...m...

Robert Blake Redux - Act 3

2011-12-23T14:12:00.000-08:00

– LOS ANGELES via @PBS

Charged in 2002 with the murder of his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley, he made headlines around the world with his eventual acquittal and subsequent "wrongful death" civil judgement which bankrupted him.

Actor Robert Blake recently appeared on PBS' Tavis Smiley Show, to let us all understand that he's okay with "the boss," that he sleeps well, and that he has been "at the edge of that address," many times. It is a fascinating interview with a man who began a show business career as a child on Hal Roach's "Our Gang; Little Rascals" comedies, a feature film actor, then as an Emmy award winner on television's "Baretta" in the 1970's. A veteran of Hollywood, many film dévotées recall his riveting, 1967 portrayal of Perry Smith, the convicted killer of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. (Capote did extensive research with the actual killers to write what would be his last novel. In 2008, In Cold Blood was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".).

Besides chronicling a life where art attempted to foreshadow life, perhaps the reason why this interview seems so compelling is beyond the personal history of the man on camera with Tavis, and beyond the fact that Blake made so many films at the studio where this interview takes place, ("It's like I came out of the La Brea Tar Pits as the ghost of Lot 3...") but it is also compelling in the vivid, street-level brush strokes Blake uses to paint his self-portrait during his own third act.

– Michael Orton

ROBERT BLAKE, interviewed by Tavis Smiley – video courtesy PBS

Review: "The Help" (opens Aug 10 -- US and UK)

2011-07-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

review by Michael Orton

At the Sundance Film Festival this past January, a memorable appearance by Harry Belafonte offered the young filmmakers in attendance a personal understanding of his involvement in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and of his fervent desire that above anything else, they be society's radicals (his emphasis). Citing the Works Progress Administration and the work of Dorthea Lange and Ben Shahn, he described artists as "the caretakers of truth," and perhaps even guardians of our culture and that "radical thought is the energy of the Universe."

Harry Belafonte (right) "sitting"

Belafonte told those assembled that day that he felt he had been "fortunate to interface with the harbingers of radical thinking," people like Eleanor Roosevelt and Paul Robeson. "The power of art is not to portray life as it is, but life as it should be..." but he also warned, "To be a radical is to be an outcast. We definitely paid a price."

These themes multiply the force and effect of the Tate Taylor film version of Kathryn Stockett's 2009 debut novel, "The Help," a story set in and about Jackson, Mississippi and the Jim Crow south. With breakout performances by Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis (note that several Oscar nominations are predicted, here), and with Stockett's author adequately played by ingenue Emma Stone, the film also contains a stunningly appropriate cameo by none other than Cicely Tyson herself. When Ms. Tyson takes the screen, one feels as though history has indeed come alive. Allison Janney offers a welcome presence as part of Jackson Mississippi's plantation establishment and Sissy Spacek's unabashed comic relief allows the overarching social tension to be almost welcome.

(l to r) Bryce Dallas Howard, Sissy Spacek and Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

America in the sixties included television's "Andy Griffith Show" for those privileged enough to have "Ozzie and Harriet" and "Leave It to Beaver" memories of their childhood. Memorable for some but not for all during that convulsive time of our nation's history. Ironically, one of the most caustic characters in the story is very well delivered by Bryce Dallas Howard a generation after her father (director Ron Howard) was Andy Griffiths' cherubic "Opie" in the Mayberry series of the sixties. In "The Help," white hot performances including a revelatory soliloquy, delivered with piercing effect by Ms. Davis, help us truly understand that those famous years were not idyllic for everyone who lived through them. This is the transcendent effect of "The Help," and one that will definitely be recognized during Oscar's upcoming "For Your Consideration" season beginning in just six months. (Perhaps it is significant to note here that the nation's general election will occur only eight months after the Oscars are awarded this coming March).

And after viewing and feeling this story, which forcefully reminds us of how far we've come as a nation, one might conclude that as strenuous and painful as it was, the effort of Harry Belafonte, Martin Luther King and those other harbingers of radical thinking, was just The Help we needed.

"The Help" a DreamWorks release of a Reliance Big Entertainment feature

from the novel by Kathryn Stockett

screenplay by Tate Taylor

directed by Tate Taylor

IMDB info here

Pushback on Technopush

2010-08-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hollywood --

In today's New York Times, Michael Cieply writes about some pushback of the industry's massive attention to 3D technologies and also something predictable: The complication (ed. emphasis) behind "the industry's jump into the third dimension." Sorry, but we all saw this coming, right? At the NABshow in Las Vegas in spring 2009, the firstlings of 3D were showing up. This is a trade show (note previous posts here) that is largely technology-oriented with many engineers in attendance (IEEE and all that), so it's an appropriate forum for all of the breakout schwag and non-linear thinking.

Then, this spring, 3D was even a larger presence at NAB, no doubt fueled by the excitement of the mega-success of James Cameron's latest blockbusting effort, "Avatar" released the prior summer. Owing to the fact that (at least recently), much of Hollywood's production community and decisions are motivated by the gaming industry, this could accurately be called a calculated success. (Good that Mr. Cameron's track record equals his brilliant mind).

"Gaming industry," you ask?? (well, you might if you're older than forty) while you are lamenting the lack of film fare that you might enjoy, and longing for the time when a communal experience at the movies was also a night out that didn't cost what it costs today. Yes, and because you are not tied-in to the idea of "Comic Con" in San Diego, where the younger demographics are catered-to in detail, you should simply understand that the disposable income in this world is largely commanded by our 16-to-28 year-olds. Hence, a fascination by Hollywood to the confluence of comic book heros and intimate audience participation. Did this start with Spiderman?? We can't know. We do know that Michael Bay is prepping / shooting / animating "Transformers 3." Enough said.

Effects, Action or Scale

While the studio execs and the exhibitors still salivate over their 3D options (10% of the screens in America are now digitally able, a requirement of the third dimension) we are left with a dizzying lack of attention to the rest of our demographics by Hollywood studios.

