Steven Soderbergh - State of Cinema Address

A very interesting talk on the past, current and possible future state of cinema. Also some interesting commentary on movies vs cinema, and the importance of films being in your voice. 

On a voice-related note, this State of Cinema talk reminds me of a dinner Erica and I had with Rodrigo, the night before his film’s Mexico premiere, Rodrigo was saying, despite all the recent bad news of festival rejections, that some filmmakers work hard their entire careers for a chance to make just one film in their own voice… and that For Thousands of Miles was, no matter what happened with festivals or the film’s upcoming release, that no matter what I had made a film in my own voice, and that was something to be proud of.

Cinema is difficult… movie-making in general is a crushing undertaking, but cinema specifically, where, like Steven Soderbergh notes, where every single thing matters, is difficult in an entirely different kind of way. For better or worse, there isn’t a single line, a single shot, a single edit in the film that is there because of number-crunching or lost-battles, and I am proud of that… and I can’t wait to try again with the next film. 

Give this talk a listen if you have 40 minutes to spare, it’s well worth it. 

(via thingsilikeon)

The Zen of a Directionless Cross-Country Ride, via Adventure Journal

“Why am I doing this,” asks Larry McKurtis. “Why am I in the middle of North Dakota, pedaling a bike across the country?”

McKurtis set off on a 4,200-mile journey without clear reasons for going, expectations of why he’d find there, or how it might change him when it was over. A Zen approach, perhaps, but maybe, in the end, more intriguing than one of laser-like focus.

“In his mind he had always imagined the road to be full of adventure and happenstance,” said Mike Ambs, who’s making a documentary about McKurtis’s trip, “which it was, but in ways that were often unnoticeable to the passing traffic; the summer sunsets would burn colors in the horizon Larry would later be unable to describe; the fireflies would weave in and out of the tall midwest fields, with no one there to share in every detail of the world around him. The loneliness of the open road left him feeling alive, awake – himself in ways he was never able to be before.”

I caught up with Ambs to learn more about the McKurtis and his ride.

How did you come across Larry McKurtis? Tell us a little about him.

Just a few months ahead of principle photography, I had made a casting-call video that explained a bit about the film itself, and how we were looking for someone already planning to ride across the country, someone that was comfortable with a camera on them for most of their ride. Out of all the people who responded to that video, Larry’s email seemed most-motivated by a simple need to get away and test how far he could push himself; which I liked, his trip wasn’t tied up in vacation-hours, it was a basic reset button for him.

Was he open to you telling his story or did he take convincing? What convinced him?

We met face-to-face a few weeks after his email, and a few weeks before leaving to film – I think we were both nervous on if this was going to work out, but after a day spent hiking around the mountains above Truckee, California, I think we were both convinced our intentions were in sync.

What is at the heart of McKurtis’s quest? Does he find it?, The ride as you describe it seems bittersweet. Was it to Larry?, How did the ride change him? What changes did he make in his life after he returned home?

Larry set out with no specific goal in mind. Really his trip was a challenge to himself, to see how far he could push himself physically and mentally. I found, through my own bike trip, Larry’s bike trip, as well as speaking with others on the road, that, what happens after you return home from your trip, hits people a bit unexpectedly. There is no giant epiphany or life changing moment when you reach the end of your ride, but instead it’s a slow realization, you set out to do this unimaginable thing, and you succeeded, it definitely sets a precedent for the rest of your life. The film touches on this and eludes to the next big plans in Larry’s life; off screen he went on to plan a sponsored 3-tier trip from Alaska to Chile, he has completed tier 1. He is involved a lot with river conservation also.

His bike trip definitely sparked something within him, something that wants to do greater things – and there is something about the way you go about a long-distance trip, mile-by-mile, that becomes a way of approaching other ambitions outside of riding; and, on top of that, there is something about the imagery of the open-road that is a constant reminder of what else is out there.

Source: adventure-journal.com

The Build, 1st spotted thanks to Richard Gil

I think most people who follow the film know that if I had to choose between releasing For Thousands of Miles online or releasing the film in theaters, if, for whatever strange set of circumstances, I could only choose one, I would choose releasing the film online without any hesitation. It’s a far, far more exciting, intimate and powerful way of sharing a film. 

The depth I could add to the film online, vs in a theater, is day and night, there are hours and hours and hours of additional videos that branch directly off scenes in the film, I’ve kept a scanned copy of every page of script ever written… even the pages scribbled on the back of napkins, I have early storyboards, alternate narrations, some of the early temp music used in the film has interesting stories; and all of the above examples are related direction to production, there’s even more if I start diving into stories within the film itself. So many people, places, things left to hint at - and the internet is perfectly suited for that kind of tangled storytelling. 

The above video is called The Build, here’s a short description via Design Boom, 

instrument, an independent digital creative agency based in portland, oregon has launched an interactive documentary titled ‘the build.’ the film portrays the values and culture of the local motorcycle builder community in portland, told through the personal stories of three bike builders. shot during the fall and winter of 2012, the movie captures the cyclist enthusiasts in iconic oregon locations including the gorge, mt. hood and downtown portland, as well as their own workshops. blending design and technology in groundbreaking ways, the project pairs traditional filmmaking with new school interactive experiences that push the envelope of current browser technologies like webgl and html5 video.

