Current Film Project

So recently I've begun to explore the sort of, advanced cousin medium to mine own (photography) which is that of the moving image. 

I'm a very form oriented individual. My photographic "parents" as some people like to call them, are Albert Renger-Patzsch, Julius Shulman, and Andre Kertesz. The important one in terms of this blog post is Albert Renger-Patzsch. Renger-Patzsch was a German photographer associated with the New Objectivity active during the Weimar Republic. Now, the New Objectivity was something that, for those who know me, would assume I would hold protest against. However, in looking at the photographs presented by Renger-Patzsch, his focus on recording the beautiful forms that exist in the world, I've found a substantial amount of nearly universal subjectivity tying together all of his work. Yes, the images were recorded at a somewhat "arm's-length-distance" in an attempt to reduce the photographers bias. However, the choice to make the photograph is the biggest form of subjective bias I can think of.

Anyway, his importance in this blog post is that the increased sensitivity to everyday forms and objects, as well as Julius Shulman's increased sensitivity to imbuing a subjective, emotional, aesthetic quality to everything he pointed his lens at helped me in my first (after a long hiatus) film project.

As for the cinematic influences on this project...well, in keeping with the Germanic/ western European love of form I was greatly inspired by German Abstract Cinema of the 1920s and later on Soviet film director (1929) Dziga Vertov's masterpiece, Man with a Movie Camera. < Please, if you have the time, watch Vertov's film.  Specific artists would have to include, Vertov, Walter Ruttmann, Hans Richter, Viking Eggeling and Oskar Fischinger. While the latter four are arguably more abstract than Vertov and my film is much more in the spirit of Man with a Movie Camera, I developed my appreciation for the musicality of forms and their inherent subjective qualities because I was first introduced to German Absolut Film before experiencing anything of Vertov's. (Again, if you can spare the time, please read the short wikipedia article about Absolut Film)

Currently it's called City of Light and Lines but I might as well call it Man with a Blackberry Camera as that's what I chose to shoot with for convenience, ease of blending in and capturing the true environment, and it offered me a lo-fi, old film look that I feel works.


As the film progresses it becomes more and more abstract. Elements of sci-fi and suspense. Light is personified as a concept and a character.

Without further ado...here's my short silent film:

Any feedback, comments, questions, any...anything is greatly appreciated! Please utilize the comment box either on Youtube, blogger, or my email address provided in the right hand side bar.

Warmly,

-steve


P.S. Here is the stable URL link to the youtube page.
http://youtu.be/EWZ0HTJpdF0

Promotional Trailer!

About a month ago I was Director of Photography for a friend's short film. Now, we've finally sat down and I helped Joel edit together a trailer.
Hope you enjoy it!






The Way Station:
Located at: 683 Washington Ave
btw prospect and st marks Prospect Heights, Brooklyn 11238
A to Washington
or 2/3 to BK Museum
or Q to 7th Ave B45 to Washington Ave and Prospect Place (stops right in front of bar)

Never Ending: More Promotional Work

Recently I was asked to assist one of my friends on his short film. I accepted and was given the title of director of photography. The film is currently in its final stages. While I won't say anything about it I'll give you a look at an additional contribution of mine, the promotional poster.

I should mention that this is not the final draft of the poster as it is missing the location of the public screening. This will be taking place in a Brooklyn bar called The Way Station.
Located at:
683 Washington Ave
btw prospect and st marks
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn 11238
A to Washington or 2/3 to BK Museum or Q to 7th Ave
B45 to Washington Ave and Prospect Place (stops right in front of bar)

To Touch Upon Monologues

One of my personal favorite monologues to be found in a movie. 

John Hurt, The Proposition, 2005

I've devoted a fair amount of time to watching films and I believe that the master of the monologue is Robin Williams (most notably for his performance in Good Will Hunting but also for his work in Patch Adams).

If you visit this site you will surely loose many hours of your life on here but I'm not so sure I would call it a waste of time. That is, the AFI's site chronologically lists the most highly ranked speeches by year and includes for your reading pleasure a copy of the speech and/or dialogue. I have not even checked to see if this one has made the list but I believe that it ought to.

