an AD, on someone else’s feature film.

** number one would be the lead, number two would be the next “important” or have the second most amount of scenes, etc., and the call sheet is, of course, the production document that details the next day’s shooting schedule.

Jun 26 2010

THAT OLD FAMILIAR FEELING

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

The editing part of the writing & editing of the previous post has fallen away in the last few days, in part because I spent some time writing a couple of applications for programs at TIFF: Pitch This! and Talent Lab.

If accepted into Pitch This!, you can (if you’re Canadian) pitch an idea for a film in front of a bunch of industry folks (it’s sponsored by Telefilm Canada). Talent Lab is a 4 day workshop, open to International filmmakers with one feature or two shorts to their credit. I know folks who’ve done both and either would be pretty cool to be a part of… At any rate, the Pitch This! application was a timely exercise to go through, because, of course they want a synopsis of the film you’re pitching, and, in writing a new one, I got a great idea for the script!

There are some other program-type things coming up- a mentorship thing with WIFT, and LIFT OUT LOUD is looking for feature scripts for August, and I’ve applied for this and other stuff like it in the past, but, as these things come up, so too, does that old familiar feeling, and it’s not a nice one.

But first, let me say- I’m pretty happy with the way this script is finishing up. In fact, this is the first time I’ve written a screenplay I actually like. Not just one that I feel has ‘potential’, but one that I actually like the way it is. Don’t get me wrong… it still needs work, could always be better, will certainly go through more drafts, etc., etc., but right now, in this moment, I am liking it the way it is and it’s a good feeling. Actually, it’s a great feeling, and the only thing making it feel [...]

Continue Reading…

Jun 18 2010

WRITING & EDITING & EDITING & WRITING

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

Guess what I’ve been up to? Yes, sprinkled in with some random dailies,* I’ve been spending all my time either writing my feature script, or editing my short film PINK. As my end-of-June deadline for the script approaches, I find my recently acquired confidence in the doability** of the deadline waning. For more days than I care to admit, I’ve thought to myself ‘I’m so close to being done! I really only need one more day to finish this’. Right. Wish me luck. I mean it. I have exactly 12 DAYS LEFT.

PINK is now in the final stages of the picture edit- possibly even a picture lock, although I hesitate to use that term when Final Cut Pro is so endlessly malleable. It’s my chosen workflow at the moment, however, so I’ve moved on to roughing in the sound – my favorite part of post-production! I mean, it’s fun seeing the shots play together, but I find when you add sound effects, the world of the film starts to really come ALIVE! (add cheesy evil sound effect laugh here)

* work on-set (in my case, as an assistant director), on a per-day basis

** do-ability…? This isn’t a word, is it? My computer is saying no with a little red line, but I’m not totally convinced…

Jun 7 2010

A MUST-READ FOR ASPIRING FILMMAKERS

recommended - 1 year ago - chris

Weighing in at a hefty 507 pages, The Reel Truth, by Reed Martin, is chock full of useful info for the aspiring filmmaker. Subtitled “Everything You Didn’t Know You Need To Know About Making An Independent Film”, this book has been an eye-opening read for yours truly. With chapters on distribution, producer reps, screenplay theft, and how ‘many famous directors struggled famously’ (among others), Martin writes in a straight-forward, myth-busting manner, and is often quite funny as well.

The Reel Truth by Reed Martin

In the chapter entitled “That Music in Your Head…” Martin breaks down the important issue of music clearances, not falling in love with temp music,* and not being so deluded as to think The Rolling Stones (or whoever) are just dying to have one of their songs in your crappy little independent film.

From the same chapter-

“… one of the best ways prospective investors can judge the business savvy of a filmmaker asking for money is to simply ask what songs he or she plans to use in the movie. This simple question will often reveal whether or not the budget is underfunded or if the project will have a chance of recouping its financing even if it is acquired. Because distributors almost always insist that outstanding music-rights clearance fees be paid out of the filmmaker’s minimum guarantee,** any filmmaker who claims that a studio will be happy to pick up the unpaid tab for music-rights clearances is either lying, high, or ill-informed. And when the film’s advance is used to pay for uncleared music, there is usually little left over for the film’s investors.”

I wish I’d read this book a few years ago and highly, highly recommend anyone just getting into film to check it out.

* temp music is just that- temporary music [...]

Continue Reading…

May 31 2010

THE HEADLESS WOMAN

recommended - 1 year ago - chris

I recently watched, you guessed it, La Mujer Sin Cabeza, aka, The Headless Woman, on DVD. A new film from Argentina I picked up at one of Toronto’s best places to rent films (and read about them- they publish a wonderful yearly round-up of DVD releases)- that’s right, I’m talking about The Film Buff.

Anyway, I was taken with the great title, and the awesome DVD cover art.

La Mujer Sin Cabeza - The Headless Woman

Written and directed by Lucrecia Martel, The Headless Woman is one of those films that exist (for me, anyway) in a weird space between boredom and engagement. Definitely, the kind of film I prefer to watch in the theatre where I am forced to really watch. In fact, I almost turned it off after about half an hour, and for the rest of the film basically had one eye on the clock- okay 25 minutes left… I’ve already invested 55, might as well keep going, etc.