This kind of mixing linear-filmmaking with online-tech is so exciting to me; it gives these films so much more life, there’s a whole separate side to this 16 minute long film to explore. I love that idea. 

I don’t know how just yet, but after For Thousands of Miles is released on VHX, and after the DVDs start going out to people, I am going to focus my energy into re-releasing the film using a special online player. 

Starting tomorrow morning, I’m going to be neck-deep in a 12 week stop-animation project at work. I’ll be doing my best to keep everyone updated, but if things seem quiet, that’s why. Questions always help - if you are curious about something relating to the film, to filmmaking in general, please ask. 

In the meantime, I had a really great hangout+ today with Nathan, we are talking about his being involved with marketing and our plans for release overall. More on that soon! But I’m really happy to (hopefully) have him involved with For Thousands of Miles. Nathan just returned from his own cross-country ride, and I think he brings a great understanding about the film and what the film is trying to say. Which helps when going about out-reach. 

On a side-note: if you’re doing any screenwriting what-so-ever, you should try Highland. I’ve been using Montage for the last few years, mostly because I strongly dislike the way Final Draft takes advantage of its customers; but, as helpful as Montage has been, it’s been feeling outdated for quite some time. Highland is clean, simple, and best of all, it can import PDFs into workable text. The last few days, while going through the visual-script I’m making for Kickstarters, Highland has been a life-saver. End side-note. 
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On a side-note: if you’re doing any screenwriting what-so-ever, you should try Highland. I’ve been using Montage for the last few years, mostly because I strongly dislike the way Final Draft takes advantage of its customers; but, as helpful as Montage has been, it’s been feeling outdated for quite some time. Highland is clean, simple, and best of all, it can import PDFs into workable text. The last few days, while going through the visual-script I’m making for Kickstarters, Highland has been a life-saver. End side-note. 

Take a sneak-peek at the film’s visual script! I’m actually really happy with how it’s turning out. It’s full of early storyboards, scanned-in script pages (like the one above), handwritten notes that eventually turned into fully-finished scenes in the final film, photos from the road and from production, and, of course, the full script.  all mixed into one 100+ page PDF! you’ll be able to download the visual script when you download the film (pre-order the film here, if you haven’t already). But, for now, if you’d like to see 4 selected pages from chapter 3 of the film, you can do so here. 
Pop-upView Separately

Take a sneak-peek at the film’s visual script! I’m actually really happy with how it’s turning out. It’s full of early storyboards, scanned-in script pages (like the one above), handwritten notes that eventually turned into fully-finished scenes in the final film, photos from the road and from production, and, of course, the full script. 

all mixed into one 100+ page PDF! you’ll be able to download the visual script when you download the film (pre-order the film here, if you haven’t already). But, for now, if you’d like to see 4 selected pages from chapter 3 of the film, you can do so here. 

So, what is our plan going forward? To be honest, we’re still in the middle of picking up the pieces of Plans A through E, at least the pieces that seem viable and worth trying again. 

Already, it’s March, and with every week that goes by, with every last-hope that comes and goes, the personal weight of the film seems more and more impossible. 

Lately, to be perfectly honest, I’ve been prone to panic attacks, struggling with anxiety to the point of insomnia, my thoughts are scrambled at best, I go through fits of extreme hopelessness; what I’m trying to say, is that I might be going through a hard time as of late… I say this, not to worry anyone reading, but to be honest and open about the fact that, sometimes, the things you make can get the better of you. 

It doesn’t help that I’m especially wrapped up in the film, the overlap between myself and For Thousands of Miles is nearly an exact match, when it seems like there is nothing going for the film, I feel it like a flu… 

For Thousands of Miles, all of it, even the hard stuff, has been and continues to be a rewarding, worthwhile, exciting, and a challenging experience; but, it would be glossing-over the reality of making anything - music, film, books, art, events, games - to not acknowledge everything involved that can be trying and isolating. 

So, back to our plan: we’re looking for $10,000 to finish the parts of the film that are out of our hands, mainly music licensing and score, and, if we’re able, dolby certifying the final mix (this will really depend on whether or not the film finds itself in any upcoming film festivals). I will, more than likely, be doing the color grading and sound design, neither of which I’m experienced at, not to mention I don’t have a very good eye or ear for, but regardless, I’ll do the best I can until we find a way to work with someone better.

$10k isn’t an enormous amount of funds, it is for Erica and I personally speaking, but in terms of bare-bones finishing funds for a 90 minute film, it’s not bad - not that finding investors for a film that has every intention of self-releasing on a pay-what-you-want model is going to be easy, but we’ll make every effort. 

In the meantime, while we’re locking down what we think is the best approach forward within the above restraints, I plan on getting a good nights rest for once; putting on my happy pants; listening to LCD Soundsystem as loud as I can… and getting back to work. 

PS. Just a reminder, there’s still 8 days to pre-order the film.