The similar and historical situation to the "conversion" of black-and-white classics to "colorized" versions may give us a clue to what may happen next. The auteurs are already complaining about the possibility of their work being converted to 3D without their permission or desire, and audiences are still discovering what they will pay the premium, 3D ticket prices for. As far as (DreamWorks' chief production executive) Stacey Snider's comment that "It’s naïve to think we wouldn’t be having [3D] on any movie that has effects, action or scale,” we ask, is it naive to think that a film we'd like to see has a story..??? Would "Breakfast at Tiffany's" be more sellable in 3D?? That point is made by Mr. Cameron who designed the specific "gee whiz" 3D shots into his "Avatar." We were all impressed, but we were supposed to be. To his credit, Mr. Cameron planned the effective use of the third dimension. It worked, and he went to the bank while the industry thought they'd gone to the races.

Planned, not Applied

What you'll see in the near future: Several rock concerts are scheduled to be produced in Imax 3D, where ticket prices can be expected to be greater than average. (Interestingly, this at a time when many artists are arguing with promoters to reduce their concert ticket prices). We've seen Sony demo material where the crewe procession of Brazil's Carnivale with its resplendent colour is attempted to wow us in 3D, but, note to wanna-be directors of 3D: it doesn't. The reason why it doesn't is because the best 3D scenes have LOTS of foreground v. background composition, and this needs to be planned not "applied." The gaming crossover properties can do this kind of planning, and likely admirably so for their audiences. But conversions for the sake of conversions and a chance at more box office revenue just won't do. We are not holding our collective breath for "A Cabin in the Woods," in 3D. Please give us compelling story. If there's some effects, action or scale involved, so much the better.

Coming: A possible solution to the studios' inattention

Next: Comments and review of "The Help"

Michael Orton is a newmedia specialist and writer working in the west

Okay, You Be the Judge

2010-07-12T16:43:00.001-07:00

Berne et Gstaad --

Msr. Polanski was released from electronic custody and house arrest in Switzerland earlier today, much to the dismay of the Los Angeles District Attorney's office who had sought to have him extradicted and to stand and answer charges which made him an international fugitive for more than twenty years. That recent story is widely known, as is the masterpiece he created from different story by Robert Towne who described his "Chinatown" as the "tunnel at the end of the light."

For me, this interview is among the best from a director, if only because it includes the effect which had Jack Nicholson's J.J. Gittes wearing a bandage on his nose for most of the rest of the picture. But... there's more to it than that. And if you're a film geek, it's worth :10:35 minutes.

The Maytag Effect

2010-06-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

If you've ever pushed full-ocean scuba gear through the surfline and toward a favorite reef, especially on a day where the breakers were coming in pretty strong, chances are you've heard the term "the Maytag Effect." This is the time when, while wearing a wetsuit, lead weights, a 40lb tank, regulators, a bottom time computer and probably carrying a speargun, you find yourself caught in the biggest part of the surf and pounded mercilessly by all of the hydraulics involved. It can tear your facemask off of your face if you're not prepared. (Hint: Once you see it coming, go UNDER it and tuck your human pinipeds under yourself in a fetal-like position until the main agitation is over. Then resume your kick out to the place you're headed).

River kayakers get this idea, too. Especially on the Payette in Idaho during a record runoff. Sometimes its all you can do to keep the pointy-end facing downriver. Crabbing in the middle of the roiling whitewater is exhilarating beyond your imagination. Is that the river or your stomach churning??

No difference.

Props to the camerawork and assembly by Anson Fogel and team for their upcoming feature, "Wildwater."

Base Jumping at Dean's

2010-06-08T23:26:00.000-07:00

Dean's Blue Hole -- Bahamas

Freedivers are unique in what they understand about their own tuning and performance. Imagine being able to not only hold your breath for almost four minutes, but to do work and remain mentally focused during all of that time.

It's a long time.

Especially if you calmly walk to the edge of a 600 foot sink hole and throw yourself into it face first, all while being entirely underwater. Underwater camera people are also unique. They despise bubbles that would distract the viewer from what they intended them to see. Often they use "rebreather" units that scrub the CO2 out of the air that recirculates in a closed system. But some of them just hold their breath, too. For this man and his shooter girlfriend, a free fall is different than others might experience. Dreamlike, even.

Guillame NERY AT THE ABYSS

The idea is that you become so comfortable in the water that your heart only beats a few times per minute. This is also because you are completely lean and physically conditioned into kinship with the aquatic mammals who divert their bloodflow to major organs during a dive. Quite tricky to do, because with each additional 33 feet of depth in the seawater column, there's an additional atmosphere of pressure that makes that breath of air you caught at the surface half as much smaller in your lungs. (Conversely, on assent, it expands, but at that time you've exchanged some of the O2 into CO2 and its the latter that tells your brain you are "hungry" to breathe air. Gulliame's poise in this clip would indicate that he keeps all of his hunger in check)

If you claim that kinship with the other aquatic mammals and believe that you have returned to an environment where all life began, then base jumping in a sinkhole isn't all that intimidating.

Maybe it's just a parallel dimension with another place and time.
Or maybe its just a dream.

Augmented Reality at Sundance

2010-01-30T18:35:00.000-08:00

The Sundance Film Festival, Park City --

Most of the time you might see the hashtag online or hear the conversational term "newmedia" at cocktail parties or around backpacking field reporters and cinematographers narrowcasting on specific blog interests. Internet citizen journalism is often referred to as a "new media" activity, among these others. So when Eric Gradman says the word "transmedia," around his augmented reality "Cloud Mirror," it tends to get one's attention. This is at least because David Granger and Esquire Magazine's "First Ever Augmented Reality issue" (Dec. 2009) allowed readers to download some resident software, find the unique symbols on several pages and then hold them up to their webcam to see their magazine come to life. (We especially liked the "Funny Joke from a Beautiful Woman" in that form)!! Augmented Esquire was in your hands and on your laptop screen simultaneously.

Monkeys and Robots is Eric's idea lab and prototyping company in Glendale, California where his projects leave concept to become some kind of reality. After seeing the website, we're thinking that someone'll be biggin' him up and that pretty soon he'll be doing some hush hush projects for the Rand National Defense Research Institute's ATP or NewsCorp. Afterall, Sundance called him and extended an invitation to exhibit at the New Frontiers on Main portion of the film festival.

