Here we discuss the George Lichtenberg Film Project.
165 thoughts on “The George Lichtenberg Film Project”
2 rules for comedy writing:
1) You have to cheat.
2a) You can’t get caught and
2b) You can’t be a jerk.
Also, I am not completely caught up on all the postings about this yet, so I have nothing of any real merit to contribute. Once I know what everyone is going for, hopefully I’ll be able to chime in.
I think George should be a sympathic character for the audience, one they can laugh with emapthically. We definitely need humor in this, but not at George’s expense.
As to the article Jeff cited, I would say my personal experience is very different from the author’s point of view. But we can leave that for another thread. As it pertains to our movie this sentence is a key for me: “What gets us through life, evidently, is just the right amount of delusion.” George isn’t deluded as to what kind of artist he is, nor what he faces, but continues on anyway. And that makes him so sympathic: a comic figure in a tragic setting. Or maybe it is just the opposite of that.
I like Marc’s dialogue with the wife as an example of George’s character and his predicament.
“The,” again. You have to say “The” to introduce it. The Cinemaaah.
And in true Lichtenbergian fashion, rather than read the Tolkein story this morning, I will jot here a recommendation of the film BUG (just saw it again, this time on DVD), think about “necessary” errands I plan to run today, brood about trying to stay in the theatre game by composing a post on the experimental potential in performing Shakespeare really fast, and completely second-guess my thoughts and motives for said posting.
BUG is a wonderfully wicked little thing. Check it out.
And lastly, let me stand upon a high Lichtenbergian peak with my arms stretched wide in triumph by asking: is anyone interested in learning to play the game GO? I’ve been reading about a new method for teaching the game that has gotten folks in Japan and Korea quite excited.
While we’re recommending DVDs, allow me to recommend The Last Dance, a documentary of a collaboration between the Pilobolus dance company and Maurice Sendak. Let’s just say that the course of true love never did run smooth. But fabulous dance, of course, and the lead dancer in the piece, Otis, is a marvel.
We just joined Netflix last night, at Barb’s insistence. She’s only been begging me for, what, five years? I feel like since we still haven’t gotten around to watching all our DVDs (no, I STILL haven’t seen Black Hawk Down, which I purchsed about five or so years ago), that it doesn’t make much sense, but whatever.
Our first on-line viewing will be Shakespeare Behind Bars. I will post a review shortly thereafter.
I’m up for some guerilla Shakespeare, if and when anyone feels inspired. As in, go to the foundtain at Ashley Park and launch into a couple of scenes from As You Like It, or do some Macbeth on the Court Square. I tried to get something like that started in Rome, to no avail.
No costumes, no big props, no sets, just the words of the Bard, in all their glory.
But maybe this is all grist for another thread.
Our short-lived Rome group was called the Speare Shakers.
Isn’t Ashley Judd in Bug? Reason enough to see it. She’s hot.
Has anyone checked out those two guys on YouTube who do the Star Wars movies at warp speed? I can’t provide the link, but it’s worth checking out, if you can find it.
Where’s Turff? Is he mad that no one showed up for Spirited Away? Dude, I had a full agenda that day! Cut me some slack! I got five kids! Set up another movie day. I’m good for it, fo sho.
Saw Superbad last night with my teen daughter, Peyton. The first half-hour or so is laugh-out-loud FUNNY. From then on, it’s funny in fits and starts.
I didn’t know Spirited Away had reached the date-setting stage. Sorry, Turff.
BUG with Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon and directed by William Freidkin. The play was apparently quite a hit off-Br’dw’y and in London. I do think it’s a great little piece with rewards on many levels and one of them is certainly Ashley Judd’s presence. But Dale be warned: it has some pretty intense gross moments. But it is psychosis, after all, and you can’t enter into that territory–and boy, do you–without a few gross moments. Part of the jouissance, non?
Another group of intense theatre zealots doing Shakespeare plays on the fly with guerilla-style in-your-face here-and-goneness in public spaces–wasn’t what I was thinking of, but go for it. Ah, you idealistic young whipper snappers, you.
AGOITZDSPOTFWGIHIPS doesn’t work very well as an acronym, though.
Speare Shakers: Prop Agits?