Some gorgeous (albeit dark) photography and unusual framing kept me watching, though, as well as a fondness for films that deal in a slightly altered “reality.” And then, when it was all over, the strangest thing happened… I got that feeling. That wonderful freaky film feeling I get very rarely, but it is a thing of beauty when it happens. Hard to describe, it’s a bit like a hyper-awareness… you suddenly notice the breeze coming in through the window, or the way your jeans feel on your legs. I can count on two hands the number of films that have given me that feeling over the years and have to say it’s one of the reasons I love movies so much.

So, yeah… I guess I would recommend The Headless Woman.

You can read more about it here, if [...]

Continue Reading…

May 30 2010

LESSONS FROM THE EDITING ROOM

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

So, before I shot PINK, I was working on a TV pilot and used every opportunity to pick my fellow crew members’ brains for useful shooting tips. Since the whole thing started as an exercise in screen direction, I felt especially lucky to have a mini-tutorial on the subject from the DP* himself. In my mind, screen direction meant establishing how characters move from shot to shot to create a seamless stream of believable movement. The DP’s response to my questions, however, was to emphasize what he felt was the more important idea- screen geography.

Now, as I start cutting the footage from PINK, I begin to understand the distinction. In almost every sequence of the film I am trying to create the reality of two characters interacting (eg. seeing each other across a street). This is especially challenging as each character’s footage was shot on a different day. I thought that by directing the performer to look in a certain direction, I could then cut to footage of the other character moving in the corresponding direction. I am finding however, that this isn’t working out so well, because the geography is so out of whack- there is nothing to visually connect the characters together in the same space, even though great effort was put into making sure the sun was shining in the right direction, the basic landscape/architecture was similar, etc.

It’s an interesting exercise to be sure, as I found that the less the first character moved, the more believable the sequence became and I have no idea why. At any rate, I’m holding out hope the rest of the sequences will be a better match than the one I worked on yesterday, otherwise this film’s going to be a real turkey, people.**

* director of photography

** and by that, [...]

Continue Reading…

May 26 2010

BACK AT IT

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

And by it, I mean writing, of course.

The last few weeks have been a bit rocky for the feature script and I, resulting in some hands up and a temporary surrender to the fun of shooting and editing.

For those of you keeping score, I am fast approaching my screenwriting grant’s 3 month deadline to have the script done, with a final report due to the Canada Council for the Arts soon after. Because of the way my winter unfolded, I reckon the end of June is now the reasonable end date for the project, and I’m happy to report that things are back on a smoother track.

In other project news, BLUE has come off the back-burner and is helping me learn Final Cut Pro. After using imovie to cut SO YELLOW, I found the limitations were getting too frustrating with BLUE and have made the jump up. I was able to convert the PINK footage to the FCP-compatible ProRes codec last week, and will devote some time in the coming days to organizing the footage. I’m in no big hurry to start editing PINK, though, as I find the more space between shooting and editing, the more clear-headed the approach to the material.

And finally, the short script THE MOON, has been taken out of rotation for the moment.

That’s the scoop on what I’m up to… For all of you out there who want to make your own movies but feel it’s out of reach, I say- check this out- Xtranormal. Terrific fun! And here’s a great little film someone made with it…

READING AND TIME: A DIALECTIC BETWEEN ACADEMIC EXPECTATION AND ACADEMIC FRUSTRATION

May 20 2010

NUMBER 1 ON GOOGLE!

uncategorized - 1 year ago - chris

When I started this blog back in October if you googled ‘Chris Ross’ this site came up on page 5 or 6 and today it was number 1! It was a bit of a thrill, I admit.

Speaking of blog-related stuff… I think I might have disconnected my RSS feed when I updated a plug-in recently. So, if you subscribe using an RSS feed and it’s not working – that’s why, and I offer apologies and a pledge to figure out how to fix that soon.

Thanks for reading!

May 19 2010

DAY 2 OF THE PINK SHOOT, PART 2

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

I’m all recovered from the on-set shenanigans of the weekend and wanted to share a few details from Sunday’s shoot…

Once again, friend and fellow filmmaker Jon Wayne Brown came out as the defacto DP and took care of all things camera-related with great skill. David Grenier was in front of the camera this time around (and did a fantastic job!). Julie Belanger came on board to help fill in the gaps (including some acting and standing in as Fiona’s double- both of which she did like a trooper!). And finally, we were blessed with another sweet little Erin Rutherford cameo to end the day in style.

Me*, Jon, Erin, the Wally Dolly, and David's arm. photo by J.Belanger

The biggest piece of luck we had was getting pretty much the same weather as our first day of shooting. This is going to be tremendously helpful matching shots, even if things have gotten a lot greener in the last couple weeks.

We nearly got kicked out of a location that we had to get shots in to make the new story work. (The great, but-no-longer-in-bloom-cherry blossom trees in the Exhibition grounds) This location wasn’t being used the first time round (ie, no one was around), but was heavily populated on Sunday. Fortunately, some fast talking and a higher-up in the managerial chain finally produced a sympathetic ear, and we were able to get what we needed.

The new addition to the story... photo by J.Belanger

The only other glitch was the fact that we had a 1G card for the camera (we used the Canon 5D), instead of the 8G card we had last time! This meant being more conscious of how much we were shooting… it was sort of like [...]

