"The film is pricked with references to Dante’s Inferno, though certainly has it’s own narrative which requires no knowledge of the Divine Comedy to understand - think how the Coen Bros. and Homer blended into O Brother Where Art Thou. And whereas the Coens’ film stood on the shoulders of Preston Sturgess, the equivalent influence on St. John would appear likely to be Ozu or Milos Forman."
I had a series of conversations with Brendon Connelly, about Saint John of Las Vegas. We discussed career paths, film grammar, movie financing and the Bellagio Hotel. Read the full interview on /Film here.
"...For social media, I think most of the discussion and its effect on indie film, etcetera, is kind of putting the cart before the horse. Social media for me reflects a new kind of need: it's not a channel to reach people - it's a reflection of the desire to express and contribute."
"Last November inside a conference room at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, a film consultant named Peter Broderick was doing his best to foment a revolution. Mr. Broderick, who helps filmmakers find their way into the marketplace, was spreading the word on an Internet-era approach to releasing movies that he believes empowers filmmakers without impoverishing them economically or emotionally. Mr. Broderick divides distribution into the Old World and New, infusing his PowerPoint presentation with insurgent rhetoric."
There is a saying, meant to temper the enthusiasm of film students, which goes "it's not show art, it's show business." But these filmmakers, defying the odds and the numbers to get their films out, highlight the root of all art, which is the irrational compulsion to express.
I am grateful that we were able to shoot Saint John Of Las Vegas on 35mm film. But video is an option that any filmmaker should, and will have to, consider. Byron Shah shot this great test highlighting the surprising strengths of some new and inexpensive cameras.
"We tested 2 DSLRs (professional stills cameras) that shoot HD, the Panasonic Lumix GH1, the Canon 5D Mark 2, and RED (which was included as the control in the experiment). What we found was that while these small cameras have their limitations (they record a very compressed format that can fall apart easily and they're not really set up as professional cameras so they can be fussy to use) they can, in many situations, shoot lovely images. They are amazing for night photography, and when using 35mm format lenses render some beautiful pictures. And of course they are small and cheap, fast and light, and fantastic for framing. It's so easy to put the camera exactly where you want it!"
We have no idea what the real impact of social media will be on the film community. We can get our panties in a bunch over the number of twitter followers, or blog reviews, but we need to get beyond social media as a distribution channel. People use social media because they reserve the right to have a voice. This is Generation C, for Create. I still believe there is a market for ticket sales, DVDs, etc. but the purchasers will part with their money if and when they feel their needs have been addressed. And those needs are to participate, not just to consume.
So...this fantastic experiment Star Wars: Uncut (thanks, Scott Hoffman.) People pick their own 15 second clip and remake it according to their liking. When it's done they'll knit the clips together and have a completely remade Star Wars. What is it, then? A fan film? A new kind of commentary?
Tarkovsky defined art as "taking a personal truth and making it universal." Each person working on Star Wars: Uncut is taking fifteen seconds and making it personal. The parts will be added together into a body which will be universally unerstood.Maybe this is a glimpse at what's in store for us: Social Media = Social Art.