In Eric's own words...

Eric Gradman and his augmented reality "Cloud Mirror" at SundanceTwentyTen

But it's his Virsix.com that has plans to knock the world of entertainment on its ear. What if you bought a ticket to an experience, one that would immerse you into a motion picture as your own gamepiece and with a game and story that you could then continue at home via the internet??

Discussing the "Virsix" collaboration in transmedia, "all supporting a single story."

Watch for additional applications using transmediated, augmented technologies and Eric's limitless brain. As you can see, neither are close to stopping yet, and it ain't your mama's arcademovietheaterinternet anymore.

For Monkeys and Robots, click here.

For information on Virsix.com's upcoming launch, click here.

The Prize Worthy Disturbance Continues

2010-01-30T18:31:00.000-08:00

The Sundance Film Festival, Park City --

When these films were announced and screened, a couple of things came to mind. For those who have seen the 1984 Oscar-winning feature "The Killing Fields," about the life of Dith Pran, you'll understand what is meant by the expression "art that disturbs." This year's lauded Sundance entries "Restrepo" and "Enemies of the People" also have much in common with Picasso's monochromatic cubist canvas known simply as "Guernica."

Picasso's "Guernica," 1937

In 1937, as part of a protest of Franco's complicity with Hitler in the extermination of a Basque village in northern Spain, Picasso sent the painting to Spain's pavilion at the World Expo in Paris. An unapologetic denouncement of the atrocities that had occurred when Franco agreed to allow Hitler's airpower to test the effectiveness of "carpet bombing," Guernica now hangs in the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid. Disturbing then and disturbing now. When one walks into the hall which displays "Guernica," its size immediately imposes its eventual impact. The canvas measures almost 26 feet wide and is 11 feet in height and was created at a time well before anamorphic aspect ratios were conceived for film.

Much has been and will be written about Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington's Afghanistan war documentary named after a fallen U.S. medic, Juan "Doc" Restrepo, who was also memorialized when the Forward Operating Firebase where most of the action occurs was named for him as well. In the first moments of the film, we witness Doc bleed out while being evacuated from the front in a futile attempt to save his bullet-riddled life. Sufficient to say here that Junger and his producer Tim Hetherington were able to get footage that almost killed them several times and allows viewers to understand the war in a very personal way. This film is not for the squeamish. It is shocking and stark and beautifully horrific.

"Enemies of the People" chronicles the efforts of Thet Sambath to infiltrate and expose the lives of Pol Pot's cronies who systematically exterminated millions of Camodians in the 1970s. The film documents his 10-year effort to get close to, document and then expose the men and women responsible for a generation of youth in Cambodia who were orphaned by the Khmer Rouge. The film picks up where "The Killing Fields" left off.

Yes, this kind of art is disturbing, but still very necessary. Artists who make paintings of World War II Spain, songwriters and performers who include lyrics exposing social injustice in Nigeria, and filmmakers who bring atrocities into our minds to expose those responsible, are owed our time and our attention if not our gratitude for the sacrifices they've made to create such a prize worthy disturbance in an otherwise comfortable society.

"Restrepo" - Grand Jury Prize Winner, Documentary - Sundance 2010
"Enemies of the People" - World Cinema Special Jury Prize, Documentary - Sundance 2010

more information on Sundance 2010 awards here.

Sundance Snack, Same Day

2010-01-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

The Sundance Film Festival, Park City --

One of the treats of SundanceTwentyTen was the presence of PBS and NPR. A feast for our souls on the airwaves. (The real airwaves, a public resource).

Video: PBS Promotion for "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Tabla Rosa Sundance

One of the wise things done at the film festival is the gracious participation of Brita, the water filtering people. In a bid for global responsibility, water consumption is encouraged due to the altitude's effects on those who come from sea level or below Park City's elevation of over 10,000 feet. To reduce headaches and some aspects of fatigue, water is provided and filtered by Brita which offer quart-sized bottles (see the amber one in the foreground, above) gratis to the festival goers.

Why did we ever allow Coca Cola to sell us the same thing and to truck it to us for the increased inefficiencies of fuel consumption and waste?? Bravo to the Brita people and to Sundance for their leadership and foresight!

Sundance Breakfast, Second Week

2010-01-28T09:55:00.001-08:00

Berries and demerara before creme fraiche

The Sundance Film Festival, Park City

Two weeks is a long time for me not to prepare food. It is as much art to be consumed in that sense as film is. But I don't recall ever receiving any complaint or bad reviews from those visual thinkers to whom I present this offering. (see photo) The best craft service (not my job, man. I'm only sayin' what I like) has "healthy alternatives" and these days it appears that we're all attempting to be more responsible in that area.

When searching for ingredients, I attempt to have some of my own from a kitchen garden because these days I think of how inefficient it is to airlift produce and fruit to markets everywhere when we could have an omlette, steel cut oats or Blake's "Black Powder Biscuits" with marinated, sun-dried tomato and call it a great morning. (This bowl was not from my kitchen garden, but tasted great. Inefficiently produced I admit, but great and it had plenty of antioxidants and potassium).

We are the spoiled children, afterall.

Hot at Sundance 2010

2010-01-26T09:18:00.001-08:00

The Sundance Film Festival, Park City --

A Word on Tickets and Wait Lists, etc.

If you are in the Park City area and approached by a person who is willing to sell you tickets to a coveted and hard-to-get screening, be sure to check the venue, since there are many in metropolitan Utah but not all in/around Park City. Some are downtown SLC, some are even north of Salt Lake in Ogden which might take more than an hour to get to by private auto depending on conditions. As most know, several screens are peppered around Park City itself, and with parking and shuttle service kind of like Manhattan-in-Utah during the festival, it's not always easy to find and get to the screening of choice if you’re a newcomer. There's more cab service this year and even with a direct route, like your mother told you, it's best to be aware and plan ahead and wear your galoshes. This year you even had to beware of vampire fans which your mother said nothing about.