Eye Hams At Perimeter…wait for it…
Actually, the first thing on my agenda is getting around to asking Matthew if he’s interested in presenting some Gullah Tales and African myths during February at either Barnes and Noble or Scott’s, under the auspices of the JCF.
OK, eat my dust, fellas. My wife got me CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT on DVD for my birthday! Wooooo-hoooooooooo! I’ve been dying to see this for YEARS. You only have to order it from Brazil or somewhere. I can’t believe I am actually, finally, watching it. HA!
Jeff, this is the second time this has happened in two days. Weird. Read this post; it’s short:
At your mention of getting Matthew to commit to something: image of the rest of us biting our lips and mutually casting sideways glances toward one another. Silence.
Matthew, I kid. I kid because I love.
I wouldn’t do that to you, Matthew!
Marc, you suck. Here I was thinking I was special! That’s really coincidental that we both got Chimes at almost the same moment. Barbara got it in the mail a couple of days ago but I only just now found out about it. She also got me the Chimes at Midnight books on film thing with the screenplay, reviews, etc.
Jeff
Hey, waitaminit. It says you posted the Chimes at Midnight thing in 2006. I must be missing something, here.
Anyway, I would add to your list:
McKellen’s Richard III
McKennen and Judi Dench’s Macbeth
Kurosawa’s RAN
Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood
Branagh’s Henry V
Greenaway’s Prospero’s Books (The Tempest — which I have on LaserDisc, in case anyone’s interested in seeing it).
I would also add, reservedly, Branagh’s Hamlet, because it’s the full version, and also for some marvelous scenes (although, admittedly, some of the stuff is unintentionally funny since Branagh tends to go over the top). The Billy Crystal gravedigger scene alone is worth the price of admission.
I also really like Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. So sue me.
Although I don’t really like the 1995 version of Othello as much as some of the other Othello adaptations overall, I do really enjoy Branagh as Iago, especially since he plays up the homosexual subtext. (Not that I want to start up THAT argument here.)
I also really enjoyed Julie Taymor’s TITUS. Gruesome stuff! Shakespeare was SICK, man.
Yeah, October of 2006. Yesterday, Dale made reference to a film I posted about in November of 2006. Actually makes me think I should do more recommending in that artistic gadfly, man-about-town mode. At the time, I put myself down for it, but now I’m sure I’ve been seeping influence. Cosmi-Karmic.
It was Roger Rosenbaum’s list, but I second them and your additions, though I haven’t seen the Fishburne/Branagh Othello (haven’t seen Welles’ either, actually; or Olivier’s, in which he felt he hadn’t toned it down enough from his stage performance–don’t think it’s available, anyway) or Luhrman’s WS’s R+J(usually I’d crawl across broken glass for Claire Danes–just haven’t seen it–not anti-Luhrman: I like his hit single and I’ve seen Stricly Ballroom (liked) and Moulin Rouge (well-appointed emptiness in spite of Jim Broadbent).
There’s a Peter Hall film of MSND apparently featuring a very muddy Diana Rigg. Haven’t seen it.
You know, I seem to remember critics gushing over Branagh’s brutal and “unromantic” battle scenes in Henry V. Now I can tell he simply did his prep work by watching Chimes at Midnight.
Definitely.
The Welles Othello is great, but jumpy and low-tech. I have the Olivier Othello, so it is most definitely “available.” I agree that he could have toned it down a bit for The Cinemaaahhh. Maggie Smith is Desdemona.
R + J is well worth seeing, particularly if you’re a Danes nut. Actually, I need to upgrade to the anamorphic version so I can just hand you my non-anamorphic as a gift, if you want it.
Maybe we need to start a Shakespeare thread?
Diana Rigg was not only very muddy but very topless. I saw it originally.
Check out also Luhrman’s La Bohéme.
Weren’t we talking about our movie?
Yes, that’s right. That’s why I suggested a separate Shakespeare thread. We can have several threads running simultaneously, right?
Getting off-topic is a very Lichtenbergian thing to do, however.
I hope to get back to the screenplay later tonight. As soon as American Idol is over.
Yes, Maggie Smith in her “prime.” More crawling over broken glass.
If we actually bring the Lichtenberg Film Project to a completion, we will have to do so in secret, away from the site, at least. On our site(s) it must at some point be abandoned.
The secret hideout would be the Basecamp and/or Backpack sites. Only we have access to those.
Agreed.