Continue Reading…

May 17 2010

DAY 2 OF THE PINK SHOOT, PART 1

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

Just a quick post to say the shoot on Sunday went very well! Terrific fun (& details to come), but now it’s time for sleep… I took a daily AD gig on the TV show Being Erica today, (which started early and went late), so I’m feeling a little knackered at the moment, especially after yesterday’s excitement.

More soon…

May 15 2010

SETBACK, SMETBACK

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

Between the last update and this one, we had a bit of a setback for our little film… The actress who plays the Cherry Blossom Head, Fiona Walker, had a bike accident and broke her knee!* Brutal! Fiona is on the mend and in good spirits as is her nature but, unfortunately, she is going to be out of commission for quite some time.

A few days after the accident, David Grenier and I met to discuss the project… On the one hand- gear and people lined up to help, on the other hand- no Fiona (and a rather bad hummingbird). Mm… Shelving the whole thing came up as an option, as did the idea of postponing the shoot (although that would have been akin to shelving it- by the time Fiona is mobile, the season will have changed dramatically and we would be hard-pressed to match any of the stuff we already shot). Moving forward the last option, but how…?

PINK shoot storyboard

After an evening of brainstorming, David and I came up with a whole new story idea for the short, incorporating the footage we already shot of Fiona, and getting rid of the hummingbird altogether. Good friend Julie Belanger has been pressed into service as a Cherry Blossom Head stand-in for a couple shots, David made another fabulous rig, and Bob’s your uncle**- tomorrow we shoot!

Wish us luck – especially in the weather department. Matching footage from a couple of weeks ago will be much easier if the lighting is sort of similar!

* Fiona, usually the most cautious of bike-riders, was caught out in the rain. She was riding on the sidewalk, her hands slipped off the handlebars, and she fell quite slowly (but hard!) onto her knee.

** or not. What a bizarre expression.

May 7 2010

QUICK PINK UPDATE

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

It has been a busy and productive week here at Ross HQ. I’m back in the swing of things with my feature script, and, after some technical trouble-shooting with my editor and friend, Joe Hiscott, I was finally able to look at the footage from the earlier PINK shoot.

Unfortunately, my earlier euphoria about the project took a bit of a beating as I saw ample evidence of my inexperience as a director (and serious lack of planning*) in pretty much everything we shot. That being said, there is definitely some sweet stuff there to be gleaned- it will just take a lot more work than I previously thought.

Our second day of shooting is right around the corner and the biggest obstacle now is the fact that the “hummingbird” isn’t playing very well, except for one shot which kind of locks us into using it. A back-up plan is in the works though, folks- It’s just going to require some serious creativity (and yes, a bit of planning) to make it all gel…

Stay tuned!

* In this project, a lack of planning is an intrinsic part of the process, but still…

May 3 2010

GEORGE LUCAS & AUDITIONING

film community / project updates / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

Hot Docs- (everybody’s favorite documentary film festival) is currently on and the DGC* gives passes to interested members. Being a Very Interested Member (VIM for short), I naturally take advantage of this opportunity, and after day one of a fantastic weekend workshop (also sponsored by the DGC – more on that in a minute), I went to see The People Vs. George Lucas which was a ton of fun and well worth waiting in line for 2 blocks to get a seat in the Bloor Cinema.

The film had loads of hilarious STAR WARS- inspired art/film/stuff created by fans worldwide, and the general idea was pretty interesting… If someone, say George Lucas, for example, creates an international, mega-hit of such gigantic proportions it becomes a cultural touchstone, does that same person still have the right as the artist of the work to go back and make significant changes to that work? (As Lucas has done to the original STAR WARS.)

A fun comparison was made in the film imagining if Leonardo Da Vinci showed up at the Louvre and, after spending a fair bit of time thinking about it, decided he wanted to make a few changes to the Mona Lisa. Do you think anyone would let him?

Also interesting was Lucas’ own crusade against Ted Turner for wanting to colourize old black and white films, even arguing before Congress against it, citing their importance to a shared cultural history (I’m paraphrasing here) that shouldn’t be monkeyed with! Very ironic!

Good film- worth a watch. Also, I would highly recommend my favorite doc from last year’s festival. I have yet to see it come to theatres (and I thought it totally would – it’s fantastic), but if you see it on DVD at your local place (or watch it on itunes – see [...]

Continue Reading…

Apr 30 2010

WATSON AND THE SHARK IN L.A.

recommended - 1 year ago - chris

I love LA! I could live in LA (except for all the driving). Maybe I could live in Venice Beach, or Santa Monica, and only drive every once in awhile. Do people in LA do that?

Or is that like living next to the ocean and only ever getting your feet wet because you’re afraid of sharks? I don’t do that, but, I confess I do think about sharks every time I’m in water over 3 feet deep (and sometimes under that, if it’s at all murky).

Speaking of sharks, while in LA, I had the tremendous good luck to see one of my all-time favorite paintings ever- WATSON AND THE SHARK.

Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley, 1778

Usually residing at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., WATSON was on loan to the LACMA (Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art) for a show called American Stories that runs until May 23, 2010.

The LACMA is a wonderful museum and the exhibit itself was a first-rate look at some great American figurative paintings from 1765 until 1915. (Homer Winslow was a bit of a revelation, in particular his painting THE COTTON PICKERS – reproductions don’t begin to do it justice.)