About “heat” and its conspiring cousin, “buzz:”

The former implies serious box office or audience potential waiting to ignite, and the latter is word-of-mouth promotion. Buzz leads to heat and thus eventual combu$tion. A very large contingent of attenders this year was assembled in the ether via YouTube, Twitter, and online fanzines. (See what we mean by fractured distribution channels?) I know, I know, I didn't have to explain that to you but maybe your mother is reading this.

SundanceTwentyTen People:

Yesterday there was a large reception hosted by the Utah Office of Tourism (Utah has one of the best online resource divisions in U.S. govt) headed by the venerable Leigh Von Der Esch, the premiere plankholder in Utah's film industry. Prior to taking the reins of the tourism department for "Utah: Life Elevated" and the "Best Snow on Earth," as well as for several Utah's national and state parks, etc., Leigh ran the Utah Film Commission for several of the state's governors and the commission is still under Leigh's uber-competent purview. If you have a Utah shoot to plan or locations to scout, Leigh is your go-to person with a modest staff that is eager and capable. (Note: Do NOT expect her to fix your crew's moving violations or parking tickets, since you will need to be courteous and responsible while in Utah as anywhere else). If you've been working with Leigh for as long as we have, you understand all of the above.

John Cooper, the new Sundance executive director. From Los Angeles and with significant prior experience, he's brought the festival back to its focus on independent film. Sundance is not about making the famous more famous, it’s about the recognition of talking/moving picture art, innovation and collaboration. This year there are “little Sundance” venues in several other cities in the U.S. concurrent with the Park City festival. Enough said.

Genaro Molina of the L.A. Times. A great shooter with a great eye at SundanceTwentyTen. A moveable and visual feast.

I mentioned in a previous post here that by far, the greatest online buzz surrounded ingénue Kristen Stewart who appears in two features presented at Sundance 2010, “The Runaways” and “Welcome to the Rileys.” If you have a Twitter account and search the hashtags "Sundance" or "Stewdance", you’ll find her fans there and since these Twilight vampires are all over the world, they don’t disappear with the break of day. Hey, vampires need love too and they're using the Twitterstream to give it to you right in the neck.

~grin~

As has been widely reported, Bill Gates attended Sundance 2010, danced (!) during at least one of the afterparties and helped to promote the ideals behind the documentary on public schools in America called “Waiting for Superman.” ("in America's public schools, all children are left behind.") The man whom Tom Brokaw has called "this generation's Thomas Edison" came to Utah to play and create some heat of his own.

SundanceTwentyTen Places:

We were all crowded out of the Bing Bar due to Bill Gates and his entourage. The Bing Bar (a private venue for a-list festival goers) was also new to Sundance and Park City's Main Street. It will likely be gone after the festival just like Bill.

The slopes. It's worth mentioning again that if you like to ski or board, the slopes around Park City are almost empty during the film festival. Stay in downtown SLC, take a shuttle to any of the Park City resorts and enjoy the Best Snow on Earth without fearing long lines or vampires who are undoubtedly trying for another Kristen Stewart sighting. Snowmobile tours are organized in the nearby town of Daniels (among other places) on the way to the airport in Heber where all of the G3s are parked. Bring your own heat or faux fur.

New Frontier on Main. Across Main Street from The Egyptian Theatre and down one level are Sundance 2010's "New Frontier" exhibits. One is an motion image installation called the "global warming survival kit") which requires night vision glasses to see. It is not easily found, so ask around. Then there's "The Cloud Mirror" which features a concept called "augmented reality" and was used with advertisers in a recent edition of Esquire magazine. It's a mind-blowing concept presented by a tireless man with a flamin' mohawk named Eric Gradman. (full disclosure: Gradman is a fellow USC grad). Do not miss either of these. If Steichen or Steiglitz were around Park City this week, you'd find them here without a doubt and probably wearing mohawks.

Sundance Documentaries on Fire

Restrepo: Sebastian Junger embedded in Afghanistan. If you come to it at the film festival, no problem, but how will war get to you in your living room with surround sound? We don’t know but it will and in his own, very potent way, Junger is this century's Edward R. Murrow and Ernie Pyle. Check upcoming channel and DVD release announcements. (Not on fire, but with the same distribution concern is The Pat Tillman Story. Sometweep suggested that Disney option Tillman for air on ESPN since the story largely began with an NFL career and then a life cut short). If we were still in the era of double features at the "movies," we’d suggest adding The Hurt Locker, which is neither at Sundance nor a documentary but will be nominated in Oscar’s Best Picture category in a few weeks, just watch and see. (ffwd to 31:32 for Kathryn Bigelow's Charlie Rose interview here).

A Small Act: The way meaningful connections can be made in a connected world. Again, finding a wide audience in the fragmented and digital age may be daunting but should still happen. I think these two people were united here at SundanceTwentyTen. This is the ultimate connection in the information age in a story that should be cloned by everyone. Pay It Forward came to life.

Smash His Camera: Because Roger Ebert tweeted this past Sunday that Ron Galella (one of the original papparazzi) is "a vermin, parasite, stalker and a national treasure." Here, art imitates life imitating art and stalking celebrities. This week, Galella is stalked at Sundance by a new generation of shooters. This is like video feedback in the conceptual sense. Point a video camera at its own monitor and you'll get the idea. #mindblownconcept

The b/w still photo of Galella wearing a football helmet while stalking Brando (who had previously knocked Galella's teeth out) is a classic.

