life’s everyday adventures in an ecovillage, plus other intentional community, filmmaking, and random musings
Check out some new Holga and Seagull-style photos:
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I have some kind of fascination with old and abandoned buildings, rubbish, and structures on the brink of collapse. There was once an old green and yellow warehouse a few streets away from my house that frequently ended up in some photographs and video projects of mine. I guess the building had a certain charm and natural character. Well, it’s been torn down, and I miss it. In its place is a smattering of rubbish: torn up concrete, a massive pile of stones, and other trash heaps. There are a few remaining construction vehicles that seem to have been standing still for weeks. Whatever the case, I decided to walk around the area and play with my video camera in hopes of being inspired for a new film project I have been contemplating for a few weeks.
Here’s a really simple montage I threw together this afternoon after reviewing some of the footage.
[qt:/video/leftovers.mov /video/leftoversposter.mov 320 256]
(Click to play.)
(Also available on the Broadcast Machine.)
A college accomplice of mine, photographer Justin Gaynor has recently launched a new photography website titled Project: New Jersey.
“Project New Jersey is a website determined to reverse negative stereotypes about the state of New Jersey through beautiful and interesting imagery. All images on this site are submitted by local artists, and submissions are open to anyone is is interested.” Please read the excellent website description Justin has written up for more background info. I look forward to seeing what comes of this.
I was very excited to stumble upon the lastest issue of Wolphin yesterday in a used book store. Wolphin is a “quarterly DVD magazine from McSweeney’s, lovingly encoded with unique and ponderable films designed to make you feel the way we felt when we learned that dolphins and whales sometimes, you know, do it… Each issue of Wholphin will contain a variety of extraordinary short films, docs, instructional videos, foreign sitcoms, and other cinema hybrids that deserve to be seen on very expensive televisions.”
It’s similar to The Journal of Short Film, but with bigger names attached.
Anyway, the latest volume (Vol. 2) includes the first part of The Power of Nightmares, a documentary that “explores the origins in the 1940s and 50s of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Middle East, and Neoconservatism in America, parallels between these movements, and their effect on the world today.” Very awesome.
You can also download The Power of Nightmares here, if you are so inclined.
“IN 2006, A GROUP OF FRIENDS DECIDED TO MAKE A FILM ABOUT FILESHARING THAT *WE* WOULD RECOGNISE. THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW DOCUMENTARIES BY ‘OLD MEDIA’ CREWS WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND THE NET AND SEE PEER-TO-PEER ORGANISATION AS A THREAT TO THEIR LIVELIHOODS. THEY HAVE NO REASON TO REPRESENT THE FILESHARING MOVEMENT POSITIVELY, AND NO CAPACITY TO REPRESENT IT LUCIDLY. WE WANTED TO MAKE A FILM THAT WOULD EXPLORE THIS HUGE POPULAR MOVEMENT IN A WAY THAT EXCITED US, ENGAGED US, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, FOCUSSED ON WHAT WE KNOW TO BE THE POSITIVE AND OPTIMISTIC VISION MANY FILESHARERS AND ARTISTS (THEY ARE OFTEN ONE) HAVE FOR THE FUTURE OF CREATIVITY…”
More details here.
I’m burning the DVD as we speak.
So, the world is ending next month, on September 12, 2006, apparently. Ok.
A must read via Anthropik: Global warming & global food supply.
The Newburyport Documentary Film Festival website has been updated, and now includes a list of all the selected films. There are some really interesting selections in there… I’m pretty excited to see some of these.
No word on what day ¡Sí, Se Puede! will be playing, though.
Film: Where The Green Ants Dream (Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen)
Werner Herzog
1984
I wandered through Borders, and stumbled upon this DVD. I’m a fan of Herzog and his stuff, but I’ve never really read into this film of his. But just reading the description on the DVD case, I was instantly interested in the concept of the movie.
I wonder how Herzog gets some of these films made. How does he convince people to give him money to produce these eccentric movies in the middle of nowhere that few people will probably ever really appreciate?
Anyway… ‘Where The Green Ants Dream’ takes place in the desloate semi-deserts of Australia, where a group of aboriginal peoples camp out and protest the geological drilling of a mining company in their search for uraninum. Many of the aboriginals are old, mostly silent, and quite passive. They claim that the land is “where the green ants dream”, and if they are disturbed, the world will spin into chaos.
Funny, though. Nothing in the film is based on actual fact. Everything about the aboriginals, and the green ants, and everything else is fiction. Although, it’s a very likely scenario, that of the aboriginals vs. the invaders (the mining company). It doesn’t really detract from the film that it is mostly made up. It’s just pretty amazing to me that Herzog was even able to get this group of aboriginals to act in the film.
Anyway, it’s a pretty interesting film. It’s very slow-paced, but there are a lot of great little “moments” in the film. I mean, some of the things that stand out to me might not necessarily mean much to anyone else, but I feel a somewhat shared perspective with Herzog. Well, if I’m reading him correctly, that is. Little things like the two aboriginals who get stuck in an elevator with two of the mining company employees. The company geologist, Lance has some standout lines. The finale is appropriate, wherein Lance pretty much “walks away”: from his job, from his lifestyle, from his civilization. Well, that’s my own interpretation, at least.
If you’re into the whole theme of “struggling aboriginals”, the film is worth checking out. That’s the end of my totally random babble.
Yippee. ¡Sí, Se Puede! has been mentioned on Cinematical. Thanks, Cinematical peoples.
Digg it, if you’d like.
“Get a HUMMER in your Happy Meal.”
I am not amused. I am actually feeling queasy.
Seriously. If you don’t think there is something slightly wrong with this, I kinda pity you.
And, straight from the McDonald’s website… “Hey Kids, this is Advertising!” That pretty sums it up. Check it out:
I’m not saying this as a result of this single article (not by a long shot), but I feel like eyes are finally opening… People are taking note of real problems. People are starting to have real concerns: about the environment, the food they eat (where does it come from? chemicals? organic?), energy, etc. I’m not saying everyone, obviously, but I feel like there is a growing conciousness… I always like to wonder when we will reach a tipping point, IF we will reach a tipping point… The point at which enough people share the same concerns, and genuine efforts are made to change this harmful lifestyle we lead. Will we know when it happens? Or will we work up to it slowly, and by the time it happens we don’t even realize it?
Anyway, here is the article I mentioned. Good read.
And: my trip this weekend has been delayed due to some family issues, so all that fun stuff will have to wait…
The Year of Mud: Building a cob house Green Options: Posts by Brian Liloia