Hotel Chevalier

Hotel Chevalier, a 13 minute film by Wes Anderson, is available for free on iTunes. This short starring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman is a prologue to his upcoming feature The Darjeeling Limited.

I love George.

A short film that I enjoy is George Lucas In Love. I don't know if anyone has ever heard of it before, but it is a really cute movie. Everyone should check it out. I didn't know how to get a youtube movie onto here, so just try to look it up sometime. Enjoy!

Insomnia Film Festival

From Apple:

The Insomnia Film Festival is back—and while the world sleeps, you could be making film history.

Calling all high school and college filmmakers.

On Saturday, October 13 at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern time), we’ll post a top-secret list of elements — special props, dialogue, settings — you get the idea. Choose any three to include in your movie. Then all you and your team have to do is write, cast, shoot, edit, score, and upload your 3-minute masterpiece within 24 hours. No problem, right?

Once the films are in, your friends, family, and adoring fans will be able to watch them online and rate their favorites. The 25 entries with the highest rating on November 9 at 12:00 a.m. EST will be screened by industry professionals, including Barry Sonnenfeld, James Mangold, and Nora Ephron.

If your film is the biggest hit with either the public or the pros, each member of your team will receive a MacBook Pro, Final Cut Studio 2, Logic Studio, and Shake so you can get started on that first sequel. How’s that for a Hollywood ending?

For more details, go here.

Carissa's Post

I have enjoyed everything that we have watched in the Moving Image Lab class! Some of the music videos were really cool, and the shorts were amazing too! I really enjoyed Lindsey's documentary though. The footage shot and used in the movie was really effective. I can't believe he found so many of his old students. I thought the most creative editing was when the clips from his teaching experience with the students later was tied in with his search to find them. It's hard to see what some people are going through in their day to day lives, but it's also great to see a lot of them succeed because of the teacher's impact years later. I really enjoyed it and I would love to see the whole feature on it!!!!

More Spike Jonez

around 2000 Girl Skateboards started filming for their third video called "yeah right!"
and premiered in 2003. Spike Jonez "directed" it (i don't really know how because the skaters pick the tricks they're going to do for their parts) one of the skits in the video involved using chroma key and it turned out pretty rad. (this is a different song in the video than the original video included.)

Reminder

Start thinking about your next films! 3-7 minutes. Content, style, genre, your choice. I would like either a script or storyboards for this next one and a shot list, all to be turned in.

The responses to the film screenings for extra credit can also be posted on this blog -- in fact, I would encourage that rather than turning a paper in to me.

Also, some AARP videos have already been posted here, in case you want to check out the competition.

Cinema 16

This looks like a great DVD compilation of short films by various European directors that will be released September 25. Gasman is a great film, like other films directed by Lynne Ramsay (Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar). A friend of mine has seen Wasp and said it was really great. There are a lot of really great directors on here, and a few I haven't heard of that I'm sure are doing interesting work.

Here's the actual description:

Cinema16 is pleased to announce the US release of Cinema16: European Short Films. This two-disc edition features previously unseen short films and early works by some of today's most notable filmmakers, as well as award-winning films from its rising stars. In addition to the films, the set contains over three hours of commentaries and a 16-page color booklet.

Film Listing:

1. The Man Without a Head- Juan Solanas (France)
2. Wasp- Andrea Arnold (United Kingdom)
3. Doodlebug- Christopher Nolan (United Kingdom)
4. World of Glory- Roy Andersson (Sweden)
5. Je T'aime John Wayne- Toby MacDonald (United Kingdom)
6. Gasman- Lynne Ramsay (Scotland)
7. Jabberwocky- Jan Svankmajer (Czech Republic)
8. Fierrot Le Pou- Matthieu Kassovitz (France)
9. Rabbit- Run Wrake (United Kingdom)
10. Copy Shop- Virgil Widrich (Austria)
11. Boy and Bicycle- Ridley Scott (United Kingdom)
12. Nocturne- Lars Von Trier (Denmark)
13. Before Dawn- Balint Kenyers (Hungary)
14. Election Night- Anders Thomas Jensen (Denmark)
15. Six Shooter- Martin McDonagh (Ireland)
16. The Opening Day of Close-Up- Nanni Moretti (Italy)