Anyway, WATSON AND THE SHARK did NOT disappoint in person. Diaphanous waves cresting on the swimmer’s body, ethereal boats in the distance; up close it is delightfully loose in stroke, with solid muscular shirts anchoring the figures in the boat. Singleton Copley was a master draftsman and the go-to portrait painter of the young colonies, and this painting was commissioned by a London merchant named Brooke Watson. It depicts an incident that happened when Watson was just 14 years old, and part of a ship’s crew with business in Cuba.

This is how Robert Hughes describes the event [...]

Continue Reading…

Apr 28 2010

IT’S COMPLICATED, DRINKING AND BLOGGING

uncategorized - 1 year ago - chris

I recently went to LA for the first time and loved it. The people were friendly, the sun was shining, and movies were everywhere; in overheard conversations, in the city’s history and landmarks, even in things that really have nothing to do with film- Casting Call this Saturday for New Hotel Associates!

In LA, even weird club flyers reference movies* - I'm in love with this town!

To get in the Hollywood spirit, I watched IT’S COMPLICATED on the plane. I’m sure any coolness I might have amassed just warmed over with that admission, but what can I say…? When I fly, I love watching the cheesiest movie available- the one I would never in a million years rent (or so I tell myself anyway), and on this trip IT’S COMPLICATED fit the bill nicely.

Written and Directed by Nancy Meyers, the movie was actually better than I had expected, but it did cross my mind that maybe the old ‘one drink in the sky equals two on the ground’ theory can be applied to the proportional goodwill one feels towards movies watched on a plane, especially as one is beginning a vacation.

Of course I wasn’t so drunk that the terrible parts of the film passed totally unnoticed (the vagina conversation scene was particularly offensive**). In general though, Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin were both fun to watch, I was pleasantly surprised to see Jon Krasinski, and I laughed out loud at least twice (which is something I can’t say about that many films, unfortunately, so thanks for that, Ms.Meyers).

I wouldn’t really recommend IT’S COMPLICATED, but I will say it didn’t come anywhere near the last Meyers film I saw; the loathsome SOMETHING’S GOT TO GIVE (surely one of the Four Rom-Coms of the Apocalypse***). On [...]

Continue Reading…

Apr 20 2010

JON WAYNE BROWN’S NEW SHORT FILM

film community / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

Friend (and recent collaborator – see last post), Jon Wayne Brown recently finished his first film, A WELL-LIT LIFE. He wrote it and co-produced it with the director, John Cullen.

Continuing the Jon/John motif, John Slavik stars in A WELL-LIT LIFE

It’s a terrific film and you can read all about it (and Jon’s other projects) on JWB’s website/blog- THE MAKE/WORK PROJECT.

There is a screening Thursday, April 22 at the Camera Bar here in Toronto for cast, crew, and friends (check his website for details), but if you can’t make it out, A WELL-LIT LIFE is sure to be playing soon at a festival near you!

Apr 20 2010

THE PINK SHOOT, PART 2

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

I’m still in a bit of a fog following the long pilot hours of last week, but thought I would share a few moments from the PINK shoot while they’re still fresh in my mind.

For new readers, this is the 3rd short film in a series that from now on I will refer to as THE COLOUR SHORTS. The first film was shot in a day, and, as the colour yellow began to dominate the footage, the germ of an idea for a series began to grow. The final product is called So Yellow and is just over a minute long ( you can watch it here). I’ve since shot another short based on blue which is currently in post, and finally, last week, I had an idea for pink, which I shot on Sunday.

Awhile ago, I spoke with my friend and collaborator, Fiona Walker, about shooting some stuff with her dancing and moving around in a wacky dress just so I could practice screen direction and covering movement, camera geography, the axis rule, and other technical directing-type stuff. I was thinking about this last Tuesday while out for a run, and was also feeling inspired by an image I had just seen in a magazine of Alexander McQueen’s Butterfly hat.

Alexander McQueen's Butterfly Hat, part of his Spring/Summer 2008 collection

For some reason cherry blossom trees also popped into my head and the idea for the pink short came to me in a flash. Fiona would wear a cherry blossom head and I could practice filming movement with her in this crazy costume, and get some footage of her with real cherry blossom trees!

I approached my friend and collaborator, the talented artist David Grenier to see if he could make a cherry blossom [...]

Continue Reading…

Apr 18 2010

THE PINK SHOOT, PART 1

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

After another 4 loooong days on set, I finished the pilot in the early hours of Sunday morning and got up a few hours later to shoot the ‘Pink’ short. We had to go for it this weekend as the cherry blossom trees were indeed blooming! It was a great day of shooting, though, with many serendipitous moments.

on the 'Pink' set, photo by D.Grenier

Full story to follow later- now it’s time for sleep…

Apr 13 2010

PINK IS THE NEW YELLOW

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

I took a break from writing last week and accepted a quick AD job working on a TV pilot. After 4 loooong days on set and a scrambled brain/body connection, I forced myself out for a run this morning and was rewarded with a flash of inspiration for a new COLOUR/DAY OF FILM short-

Blue has been put on the back burner for a bit* as Pink steps up to the plate…

There’s no time to lose on this one as I’m hoping to catch the cherry blossoms in bloom and heard it might be happening as soon as this weekend! I have 4 days left on the pilot and this short will be the first of the series** to include a bit of pre-production, so wish me luck!

