End of the Cinema? - pt2

On the other side, money gives us also movies like Cuaron's "Gravity". I am absolute fan of this master. Y tu mama tambien, Children of Men, the best Harry Potter of the whole series, and now this... Cuaron, you've got me. Also during the FFG (film fest Gent) we were able to see this movie.

I don't have to explain the story of this movie. I just can say everything is perfect. The story, the acting performances, the sound design, the emotions, the tension created by the amazing cinematography...
The director thought about the metaphors (the first shot representing safety reminds me to an embryo in a womb), as you can see in this picture:

Also the whole struggle of the main character, is not about struggle against getting lost, or to die, in space, but also about imploding, getting lost in sadness. I love all the hidden layers in this story, so it is more than just action and tension. I also liked the fact the lead was a woman. This becomes a trend to cast more female heroes, which I like a lot. It breaks stereotypes about women in films, always in shadows of their "knights". The character has really nice layers, and I am very glad with the portrayal and performance by Sandra Bullock.

I saw this movie also during the FFG. Probably this movie can survive, and can get attention, without help of any film festival. Still, why are film festivals so important, and why do directors love to be opening or closing films for (big) film festivals?

Promotion.

Exposure gives you chances to create more.

It also gives money.

Also, during my internship, I realized (again) that culture needs money. For centuries, artists get funded. The painter Rubens could only earn money, coz the Church and other rich people paid for his paintings. The Belgian cinema is becoming big, but every movie is funded by the government. Money is still a factor. Even in a film festival, there is a lot of money involved, mostly from sponsors. The winners of film festivals get money to distribute their movies in cinemas, and so their work got promoted... and so they got more chances to keep making movies...

In this world, I feel it becomes more important how many youtube, facebook... likes you have than how many tickets you sold. Look at music videos. You don't earn money if 10 millions of people see your movie. You get money paid in advance... but there is a difference between 1 million or 10 million viewers. You get the attention of sponsors...

(be continued)

End of the Cinema? - pt1

One of the big guests of the Film Fest is Paul Schrader (he wrote Taxi Driver, Raging Bull...  and directed American Gigolo) to present his newest movie "the Canyons". In the daily e-letter I read that he said that the cinema we know today will end soon. Big cinema's are not so successful anymore (a lot of people watch films on-line, you know, all these troubles), many directors get less money than normal... so crowdfunding and indiefilms are growing in importance. In his speech, or in another speech I read, the importance of film festivals is emphasized to bring more movies in the eye of the greater public.  

Another film I saw -yesterday- has also not so big budget.

"Ain't them Bodies Saints" is a special title. During the director's talk, David Lowery explained he heard his friend performing a typical American folk song, and this was a line. He didn't remember the song, or even don't know he remembered the line very well, but this line got stuck, and became the title of his feature movie. He explained us that he wants his audience to experience this film as a song, and I think he succeeded. This was a picturesque visual poem about love, motherhood and bandits. It is also not made with a lot of money (according to Hollywood standards), but it moves the soul.

stilt from the poster of "Ain't them Bodies Saints" (movie by David Lowery)

In this movie, Ruth (Mara Rooney) and Bob (Casey Affleck, yes, brother of...)  are two young beautiful bandits, who get caught. During the pursuit by the police, Ruth shot a cop, but Bob takes the responsibality and ends up in prison. In the meantime, Bob's father, but also the cop who was shot, take care of the pregnant Ruth...

The pace is dreamy in the beginning, but the end is filled with more action. The landscapes of Texas are beautiful, made even more timeless with the lens flare and the many backlight shots. The relationship between Ruth and Bob is well written: there are only several scenes where both actors are present, but still the whole chemistry is present in the whole movie.

The persons next to me, didn't like the movie. "It was boring". I think it is beautiful, with nice winks to "There will be Blood" by Paul Thomas Anderson. The style also reminds me to Terrence Malick.

This movie is so pure, and this is made without budget. It ends up in film festivals, and I am grateful I had to chance to spend this time to this movie. For me, this is an example of the future of cinema.
Not driven by money, but driven by passion.
 In this world, everyone can become a photographer or cinematographer: youtube can be a better professor than many universities. You pay more money for the paper called diploma than for the studies. Money is not anymore the most important factor. You can do some crowdfunding, find creative solutions to avoid big costs... It is more a matter of time, passion and yes, maybe talent, than knowing the right people. I feel. Everyone can become a film maker, yes, in this social media world, but maybe it is good that every person can visualize their dreams.

You know, David Lowery, the director of "aint them bodies saints", used his money normally for expensive college to pay his own editing and camera tools. Maybe we should invest our money in passion, and not in capitalism?

Borders & Elektric shocks

Several years ago, I wanted to participate in an experiment of the university; you got paid very royal for some hours. There were electric shocks involved. Before they could start the experiment, they had to determine my pain treshold. I was too stubborn, maybe too unsure, to know when to say stop, so I let them raise the treshold until I fainted.

Today I told someone about this memory, and then I wondered... how far do you go if you don't know any borders? Until you get lost? Until it is too late? Or is there a pulling factor which has an end?

I have been on the other side of the world, at Cape Reinga in New Zealand. It is a cliff at the coming together of two oceans: according to the Maori legend a male and a female ocean. They call this place the womb of the world; where souls are born, and are also return. Yes, another cycle.

Then I wonder...

If we don't know any borders, do we just walk in cycles?