There are spies all about.
Hofvonstein is full of rumors.
Lichtenberg. Hofvonstein. Zembla. Make up your poor delusional mind already!
I’ve been third-thoughting on the Basecamp vs. Backpack thing.
I think perhaps that Backpack, the original collaborative site, is going to be our better bet for brainstorming the actual script, while Basecamp is going to be the better place for making the film.
My reasons for thinking so: Backpack has “pages” where we can think out loud on things like characters, plot elements, etc., while Basecamp does not.
Meanwhile, Basecamp has assignable tasks with deadlines, which Backpack does not.
So I’m reinviting everyone to Backpack.
I wish I knew where Noah was–it’s been a week since he registered the domain for us, and I’ve heard nothing else. It’s not like him to be offline for this long; I’m sort of worried.
OK, first thing’s first. Are we going to do this as a faux doc or not? No sense writing a screenplay with an aesthetic sense we’ll later abandon.
Faux doc approach is kind of … apologetic. A cheat to excuse the fact that we’re low-tech.
A braver choice might be to forge ahead and make a real movie. But the seams are gonna show.
Ideas? Comments?
There are ways to “let the seams show” in a “real movie.” Especially, with the point this movie is trying to make. Really, as long as you are in on the joke, anything goes. If you–and by you, I mean the filmaker–pretend that you are making a high budget blockbuster and ignore the fact that production quality or whatever is anything but that of a high budget blockbuster, you will be laughed at. If you are self-aware, even tongue-in-cheek about it, you will be laughed with. I’m struggling for a film equivalent, but I submit Urinetown: The Musical. Also, there are ways to “hide the seams” with little to no money. Take Napoleon Dynamite or Little Miss Sunshine. It’s all in the approach.
PS: No, I do not proofread before I submit.
Why not try to make a “real movie”? Or even a real movie? We’re not shooting for Shubian’s Rift here. We can make this for real without having to commit to spending a lot of money on it.
The thing that makes most efforts like this look amateurish is lighting. We got to have fill lighting, folks.
OK, I’m still awaiting some input, especially from marc, but so far, the “for reals” have it.
All I said was, prior to our George project I had been thinking about a faux documentary, blah, blah, blah. It was not my intent to try and foist that onto our shoulders for the George story. My interest in the faux documentary has its own integrity and has nothing to do with apologizing for anything. Simulacra abound.
At any rate. It just takes a quick look at the work of French New Wave or Italian Neo-Realism or Ken Russell or Lester or Italian thrillers from early sixties (I’m watching Belocchio’s Fist in the Pocket–very interesting) or any interesting work since the era of “portability” to see that all choices generate effects in the viewer. I challenge the assumptions of those who invoke “seams” by setting it beside “seems.” Also, what does “seamless” mean? The way to make jaded viewers forget about such issues is to actually trick them into thinking about something else, and you do that with your material and your cutting, seam or no. It’s all choice and sequencing and tempo, I think. Open City looks like a home movie in places.
I am so prickly. Sorry. As a raging narcissist, I am predictably so, and setting it off makes easy target practice for anyone who likes to shoot.
Three comments in a row! You and me, JB!
Been frittering time by re-reading comment trails. We are at our best when we take Shelley’s challenge and become “poetic legislators for the world.” Seriously. It’s as if we share visions in a medicine circle (JB must help me with my terminology so it will not sound bogus). In pomo academe-speak, I could say our discourse dwells in a liminality. We’re right there at the edge initiating new weaves on the loose ends of reality. Very exciting!
Recent spam assaults have inspired me to formulate a new poetic form: the promise of male enormity, enhanced or newly established.
Give her a real Christmas present.
(It’s faux. I made that one up.)
She tells you she’s satisfied, but cries herself to sleep.
Get HUGE! (Caps are useful.)
Do for her what the last one did.
love more time with you a new you
(This one is real. Brilliant.)
more of you, more times
(get most out of fewest words, of course)
DISTANCE and CIRCUMFERENCE: do you measure up?
She won’t fake with a jungle snake.
(In this post I collide soaring idealism with sad banal reality. Destructive? Balanced? Art?)
