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3d follow-up post July 21, 2010

Posted by joost in : film , comments closed

Last year I wrote about the upcoming 3D-craze in Now in 3D! It’s been a while and with the landscape rapidly changing a follow-up post is definitely in order.

The industry is clearly still in a period of transition. Exhibitors are gradually upgrading and installing digital projectors (which are required for 3d screenings), while the major US studios have fully embraced 3d tent pole blockbuster films purely because of the extra revenue 3d generates, especially with the cash cow of DVD sales rapidly declining at the same time. Katzenberg talks in Variety about the biz being at 3D crossroads

“… the revenue (today) from a successful 3D release net to the studios is greater than the erosion in the DVD market over the last two years.”

This 3d gold rush leads to occasional clashes where there’s either too few 3d screens for major releases (Avatar could have easily launched on more 3d screens) or too many 3d films coming out in a short time span.

All of this has led to a new trend: “post-converting” films to 3d. This means a film is entirely conceived and shot the traditional 2d way, and then converted to 3d in the post production stages. This is far from trivial or cheap for that matter (up to $100.000 per converted minute of the film), but worth the extra potential box office revenue. Some of these 2d-to-3d conversions were rushed and under a lot of time pressure, leading to harsh criticism in the case of Clash of the Titans on the quality of the resulting “3d” film.

Obviously this process will continue to be used in the coming years by productions who do not have the means, knowledge or patience to create the film in 3d from conception to release – and by lazy cash-grabbing Hollywood studios of course…

Slate describes this process in an article called How do you convert a flat movie into 3-D? A more in-depth description can be found here: In-Three on the Workflow Behind 3D Conversions.

Not everyone is sold on 3d though. One of its biggest critics is “old man” Roger Ebert (who has been reviewing films for the past forty-odd years or so). He outlines his thoughts in a Newsweek article Why I hate 3-D (and you should too).

I would recommend that he’d watch Toy Story 3 in 3D. The film is a great example of the principle of “story telling first”, and of constrained use of 3D. The Guardian has a video online that shows how they determine the “3d-ness” within a scene. More word from Pixar’s stereographer on CNET.

Worth a separate post is the rest of the industry jumping on the 3d bandwagon. 3D TV’s were the hottest trend at this year’s CES, broadcasters are experimenting with 3d live events such as football and rugby here in the UK. The 2010 World Cup football in South Africa was shot and broadcast in 3d. Sky TV have announced a dedicated 3d channel, and interestingly, they have released the technical specifications for 3d content.

Haven’t had enough of 3d? Go over to 3dcinecast for in-depth articles and the latest news on 3D.

Nyarlahotep June 15, 2010

Posted by joost in : directing, film, music , comments closed

My housemate Annike has just finished her last year project for the London School of Fashion. She designed a costume inspired by the character Nyarlathotep (also known as the Crawling Chaos) by H.P. Lovecraft. Embedded in this costume is a glove with a series of sensors and electronics, enabling the performer (Tom Whiston / ascetic) to manipulate sound and music. Annike’s work will be exhibited at the Battersea Arts Centre later this month. As a companion piece to her work I shot a video depicting the costume and all-consuming entity that is Nyarlahotep:

Recommended reading #1 May 16, 2010

Posted by joost in : film, recommended reading , comments closed

It should be no surprise that I follow plenty of film (making) related news. It is my intention from now on to provide an overview of some of those noteworthy stories under the heading Recommended reading. The frequency of these posts will probably vary, when I’m busy I will read and post less, whereas downtime will presumably lead to more news reading and publishing.

B stands for Big Business
A company called The Asylum specializes in creating and selling B-movies. Forget about “art” or “originality”, their philosophy is follow the market: “The real definition of an Asylum movie is a movie that has already been sold before we ever make it“. Wired has more on them in an article called Now Playing: Cheap-and-Schlocky Blockbuster Ripoffs. Asylum’s latest success: scoring 2.2 million viewers for the premiere of Mega Piranha (trailer) on SyFy channel in the USA.

Doc distro
With the film making and distribution landscape changing rapidly, everyone is searching for answers and success stories. IndieWIRE writes about six case studies of distributing feature length documentaries.

Directing us
An older gem that I recently discovered is an essay by David Bordwell on staging in a long continuous shot. In Hands and faces across the table he says: “One task facing any director is to direct—not only actors but us. The filmmaker must direct our attention to what’s important for responding to the drama at any moment.” Bordwell notices a “lost art” of having the action develop in the scene and within the frame instead of the currently established film grammar of rapid cuts back and forth. Fortunately a film like P.T. Anderson‘s There will be blood shows fine examples of such continuous shots.

