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November: Jazz Age
Here it is! And a day early! Above is my first month’s video, “Jazz Age.” Watch it, comment, share, etc. Only 11 more months to go…
Thanksgiving, November’s Video
I just wanted to take a second to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone reading. I likely won’t be posting anything for the rest of the week, for obvious reasons. I fully intend on celebrating my Black Friday by watching these movies.
I know posting has been light over the past week, but that’s only because there’s been a lot going on. I’m hard at work at November’s video, which will be up early next week (have to stick to that end of month deadline). I’ll also have updates on December’s videos and maybe even a surprise or two. After the jump, I’ll leave you with an older video of mine to get you in the mood for winter and the holiday season:
December: Early Thoughts
It’s almost December, and that means I’m almost through my first month of Less Talking, More Shooting. That also means it’s the holiday season and I’m already feeling festive. In fact, I’m in such a giving mood, that I’m going to make not one, but two videos for December! Try to contain your excitement!
Actually, the real reason that I’m making two videos is that I have to for school. In each of my classes, my final project will be a short film relating to a topic that we discussed. Either way, we all benefit!
Inspiration: Thoughts on Tiny Furniture
Full disclosure: I, in no way, intend on using this site to post movie reviews. There are simply too many sites out there already giving their half-formed, barely legible opinions and I don’t want Less Talking, More Shooting to stray from its initial goal. That being said, I will occasionally mention films that I think warrant some attention.
This weekend I saw Tiny Furniture on the only screen it is currently being shown (one of the advantages to living in New York City). It is the story of a girl moving back into her mother’s TriBeCa loft after graduating from college. It has a unique comedic voice and sparse, ambling narrative. It is directed by, and stars, Lena Dunham, a 24-year old filmmaker who is currently developing a pilot for HBO with Judd Apatow. One of the things worth noting about Tiny Furniture is that it was shot entirely on a Canon 7D HDSLR camera.
Despite my previous work, and this month’s video, I don’t work exclusively in Super 8 film. A few months back I picked up a Canon T2i and most of the videos you’ll see on this site will be shot on that. If you’re unfamiliar with the world of filmmaking and cinematography, there has been a great deal of attention lately on the use of consumer DSLR cameras for video-related purposes. There are groups dedicated to their use on Vimeo, blogs about them, and even some talent who work almost exclusively with them. These cameras have been used on commercial, TV and music video shoots, but aside from popping up in some Second Units, not many features have been shot with them. Tiny Furniture is by no means the first, but it is the first film shot on an HDSLR that has received a great deal of attention. In terms of cinematography, the results are impressive, but show some limits.
November: Progress Report
Just a quick report on the progress I’m making with this month’s video. At this point, I have the footage and the music selected, so now it’s just time to put it together. Beginning the editing process has been interesting-I haven’t looked at the footage since I had it processed several months ago. There are some great shots of the band and other attendees, and also some choices that won’t be making the final cut.
November: On Nostalgia
It sometimes seems as though my generation’s greatest cultural product is nostalgia. It can be seen in the 80s-referencing fashion trends, the blippy synth-drenched pop music and the faux-vintage, Hipstamatic photos that everyone with an iPhone seems to upload to Facebook. But nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia is one of the most destructive opponents to creativity.
November: Music Selection
As I mentioned in my “First Thoughts” post, I had a few ideas regarding the type of song I wanted to use in November’s video. Over the last year or so, there has been a great influx of lo-fi, experimental music being made in bedrooms throughout the world. It goes without saying that this has been assisted by the ubiquity of music production technology, as well as the ability to self-distribute over the Internet. Their ability to conjure nostalgic images make them the perfect accompaniment to my Super 8 footage of the Jazz Age party.
Inspiration: Jamie Harley’s music videos
Jamie Harley is a video artist that works with found footage and retro visuals set to lo-fi music. This footage is further manipulated and edited to interesting results. One of his earlier works is this video for Memory Tapes’ Bicycle:
Harley’s work is reminiscent of the pastiche work of Bruce Conner. See another example after the jump.
November: First Thoughts
The first month in and I’m already bending the rules. For my first film, instead of shooting something new, I am going to edit some old footage that has been sitting around. Back in September of last year (2009 if you’re reading this in the future), I attended a Jazz Age lawn party on Governor’s Island.
