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BP Summer Big Screens 2010 entry Carmen June 4, 2010

Posted by joost in : commercial, directing, london , comments closed

Every year the Royal Opera House organizes several free open air broadcasts on big screens in London and other cities in the UK, sponsored by BP (…) in an attempt to make opera more accessible and popular. It’s basically a huge picnic while watching opera :-)

Part of all the festivities is a competition to create a really short film inspired by one of the operas. This year it is Bizet’s Carmen. The form can be really free, it’s really up to the maker to be creative, and that’s a brief which gave me the excuse to sink my teeth into something new; I decided to create an animated short that tries to convey the meaning of Carmen by using key text and graphics whizzing by. In order to realize this silly animated promo I taught myself the basics of After Effects, resulting in the following:


(click on the youtube logo to see the promo in glorious 1080p HD!)

The good news is that my short will be shown on the big screen at Trafalgar Square and other locations prior to the start of the opera!

Focus, plans, ambitions for 2010 January 13, 2010

Posted by joost in : directing, festivals, film, london, producing, reflection, screenwriting, work , comments closed

The start of a new year is always a good moment to write down plans and ideas. My ambition is to…

Specific goals and focus for the start of this year:

MOFILM commercials October 29, 2009

Posted by joost in : commercial, directing, london , comments closed

The results have been announced for the MOFILM 2009 London Film Festival competition. Our two Nokia commercials unfortunately did not win any awards or a mention on the shortlist. Still, two good efforts from our team with virtually no money and very little time. Judge yourself.

MOFILM Nokia – Treasure hunt
Credits: conceived, produced, directed and edited by Amélie Chicoye & Alice Caronna. Assisted by Mete Yilmaz and Joost Zoetebier.

MOFILM Nokia – Moments
Credits: conceived, produced, directed and edited by Mete Yilmaz and Joost Zoetebier. Assisted by Amélie Chicoye, Alice Caronna.

BSC Film and Digital Image Evaluation 2009 July 11, 2009

Posted by joost in : cinematography, film, london , comments closed

Last Wednesday I attended the British Society of Cinematographers Film and Digital Image Evaluation 2009. It is the second time this event took place, the first time was in 2007. Back then it started in an attempt to create an overview of the new professional HD cameras and to compare their images to those made by film cameras. This field is changing rapidly so a new comparison was definitely in order.

At the start of this year they made a special set at Pinewood to shoot day and night interiors, lit in such a way that it really pushed the capabilities of the cameras. Then they put every camera on a motion controlled rig and shot the scene. For the day exterior they built this insane rig where all the 19 cameras were shooting the same scene, to make sure that the conditions were exactly the same.

BSC camera rig (front)

BSC camera rig (front)

BSC camera rig (back)

BSC camera rig (back)

On the top row are four ARRIFLEX 435 and four 416 cameras, each loaded with a different film stock (Kodak 200T, Kodak 500T, Fuji 250T, Fuji 500T for the 35mm and 16mm cameras).

The digital cameras in the test range from expensive high-end digital film cameras to low-budget digital cameras: Panavision Genesis, ARRI D-21, Red One, Sony CineAlta F35, Silicon Imaging 2k (SI-2K), Sony HDW-F900R, Thomson Viper, Panasonic 3700, Sony EX3, Panasonic HVX 201 and the Canon EOS 5D stills Camera.

Purpose of the evaluation was not so much to reach a conclusion of “this is the best camera”, but more to show the capabilities of each camera under the same circumstances, and to show how the resulting images differ. Some cameras have difficulties showing details in shadowy underexposed parts of a frame, others display human skintone differently, etc.

It’s kind of like comparing cars: they can all drive, but you have to find the camera that suits you, that performs well in the circumstances you plan to use it, and last but not least falls within your budget.

The BSC spent several months digitizing and exporting all the footage in such a way that they could objectively compare the results (in .DPX format, and then calibrating the material using greyscales and Macbeth charts).

The event consisted of showing all the test footage from all the cameras. Each scene (day int, night int, day ext) was shown 19 times, one time for each different camera, after which footage was compared using a split screen. Each segment was followed by a Q&A and debate with the people in the crowd – plenty of BSC members of course but also producers, editors, colorists, make-up, costume, …

When we broke for lunch, my eyes felt strained from the intense staring at the screen! You try to pay attention to minute differences between the images, looking at the colour of the costumes, set, skintone, how the camera deals with extreme highlights or darkness, how crisp or noisy the image is, and how much it resembles what your human eye thinks it sees in real life.