* see earlier post

** I guess I can’t really call it a series yet if there’s only one film totally finished… doh!

Apr 6 2010

THE REAL PHANTOM MENACE IS A BAD STORY

recommended - 1 year ago - chris

Well, I just spent a wonderful day writing, and felt incredibly productive in spite (or maybe because?) of spending a portion of the day watching this hilarious, spot-on video essay about STAR WARS – THE PHANTOM MENACE from Red Letter Media.

I am, of course, a huge STAR WARS fan myself*, and have a deep appreciation for stuff like this, but some real lessons about filmmaking are to be found in this review. (My fav is when he gets his friends to try and describe characters from the movie) This is part one, the rest can be found at Red Letter Media.

Check it out.

* see my paintings of STAR WARS action figures in their bathrooms saying their daily affirmations – Collect ‘Em! Trade ‘Em!

Apr 3 2010

THE WILD WEST INSIDE

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

So, I found out this week I did not get into the director’s lab at the CFC. Of course, this was disappointing news, but strangely not as much as I had anticipated. I imagine if I hadn’t gotten the screenwriting grant from the Canada Council a few weeks earlier my head might have been in a different place, but I feel oddly fine about the whole thing, and in a strange way, free. School would have started in a couple months (going until the end of the year), so I’ve been in a bit of a holding pattern waiting to hear the results, and now the summer feels like it’s up for grabs in a fun way.

Helpful also to the management of a positive outlook has been the fact that the writing this week has gone very well. It is wonderfully motivating when people give you money to write, I must say.

On the subject of writing in general, and Canadian filmmaking in particular, I thought I would share something I came across the other day that I found interesting. This is Paul Gross (Canadian writer/director/actor/producer), being interviewed by Ingrid Randoja for April’s issue of FAMOUS:*

Q: It’s interesting that although Canada has its (sic) very own West, we don’t have a tradition of making Westerns in Canada.

A: “It’s kind of curious. Partly, it’s that our cinematic traditions are based around auteur filmmaking and not genre filmmaking. Most of the people who make movies are urban people and prefer these interior, domestic stories. And we haven’t done it because we are not mythologizers, as Canadians, and Americans are. We don’t carry the burden of being the bright, shining light to the world, and they do, and in order to bolster that conviction they invented this fantastically rich mythology.”

Continue Reading…

Mar 28 2010

LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR BORING ART

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

It’s been an interesting few weeks. Mostly difficult, occasionally wonderful, and generally intense, punctuated (or should I say deflated?), by periods of a flat dullness. I’m beginning to come around though, and have been feeling more like myself the last few days. I’ve resumed the majority of my projects, and I’m starting to feel strangely optimistic about the whole shh-bang.

After a couple weeks of half-hearted writing, I’ve decided to ditch the feature script I’ve written so far and start fresh, starting tomorrow. Using the working title My Perverted Heart, I have a new direction in mind and a new mantra for this and every other project I’m currently developing; you guessed it – LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR BORING ART. As this script has been partially funded by you, the Canadian taxpayer*, expect updates as it progresses. My proposal was for a 3 month period of writing to the Canada Council, so that’s the goal, folks.

My current DAY OF FILM short (Blue) has hit a bit of a snag. In the midst of shooting, I decided to write it for my Dad, and after he died, my enthusiasm for the project pretty much evaporated. Right now, the voice over has been recorded, and it’s mostly edited together, but it still needs some fine tuning and some music. I will finish it, though, just not as quickly as I’d hoped.

I have another short script ready to head into it’s next stage (financing), and this too, was put on hold when things got a little hairy. I missed the last bravofact deadline, but hope to meet the next one in June. For those interested in following along, let’s call this short The Moon for now (yes! It is about a werewolf… how did you know?).

I’ve also been back in action as [...]

Continue Reading…

Mar 21 2010

GRASSROOTS FILM FINANCING*

film community / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

Putty Hill has captured my imagination for some reason.* This is a low budget film out of Baltimore that I have never seen, but have read quite a bit about, including an article on their financing this morning that inspired me to write this post.

If you are interested in alternative, grassroots film financing, then Putty Hill’s story is something worth checking out. (And if you are not, then just skip to the end of this post for a little visual treat.) The Putty Hill team scraped together some cash to shoot the film, then turned to Kickstarter to help them raise funds for post. From the outside, theirs seems to be an amazing success story in terms of viral fund-raising campaigns (their goal was $10 000, they raised double that), but of course, things are more complicated that what they seem and Steve Holmgren, one of Putty Hill’s producers shares his thoughts on the process on one of Ted Hope’s blogs.

In this strange new landscape of film financing and distribution, Ted Hope (independent producer extraordinaire, with credits reaching back to early Hal Hartley films), is someone worth following. Extremely knowledgeable and passionate about film, he’s also a huge social media guy who’s always posting something interesting on his blog/twitter/whathaveyou.

*I think it’s the illustrations on their website – their oval shape reminded me of my friend David Grenier’s Petalhead Portraits, a series of drawings I really love.

Petalhead Portrait 17: circa 1944 by David Grenier

*AND A BEAUTIFUL DRAWING!

Mar 17 2010

WHIP IT GOOD, LADIES!

recommended - 1 year ago - chris

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge Kathryn Bigelow’s triumph at the Academy Awards. It was very inspiring to see a woman double-fisting a couple of Oscars like that, and although I haven’t seen the Hurt Locker*, I would like to congratulate Ms.Bigelow on her historic win.