Impressions of my imagine: the 26th Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival April 28, 2010

Posted by joost in : festivals, film, netherlands , comments closed

It’s April, which for me always means one thing: attending the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival! Yes, that festival of those creepy posters ™ on my wall. imagine: the 26th Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival (as it is officially called) took place from the 14th to the 24th of April. My home festival, which returned home quite literally this year by taking over the Kriterion cinema again – ten years after the last time. Two important things were different for me in the way I experienced the festival this year.

First of all I didn’t think I would be able to attend this year’s edition due to work commitments. Only a few days before the festival started I knew for sure that this suddenly would be possible after all. Before that moment I had deliberately chosen not to look at the films in detail – why rub salt in the wounds by exploring what films I would miss? So I found myself at the festival watching a bunch of films which all were kind of an unexpected treat to begin with. I hardly had any expectations because I read through their descriptions once or twice, ordered the tickets (thanks H.!), somehow managed to dodge the travel chaos due to the volcanic ashes and started watching the films.

Secondly I made a conscious choice not to try to watch every single film of the festival “just because I could”. After seeing a record 52 films at last year’s edition, I pondered whether my overall impression of the festival and the films would be better if I would try to identify and avoid the stinkers in advance. As often said before, one of the reasons why I am not a fan of monthly cinema passes (subscriptions) is that I think it leads one to see more mediocre films. Choosing to watch films more selectively hopefully leads to more awareness and attention and a more positive impression. This lead me to select about two thirds of this year’s festival slate, 33 films out of 50 or so.

The return to the Kriterion cinema turned out to be a successful one. Compared to the last edition one decade ago there were three screens now instead of the two, and the bar area has been enlarged considerably too. All the action (except the Night of Terror) took place in this one location that was all about the festival, with posters adorning all the walls, DVD’s and T-shirts on sale, and Mr. Horror spinning tunes in the evening. The crowds were sparse and low-key in the early afternoon hours, gearing up in the late afternoon, leading to a packed entrance, hallway and staircase in the evening, but never turning into revolting crowds and chaos. My compliments go out to the festival organisation and volunteers who were always on the ball, and who for instance swapped screening rooms and redirected the audience when there was a bigger demand than initially expected.

My favorite films of imagine: the 26th Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival

Which of the films stood out and which are the ones that I will remember and talk about long after the festival is over?

(more…)

Busy february February 19, 2010

Posted by joost in : commercial, film, producing, work , comments closed

February is turning out to be a productive month!

I’ve worked as a camera and sound assistant on a (non)corporate video for the NHS, shooting a series of testimonials and short videos based on actual case studies that have to do with the intersection of HIV/AIDS and high risk groups / ethnic minorities.
It is one of the best projects I’ve had the pleasure to work on in the last few months, because it deals with a topic that matters, working with two film mates that I trust and whose company I enjoy, with lovely and committed NHS staff to support us, and with fascinating lunch and dinner conversations to top it all off.

I also helped out on a short film by other LFA graduates. They were selected in the first round of a short film competition and received some money and a small amount of time to create a new short for the next round.

Next week I am working as 1st AD on another short film, about superheroes with useless superpowers :-) The director will pitch this idea as a tv series to the BBC, and the short film will be shown as an example of the characters and their universe. Everyone involved of course hopes that both the film and the pitch will turn out well and will lead to new opportunities. That aside, it is a well-oiled production, making me look forward to what will hopefully be a smooth shoot.

At the same time I am about to produce a handful of tv documentary episodes to be shot in the second half of March. This mainly involves organizing and accompanying the shoot so that the (foreign) tv anchor and director can fly into London and do several interviews with “famous guests”. Target audience are viewers in the Middle East.

As if that is not enough, I am exploring the offer to produce another documentary, about a recent controversial topic (can’t be more specific for the moment) targeted towards the English and American market. It looks like a big chunk of potential work for me. In the coming days we will have to figure out what the production aspects will entail, and if that promises to be something that I believe I can and want to do.

Oh and then there is still this other documentary that I hope to be involved in on a creative level… Exciting times!

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:

Haveseenlist 2010 January 1, 2010

Posted by joost in : film , comments closed

This post will be updated throughout the year with all the films that I have seen (hence the name). This is the unabridged version. See the tab Best films 2010 for a summary.

Last updated: Wed September 1st, 2010

Best films 2009 December 31, 2009

Posted by joost in : film, reflection , comments closed

I’ve seen 166 feature films and 104 short films in 2009. As much as I appreciate an overview of “The Best Films of 2009″, I feel it never truly fits the moniker. International release dates vary, and films shown on festivals sometimes have been touring the circuit for well over a year. And other times I am blown away by a film that I somehow missed in the year it was initially released. For these reasons, my end of the year list usually consists of the best films that I have seen and that for the most part have been released in the past year.