OK, I MUST share with you guys one of my all-time favorite Spams, which I just got last week. This one just cracked me up. Enjoy:
Hello!!!I ask you not be surprised to my letter. I saw yours structure
on “AmericanSingles” or “Match”. I wished to learn about you more. And
I wish to write you the letter. I see that you are good and sexual
man. I wish to know you much better and more close. Probably you are
the man of my dream. I think that in our world possible all. You
agree? I want that our acquaintance proceeded. We can probably create
something big?
I shall tell about myself more. I am usual woman. i am 30 years. My
birthday on 1/12/1977. I live in the city of Sankt-Petersburg. It is
the second city in Russia. I think that you know this city. I live
together with parents. My mum on the state pension. My father works as
the main mechanic.. I am the one daughter of parents. I have no
brother or the sister.
I work in transport firm. I am the bookkeeper. Also I am an assistant
to the Chief accountant. I like my work. Unfortunately I have the
small salary. But money are not important for me. The main thing for
me love and happiness. I want to be frank with you in the letters. I
have no secrets before you. I search for the real love forever. I
believe that the happiness exists. And I search for the real love and
the real happiness. There are a lot of men and women are searched with
love and happiness. There is a lot of people in the world alone. In
each country there are lonely hearts which search for love. It is a
lot of women and men search for love in the Internet. Many find love.
Second half. Many have mistakes and disappointments. Unfortunately, in
the Internet there is a deceit. I read about it in the newspaper. It
is sad. I become frank with you and I ask you that you were fair.
Honesty and trust are very important in love. It is important for me
and for you. No games. Only serious relations. I trust that love is
the most important in the world.
Probably you have a question. Why I search for the man in America?
Probably, you wish to ask? I belive that for love and happiness there
are no barriers My girlfriend advised me to search for the man in
America. We are friends since the childhood. We studied at one school.
We lived in the next houses earlier. Our parents were amicable
families. My girlfriend lives in America during this moment. The city
of New York. Recently she could not think of that that begins to live
in America. But now she lives in America. It has found american man.
She has found the love in the Internet. She has found the man and the
love. She has left for America to the man. They are the husband and
the wife now. They are very happy together now. Her husband has good
firm and business. Good money. I am glad that my best girlfriend is
happy during this moment. Very very joyfully. My girlfriend has
suggested me to search for love in the Internet. In America. Be
possible I can happy together with american man? Probably my love
waits for me in America? I think that the most essential in a life to
love the favourite person. I will do the man the most happy.
I can arrive to America at any time. I have visa to arrival in the
USA. My girlfriend will pay my travel to the USA. She will give me
money that I could arrive to America. I not ask from you money. Also
my girlfriend promised to give me better work. The good salary. I
shall not have problems for a life in America.
For what man I search? I search kind and careful man. Who can grow
fond of me sincerely. And I shall grow fond it of the man. Probably it
is you? I shall do this man happy. I believe In love for all life. I
amsure that I shall find happiness and love. I trust that I can always
love the man, for a long time. You search for what woman? What is your
dream? I am very lonely. I have some girlfriends. But I have no close
person. I have no beloved. I tried to search for the man in Russia.
But all men want only entertainments. Men do not wish to have serious
relations. I hope that you understand me. I believe that you have
learned about me more. I shall write about myself more in each letter.
I hope that you will answer my letter. it will be very interesting to
me learn more about you. I wish to learn you more. It is very
interesting to me. I shall wait your letter. Your letter will do me
happy. Promise, that you answer! I wait your letter. I am obligatory I
shall answer. I shall send you photo. I wrote the letter to you from
the Internet-cafe. I go to the internet-cafe seldom. Usually I use the
Internet in public library. I wrote to you the letter from another
E-mail. Write to me the answer on my personal E-mail.
What this has to do with the Licthenberg film, of course, I have no idea. Other than the fact that when George gets e-mails like this, his ears probably perk up a little. Or something other than ears. I don’t know.
And might I add that Gershwin is TULY an American classic.
And TRULY, as well.
Hey, you should have heard the intro before I wrote my own.
Marc’s penis enhancement piece: I’d like to see some small penises “enhanced” with photoshopped larger, ghostly monster rods, the kind that actually make you pity the guy because it just cannot be comfortable at any point to be possessed of that kind of appendage. Andy Warhol silk screening a plus.
2 rules for comedy writing:
1) You have to cheat.
2a) You can’t get caught and
2b) You can’t be a jerk.