Kathryn Bigelow on the set of 'The Hurt Locker'

Speaking of female directors, I had a nice moment the other day when I got home and realized the two films I’d just rented were both directed by women.** Fantastic! And, even better, they were both terrific movies- Jane Campion’s ‘Bright Star’, and Drew Barrymore’s ‘Whip It’.

‘Bright Star’ is based on the relationship between John Keats and Fanny Brawne. It’s a period film, it’s a romance, and it’s beautiful like all of Campion’s work. It’s the kind of movie you have to sit up and pay attention to because everybody in it speaks quickly, and wittily (with accents!) about things like poetry and 19th century social conventions.

I know some folks who are freaks for period films and I can’t say I count myself among them, but I liked ‘Bright Star’ very much, mostly because I believed their romance- it wasn’t instant, it had a nice progression.

The film also has the added bonus of Paul Schneider playing Keats’ friend Mr.Brown. I first saw Mr.Schneider in David Gordon Green’s ‘George Washington’, and ‘All the Real Girls’ (which Schneider co-wrote) and have been glad to see him turn up in some interesting projects since then. In ‘Bright Star’ he plays a bit of a baddie (with an accent!), and he’s fun as ever to watch.

Paul Schneider in Jane Campion's 'Bright Star'

Jane Campion has been making films for quite a while now. Originally from New Zealand, she’s a great [...]

Continue Reading…

Mar 14 2010

A PERSONAL POST

uncategorized - 1 year ago - chris

Initially, I began this blog as a way to build interest in projects I’m working on, with the long term goal of creating an invested audience for the feature film I’ll make someday. You know… grassroots marketing, social media networking… all the kids are doin’ it, right? (In fact, here’s a link to one of my favs in this vein so far for a new feature out of Baltimore that I heard about on Twitter- Putty Hill)

In the beginning, I set up some comfort boundaries for myself… keep the blog posts to things film and art-related, not too much AD stuff, and, most importantly, nothing personal. Admittedly, this was an aesthetic choice as well, as I imagined the countless blogs boring unsuspecting web surfers with the minutiae of their personal lives and endless videos of their pets.

However, as my blog progressed, I realized it was less a marketing campaign and more about connecting with people as an artist (in a way I didn’t realize I’d been missing since I used to exhibit as a painter, and have only had glimpses of as a filmmaker). And then I began questioning what ‘personal’ means? After all, everything on this site is personal to me. And… what do I do when something really big happens to me personally? How can I not mention it on my blog? And how can I go on writing posts about things like Putty Hill without feeling like a total A-hole in the process?

I guess the answer is I can’t.

My Dad died two weeks ago and I feel the need to mention it here. He always appreciated art in his own way, but was never into film- in fact, he was notorious for his total lack of interest in the subject. He had no desire to see [...]

Continue Reading…

Mar 12 2010

SUCK THE MOVIE – CHECK IT OUT!

film community / life on set / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

In the fall of 2008, I worked on SUCK, a Canadian film written/ directed/ starring Rob Stefaniuk, and featuring many Rock ‘n Roll superstars, Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper among them.

SUCK is one of the few films I’ve worked on where complaints from the crew were at a minimum and goodwill for the project (and for Rob) was at a maximum. An inspiring film to be a part of in many ways.*

I had the good fortune to see SUCK at a cast and crew screening last September and was very impressed. It was fun, and funny, and I highly recommend checking it out. Here’s the trailer for ya-

I will post release dates as I hear of them, or follow what the SUCK team is up to on their facebook page.

* For the record, I worked as the On-Set PA in the AD department, and not in the Locations department as I’m listed in the credits.

Mar 7 2010

MOVIE ARTISTS – Life Lessons

life on set / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

Awhile back, I worked on a feature film about a guy who discovers his inner artist.* His medium of choice is sculpture, but his ‘love interest’ is an aspiring painter. While preparing to shoot a scene in her apartment, I cringed watching the props guy place new paint brushes and new tubes of paint beside a store bought palette. That’s bad movie-making, folks.**

The intersection of film and visual arts is a constant source of interest to me, and in the spirit of the film awards season that is upon us, I thought I would take a moment to give some props (of a different, much higher quality) to the people who got it right, and by ‘it’, I mean the portrayal of artists in film. And I’m not talking about bio-pics here*** I’m talking about characters in films who happen to be visual artists, such as…

Nick Nolte as painter Lionel Dobie in New York Stories

The classic ‘Lion’- Nick Nolte’s character in Martin Scorcese’s segment of New York Stories, a film from 1989 that is really 3 short films bundled together. Scorcese’s contribution is called Life Lessons and was written by Richard Price.

In the best movies with artist characters, a real artist’s work is used and Life Lessons is no exception. Nolte plays Lionel Dobie (‘The Lion’), a big-shot painter, and his work is played by the paintings of Chuck Connelly.

Detail of Connelly's 'Bridge to Nowhere' (1998), featured in Life Lessons as the main painting Nick Nolte's character works on.

Connelly is an American artist who rose to prominence in the 1980s alongside folks like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Julian Schnabel.**** It seems Connelly then pissed a bunch of people off, effectively sabotaging his career, although he still paints and exhibits, and [...]

Continue Reading…

Feb 25 2010

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

Earlier today I received news that I was awarded a screenwriting grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.