Sundance Dramas on Fire

Get Low:

(…to be cont. off to a screening)

All copyright 2010 Michael Orton, all rights reserved

Distribution Channels in a NewMedia World

2010-01-25T09:02:00.001-08:00

Sundance Film Festival, Park City--

This year marks the amazing developments in distribution for the film industry. The biz is rightfully on its ear with the new landscape, and is groveling to adapt to the vagueries of what to do with this emerging #NewMedia. That's why many feel that conferences like Sundance are so important. Content providers, the young, aggressively self-branded who are creating product are now able to distribute through channels that weren't even available as recently as the past twelve months. You could actually attend this festival from anywhere in the connected world. See one you'd like to watch?? Chances are great that you can find it on YouTube for a small fee. (see previous comment)

Off to the outdoors with cam to be your ManAtSundance... (getting a new profile pic today) ~grin~

(more to come)

Sundance Sunshine Sunday

2010-01-24T14:55:00.000-08:00

The Sundance Film Festival, Park City --

The weather broke for the better, and the women's feet were a little bit warmer. But someone should tell them that this is the MOUNTAINS of America's west, not Manhattan or Los Angeles with their stylin' non-utilitarian footwear. Hadta work the morning, so now I'm relaxing and planning my screening sched for the rest of the week.

Best kept secret from the locals?? (Shhhh, but there's no one on the mountain or in the halfpipe. Absolutely the best time to snowboard at the Park City resorts, 'cause everyone in town is searching for a tribe or a fire to tell stories around)

When I teased a young Tilda Swinton handler that Conan O'Brian wanted to cast her in his autobio-pic, (true joke!) the young Yalie said, "It was on the interview Q sheet, but it didn't quite fit the tone." With judgement like that, the guy has a real career ahead of him.

I'll offer some of my own reviews and photos tomorrow, (HotAtSundance, for what that's worth) but you could virtually attend the fest by hashtag and YouTube, where many of the films can be downloaded for a fee. The film production and distribution business is in monumental revision with the proliferation of NewMedia. In 2010, everyone has a personal brand.

next: PrimalScreen, New Frontiers, yada, yada, yada...

Let the Festival Begin

2010-01-22T16:07:00.001-08:00

The Sundance Film Festival, Park City -

Back to the business of independent filmmaking and distribution. Okay, but the fringes are still mostly Hollywood even if that is more of a concept than a place. Look for more here after I get on station Monday.

First impressions: The amount of Stewdance* people here is astounding. They're as thick as flies. (*These are the fans of Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame, as she is appearing in Sunday night's "The Runaways," the dramatic interpretation of Joan Jett's career which also stars Dakota Fanning. I believe that Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will be appearing at Harry O's that night as well). Get your rock on at Sundance.

Sightings of the majormost abound!! Marisa Tomai arrives with Orlando Bloom?? (Was that by design?) as someone just said, "Sundance, blah, blah, blah... Redford this, snow that."

~grin~

Merry Christmas from the American West

2009-12-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

the American West --

There should be some peace in knowing that we made it through another year.

From our place, to yours...
where the heart's longing
reaches past the night's horizon.

Merry Christmas and best wishes for an even better New Year!

Such a Beautiful Truth

2009-09-30T04:22:00.000-07:00

Jane Campion’s “Bright Star,” released in the U.S. by Apparition
by Michael Orton, all rights reserved

Throughout his brief life, the British poet John Keats was in pursuit of his own restless, creative soul. He abandoned his studies and a promising career in medicine to devote what would become of the rest of his days to creating and publishing poetry which would reach far past his mere twenty-five years. In Jane Campion’s filmed version of his inspiring affection (aptly portrayed by Ben Wishaw) for Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish, of “Stop-Loss” and her Australian repertoire) Keats has been afforded a place in the annals of cinema to compliment his significant, though posthumous, literary acclaim.

Ben Wishaw and Abbie Cornich in Jane Campion's "Bright Star"

With a nomination for the Palm d’Or at Cannes, the year’s Oscar nominations should also include Ms. Campion, (as writer and/or director) Ms. Cornich (actress in a leading role) and perhaps the lenswork of young Greg Fraser, a native of Melbourne who has illuminated and recorded the talent like a twenty-first century Vermeer. The film's score by Mark Bradshaw is appropriately spartan and a compliment, beginning with the opening strains of a cello combined with Mr. Fraser's detailed photography, welcoming us into 19th century life. Not since the lush textures of Merchant-Ivory have period audiences been given such high art. There will even be some audience acclaim for a housecat whose onscreen performance nearly upstages the human talent in more than one scene, becoming props in more than one sense of that word.

Indisputable Comeback

What Ms. Campion’s screenwriting and directing has achieved, using the Andrew Motion biography and Keats’ own letters as her foundation, is the indisputable comeback of her career. Since her Academy Award for 1993’s “The Piano,” her feature work has been largely underwhelming and often difficult to find. Now with her dialogue framing the poetic essence of love and transcendent creativity, New Zealand’s premiere writer/director accurately shows her audience how Keats discovered, defended and profoundly understood that there is a “holiness to the heart’s affection.” Even beyond that, she has offered and defended Keats’ own confusion about love and its yearnings before discovering inspiration from the intelligent affections of Fanny Brawne. (Keats’ letters have recently been re-published in the U.S. by Penguin Books in a co-marketing effort with BBC Films and Screen Australia).

This story also has ample creative tension, deftly illustrated in the relationship of Keats with his patron and collaborator Charles Armitage Brown (Paul Schneider). In Campion’s cinematic construct, the literature may unfold over “Ode to a Nightingale” but the love existing between the two men is eventually eclipsed by the poet’s burgeoning enchantment with Fanny Brawne and Keats' consumptive disease. For these reasons and more, the richness and scope of “Bright Star” shouldn’t be the province of poetry lovers only. Even though period costume dramas such as this lack luster at the box office, the brilliance of this “Bright Star” may yet be appreciated by young audiences attracted to stars like Wishaw and Cornich. Since the film is devoid of prurient or sensuous detail and will undoubtedly carry a PG-13 MPAA rating, it allows the simple elegance and charm of this love story amidst regency life to prevail. Those drawn to the tragic mortality that's found in the Twilight series of vampire romance can now truly understand that “a thing of beauty is a joy forever…”

ed note: Mr. Orton found it necessary to confront another projectionist when the screening sponsors began their poetry discussion and the credit sequence's soundtrack was muted. Appealing to the good manners of the contemporary poets thus assembled (which included the state's poet laureate), audiences like this one are pleased to discover that in addition to the remaining music track, they are favored by Mr. Wisham's reading of "Ode to a Nightingale," one of Keats' most enduring works.