Personal favorites (from the aforementioned site) of mine are as follows:


Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting, 1996)
Billy Bob Thorton (Sling Blade, 1996)
Woody Harrelson (The People Vs. Larry Flynt, 1996)
Jack Nicholson (  -  As Good As It Gets, 1997)
Harrison Ford (  -  Air Force One, 1997)
Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, 1997  -  )
Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting, 1997  -  )
Gary Oldman (Leon, The Professional, 1994  -  The Fifth Element, 1997  -  )
Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan, 1998  -  )
Anthony Hopkins (Amistad, 1997  -  Meet Joe Black, 1998)
Al Pacino (City Hall, 1996  -  Devil's Advocate, 1997  -  Any Given Sunday, 1999)
Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, 1999)
Magnolia, 1999
Christian Bale (American Psycho, 2000)
Russell Crowe (Gladiator, 2000)
Julia Roberts (Erin Brocavitch, 2000)
Willem DeFoe (Shadow of the Vampire, 2000)
Ellen Burstyn (Requiem For A Dream, 2000)
Edward Norton (Primal Fear, 1996  -  American History X, 1998  -  25th Hour, 2002)
Terry Kinney (The Laramie Project, 2002)
Sean Penn (Mystic River, 2003)
David Carradine (Kill Bill Vol. 2, 2004)
Bruno Ganz (Downfall, 2004)
Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby, 2004)
David Straitham (Good Night, and Good Luck, 2005)
Hugo Weaving (V for Vendetta, 2006)
Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men, 2007)
Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood, 2007  -  Gangs of New York, 2002)
Mark Litoto (Senecdoche, New York, 2008)

Here is a site with a short top 10 list that I agree with (maybe not the order and maybe not all of them but enough that I've decided to share it).

TOO BE CONTINUED

Places of NYC: Sunflower Diner

    Tonight is a night of silent films for me but before settling in for the night I decided to grab some good eats so I set out to see what I could find. While out I stumbled across Sunflower Diner. Here is a diner that eats like a restaurant. Not one of those glitzy, high class restaurants but nonetheless it serves up larger portions than you'd assume. Sunflower Diner is located on the corner of 26th street and 3rd avenue (359 3rd Ave).  Albeit it's a bit on the pricey side with a cup of coffee starting at a buck sixty while the rest of your meal steadily climbs after that. However you see that everywhere in midtown Manhattan, eeeveryone wants your money over your patronage.  I just ordered a simple Eastside Burger 'delux' (Burger, onions, mozzarella, green peppers, and mushrooms). The delux adds a generous portion of french fries, lettuce and tomato, as well as a bowl, not cup, bowl of cole slaw. Now that ran me a little less than eleven bucks but the size of it made up for the price. Other local diners normally charge over nine bucks to make it delux but the serving size is smaller so I wasn't put off too much by that, I was after all, out for dinner and not lunch.  It's a Friday night so everyone seems to be filling the nearby bars and clubs so I was able to enjoy a less than crowded Sunflower Diner.  I ordered a cup of coffee with my meal cause I've got a decent amount of movies watching to go through tonight and because it's a diner... c'mon it's what you do.  Tonight I'm only posting images I shot with my cell phone camera but I also took several with other cameras I had on me at the time and i'll come back and post them at a later date.  As the night drove on I decided to be on my way, asked for the check and it came to a total of $13.15 which for a dinner in midtown isn't bad in comparison. Sure, there are other places such as the lower east side in which that would seem quite expensive but hey, I'll take this for its convenience and atmosphere.  I forgot to mention that they've had the best coffee of any diner I've been to thus far.

Amenities of Sunflower Diner:
-Windowed dinning are on the street
-Glass glasses rather than plastic ones
-Peppermint after dinner mints, toothpicks, and moist towelettes at the register
-Friendly staff who seem to keep up with 'the regulars'
-Not even a hint of agitation if you decide to stay for say, over 45 minutes with only a cup of coffe on your table.


Best,


-S.



P.S. Tonight's list of movies includes the following:
City Lights (1931) -An incredible silent comedy written and directed by as well as starring Charles Chaplin
Nosferatu (1922)
M (1931 talkie) - Fritz Lang crime thriller

Upcoming Attraction!

Promotional work for an upcoming short film.

Be There.

Tune in April 26th, it's bound to be entertaining in some form or another.  

Sincerely,


-S.


P.S. The first image of myself has appeared on my blog. I'll be playing the villain seen in the lower left-hand box.