I know you can buy it at Amazon. You might be able to rent it via Netflix in the future. If any of you have Netflix or Blockbuster mail in services, there are some other great options for DVDs with shorts on them. There are collections of the Oscar nominated shorts, Peripheral Produce has a great compilation of short films, the short films of David Lynch are available...let me know if you want some more recommendations.

Extra credit opportunities

I am offering a few opportunities for extra credit. You can receive up to 10 points of extra credit for writing 3/4 of a page to a page about one of the following film screenings:

1) The War, a documentary by Ken Burns, screened at Metro on September 19th.

2) Any of the films showing as part of the Adaptation series at Film Streams (past, present, or future) - but you must go to the screening itself, not rent the movie at home. I would like to see the ticket as proof. East of Eden is showing this weekend.

3) Ghosts of Cite Soliel or No End in Sight, both documentaries screening at Film Streams. Only two days left for Ghosts of Cite Soliel. No End in Sight starts September 21.

4) The upcoming screening of the documentary Breaking Down Barriers at Joslyn.

Documentary Screening at Joslyn

This was passed along to me, and now I'm passing it along to you all:

You are invited to the Omaha premiere of the documentary film "Breaking Down Barriers" and a panel discussion with select stories from "Renovating the Republic," written and produced by students from the UNL College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Germany and America have shared a unique relationship throughout history, as have Germany and Nebraska. For the past year, a group of UNL journalism students has closely examined this foreign country that, perhaps more than any other, helped shape the Cornhusker State.

Join us for the premiere of "Breaking Down Barriers," a new student-produced documentary film that examines the challenges faced by Hispanic immigrants in Nebraska and Turkish immigrants in Germany.

Following the film, join us for a panel discussion with select stories from "Renovating the Republic," a student-produced news magazine focusing on issues modern Germany is facing in a globalized world.

Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.
Joslyn Art Museum's Abbott Lecture Hall (Omaha, Neb.) Omaha Premiere of "Breaking Down Barriers" and student-panel discussion of "Renovating the Republic."

*Free admission*.

AARP video deadline extended

I just went on the site, and the deadline has been extended to November 30. So that gives us more time and more options. This also changes things up a bit. Rather than one group project, I am leaning towards having you all get in groups of two and creating one project per pair. This has a few benefits:

1) It is probably easier to plan and execute a video with two as opposed to eight people
2) You will learn to collaborate and share duties in pre-production, production and post-production
3) It will probably be easier to teach the intros of editing if you are all in pairs and have your own footage to work with and easier to troubleshoot potential problems
4) We will get to see a few different ideas, and will have more entries

But I am open to opinions and/or comments. So post them here (in the comments section of this post) if you have them.

Favorite Pic

I chose this as my pic because I love music, and this is a really neat photo. It is a profile shot of some piano keys that have been worn out. You can see the texture of the keys and how worn down they are, and the ivory has broken off the top of the keys. There isn't very much contrast between light and dark. It was probably taken using a low f stop considering the top part of the picture is less in focus.

Justin Favorite movie

Although I've seen a bunch of really great movies (and a few very bad ones), I would have to say that Schindler's List is one of my favorite movies. It really struck me as, "This is actually what happened? How could people do things like that to other humans?" Spielberg also does a really good job at portraying the Holocaust, how the Nazis treated the Jews like dirt, and how significant winning WWII was for people everywhere.

This is a picture I took with black and white film. I think there is great balance in this shot with the size and position of my object in focus. Also, there is high contrast with light and dark, and there is contrast in the black and white. There is texture in my photo because it is a close-up of the cupcake. You can see the ridges of the cupcake holder and also the frosting has texture to it. Selective focus is used because your eyes naturally go to the center cupcake in focus. To take this photograph I had to use a low f-stop. Also, I think there is repetition, which makes the picture visually interesting.