Of Projectionists and Public Enemies

2009-07-29T23:51:00.000-07:00

Small college town in the Rockies--

I had missed the screening of Michael Mann's "Public Enemies" and noticed on the way to setup the grip and gaffing truck (on an unrelated shoot) that it would close at the local cinema tomorrow night. Returning past the little duplex cinema after check and re-check for an early AM call, I notice that the last show of the night will begin in ten minutes. I brake sharp and make the turn into the theatre parking lot, pay my small-town ticket price and go to the concession stand to get a drink and a popcorn.

Sometimes I forget that the exhibitors are having a tough go of it these days. They often get first-run films on a "sliding scale," which means that the distributor, (in this case Universal) gets the largest percentage of the gate, even when that includes less than a dozen tickets sold on a Wednesday 9pm showing. Before the platters in the projection booth begin spinning, there are often advertisements for local businesses up on the screen with hometown production values and sound and likely a reminder that our mobile phones should be muted by now. Then a couple of trailers for a "coming soon" feature, (in this case, the high-testosteroned "Gamer," and the pleasantly amusing, "Couples Retreat") and we then get the cues that the feature is about to begin.

As in many of Michael Mann's possessories, the graphics and title treatment are spartan, leaving us to engage as quickly as possible. Mr. Mann leaves much of the "above title" material to the end, in the credit sequence, where film devotees and students learn a lot about the production values from the credits and acknowledgements at the end of the film. (Stanley Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon" had more than a dozen millinary credits) The astute observer can learn where the locations were facilitated and by whom, as well as how many second-unit cameras were deployed on the production, getting material that the main cast and crew don't have the time for.

I had been told that the Dante Spinotti's use of Zeiss lenses, combined with the Sony high-definition camera recording backs had been so faithful to the observed action, that "theatrical makeup" could be noted on the principal talent and that too much handheld lenswork was distracting from the story. This is significant, if anecdotal, criticism in an industry that thrives on the "willing suspension of disbelief" as much as it does popcorn, soft drinks and other comfort foods. (A small digression: When high-definition came to the "adult film industry," the first concerns were registered by actresses who complained that their extreme closeups in high-def were costing them too much salary for additional cosmetic procedures)

Because I'd been aware that "Public Enemies" had not originated on film, I was interested in noting the light-to-lens quality of the production, especially since Sony had premiered the Universal trailer at this year's NAB in Las Vegas. (If you watch the trailer on this website, you'll see flawless picture that will translate to superb Blu-Ray and with all of the lighting technique of the master filmmakers in place).

When the first frames appeared, I had thought that the vertical scratch lines running through the first scene of the prison break were a touch of authenticity added by Mr. Mann in post. Not so. It seems that with all of the hoopla about the production not originating on film, Universal distributing still had to send out several hundred film prints to exhibitors far and wide because many do not have high-definition projection equipment in their theatres.

A pity.

Pristenely captured high-definition picture later marred by conversion to film negative and release prints where negative scratches appear as black lines and dirt on the film negative produces momentary blackspots in the frame. Realistic for a period picture set in 1930 or unintended adulteration? (You be the judge).

I was willing to get over all of this in an effort to enjoy Michael Mann's most recent work, but as many critics have already written, this one is underwhelming. When one thinks of previous films directed by the Mann who brought us "The Last of the Mohicans" and "Collateral" we can expect more than what was hyped so well. As a period piece, it is believable, but not in the same league as Polanski's "Chinatown," or even "The Aviator."

The grand mal faux pas was elicited by the hapless projectionist at this little venue in a college town steeped in the dominant culture which claims to be the most threatened by Hollywood. I was interested to see who I might recognize from the dozens of craftspeople and artists who contributed to the picture's success, and also to hear the remaining strains of the music soundtrack, when before the crawl had gone past the first dozen names, it simply went dark.

Immediately recognizing that the projectionist had turned off the projector's xenon lamp (in the old days it was a "carbon arc" similar to a welder's burn) before the credits had gone very far, I lept to my feet and spun around, staring at the tiny hole in the wall at the back of the room and yelled, "HEY!!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME???" I continued, as the concession lady-turned-janitor almost jumped into her dustbin underneath the projection window. I need to develop more British reserve sometime in the near future, but tonight I marched into the lobby looking for the stairs that would take me to the offending projectionist. I was stopped at the dark concession stand next to the stairs by the six-foot, four-inch, 240 pound ticket taker who politely said, "I'm the projectionist." At this point, I should point out that in small towns, many of the men serve either as reserve law enforcement officers or actually are moonlighting deputy sheriffs and I have no idea how close I was to being arrested for creating a Hollywood-like disturbance in the now deserted lobby.

I'm afraid that I launched into a passionate explanation of "those are people's very lives up there on that credit sequence... blah, blah, buggering blah" toward a man who could have scored a takedown and pinned me in less than the time it takes you to read this sentence. To any projectionists out there who might have the remotest chance of reading these words, I say, "I know it's late, and that you'd like to get home. But as you go to ancillary duties, even if the theatre is completely empty, would it hurt to leave the lamp on and let the credits play out while you swab the restroom floor?? I mean, I turned my mobile phone off for you and everything!!"

We apologize in advance for being so self-absorbed as to have our names there, even if it's really a contractual obligation. Your life is important to us, too. But if you ever have the chance to be on a large production film set or a sound stage in Culver City or Burbank, you may someday know why it means something to have your name roll by at the end of the show, when most people are already in their cars headed for home.

Like I was as La Luna hid her face behind the ambered clouds in shame.

Awards to be Won

2009-05-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

from the BBC --

Another astounding effort from HD cameraland. You can wait your entire life for this kind of image. "The shot that crowned the perfect day." You'll see more in the upcoming BBC2 "South Pacific" series.

The cam is housed for u/w and has Nikon Prime lenses aboard.

