Zak Forsman

okay, new rule. you are not allowed to watch the clips without commenting here!! :P :lol: :P :lol: :P

sounds like you are (probably) asking her for a result ("be sweet here, or you're supposed to get angry at the end"), while he is speaking the actor's language and giving her a direction, a path to follow to get there. which really is your job, as director, but you know that. so instead of saying "get angry", he probably telling her how to engage with the other actor in the scene by saying something like "punish him with your words for what he did". giving her a playable action, instead of asking for a result will go a long, long way. actors who are trying to figure out a path to a result are going to struggle to stay in character because they are going to be in their own head to some extent, essentially self-directing.

how many festival hits DO make it into the mainstream, period?

how many festival hits DO make it into the mainstream, period?

I will be making a documentary about Mt Kilimanjaro. there will be a seven day hike to the top so i need the lightest HD camera that also meets requirements for HD broadcast by Discovery HD and the like. any recommendations, please?

i came to this site seeking more info about red, but i'm what you would call... camera or platform agnostic. filmmaking is a very fluid, almost improvisational, endeavor for me. and my first impression was the Red forum here. forgive me. posts elsewhere in the forum seemed to reflect a very rigid way of thinking about cinematography. the first impression of this place was a bad one for me. i'm giving it a second chance. will you give me a second chance?

no, sorry. that's an HVX200. probably shouldn't have posted it here. it's off topic. the truth is this is the "warts" footage. the really, really compelling footage i'm keeping a lid on until we are finished with editorial and move ahead with our marketing campaign. this was put together just so people could catch a little glimpse of what we had done. sorry about the red/non-red confusion.

besides, i've been making a feature. what do you think? Heart of Now -- footage preview

first let me say, this is not a trailer, despite the green card mock-up and billing block. this is a footage preview I hacked together for the cast and crew to see a little of what we captured. and also to for the dvxuser forum to coincide with my interview on DVX Talk Radio. we shot HEART OF NOW with two HVX200s... http://www.sabipictures.com/heartofnow/dvxuser.html the radio show, if you're interested, is here... i come in at the 21 minute mark... http://www.dvxtalkradio.com/website%20audi...7%20podcast.mp3

this isn't exactly the most inclusive place on the internet, guys.

every time I come back to this site after a long hiatus, i'm quickly reminded why I must have been turned off to using it as a resource in the first place. the bickering in this place is worse than my grandmother's sewing circle.

On a feature I just shot we operated the camera on a Glidecam and vest, but intentionally misused it so it would retain a handheld quality, but with a more fluid character -- very similiar to what i see in this video.

I had the pleasure of meeting Christopher Doyle on the set of Lady in the Water. His heartfelt, often drunken, declarations on the joy he gets from celebrating a color, or a luminosity, were inspiring. I produced and edited a 40 minute "making of" for the upcoming LITW DVD where I approached the all too brief section on Doyle and his contributions as a bit of a love letter to him. his behavior on set is heartbreaking. I fear his self-destructive ways are going to rob us of him far too soon. it's sad what he does to himself. the man lives for revealing the beauty in people and can't see it in himself.

I will be producing and directing another feature in May/June of 2007 and am currently auditioning DP reels. as with my current feature, White Knuckles, the plan is to shoot this highly collaborative, improvisational endeavor on a single Panasonic HVX200 with a 35mm lens adapter. visually speaking, my personal aesthetic is to convey a humanistic, realistic drama infused with a transcendental dimension. the more naturalistic elements are best represented visually (in my mind) with handheld camerawork exhibiting a narrow depth of field. then, puncuated with slow motion, timelapse, or other flourishes to express and reveal the more transcendent aspects of the unfolding drama; aspects that normally lie beyond the perception of human experience. the reality of our ultra low budget HD production is that the cast and crew will largely work for minimal pay. in the past, we've had no problem building a crew of hungry, young, aspiring filmmakers looking to be a part of something meaningful ? a project that fosters a deep collaborative spirit between all artists involved. the hope is that you will come to this project from a place of sharing and creative spirit ? as this will be an open and collaborative experience for us all. what i'm seeking in a director of photography is someone eager to collaborate (probably moreso than you're used to) on the visual telling of this story. because once you and I nail down the method and motivations behind use of color, luminosity, and composition, i will put the responsibility of execution in your hands so i can concentrate on guiding the actors thru their performances. this as of yet untitled HD feature will follow in the spirit of such films as Breaking the Waves, Lilya 4-Ever, George Washington, The Double Life of Véronique, Rosetta and The Son. as well as the cumulative works of Hou Hsiao Hsien, Jean Pierre & Luc Dardenne, and Béla Tarr. again, everything is tentative at this point. but expect a four week shoot in Los Angeles, with 8 hour days for cast, 10 hour days for crew, meals and pay. please send your reel/resume to: Zak Forsman c/o Sabi Pictures 6399 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 514 Los Angeles, CA 90036 and/or to: zak@sabipictures.com thanks you!