Also, I am not completely caught up on all the postings about this yet, so I have nothing of any real merit to contribute. Once I know what everyone is going for, hopefully I’ll be able to chime in.
I think George should be a sympathic character for the audience, one they can laugh with emapthically. We definitely need humor in this, but not at George’s expense.
As to the article Jeff cited, I would say my personal experience is very different from the author’s point of view. But we can leave that for another thread. As it pertains to our movie this sentence is a key for me: “What gets us through life, evidently, is just the right amount of delusion.” George isn’t deluded as to what kind of artist he is, nor what he faces, but continues on anyway. And that makes him so sympathic: a comic figure in a tragic setting. Or maybe it is just the opposite of that.
I like Marc’s dialogue with the wife as an example of George’s character and his predicament.
“The,” again. You have to say “The” to introduce it. The Cinemaaah.
And in true Lichtenbergian fashion, rather than read the Tolkein story this morning, I will jot here a recommendation of the film BUG (just saw it again, this time on DVD), think about “necessary” errands I plan to run today, brood about trying to stay in the theatre game by composing a post on the experimental potential in performing Shakespeare really fast, and completely second-guess my thoughts and motives for said posting.
BUG is a wonderfully wicked little thing. Check it out.
And lastly, let me stand upon a high Lichtenbergian peak with my arms stretched wide in triumph by asking: is anyone interested in learning to play the game GO? I’ve been reading about a new method for teaching the game that has gotten folks in Japan and Korea quite excited.
While we’re recommending DVDs, allow me to recommend The Last Dance, a documentary of a collaboration between the Pilobolus dance company and Maurice Sendak. Let’s just say that the course of true love never did run smooth. But fabulous dance, of course, and the lead dancer in the piece, Otis, is a marvel.
Dale, note date of post:
http://www.lacunagroup.org/blog/?p=74
Ah! Serves me right for not putting it on my Netflix list immediately.
::scampering off to put BUG on the list::
Which BUG is it?
We just joined Netflix last night, at Barb’s insistence. She’s only been begging me for, what, five years? I feel like since we still haven’t gotten around to watching all our DVDs (no, I STILL haven’t seen Black Hawk Down, which I purchsed about five or so years ago), that it doesn’t make much sense, but whatever.
Our first on-line viewing will be Shakespeare Behind Bars. I will post a review shortly thereafter.
I’m up for some guerilla Shakespeare, if and when anyone feels inspired. As in, go to the foundtain at Ashley Park and launch into a couple of scenes from As You Like It, or do some Macbeth on the Court Square. I tried to get something like that started in Rome, to no avail.
No costumes, no big props, no sets, just the words of the Bard, in all their glory.
But maybe this is all grist for another thread.
Our short-lived Rome group was called the Speare Shakers.
Isn’t Ashley Judd in Bug? Reason enough to see it. She’s hot.
Has anyone checked out those two guys on YouTube who do the Star Wars movies at warp speed? I can’t provide the link, but it’s worth checking out, if you can find it.
Where’s Turff? Is he mad that no one showed up for Spirited Away? Dude, I had a full agenda that day! Cut me some slack! I got five kids! Set up another movie day. I’m good for it, fo sho.
Saw Superbad last night with my teen daughter, Peyton. The first half-hour or so is laugh-out-loud FUNNY. From then on, it’s funny in fits and starts.
I didn’t know Spirited Away had reached the date-setting stage. Sorry, Turff.
BUG with Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon and directed by William Freidkin. The play was apparently quite a hit off-Br’dw’y and in London. I do think it’s a great little piece with rewards on many levels and one of them is certainly Ashley Judd’s presence. But Dale be warned: it has some pretty intense gross moments. But it is psychosis, after all, and you can’t enter into that territory–and boy, do you–without a few gross moments. Part of the jouissance, non?
Another group of intense theatre zealots doing Shakespeare plays on the fly with guerilla-style in-your-face here-and-goneness in public spaces–wasn’t what I was thinking of, but go for it. Ah, you idealistic young whipper snappers, you.
AGOITZDSPOTFWGIHIPS doesn’t work very well as an acronym, though.
Speare Shakers: Prop Agits?
Eye Hams At Perimeter…wait for it…
Actually, the first thing on my agenda is getting around to asking Matthew if he’s interested in presenting some Gullah Tales and African myths during February at either Barnes and Noble or Scott’s, under the auspices of the JCF.
