Dear God, he’s finally done it. This is a film steeped so heavily in self-referential in-jokes that even though it’s apparently (and disturbingly) about me, I can’t understand it. It is possible that this is no longer a film, but some different and heretofore undiscovered form of communication. I feel as though I am watching the end of 2001 : A Space Odyssey for the first time, on a screen the size of the universe itself.
This is some of the most astonishing editing I’ve ever seen to come out of Vvinni’s mind, and I think we can safely say that as this project continues, the dispatches become smarter, better and more complex. Vvinni here demonstrates an uncanny ability to parse and deconstruct my previous message, all while building it into a post-post-postmodern photograph on the back of a milk carton. The epilogue that labels me “missing” is particularly chilling, and leaves me feeling as though I actually have gone missing under mysterious circumstances.
I fear I may have been bested here, I’m not sure if I’m capable of crafting an adequate response, but I will try. Speaking strategically, my previous dispatches have been an attempt to ape Vvinni’s style and beat him at his own game. It’s obvious that he is capable on that front beyond my wildest imagination, and so perhaps it is time to return to my old friends, minimalism and narrative. We shall see what comes next.
Last summer, after wrapping principal photography on Discouraging Words, Vvinni and I (with the help of Evan) shot a bunch of footage on VHS tape about a supremely antisocial übermensch named Plastix Ultimate. Back in August I shared an ad for Skin Removal Cream that Vvinni had cut from the footage. Now, here’s something else:
This ultra-condensed version of the narrative we shot was created for the “Foot in the Door 4″ show at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and leaves out a few key plot points, but I think it captures the overall flavor of the piece.
Second, here’s this:
What I really love about this camera (a Panasonic Color TV Camera WV-3320) is the analog smearing—ghost trails and lingering burn-in left by bright highlights traveling across the frame. I realize that I probably only have a limited number of usage hours on this thing before one of the tubes burns out (these are fragile components that have been working for over 30 years, after all), so I have to figure out something really good to do with it. I think maybe I’d like to use it to make a music video.
So if you’re an extraordinarily talented musician and you want me to make a music video for you using this camera, drop me a line.
I recently stumbled upon something I wrote about two years ago. I’m not sure if it’s a short story or a poem, but I like it:
You asked me a question tonight.
You said, “Do you really mean that?“
Well
let me answer that question with another question:
Do you really want to know?
Last night around 10:30 PM, a cat fell off the roof. Made a lot of noise. Couldn’t get back to sleep. Then a mosquito started hovering around my ears, so I decided to revive a nightly tradition from earlier this month and douse myself in bug spray. It was late, I was tired, I didn’t have my glasses on, the lights were off.
Long story short, I sprayed myself in the eye with insect repellent.
The pain was excruciating, but not intolerable. On a scale from one to ten, I’d give it about a seven. I’d never do it again, not even for a bet… depending on the stakes. $100, no way. Not a chance. For $1,000, though… well… I’d at least have to consider it.
We had our last Cineastas class today, and I fly back to Minneapolis on Saturday. More posts, pictures and video to come soon now that I have less work to do, and I’ll be announcing an exciting new… thingie… in a couple weeks.
Last month Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen was sentenced to six years in prison by the Chinese courts for making the film Leaving Fear Behind, a documentary about Tibetans’ views on the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Wangchen was arrested shortly after the completion of shooting in May of 2008, but the producers managed to smuggle the footage out of the country. The film is embedded below.
According to a source cited by Filming for Tibet, Wangchen has no access to independent legal assistance, and his appeal period will expire tomorrow. Furthermore, Wangchen is reported to have contracted hepatitis B in prison and is not receiving medical treatment for the condition.
“My aim for this film is not to make a famous or particularly entertaining film. This film is about the plight of the Tibetan people—helpless and frustrated. Therefore I hope that everyone will pay special attention and support it. That’s my biggest hope.” ~ Dhondup Wangchen
You can make a donation to Filming for Tibet here.
Embedded below: surrounded by midnight fireworks in Granada’s town center, new year’s day.
The audio was recorded in a format known as binaural stereo, which achieves surround-like sound with only two channels of audio–to get an immersive feel for what it was like to be there, listen to this through headphones with the volume turned up ALLTHEWAY. It won’t quite be as loud as the real thing, but if you’ve got some decent headphones you might get close.
Exploding Goldfish Films, LLC is a production company out of Fort Collins, Colorado and Minneapolis, Minnesota run by Andrew Gingerich, Ethan Holbrook and Parker Cagle-Smith. Since 2003, Exploding Goldfish has produced two feature films and a number of award-winning shorts.
This blog exists to provide information on current Exploding Goldfish projects and other pertinent tidbits.