More video directors...

Some additions to the other video directors I named yesterday in class. I've provided links if you want to check their stuff out.

Michael Palmieri. He has some great still shots on his website too...in case you're looking for one for your assignment for tomorrow.

Anton Corbijn. He also has photos and other work on his site .

Stephane Sednaoui is another one.

The Directors Bureau has links to 11 directors who work on videos, commercials and shorts. Patrick Daughters and Shynola have done some innovative work. You can watch their reels or any particular video or commercial. Daughters' videos for Feist's "1,2,3,4" and "Mushaboom" are great.

Matt McCormick has directed videos, short docs, and experimental films. He has stills on his site too.

The Lomographic Society is another great place to look online for interesting stills. It centers around their cameras. Anyone who has a Lomo camera can put them up here and create their own lomopage. I had a Lomo and loved it until it broke. I'm looking to get another one. They also manufacture Holgas, which are also great, cheap, interesting cameras. I have two of them and don't use them enough.

Favorite Movie?

I think it is unfair to all the movies that I love if I only pick one. There are simply too many movies that I love. I enjoy anything from Wedding Crashers to Sleeping Beauty, from Lord of the Rings to Moulin Rouge. I love any movie that strikes an emotion in me. However, I will talk about a film that I recently saw at the Maui Film Festival. I saw American the Beautiful, a documentary film concerning America's thirst for beauty. I found it moving because it made me realize how our culture is becoming increasingly obsessed with outer beauty and not beauty of the mind and soul. America the Beautiful followed the life of a model from the ages of 12 to 18. It was mind-boggling how much time and effort was spent on making this film. At the age of about 14 the model was called obese by the industry standards, even though she was a size 4. It was astounding to see people's real reactions towards beauty (or the lack of). This was a great movie, and I recommend that people see it, if at all possible.

Jordan Top Movie

One of my favorite movies of all time would have to be KIDS. The movie
is based in New York City and shows the life of a normal group of
teenagers who end up all having to deal with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It
just opened my eyes to somthing that could happen right in front of
you, and the people your around. Espically when you live in an area
where the STD issue is an epidemic. Ive showed the movie to various
friends and family most commenting on how crude and sick the doalouge
and subject matter is, but whoever said the real world isn't crude and
sick?

Carissa's #1 Movie

I would have to say it's "Lord of the Rings" The Return of the King. I loved all of Tolkien's books before the movies even came out. I didn't think at first I would like the movies, but I became a huge fan! (Yes, I attended all the mid-night shows!) I love any movie that can take you to another place...to another world. All the characters were so developed and personable. By the end of all three movies, I felt as if I knew them. All the movies were filmed in New Zealand. I think that is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Oh!! The music in the movies are also amazing. I think sometimes music can completely create a scene. I also loved the cinematography in the movie. It's not my style, but I still think it's incredible.....

Class project

I think I would like to do a class project for that AARP video contest that I posted about earlier. So I would like you all to start thinking about ideas for a 1-2 minute video that is about what you think life at 50 would be like. We'll talk about this in class too, but start brainstorming! Think about ideas for both content and production. Feel free to post any ideas here, or write them down so that we can talk about it in class.

Also, I hope you all know that you can comment on any other posts by clicking on the comments link. So, I urge you all to comment on the entries of your fellow bloggers and post whenever you'd like. Don't be shy -- participate! If the rewards of open communication, self-expression, building your creative and writing skills, and self satisfaction aren't enough, remember that participation is part of your grade...including this blog! And you can give out the link to the blog to friends and family if you would like...and they can comment too if they wish (comments only, no posting privileges...that's reserved for those in the class only). They simply need to register/sign up on blogger. This can be accomplished at www.blogger.com. Although this is a class blog, I want it to be an open, communal, creative, public space to share ideas, information and work.