This past October, I put in an application for funds to finish my feature script (working title ‘My Perverted Heart’), and the Council accepted my proposal. I’ve received a couple of painting grants in the past, but this is my first successful grant application in the media arts and it’s a huge validation for me as a writer/filmmaker.

I would like to give a heartfelt thanks to the members of the jury, the Canada Council itself, and the Canadian taxpayers who support it. This grant is truly appreciated, and couldn’t have come at a better time.

Feb 19 2010

SHOOTING A LOT MEANS EDITING A LOT

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

Well, I’m afraid I stood up my inner editor this week, as a date with my inner assistant editor turned into a bit of a fling. Yes, for the second time, I’m actively experiencing the relationship between footage and editing (ie., if you shot a lot, you’ve got a lot to edit).

For my first film, Deliver Me, I made a 6 minute short out of 10 minutes of footage, which at the time was a small miracle of filmmaking. We slightly stretched shots, repeated shots (which ended up forming a theme), and generally maximized a very small amount of raw material. For my second film, Two Words, I went the other way, and we shot about 2 hours worth of stuff for a 9 minute film. In both cases, my editor, Joe Hiscott, set out to teach me a lesson about the real world of filmmaking. Joe imposed a very strict time-line on the editing, explaining that he wanted me to be the kind of director who makes decisions when they need to be made, and to realize that everything in film costs money, including people’s time. This was a great experience and important lesson, and one I think of often on other people’s sets as they let the camera (with video or digital files – not film, usually) roll between takes and during direction. The poor sucker who has to wade through all the garbage later!

Well, right now that poor sucker is me, although this kind of project is a different sort of beast, to be sure.*

* And can no longer honestly come out under the title ‘Day of Film’.

Feb 14 2010

POST-PRODUCTION BEGINS!

project updates - 1 year ago - chris

The shooting is over on my second short in my ‘Day of Film’ series and now the editing must begin.

So Yellow, a 60 second film and the first in the series, was shot over the course of one day and edited over many. To keep the spirit of the ‘Day’ alive in the ‘Day of Film’ idea, I will attempt to edit the new film in one day, since I’ve shot it over many. Inspired by the blue moon on New Year’s Eve, I’ve shot a lot since then, loosely taking the colour blue as the film’s starting point.

a possible still from the 'blue' short

I’ve booked some dailies at the top of the week, so I’ve made a date with my inner editor for next Thursday or Friday.

More soon…

Feb 13 2010

FUN FILM GAME

life on set / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

Working on set in my AD capacity, I am often in charge of processing* background performers in holding.**

After the BG are processed, there are often long periods of waiting before they are called to set (or long periods of waiting between calls to set), and the seasoned background performer fills the time in a quiet and non-disruptive manner. Reading a book. Doing crossword puzzles. You get the picture.

However, the other day in holding, I overheard a couple of the BG playing a game, and couldn’t restrain myself from obnoxiously jumping in once I realized what they were playing. Mirroring a geography car game I was already familiar with (name a city, and the next person has to name a different city that begins with the last letter of the first, etc.), except this game used actors and movies.

So… The first person names an actor (Christian Slater), then the second person- a movie that actor has appeared in (Heathers), the first person (or third person, as I weasled my way into the game) must then name another actor from the same film (Winona Ryder), the next person a different movie that actor has appeared in (Beetlejuice!), and so on…

What fun! I had forgotten Alec Baldwin was in Beetlejuice! One of the BG players was cracking me up – ‘Come on- you don’t want to go there! Bruce Willis & Die Hard? You know what that will lead to…’

What…? Bonnie Bedelia & Heart Like A Wheel…? Beau Bridges… The Fabulous Baker Boys… Michelle Pfeiffer…? Wow, I like this game so much I could (or should I say am?) play(ing) it by myself!

* The ‘process’ involves making sure everyone has shown up, signed in, seen the good folks in the hair, make-up, and wardrobe departments, and is set-ready at the appointed time.

** [...]

Continue Reading…

Feb 11 2010

THE JOY OF DAILIES

life on set - 1 year ago - chris

A few posts back I mentioned my dismal financial situation, and I’m happy to report that in the interim I have gotten work. Not a job per se, but something better- dailies!* Dailies are that rare thing in the film industry- part time work, which, on the right show, can pay well and still leave time to work on your own projects.

In the past week, I’ve worked a couple of days on two different shows, and, as I was picking the fake snow off my clothes yesterday before putting them in the wash, I found myself reflecting on the men and women who work as crew in the film and tv industry, and especially those who work as ADs.

In my own brief career as an assistant director, I have somehow had the good fortune to work with some of the best ADs in the city. Back on set after a little hiatus, I had a renewed appreciation for that fact and started thinking about what makes a great AD great. In my own experience (especially as a daily), I know I tend to focus a little too closely on my assigned role for the day (wrangling background performers, for example), and can get caught up in the minutia specific to that job.**

A truly great AD, however, does the job assigned to them, but focuses on the whole show. They also have an awareness of what each department is doing, and most importantly, always keeps the story the shoot is serving front and center in their mind. And they are able to listen to someone in front of them and someone in their walkie earpiece at the same time. And not sit down for six hour stretches at a time. And be in a good mood. And make smart hilarious [...]

