Ger Leonard

Although very different in theme and narrative and "genre" you should check out TONY TAKITANI which employs some similar aesthetic techniques, an interesting article about which is here. http://chiaroscurocoalition.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/tony-takitani-and-the-japanese-art-of-understatement/ What I found fascinating about CONFESSIONS was this combination of the meditative "still lifes" with an almost operatic revenge narrative. The aesthetics are not just a formal style imposed on the narrative but integral to the meaning itself. The form and the function are inseparable. Japanese art.

Ok the Oscars would consign these "foreign" films to "foreign language" and they are excluded from other awards incl cinematography but I think they deserve a mention. The cinematography in these 3 films (and the films themselves) for example are to my mind far more impressive than that of some the extraordinarily overrated an overhyped nominees for best film and best cinematography at this years Oscars. Best cinematography should be best cinematography in any language. OF GODS AND MEN http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588337/ CONFESSIONS http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1590089/ DOGTOOTH http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1379182/

I watched this extraordinary Japanese film last night which has to my mind some of the most glorious cinematography I have ever seen Trailer here http://kokuhaku-shimasu.jp/index.html A huge box office hit in Japan, it was chosen as Japan's entry for the Oscars. This is J Horror that goes far beyond the now tired tropes of The Ring/Grudge films Imagine Elephant crossed with Oldboy/Lady Vengance, Battle Royal and Tony Takitani. I am currently reading Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin, the film adaptation of which by Lynne Ramsey is to be released later this year. Watching Confessions I couldn't help but wonder if/how Ramsey's film will compare. If anyone has any tech info on Confessions I would love to read it. If get the opportunity to watch this film on big screen, take it.

I hope you will permit me post on your forum what I have posted on my blog http://fivedayshelter.blogspot.com This relates to my first feature film FIVE DAY SHELTER Five Day Shelter premiered at the Belfast film Festival and screened in competition at the Rome International Film Festival. It is screening on Thursday 11th November in The Cork Film Festival. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1604672/ As the credited writer and director of FIVE DAY SHELTER I wish to clarify that I was removed from the post-production of this film. The edit, sound design, ADR, music, pick-ups and the final (anti) climatic scene of the film were done without my involvement and against my wishes. I strongly considered removing my name from this film but I only retained my screen credits on the condition that I retain my integrity and tell the truth of my involvement or lack thereof and my feelings about this film. The disparity between this film and the film it could and should have been had I, and the DoP Tim Fleming and my composer Peter Broderick, been permitted to complete the process, is vast and untold. It recalls the classic sketch in Morecombe and Wise where Eric says to Andre Previn " I am playing all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order." In this case the joke is far from funny, and notes have been removed and/or replaced in a parody of composition. Had I been permitted to complete the film I do not claim it would be some sort of masterpiece, far from it, but it would have retained it's integrity, the courage of it's convictions and had the unity or style and of purpose, of form and function that is integral to the success or otherwise of any film, things that are painfully absent from this "take" of the film. It is never all about the story but rather how the story is told, and that is true for the film itself and how it became that film. There is a film I spent over five years working towards. We brought together a wonderfully talented and committed cast and crew who all believed in and were excited by what we were trying to achieve. It was a tremendous privilege to work with them. The film created in post does not reflect those of us who believed in this film throughout the production and kept faith in what we were working towards. Instead it is a misinterpretation of our work. As a well known director once put it "The director is the immune system of the film." The immune system was removed, and I could not save our film. Our film only exists in the hearts and minds of those of us that believed and kept faith, and it exists too in an abridged form on my hard drive but that can never be seen in public. Those that have seen and heard this film and the "official" one cannot fail to recognise the chasm of care and consideration that divides the two. I never abandoned the film, nor ever sought anything but every possible means to move this film forward together. I was removed and the film was compromised. The Five Day Shelter that audience's will see is cowered and fearful, impotent and illegitimate, without courage, without integrity, without hope or character. It need not have been this way, had faith been shown in the process and fear and weakness not taken hold. I am all too aware of the risks in stating this reality but unlike "my" film I will retain my courage, integrity and character. I greatly admire Simon Perry and what he has achieved during his tenure at the IFB, what happened to Five Day Shelter is not symptomatic but rather a deeply regrettable anomaly born of circumstances particular to this film production and those involved in its completion. "My movie is born first in my head, dies on paper; is resuscitated by the living persons and real objects I use, which are killed on film but, placed in a certain order and projected on to a screen, come to life again like flowers in water." Robert Bresson. "Ever try, ever fail - no matter - try again, fail again, fail better." - Samuel Beckett.

Still time. production put back til feb 2009. DP on board, doing investigations..

I rang The Production Depot in wicklow, ireland, myself and 7,500k euro pw is the quote i got for a basic 35mm package. I asked for the lowest price package. I wasn't smoking at the time and to the best of my knowledge neither were they. With a DOP on board we may be able to get price down a bit but that's the quote i received. Even if we managed to get the 35mm package price down to within budget, we still have to deal with stock, processing, shipping etc.. Many Uk and Irish films on roughly similar budget to ours have gone down s16mmm route. Some may have chosen s16 for aesthetic reasons but most I would imagine for budgetary ones. Some of these look pretty good. Of course s16 lends itself to a rough and ready, gritty look. I put up 2 screengrabs earlier to suggest the style I'm after. Key visual references for my film include: Lynne Ramsey's Ratcather and Gasman, The Bill Douglas Trilogy, Terrence Davies, K Kieslowski, Coppola's The Converstaion, Bela Tarr, Gus Van Sant. You can tell from this list what i DONT want.. Shaky handheld camerawork and fast cuts, often but certainly not always a style associated with s16. Some s16mm Films UK This is England, My Summer of Love, Vera Drake, 28 days later, London to Brighton, The History Boys, Dead Man's Shoes, Wonderland Ireland Adam & Paul, Intermission American films: Mean Creek, The Station Agent, Junebug, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, Half Nelson, .. European: L'Enfant, The Counterfeiters, .... Central and South American The Motorcycle Diaries, Japon, .... I've not given up on 35mm (thats why i started this topic) and as always advice welcome.