During the second half of the day the audience became more vocal in voicing their opinions. Quotes like “you have to choose the right tool for the job” are not really that interesting to me, I mean, you are doing such a comparison for a reason, so let’s talk about the striking differences or about first-hand experiences proving something else than now shown on screen. The footage shot by the SI-2K camera for instance looked quite flat and over-saturated to a lot of people in the crowd, but this is the same camera that was used to shoot parts of Slumdog Millionaire and that footage looks incredible! The debate that ensued was quite insightful, and it made me realize that I should consider myself lucky that I have such a techy background – you could clearly see an older generation of cinematographers struggle with all the technical (digital) facets.

Some expressed their worry over, when shooting with digital cameras, not having control over the steps that take place after digital capture – but at the same time they are still held accountable for what the material looks like.

The day ended with a tribute to Jack Cardiff – a legendary cinematographer who was in the business for over 70 years (!) and who died last April. It’s symbolic for the nature (and class) of the BSC; they really are a tightlyknit group of people who are passionate and very serious about their work, and they respect and honour the work of their peers.

An event like this evaluation helps to create some clarity and also to cause debate at the same time regarding the wide variety of cameras available nowadays and that can only be a good thing.

Update: behind the scenes video.

Artquest June 22, 2009

Posted by joost in : directing, film, london, work , comments closed

Oh and in the category “why not?”: I found out about this three month arts residency called artquest where London based visual artists get to live and work in a warehouse in central Berlin for three months, sharing the space with all kinds of other artists – all expenses paid. With an hour to spare I have submitted my application 8-)

Screenings + Q&A’s May 11, 2009

Posted by joost in : film, lifestyle, london, screening , comments closed

It’s good to be back in London! My timing is impeccable, since three new films had an advance premiere this week including a Q&A after the screening. I managed to get into all three of them.

First off Coraline, in 3D. The advances in stop motion techniques alone and the greater ambition can clearly be seen in this film. It has a very cinematic feel when it comes to the camera work, lighting and editing. And “as promised” the use of 3D is all in support of enhancing the story. Coraline is set in the real world and a parallel fantasy world. Both in set design and 3D these two worlds have a different depth to them.


Joost with fancy Dolby 3D glassesCoraline Q&A @ BFI

Joost with fancy Dolby 3D glasses

Coraline Q&A @ BFI

Writer/director Henry Selick, writer (of the novel) Neil Gaiman and (voice) actor John Hodgman were interviewed on stage for about 40 minutes and answered questions from the audience. A very pleasant Q&A with honest and detailed answers about the making of the film, and plenty of jokes and snide remarks.

The next day I saw Chéri, Stephen Frears latest film. I must admit I wasn’t particularly interested in this film beforehand, and haven’t changed my mind after watching it. Michelle Pfeifer gives a good performance, and the cinematography by one of my favorite DoP’s Darius Khondji is marvelous, but the subject matter and story just couldn’t hold my attention.
That does NOT apply to Stephen Frears, one of Brittain’s most respected directors. Also attending the Q&A was another top class British film maker, writer Christopher Hampton.

This is the first time that I saw Frears in real life, and he struck me as a director who is not overly enthusiastic to explain the choices that he has made in his film(s) and the meaning of particular scenes. Fascinating to hear him talk nevertheless, because he has a very self-deprecating style, “confesses” his ignorance when it comes to other disciplines involved into making a film come to live (set design, costumes, music), jokes that he doesn’t tell his cast how to act but at the same time stresses the importance of every single word of dialogue, but of course knows very well what he is doing when he is covering a scene.

Thanks to my persistence and the helping hand of someone from The Script Factory, I managed to get into the sold-out premiere today of Synecdoche, New York, Charlie Kaufman‘s latest film and directorial debut.
Ever since hearing the premise of this film I had been looking forward to seeing it. And like any Kaufman film it will require multiple viewings to really appreciate the complex narrative and visuals. But suffice it to say that I am quite impressed! It is a somber contemplation on death, illness, lost loves, creating art and identity.

Perhaps I wanted to hear him talk even more than to watch his film. If you look at the feature length screenplays he has written so far I think he is one of the most extraordinary minds of this decade. Read this Wired article or listen to the complete audio dump to get a feel for how he talks and what captures his attention and imagination.
The man himself… intelligent, witty, rambling at times, honest in how he perceives life and how he incorporates that into his screenplays/films. He made a great remark to conclude the Q&A, which was something along the lines of (this is my recollection of what he said btw, so not an actual quote):

“I have tried to make a film that is truthful. I have tried to find a way to tell it in a different way than conventions dictate. I might have failed… I probably have failed, but it was an attempt to get closer to what the film is really about. And hopefully this will inspire other filmmakers to explore and to get closer to achieving that goal as well.”

