quinn

i hope i can find a place to show it in the intended aspect ratio. I love how savides has been composing shots in the narrow frame. He also seems to be using a lot of strong light on characters backs - often leaving their faces in near darkness. The wide stuff in the woods as the train passes looks beautiful. The train adds a nice sense of scale. I'm sure some shots will feel long to me - the real time sunset in Gerry always does - but it has a nice effect. I love his past two movies, yet when I go to shoot my own projects I still find myself cramming in all of this plot and handheld work (in part, due to necessity). I wish I could just strip my storytelling down that much and then maybe work my way back towards plot from the minimalism.

hey all - the US site for this film is up with a slightly differernt trailer. At one point it shows a tunnel very similar to the one in "Birth". www.lastdaysmovie.com

to be fair, it was at the hotel, which is always pricey - but this was insane! It was next to the london bridge. I nearly fell out of my seat when i got the bill! We didn't eat much after that : ) The thing is, the rates LOOK about the same - 17 euro for a steak, where ours would be 17 bucks. I had to keep reminding myself that 17 euro was about 34 dollars. Yeesh. Just the weak dollar at play. But i think the dollar/euro thing has to be factored in. If this kid's parents' had bought home for 300, it doubled in value to 600, that would be 1,200,000 dollars when you transfer the money over, right? They could probably score a mansion for that. But would they be making the money to maintain it? If they bought it for 300 are they making 60 a year? So, the value of the investment would increase when transferred to dollars, but the payrate for their job could stay around $60k or whatever so they may not be able to maintain the house. i guess my real question is: how do the payrates differ? If our minimum wage is $5 is your 5 euro or 2.5? I am under the impression that it'd be closer to 5 euro. interesting, but annoying.

well, if you had your electric shut off you still have a bit to learn. And try doing all of that with a wife and three kids heading for college, their medical coverage, car insurance for 16 year olds with three fender benders, etc. 2000 dollars a week is nothing if you only work 20 weeks a year. I've been paid 5,000 bucks for a week's worth of work shooting and editing mini dv recruitment tapes for colleges - and the quality was not nearly comparable to the stuff David and other cinematographers at his level could do. 2,000 bucks for grueling feature film work is nothing if you're putting a life together. Glad to hear the house has turned into a good investment, David. I need to work on that one! And thanks for the answers.

Ha, ha. Man, i must need some sleep! www.stationhousefilms.com/thenyp

hey guys working on a new film. it's in the early stages but i cut a rough trailer. feedback is welcomed! thanks tom www.stationhousefilms.com/thenyp

"Why don't you shoot stuff teens (like you) wanna see--not porn." You don't know many teenagers, do you? : )

david, i've seen you around on a ton of websites over the years and you've always been kind, gracious, and informative. So, thank you. And continued success. Tom

yeah, i was a huge cobain fan in High School. So, Cobain + Van Sant + Savides is a dream project to me. I wish I could have wrapped cables on that set.

The trailer for the new Gust Van Sant movie shot by Harris Savides is on the web. I'm very much looking forward to it, as I've enjoyed their last two collaborations together. It seems to follow the style they have been developing with bold compositions and natural lighting. Has anyone heard or seen clips of this film, or have insights to their approach on this film? trailer here: http://www.allocine.fr/webtv/acvision.asp?...yer=ASF&debit=T

dvx - Your low budget is not their problem. If they have a minimal rate, that is their business. It's unfair to ask 'do they want the work or not.' McDonalds could lower their rate to 2 bucks an hour if their budgets get tight, but people still have the right to ask for minimal wage. 500 bucks a day is a great price for an experienced DP. If you can't afford it, you have to live with that. You seem to like the idea of being persecuted. I just made a film for about the same amount. On about a third of my shoots, I was completely solo - unpacked the gear, set up the camera, set up audio, light the set, direct the actors, feed them, walk the dog, deal with people not showing up, plan the next day, make phone calls, pack up. 10-18 hour days. It's tough work, but you can do it. It's not ideal though - my audio really suffered. On the other days i was lucky to have one other crew person to do audio and help me light. It was an amazing learning experience and a baptism by fire. The film is not the most amazing thing in the world, but my second one is coming out stronger for it. You have to work with their budget as much as they have to work with yours. If you have a 5,000 dollar budget you are looking at a crew of college and high school students. Get the best actors you can. A good chunk of that budget will go towards food, tape stock, maybe gels, etc. Your best bet is to start crewing for area filmmakers. Meet crew that way. Work for free and people will often repay the favor. Once you get more experience, invest more money in equipment, etc, you'll see why people have rates like that. Best of luck, but try and step back and see the big picture. Maybe this is more appropriate: matthew chapter 7: And why do you look at the splinter in your brother's eye, and not notice the beam which is in your own eye? good luck, tom

I'm currently trying to get into the MFA program at Temple. For me, I think it makes sense because it would allow me to teach at the college level and continue to direct low budget projects on my own terms. I'm not delusional enough to think I will just go work in Hollywood, but would be very happy doing personal projects for film festivals, art installations, dvd. I think it is a mixed bag. I have a ton to learn still and want the time to experiment. I think I will get a certain kind of info in the classroom, but really, just want more access to equipment and peers to keep making films outside of school. This would just give me two years where it's my 'job' to learn. Which would be nice. But really, the only way to 'make it' is to do it. You can't sit around and read about painting and hope you'll sit down and pull out a davinci on your first try. For some reason, filmmakers usually think they have to make their first film great or it is over.

actually, i kind of dug the old school feeling of some of the model and matte shots. Overall, these films blow me a way. You could have all the crew and money in the world, but the task is still huge. At the center, there is still a story to be told and a ton of character arc's to nurture. Having a 100 people and a billion dollars doesn't ease that. Actually, I thought that the budge was fairly low compared to similar faire.

I always feel the same way about Titanic. Nothing will kill your street cred faster than saying you like that movie. It is so often painted now as the cliche, safe, Hollywood movie that was driven to stardom by 14 year old girls. I remember 2 months before it came out everyone was talking about how it would tank. Cameron's Folly. I will always remember how my friend's parents, who never saw a movie more than once because they didn't get to go that often saw Titanic 5 times in the theater. I saw it three and wish I could again at that size. It's formulaic, corny at time, but a very well told story and the detail and research were insane. I really enjoyed it, although the hype did become too much to bear.