OK, eat my dust, fellas. My wife got me CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT on DVD for my birthday! Wooooo-hoooooooooo! I’ve been dying to see this for YEARS. You only have to order it from Brazil or somewhere. I can’t believe I am actually, finally, watching it. HA!
Jeff, this is the second time this has happened in two days. Weird. Read this post; it’s short:
http://www.lacunagroup.org/blog/?p=80
At your mention of getting Matthew to commit to something: image of the rest of us biting our lips and mutually casting sideways glances toward one another. Silence.
Matthew, I kid. I kid because I love.
I wouldn’t do that to you, Matthew!
Marc, you suck. Here I was thinking I was special! That’s really coincidental that we both got Chimes at almost the same moment. Barbara got it in the mail a couple of days ago but I only just now found out about it. She also got me the Chimes at Midnight books on film thing with the screenplay, reviews, etc.
Jeff
Hey, waitaminit. It says you posted the Chimes at Midnight thing in 2006. I must be missing something, here.
Anyway, I would add to your list:
McKellen’s Richard III
McKennen and Judi Dench’s Macbeth
Kurosawa’s RAN
Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood
Branagh’s Henry V
Greenaway’s Prospero’s Books (The Tempest — which I have on LaserDisc, in case anyone’s interested in seeing it).
I would also add, reservedly, Branagh’s Hamlet, because it’s the full version, and also for some marvelous scenes (although, admittedly, some of the stuff is unintentionally funny since Branagh tends to go over the top). The Billy Crystal gravedigger scene alone is worth the price of admission.
I also really like Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. So sue me.
Although I don’t really like the 1995 version of Othello as much as some of the other Othello adaptations overall, I do really enjoy Branagh as Iago, especially since he plays up the homosexual subtext. (Not that I want to start up THAT argument here.)
I also really enjoyed Julie Taymor’s TITUS. Gruesome stuff! Shakespeare was SICK, man.
Yeah, October of 2006. Yesterday, Dale made reference to a film I posted about in November of 2006. Actually makes me think I should do more recommending in that artistic gadfly, man-about-town mode. At the time, I put myself down for it, but now I’m sure I’ve been seeping influence. Cosmi-Karmic.
It was Roger Rosenbaum’s list, but I second them and your additions, though I haven’t seen the Fishburne/Branagh Othello (haven’t seen Welles’ either, actually; or Olivier’s, in which he felt he hadn’t toned it down enough from his stage performance–don’t think it’s available, anyway) or Luhrman’s WS’s R+J(usually I’d crawl across broken glass for Claire Danes–just haven’t seen it–not anti-Luhrman: I like his hit single and I’ve seen Stricly Ballroom (liked) and Moulin Rouge (well-appointed emptiness in spite of Jim Broadbent).
There’s a Peter Hall film of MSND apparently featuring a very muddy Diana Rigg. Haven’t seen it.
You know, I seem to remember critics gushing over Branagh’s brutal and “unromantic” battle scenes in Henry V. Now I can tell he simply did his prep work by watching Chimes at Midnight.
Definitely.
The Welles Othello is great, but jumpy and low-tech. I have the Olivier Othello, so it is most definitely “available.” I agree that he could have toned it down a bit for The Cinemaaahhh. Maggie Smith is Desdemona.
R + J is well worth seeing, particularly if you’re a Danes nut. Actually, I need to upgrade to the anamorphic version so I can just hand you my non-anamorphic as a gift, if you want it.
Maybe we need to start a Shakespeare thread?
Diana Rigg was not only very muddy but very topless. I saw it originally.
Check out also Luhrman’s La Bohéme.
Weren’t we talking about our movie?
Yes, that’s right. That’s why I suggested a separate Shakespeare thread. We can have several threads running simultaneously, right?
Getting off-topic is a very Lichtenbergian thing to do, however.
I hope to get back to the screenplay later tonight. As soon as American Idol is over.
Yes, Maggie Smith in her “prime.” More crawling over broken glass.
If we actually bring the Lichtenberg Film Project to a completion, we will have to do so in secret, away from the site, at least. On our site(s) it must at some point be abandoned.
The secret hideout would be the Basecamp and/or Backpack sites. Only we have access to those.
Agreed.