Continue Reading…

Feb 2 2010

FILM RESOURCES AND OTHER FUN STUFF

film community / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

A quick post to launch a new feature on the website. ‘Stripes’ is gone (R.I.P. I loved ya, but maybe it’s better this way. More private), and Ta Da…! ‘Links’ has arrived! Yes, after a few sad weeks of puzzling over how to put some links in the column to the right, the solution finally dawned on me… A new page.*

Check it out- it’s just a beginning, but as soon as you click on Resources for New Screenwriters and Filmmakers, you’ll understand why it might stay like this for awhile.

Also be sure to check out Jon Wayne Brown’s blog- Friend and fellow filmmaker, he’s in the midst of finishing up his first short film (A Well Lit Life – it’s terrific!) and starting the festival-entering process as he works on new projects and blogs about it all. Great fun.

* I amaze myself that I have a website at all.

Feb 1 2010

HOORAY FOR CANADIAN FILM!

recommended - 1 year ago - chris

I am freshly back from seeing Grown Up Movie Star, a film written and directed by Adriana Maggs, and I have to say, it was just terrific. Great writing and great acting.

Tatiana Maslany and Shawn Doyle in Grown Up Movie Star

It had been recommended to me by a couple of sources and I confess I approached it with trepidation. It is sadly rare that a Canadian film doesn’t inspire a couple of qualifiers (kind of slow in parts, but it’s actually pretty good!, or whatever damnation by faint praise you can think of). I can count on one hand the (English) Canadian films I’ve been pleasantly surprised by at the theatre. ‘Young People Fucking’ was one and ‘Suck’ was another (although I’m biased on that count- I worked on that film*), I quite enjoyed ‘Waydowntown’- it’s definitely stuck with me, and Don McKellar’s ‘Last Night’ has some really transcendent moments, and then of course there’s David Cronenberg… okay, maybe one hand is pushing it…

Anyway, Grown Up Movie Star isn’t pretty good- It’s great. Check it out- it’s in theatres now.**

* I hope they work out a theatrical release soon so everyone can see it

** If you live in Toronto, anyway- not sure about other places.

Jan 31 2010

THE DIFFICULT BUSINESS OF FILMMAKING

project updates / recommended - 1 year ago - chris

As January draws to a close, I find myself taking stock. A glance back at my adopted ‘Committed to Film’ manifesto finds a few numbers that have been seriously neglected of late-

4. SPEND WITH CLARITY AND SAVE WITH PURPOSE

5. GET YOUR CREDIT IN ORDER

6. EMBRACE MULTIPLE INCOME STREAMS

That’s right, folks- those numbers represent money! And it’s high time (due to a low bank account) to put some energy into my least favorite part of this manifesto- let’s refer to it delicately as ‘the financial situation’.

In a related tangent, I recently read a great article in Filmmaker about the release of the film BLAST! (a science doc). The article explores the question- In this world of multiple choice consumer formats and crowded content playing fields, should filmmakers still be dreaming of theatrical runs…?*

BLAST!’s Mark Devlin takes you through his decision making process, the ups and downs of the release (they decide to go with a theatrical run, in spite of good advice to the contrary), and what he learns about himself through it all. Inspiring story with a surprising and frank revelation about his relationship to the financial side of film.

Anyway, as a regular applier of/to grants/development programs, etc. the money side of filmmaking (and art) is nothing new to me. I actually enjoy some of it and have come to embrace asking the bottom-line questions about who would pay to see the film (and where they would watch it), finding the process to be an interesting part of the project.

A recent conversation with a good friend helped to further clarify the role these questions can play within the context of an art practice. He pointed out the difference between the need of the artist to let creativity flow (unfettered by thoughts of the “market” or “what will sell”), and [...]

Continue Reading…

Jan 27 2010

NOSTALGIA FOR ART I’VE NEVER SEEN

recommended - 2 years ago - chris

I recently received the latest issue of Filmmaker magazine and must confess a strange relationship with film magazines in general. Well, I love them and I love Filmmaker in particular (I even named this blog after one of their articles*). I love reading about film, I love interesting discourse and criticism and production anecdotes, but… here’s the catch- I don’t like reading about films I want to see before I’ve seen them, preferring, of course to approach a film primed only by it’s title and a good poster. Mm hm… This becomes tricky when the way you hear about a lot of films is through articles in film magazines.

At any rate, when Filmmaker arrives I tend to read the articles that I feel are ‘safe’ to read all the way through first, which brings me to the topic of this particular post- Omer Fast. A video/installation artist, Fast is featured in Filmmaker’s ‘EIGHT THINGS THAT WILL KEEP YOU IN THE KNOW’ for his recent work, entitled ‘Nostalgia’, and currently on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.

According to Filmmaker, ‘Nostalgia’ is a three-part film installation that follows a man’s account of his struggle for asylum in Britain meshed with his story told as a 1970s science fiction movie.

Well, hello Mr.Fast!

I find most straight-up video installation to be fantastically boring, but anything ‘meshed’ with seventies sci-fi piques my interest to say the least. Further investigation** finds a piece by Omer Fast done in 2003 meshing around some more- this time interviews with extras from Schindler’s List and Holocaust history, with the winning title ‘Spielberg’s List’. Now that I gotta see… Or perhaps, like movie reviews, this brief introduction to the work of Omer Fast has me imagining something so fun, so different, so rewarding, [...]

Continue Reading…

Previous posts

Categories

Archives