  1. The clone returns home (2009)
    A slow-paced, visually strong philosophical contemplation on cloning, the soul, and what makes us human.
    Seen and reviewed during the 25th Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival 2009 / imagine.
  2. Moon (2009)
    Avatar might have been the spectacle of the year, Moon shows how filmmaking on the other end of the sci-fi spectrum can result in an emotionally more touching experience. Fantastic script, great performance by Sam Rockwell and a superb soundtrack by Clint Mansell.
  3. Martyrs (2008)
    A very violent and gruesome film about physical abuse and how to create victims. A study into the strength and the fathomless depths of the human spirit. Difficult to watch, but hard not to recommend. “Handle with care”.
    Seen and reviewed during the 25th Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival / imagine. Also check out this alternative “trailer” that doesn’t show any footage of the film but gives you a good idea what the impact of seeing Martyrs can be like.
  4. Lebanon (2009)
    An attack on the senses. Claustrophobic interpretation of what it was like to be in an Israeli tank invading Lebanon in 1982.
  5. Il y a longtemps que je t’aime (I’ve loved you so long) (2008)
    Kristin Scott Thomas portrays the first steps of a woman who has just been released from prison. Great character piece with effective story telling, each scene adheres to the writing mantra “come in late, leave early”.
  6. Synecdoche, New York (2008)
    Mindfuck of the year by who else than Charlie “to recurse is divine” Kaufman. The film is top heavy at times and does not always succeed in keeping the audience’s emotions in a headlock. But overall it does manage to use a unique way of storytelling to challenge notions of life, death, sickness and vanity.
  7. The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006)
    One of the more “recent old films” that made a profound impact on me. Perhaps flawed because of its talkative nature, this film nevertheless succeeds in drawing you in to the roots, beliefs, convictions and sacrifices of the Irish conflict. Heartbreaking.
  8. Hunger (2008)
    I think I saw this one as part of a double bill with The wind that shakes the barley – not an easy Saturday afternoon by any means! A very carnal film, first hitting you on the head with a sledge hammer and then shitting on you. Featuring my favorite actor of the moment, Michael Fassbender (seen this year in: Hunger, Fish Tank, Inglourious Basterds, Eden Lake).
  9. Let the right one in (2008)
    It can be hard to live up to expectation with all the prior buzz and awards. Luckily the film is as good as people say. It’s a touching portrait of teenage adolescence, loneliness, bullying, being in love. “Suspenseful drama” feels like a more appropriate description than “horror”, even though the film definitely has its gory moments. One of those films where things click – story, cast, cinematography, music.
    Seen and reviewed during the 25th Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival / imagine.
  10. (500) Days of Summer (2009)
    Tricky, because I know I have a sweet spot for romantic comedies, but then again, this film is everything the genre is not. Pulp Fiction-esque structure, great juxtaposition between scenes, plenty of visual flair to rhyme with what the film wants to convey, elegant integration of music without being too hipster, and performances that hit home. “This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know upfront: this is not a love story.”
  11. The Wrestler (2008)
    Some actors live a lifetime in order to portray a character faithfully. Mickey Rourke shines in this film about a down on his luck old wrestler.
  12. Frost/Nixon (2008)
    Who would have thought that a film about a TV interview could be so entertaining and gripping?
  13. Revolutionary Road (2008)
    Sam Mendes shows that he truly is an actors director, but with fine understanding of how to convey those performances.
  14. Rachel Getting Married (2008)
    Jonathan Demme and Anne Hathaway up their game.
  15. Happy-go-lucky (2008)
    Perfect example of the “slice of life” way of film making, where you can’t help but love the main characters despite their flaws.
  16. Fish Tank (2009)
    This film manages to avoid many of the usual social realist cliches and focuses on a coming of age story against the backdrop of lower social class society in Britain.

Post scriptum
Avatar. One of the last films I have seen in 2009, and one of the films that had been on my toseelist for over two years or so. It’s too early for me to be able to judge how good the film really is, or rather, I think “the wow-factor” distracts from key story telling and character issues that I have with Avatar.

Yes, it is truly an immersive experience. Yes, Avatar will be the new reference point in years to come for what can be done with computer wizardry. Yes, Cameron has a better grip on and understanding of 3D than people like Zemeckis.

But… after all these years of development why don’t I then care for the characters or for their journey? With such a big canvas and so much time I expect not only depth in the screen but also in the narrative and characters! In the end the magic quickly wears off, all the glitz doesn’t compensate the lack of emotional engagement.

November activities December 2, 2009

Posted by joost in : LFA, festivals, film, reflection, screening, screenwriting, work , comments closed

An overview of what I have been working on in the last month:

Rule 2 festival news October 29, 2009

Posted by joost in : LFA, festivals, film , comments closed

I’m still sending out my graduation film “Rule 2” to festivals. Recently I received exciting news from Iran, my film has been selected for the Tehran 14th International Short Film Festival! Their website is a bit outdated, but there’s a general news announcement here.

This means so far the film has been shown at the following festivals:

Next up: American film festivals!