Art after Dark

Art After Dark is Joslyn Art Museum's 75th anniversary outdoor cinema program. In collaboration with the Library of Congress (LOC) American Memory project, Art After Dark will celebrate more than a century of American movie making with movies and animated films that have been named by the LOC to the National Film Registry (NFR). The films in the NFR, 450 as of 2006, represent a stunning range of American filmmaking — including Hollywood features, documentaries, avant-garde and amateur productions, films of regional interest, ethnic, animated, and short film subjects — all deserving recognition, preservation, and access by future generations.

Starting at dusk (~8:00 p.m.), the movies will be screened in front of Joslyn Art Museum's east wall, Thursdays, September 6 through 27. Shorts from the LOC and/or NFR and the Roland Collection of Films and Videos on Art (Roland) and/or animated films, both classic and contemporary, from the prestigious National Film Board of Canada (NFBC) will be shown before the movies. Admission is free. (Not all animations, shorts, or features are appropriate for all ages.)

The Art After Dark schedule:

Dance with us Sept. 6 at Jazz on a Summer's Day

Come in costume Sept. 13 for The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Sing along Sept. 20 to The Sound of Music

See a classic Sept. 27 with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Outstanding use of an egg in a short video goes to...

Kill the gun. That's the name of this ad/public service announcement from the UK. It was produced by the agency AMV BBDO and Therapy Films.

The spot gets its point across quickly, simply, visually and most of all, effectively. And the use of slow motion and visual effects is pretty stunning.

Carissa

I have never used a blog before!!! This is really cool! I don't know what to say about myself...I am eighteen, five-foot six, and I have brown eyes! Lol! I love to film! I have been filming since I was eleven years old. My crew (family & friends) have made over twenty-five movies. My most recent one won a 1st place award in the drama catagory at Hot Shops Film Festival. I love being behind the camera, but I also love directing. Over the summer I filmed the biggest movie in the history of all my movies. It has seven hours of footage that I have to get down to 30 min.- 1 hour. It's crazy, but very exciting! I hope to learn so much from this class! I can't wait to start working on filming assignments. There is so much I want to learn and I can't wait to start soaking it all in.

Groups

Just to be clear and have a record of it, here are the groups:

Group A: Josh, Katherine, Jordan
Group B: Kelsey, Ben, Carissa
Group C: Justin, Matthew, Pat

In-camera edit due next Tuesday, September 11: Pat, Katherine, Josh, Jordan
In-camera edit due the following Tuesday, September 18: Carissa, Kelsey, Justin, Matthew, Ben

Also, if anyone does not know their Metro login and password (it was sent to you in the mail), let me know and I can help you with that.

Well, i though i already posted this but i guess it didn't go through. My name is Jordan Johnson and i work at a skateboard shop for a living, and I film skateboarding in my free time. Here's a memorial video i edited, filmed, ect. for a kid who passed away last summer.

Movies/dissapointment

One of my favorite movies used to be Elizabethtown. Then I found out that Orlando Bloom, the lead actor, is gay. So the whole movie is a lie. For some reason that ruined it for me. I always have Garden State, the best movie ever, to fall back on. It's a personal favorite of mine.

How cool is this?

Hey everyone.
My name is Kelsey Vala, in case you didn't already know. I just got a new German Shorthair Pointer puppy named Piper. She is about three months old. I like to eat food. I also like movies. My favorite kind of movies generally are period piece movies.
If there is anything else you would like to know, just ask/blog me.
I am not sure what I expect to learn from moving image lab. I hope it is a lot of fun!

hello

i'm new here, so i just want to say hello to all and all a good day!!!

video contest

The AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons), a non-profit group for people who are 50 and older, is having a video contest.

People aged 18 and over have the chance to submit an original one- to two-minute video about where they expect to be when they turn 50. Entries are due by September 30th. An individual or group assignment perhaps? Go here for more details.