Our budget may not go as high as 1.6m euro but 1.4 +m certainly. Even so your point about proportion is well made. Appreciate what you say about the workprint and workflow, could be place to start finding the money needed. Thanks for the advice. I'll run this by my producers and when in place our DOP.

Cheers Stephen.. thanks for that.

I came to seek advice, not to argue. All our figures point to s16mm. As the director i am very interested in exploring the possibilites of shooting 35mm, be it 4-pref, 3-pref, 2-pref. I was not questioning your knowledge, and i apologize if appeared so. I started this topic to find out if there were 35mm options on our budget. You can understand the frustration when the figures my producers have for 35mm means its impossible, while at same time i'm being informed here that it is in fact more than possible. Before i started this topic we had budgeted for s16. While searching here i came across some info on 3-pref and 2-pref. I posted the topic to figure out if it was viable. I do trust my producers, and i have no reason to doubt you. Please believe me when i say this. I wish to offend no one. All I was seeking in last post was information to persuade my producers that 35mm is indeed possible as you and others here have said it is. Of course i believe you when you say that on a similar budget 35mm is possible in the US. Our budget model is tied in with commitments to irish and some UK spend. Perhaps this is why at least so far we haven't found a route to make 35mm possible. I really would be delighted to find a way to shoot 35mm in Ireland. I am not a producer nor am i a cameraman, just a director with some questions. Thanks.

Hampus, another person claiming that for 25k we could "easily" afford to shoot 35mm for 6 weeks. Prices for 35mm stock are around Euro 500 for 1000 feet can, we would need around 50 cans for this feature. If the 2 - perf stock usage is 50% of normal usage this will leave us with Euro 25,000 for stock price, doubling what we have in our budget. There are also other cost implications, the S16 film stock weighs less than a third of what 35mm stock weight. This will triple the daily shipping cost to the lab. And as said in last post a basic 35mm package is 7,500 euro pw from The Production Depot, ireland. A 2-pref can be more expensive. We can get a s16 package for around 1k pw. From the figures i'm getting here in ireland, the word "easily" doesn't fit with 35mm for a 6 week shoot. Love to have someone prove me and the producers wrong. What do you know that we don't? Please don't just say its easy, provide details of how. Surely the prices are not so much higher in IRE/UK. BTW we need to source equipment from IRE/UK. One of producers has told me to disregard some of this "easy" talk as bravado ignoring the bottom line. These producers have made a number of features before, and should have firm grasp of realities. The are also good guys, whom i trust. I don't want to pester them with throwaway 2nd hand comments like "its easy", which are meaningless without facts and figures.

Thanks Bruce, that could prove very useful. I'll contact Anders. A basic 35mm package is 7,500 euro pw from The Production Depot, ireland. A 2-pref can be more expensive. So that works out for 6 weeks as 45k. Our camera budget is currently 25k. A 20k shortfall and that doesnt take into consideration stock and processing v s16. Big ask but if dont ask wont receive. Not giving up on 35mm yet, as winter could be quiet, they wont want their cameras lying idle etc..

They are experienced producers, and I have no reason to doubt their integrity and their figures. Those figures seem standard, but as i said lets hope we can negotiate a better deal. You are very confident that even on a 25k euro budget for a 6 week shoot we would "easily" be able to secure a decent 35mm camera package. I hope the producers have over-estimated the costs and you are proved right. Love to hear what others think and know from experience. Also is there a substantial difference in rental prices between 4-pref, 3-pref and 2-pref camera packages? Again appreciate all posts.

You say for 25k we should easily be able to put together a high end 35mm package for a six week shoot...... ok, easily said but how, who, where? I'm based in Ireland and the figures i've given are accurate, but when DP on board we might be able to negotiate something better. "Easily" you say... I'd really be delighted to learn that that's true. Please explain..

cheers stephen, The film is for theatrical release. 2:35:1 presents limitations and possibilities, which kinda go hand in hand. Right now i'm watching Silent Light again on filmfour. Yeah, getting a DP on board asap is key to all this. Sean Bobbitt might also be worth considering re hunger and also his s16 work on Wonderland, along with a number of Irish options. Its better i don't mention names. Good to hear about your steadicam work. Best G

Spoken to my producer who says a full 35mm camera package will cost around 10k a week and that our camera budget is 25k... for a 6 weeks shoot. Ok 2-pref uses have the stock of 4-pref but 35mm is 3 to 4 times more expensive than S16 My producers are doing some homework and the mathematics but anyone here know how much a 2-pref camera package would cost ? Again i'm a director so excuse my lack of tech knowledge.. I reckon we can boast the camera budget to 50k (i would say that), but for between 25k to 50k, is shooting 2-pref possible ?