HiDef Update from the NAB Show

2009-04-22T18:41:00.001-07:00

National Assoc. of Broadcasters Convention, Las Vegas -

This year's NAB show marked almost twenty years that I've been attending. In 1991 they were promoting "HDTV World," at the show that year, nevermind the fact that there was still little agreement on engineering standards that would allow for high-definition adoption and proliferation. Prior to that year, I was at CBS when Japan's NHK came to demonstrate their version of high-def that was being broadcast in that country. They showed several examples, from a 1:1 reproduction of the front page of the New York Times, shown on a monitor at the same, readible size, to three short films directed by Francis Coppola (one I recall was the dramatic debut of the comedian Galligher). It was a vision of the future, and what television was trying to become.

Flash forward to this week.

Sony had the most real estate at the convention center, showcasing content origination, content management and content distribution and delivery. Since Sony purchased Columbia Pictures some years ago, their commercial integration is significant, rivaled by Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp as "21st Century" Fox Studios.

So for one of Sony's demo presentations involving their latest HD cams, they begin with an extremely well-done trailer for Michael Mann's "Public Enemies," starring Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard, due in theatres from Universal Pictures on July 1st. As a great fan of Michael Mann's work, I found the trailer completely seductive, on par with Mann's version of "The Last of the Mohicans."

from UNIVERSAL PICTURES and MICHAEL MANN -- due in theatres on July 1, 2009

The part that astounded me was the claim that Michael Mann had shot the entire movie using high def electronics, Zeiss lenses and no film. That's right, no film.

Dante Spinotti, Mann's cinematographer on this and four other feature films, said that a series of commercials they'd done allowed for sufficient technical testing of Sony's cameras combined with the Carl Zeiss lenses. The Zeiss name is legendary amony cinematographers. (Stanley Kubrick once had Carl Zeiss develop some specially-created lenses so that Kubrick could film scenes of "Barry Lyndon" by candlelight). Spinotti said, "Michael Mann always brings the cinematic language a little step forward -- and others watch and follow. So, it wasn't a surprise that he decided to shoot Public Enemies in High Definition."

More than ten years ago, my boss said to me "there'll be a day when we say to one another, 'oh yeah, film. Remember film?'" ...and that day has arrived.

High Speed Arriflex

2009-04-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

This is how over 1,000 frames per second registers live action. The work of Harold Edgerton advanced the art of high speed photography and others have been inspired to replicate his work. In motion photography, this is an expensive proposition, since the amount of film racing through the camera is costly and finite in the camera's magazine.

Previously at Cannes, this advert example was exhibited to allow for a window on the art of "overcranking," or turning the film through the camera at more than normal speeds, effectively slowing motion down when viewed at 24fps.

How Do You Get It?

2009-03-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

from the connected world --

Since there is such radical revision underway involving how we consume our news, and since I've been involved in media and broadcasting for most of my career, I'm compelled to offer a few observations at this point in the game. Even as an information-aholic, I'll try to be brief but thorough.

this is not Liz Smith

Recently, the New York Post's Liz Smith - a real veteran gossip columnist- was given a broadcast bouquet to her long and acclaimed professional life as she prepared for retirement. What struck me as revealing about the times we live in, was her televised lament about having to go to her computer in the mornings to obtain her daily briefing from the "newspapers." She said she really missed the ability to go over her day's columns on paper over coffee. While many people I've contacted feel the same way, the director of Liz's piece went to an extreme close-up which emphasized her experience and to some extent, her unspoken acceptance of her pending retirement.

She might know of the coolest website in news, The New York Times' online edition, but she wanted her familiar routine, entrenched over the years, to remain the same. Sorry, Liz. Your newspaper's print format is doomed. Their business model has to yield to the realities of the 21st century's breakeven point. Get a laptop and be sure not to allow your brew or muffin crumbs over the keyboard.

The Twitterstream

Somewhere near the same time, I saw (in this order) Malcolm Gladwell, Marc Andreessen, Evan Williams and Marissa Mayer in separate interviews by Charlie Rose via digital broadcast signals coming to me from a rooftop, conventional antenna (Not with the monthly expense of cable or direct broadcast satellite, thank you). In this flow of information, I decided it was time to give some additional scrutiny to the channels of communication that furnish me my daily briefing, remembering that in this fast-paced information age, as in the slower-paced Triassic, we are destined to "adapt or die." (Note to intelligent design advocates: I thank God for evolution)

for visual learners: the twitterstream

As of today, at the beginning of 2009's daylight savings time, I have completed my move to obtaining most of the news I read from online sources. Even some of my over-the-air news reaches me from links that originate online via broadband and my laptop. Most of my conventional broadcast, on-air news arrives to my senses by my conforming to routine which I'm as comfortable with as Liz Smith. I've found that a morning briefing in my time zone begins with a laptop which has replaced the newsprint dropped at my door by an increasingly inefficient and dying delivery system. I'm convinced that Marc Andreessen is right. The newspaper empires should shutdown the presses immediately if they wish to conserve cash for developing their online efforts.

This is because as I investigated the "news cycle" of a considerable number of inputs that I find credible, I began to note that stories I would consume from the online version of my newspaper would not show up in print until 12 or sometimes 24 hours later than the online version. Occasionally they would show up in newsprint only after receiving some online comments from the connected world. (ref. on website credibility, here).

The New News

Hmmm. I had first heard the word "Twitter" (the capitalized, proper noun) during Science Friday on NPR. Then Jake Tapper gave it a mention on ABC. When Evan Williams spoke of their subscriber numbers as reaching the "hockey stick" profile during his interview, I understood. For online businesses like Williams' they launch online with expenses confined to organization and software development. They watch it slowly gain user steam as they look into "monetizing" possibilities. They want to see if their product can attain the sustained, ballistic climb fueled by promotions that have entered the socially mediated, virally-fueled information age. While this is happening, their backers want to know how the venture will profit. They watch the resulting adoption profile which looks like the edge of a hockey stick. Everybody drools with thoughts of getting rich with the vast, (and growing) new-user audience. So I went to the laptop and decided to look more closely. Also, I wanted to see what was up in the "national conversation" about this.