For a moment it felt like he was addressing me, and I left the cinema with an inspired smile on my face.

Itch and scratch March 24, 2009

Posted by joost in : film, london , comments closed

I haven’t filmed (properly) in months! It itches. And where it itches… you need to scratch. For a while I have been toying with ideas to shoot a non-narrative short film. Or to phrase it differently: “an arty, more experimental film”. Reasons? An interesting exercise in itself, possibly a good addition to my showreel, just good fun to shoot something freeform, a nod and/or middle finger to the festival world, an attempt to capture a reflection on the current state of film, …

By the looks of it me and Claudio will have the opportunity to scratch our itches during Easter. Claudio has scrambled some equipment and facilities, so the two of us will each film “something” over the course of two days. We have both been jotting down ideas and will help the other realize his “vision”, together with some of the other usual suspects from our film network. I don’t know if it will be good, but it will be good FUN, that’s for sure!

Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. (etc) January 22, 2009

Posted by joost in : film, london , comments closed

What to do when there is no work, no phone calls, no film projects in pre-production, and nothing much going on outside of that? Apart from doing the obvious – letting people know that I am available and sending out C.V.’s – my answer is: making sure that I keep myself occupied with film related activities, making the most out of the time that I now have available.

Starting last week, me and my former classmate Mete have started doing directing exercises on a daily basis. We come up with a simple action or block an existing scene, grab a camera, and experiment with ways to cover this. We have shot a scene from Dostoevsky’s Crime and punishment for instance, focusing on how to stage the action and how to film this in the most efficient way (one setup to cover the whole action) and/or in the most dramatic fashion.
It’s like going to the gym, but then for directors ;-) We are flexing our film muscles every day not only to keep us busy, but with the goal of eventually making it our second nature.

Apart from that I have started penning down ideas and a rough outline for what should eventually become my first feature length screenplay. It is still in a pre-embryonic state, but I’ve found a new angle on a theme that I had been toying with a couple of months ago (but back then I wasn’t too happy with the outcome).

It’s a story about freedom of choice, about how the lives of a couple of characters develop over time and how they act (or fail to act) given particular circumstances. I can’t really tell much more right now because I am still trying to figure out myself what the story is about!

My goal is to have this outline done in two or three weeks. The whole screenplay will take many many weeks if not months to write. This partly depends on finding (or: forcing) my writers mojo, but mostly it will depend on discipline and putting in the hours. To this end I am sticking to a fixed daily rhythm of getting up at 830 in the morning, starting to write at 10am, directing in the afternoon, doing research and some more (re)writing in the evening, and going to bed at 01:30. Which for me is somewhat revolutionary ;-) given my nocturnal habits. Of course I’m struggling a bit to adjust to this rhythm, but this week’s already been better than last week, so I hope to have nailed it by next week.

Zzzhoot December 9, 2008

Posted by joost in : film, london, reflection, work , comments closed

Note to self: must figure out a way to get a night of decent sleep before the first day of a shoot. My nocturnal biorhythm usually clashes big time with the start of a shoot, resulting in a ridiculously short sleep on day 0, a bit more sleep on day 1, and a somewhat decent sleep on day 2. Ugh. Coffee, anyone?

Update – this week’s score: 1,  3,  3.5,  3.5,  4.5,  4 and 4 hours of sleep, resulting in a whopping average of 3 hours and 20 minutes a night…

Being a floor runner November 22, 2008

Posted by joost in : film, london, work , comments closed

I’ve been working one or two days per week on the Nine set this month. Great fun. I’m more comfortable now that I know what goes on and what is important on the day. Some people have asked me “So what exactly do you DO as a runner?”. I’ve found an interesting article that explains pretty accurately what a (floor) runner is and what he does, so I would advise you to read that if you are interested.

What I’d like to add to this: a floor runner is someone who is a runner on the film set itself (and the surrounding studio complex, in this case Shepperton Studios). A runner in general is someone who usually spends more time off-set than on-set, because he has to run errands, pick up / drop off equipment, etc.

With any luck I will be able to keep doing this until they wrap the London leg of the shoot, the last week before Christmas.