There are spies all about.
Hofvonstein is full of rumors.
Lichtenberg. Hofvonstein. Zembla. Make up your poor delusional mind already!
I’ve been third-thoughting on the Basecamp vs. Backpack thing.
I think perhaps that Backpack, the original collaborative site, is going to be our better bet for brainstorming the actual script, while Basecamp is going to be the better place for making the film.
My reasons for thinking so: Backpack has “pages” where we can think out loud on things like characters, plot elements, etc., while Basecamp does not.
Meanwhile, Basecamp has assignable tasks with deadlines, which Backpack does not.
So I’m reinviting everyone to Backpack.
I wish I knew where Noah was–it’s been a week since he registered the domain for us, and I’ve heard nothing else. It’s not like him to be offline for this long; I’m sort of worried.
OK, first thing’s first. Are we going to do this as a faux doc or not? No sense writing a screenplay with an aesthetic sense we’ll later abandon.
Faux doc approach is kind of … apologetic. A cheat to excuse the fact that we’re low-tech.
A braver choice might be to forge ahead and make a real movie. But the seams are gonna show.
Ideas? Comments?
There are ways to “let the seams show” in a “real movie.” Especially, with the point this movie is trying to make. Really, as long as you are in on the joke, anything goes. If you–and by you, I mean the filmaker–pretend that you are making a high budget blockbuster and ignore the fact that production quality or whatever is anything but that of a high budget blockbuster, you will be laughed at. If you are self-aware, even tongue-in-cheek about it, you will be laughed with. I’m struggling for a film equivalent, but I submit Urinetown: The Musical. Also, there are ways to “hide the seams” with little to no money. Take Napoleon Dynamite or Little Miss Sunshine. It’s all in the approach.
PS: No, I do not proofread before I submit.
Why not try to make a “real movie”? Or even a real movie? We’re not shooting for Shubian’s Rift here. We can make this for real without having to commit to spending a lot of money on it.
The thing that makes most efforts like this look amateurish is lighting. We got to have fill lighting, folks.
OK, I’m still awaiting some input, especially from marc, but so far, the “for reals” have it.
All I said was, prior to our George project I had been thinking about a faux documentary, blah, blah, blah. It was not my intent to try and foist that onto our shoulders for the George story. My interest in the faux documentary has its own integrity and has nothing to do with apologizing for anything. Simulacra abound.
At any rate. It just takes a quick look at the work of French New Wave or Italian Neo-Realism or Ken Russell or Lester or Italian thrillers from early sixties (I’m watching Belocchio’s Fist in the Pocket–very interesting) or any interesting work since the era of “portability” to see that all choices generate effects in the viewer. I challenge the assumptions of those who invoke “seams” by setting it beside “seems.” Also, what does “seamless” mean? The way to make jaded viewers forget about such issues is to actually trick them into thinking about something else, and you do that with your material and your cutting, seam or no. It’s all choice and sequencing and tempo, I think. Open City looks like a home movie in places.
I am so prickly. Sorry. As a raging narcissist, I am predictably so, and setting it off makes easy target practice for anyone who likes to shoot.
Three comments in a row! You and me, JB!
Been frittering time by re-reading comment trails. We are at our best when we take Shelley’s challenge and become “poetic legislators for the world.” Seriously. It’s as if we share visions in a medicine circle (JB must help me with my terminology so it will not sound bogus). In pomo academe-speak, I could say our discourse dwells in a liminality. We’re right there at the edge initiating new weaves on the loose ends of reality. Very exciting!
Recent spam assaults have inspired me to formulate a new poetic form: the promise of male enormity, enhanced or newly established.
Give her a real Christmas present.
(It’s faux. I made that one up.)
She tells you she’s satisfied, but cries herself to sleep.
Get HUGE! (Caps are useful.)
Do for her what the last one did.
love more time with you a new you
(This one is real. Brilliant.)
more of you, more times
(get most out of fewest words, of course)
DISTANCE and CIRCUMFERENCE: do you measure up?
She won’t fake with a jungle snake.
(In this post I collide soaring idealism with sad banal reality. Destructive? Balanced? Art?)