EVAN WILLIAMS courtesy of Evhead

My aim was to see just how close to the breaking story I could get with this new online tool. A smart limitation of Twitter, as Williams mentions, is that the user is held to a post of 140 characters and just asks, "What are you doing?" From news people in the White House press corps, in state capitol caucuses and the like, watching the answer to this question is like being at Colin Fletcher's headwaters of the Colorado river. Some of the users in the news gathering and publishing business merely use Twitter as an outlet for their RSS feeds. These are okay, but one can be bombarded with stories that are immediately online under other online banners and mastheads. Some of the news producers are merely blasting headlines and links instead of answering Twitter's simple, and provocative question.

(@Liz Smith: with an RSS feed and a home page, you can create your own custom newspaper featuring the reporters you like the most!)

The interesting "Tweets" are those which are pretty obviously issued by their author. They often include links to the announced topic. Warning: If you're expecting Harry Reid to tweet you about his lunch hour interview with Liz Smith, you'll be sorely disappointed. Same with most of those "Tweeple" who are in the celebrity stratosphere and who show followers numbering six figures. They likely have a publicist issue their tweets, in character or not.

If you decide to jump into Evan Williams' Twitter pool, know this:

Williams describes a new generation of worldwide users who want to live a "transparent" life. When it comes to publishing anything to the entire connected world, I tend to be more than a little cautious. I did find Twitter to be reasonably vigilant about policing the potential spammer traffic and other abusers. Beware, what you're doing will be available to the entire connected world, including online scammers, highly-paid divorce attorneys and federal prosecutors.
You may want to eventually look into an organizer like TweetDeck, produced via "AIR" and Apple's development personnel, and is available for Windows as well. It allows one to let Twitter reside in the background until you receive an audible tweet and the choice of going to your TweetDeck immediately or at a later, more convenient time. It also produces a topic "cloud," where oft-used words appear in size related to their current usage in Twitter.

Tweets can go to your phone, or from any phone in the connected world, which lets you follow friends, recently at the California Supreme Courtroom where oral arguments on Prop 8 were underway, or in the WH briefing room where commentary about Gibbs Q&A session can come to you in real time. This is what is meant by the headwater of the "newsflow."

Williams and co-founder Biz Stone are assessing the "business model" with their interface, and "monetizing" will commence. Who knows what that will mean? A prediction: More intrusive advertising from evermore online capitalists.
Twitter's search feature may be its most powerful and useful part.

At a recent business conference, a facilitator was endorsing the use of Twitter as a way management could keep track of their staff's efforts. You define your pool of tweeple and who has access to your posts. There seems to be a good and viable business model in there somewhere, Evan. But someone needs to help you e-preneurs understand how you can invent, produce and then promote your products without getting too far into our minds and living rooms. I've never invited the paperboy in, but with electronic communications becoming more ubiquitous, our viral addictions may still be propagating. Somewhere.

Get it?

From Jihane, a vision

2008-04-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

from the TED conference --

When I worked at ABC, my boss there was one of the original organizers of the TED conference. In those earlier times, TED was held only once every few years. Recently, Jihane Noujaim presented her vision of how the world might change through film and video storytelling.

I have always held that the purest definition of art is that which evokes an empathic response. This is the entire idea behind Jihane's vision of "Pangea Day." "For the first time in history, we have the chance to see the world differently, to see it through the eyes of the other."

THAT is what art is all about, to me. I'll see you there.

Tank Driver

On Pangea Day, there should be many more films like this. "For the first time in history, we have the chance to see the world differently, to see it through the eyes of the other."

"Rock the Vote" Goes Rural

2008-03-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

Near the Mountain Hideout --

Just organized a "Rock the Primaries" event for this summer. There's a great venue (photo) near the Mountain Hideout in the middle of nowhere, and although this is not "rave" material, we can cover the costs, register some young voters prior to the deadlines for the June primaries, and generally have some fun. It'll be an attempt at getting young people to know why they should be aware of, and involved with, public policy matters.

"Public Policy Matters... Rock the Vote!"

There ya go.

(Now I gotta get busy and book an act or two)

~grin~

The Next Time I Go High-Def...

2008-03-20T19:46:00.001-07:00

North County --

Had all of the gear ready. Especially a lot of scrims and shiny boards. (Some are the ones that roll-up like a bandsaw blade, white on one side, gold on the other. Gold for warmer skin tones) This is because when you shoot in high-def, EVERYTHING shows, especially inferior gaffing. Fill, fill, fill, young man. Oh, that and make sure the on-camera talent has their own hair and make-up satisfaction. That one's a no-brainer. I do NOT want to be responsible for talent's self-criticism coming MY way. (Especially the ingenues who are SOOOOoooooo neurotic) These days, in high-def, their EVERYthing shows, y'know? And if they're not used to seeing their footage in high-def, it can be a rude awakening for them.

So, then we get to the location a DAY before the call time, to scout the best light in the ambient surroundings before the bounce-and-fill. (I can change the call time if I need) I have a more-than-sufficient light package for additional fill or interiors, which this may yet be. I'm hearing that some of this may include the (west coast) beach near sunset, so all's still cool. The client is good with mileage reimbursement, too. All seems well with the world.

Good night's sleep, slight breakfast for the visual and mental accuity, and arrive at the location with more than :30 min. before the call time. Start to unload the vehicle. Wait for location contacts to arrive, since it's at their business. Greet the peeps. Wait for talent. Wait for talent. (Did I mention that we were waiting for talent?) Just as I was going to call the P.A. involved with my contract, talent finally arrives. No hair or makeup support in sight either.

Introduce self, then "Uh, did [the production office] arrange for your hair and makeup support??"

Her, quizzically: "Not that anyone told me."

"I'm sure everything will be okay, you look great. Are you okay with all of that? 'Cause I'm just the shooter. I don't know anything about hair and makeup, other than I like it." ~grin~

"Sure, let me quickly check a mirror, and we're good to go."

Okay then. I know what the prod. mgr. is looking for, and I plan to give 'em more than that, but I need to know that she's got the same script (and/or storyboards) that I have. Check and double-check and then check again in this business. I get paid to be nervous.

I did not have an over-the lens prompter for talent.

Uh oh.

I tell myself, "This is where I really earn my fee." ~grin~