OK, I MUST share with you guys one of my all-time favorite Spams, which I just got last week. This one just cracked me up. Enjoy:
Hello!!!I ask you not be surprised to my letter. I saw yours structure
on “AmericanSingles” or “Match”. I wished to learn about you more. And
I wish to write you the letter. I see that you are good and sexual
man. I wish to know you much better and more close. Probably you are
the man of my dream. I think that in our world possible all. You
agree? I want that our acquaintance proceeded. We can probably create
something big?
I shall tell about myself more. I am usual woman. i am 30 years. My
birthday on 1/12/1977. I live in the city of Sankt-Petersburg. It is
the second city in Russia. I think that you know this city. I live
together with parents. My mum on the state pension. My father works as
the main mechanic.. I am the one daughter of parents. I have no
brother or the sister.
I work in transport firm. I am the bookkeeper. Also I am an assistant
to the Chief accountant. I like my work. Unfortunately I have the
small salary. But money are not important for me. The main thing for
me love and happiness. I want to be frank with you in the letters. I
have no secrets before you. I search for the real love forever. I
believe that the happiness exists. And I search for the real love and
the real happiness. There are a lot of men and women are searched with
love and happiness. There is a lot of people in the world alone. In
each country there are lonely hearts which search for love. It is a
lot of women and men search for love in the Internet. Many find love.
Second half. Many have mistakes and disappointments. Unfortunately, in
the Internet there is a deceit. I read about it in the newspaper. It
is sad. I become frank with you and I ask you that you were fair.
Honesty and trust are very important in love. It is important for me
and for you. No games. Only serious relations. I trust that love is
the most important in the world.
Probably you have a question. Why I search for the man in America?
Probably, you wish to ask? I belive that for love and happiness there
are no barriers My girlfriend advised me to search for the man in
America. We are friends since the childhood. We studied at one school.
We lived in the next houses earlier. Our parents were amicable
families. My girlfriend lives in America during this moment. The city
of New York. Recently she could not think of that that begins to live
in America. But now she lives in America. It has found american man.
She has found the love in the Internet. She has found the man and the
love. She has left for America to the man. They are the husband and
the wife now. They are very happy together now. Her husband has good
firm and business. Good money. I am glad that my best girlfriend is
happy during this moment. Very very joyfully. My girlfriend has
suggested me to search for love in the Internet. In America. Be
possible I can happy together with american man? Probably my love
waits for me in America? I think that the most essential in a life to
love the favourite person. I will do the man the most happy.
I can arrive to America at any time. I have visa to arrival in the
USA. My girlfriend will pay my travel to the USA. She will give me
money that I could arrive to America. I not ask from you money. Also
my girlfriend promised to give me better work. The good salary. I
shall not have problems for a life in America.
For what man I search? I search kind and careful man. Who can grow
fond of me sincerely. And I shall grow fond it of the man. Probably it
is you? I shall do this man happy. I believe In love for all life. I
amsure that I shall find happiness and love. I trust that I can always
love the man, for a long time. You search for what woman? What is your
dream? I am very lonely. I have some girlfriends. But I have no close
person. I have no beloved. I tried to search for the man in Russia.
But all men want only entertainments. Men do not wish to have serious
relations. I hope that you understand me. I believe that you have
learned about me more. I shall write about myself more in each letter.
I hope that you will answer my letter. it will be very interesting to
me learn more about you. I wish to learn you more. It is very
interesting to me. I shall wait your letter. Your letter will do me
happy. Promise, that you answer! I wait your letter. I am obligatory I
shall answer. I shall send you photo. I wrote the letter to you from
the Internet-cafe. I go to the internet-cafe seldom. Usually I use the
Internet in public library. I wrote to you the letter from another
E-mail. Write to me the answer on my personal E-mail.
My personal E-mail: galina2008n@yahoo.com
Kiss you…
Your Galina
What this has to do with the Licthenberg film, of course, I have no idea. Other than the fact that when George gets e-mails like this, his ears probably perk up a little. Or something other than ears. I don’t know.
And might I add that Gershwin is TULY an American classic.
And TRULY, as well.
Hey, you should have heard the intro before I wrote my own.
Marc’s penis enhancement piece: I’d like to see some small penises “enhanced” with photoshopped larger, ghostly monster rods, the kind that actually make you pity the guy because it just cannot be comfortable at any point to be possessed of that kind of appendage. Andy Warhol silk screening a plus.
And I always read poMo as poRNo. Always.