Creating a compelling commercial was never an easy task. But the continued shortening of message formats and increased user control over ad-viewing has agencies facing new creative challenges: how to lure consumers into watching a commercial they can easily skip, and then tell them an interesting brand story in 15 seconds or less.
http://digiday.com/agencies/15-seconds-less-creative-constraint-short-video-ads/
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Review: The Fighter
There is some kind of post-modern irony
that movies based on true stories can seem less believable than fiction. In the
case of The Fighter (dir David O’Russell, 2010), this also makes it more
quirky. There are off beat moments and the narrative is less formulaic, less
Hollywood than expected. Music is a very
big part of the film – setting atmosphere and pace very well (diegetic and
non-diegetic are combined and confused).
But it’s the superb acting that carries it. Apart from some of the fight scenes, which
just did not ring true for me, overall I found this to be an engaging and
enjoyable film.
It is impossible to watch this genre
without thinking of Raging Bull or On the Waterfront or Rocky but there is some
colour to the story. It is rooted firmly
in Lowell, set in a moment in that town’s history, and this allows for some
tremendous authenticity. The dialogue is chaotic and even incomprehensible at
times. Clichés abound (redemption, atonement, broken dreams, blue collar gritty
realism etc) but some of the characters are multi-dimensional.
It was shot in just 33 days and stars some
of the real life characters from Eklund and Ward’s life (Mickey O’Keefe, the cop
who was Ward’s trainer; Eklund’s nephew etc). They used the actual Lowell West
End gym where the boxers trained and Christian Bale spent a lot of time with
Dicky to understand how his mind worked.
The interviews at the beginning and end were improvised by Wahlberg and
Bale; they set the tone and tie off the end of the movie nicely.
Wahlberg is adequate. He plays low-key well
– we get a sense of his massive frustration even from his excellent poker face.
The chemistry between him and Amy Adams is palpable and she is well-cast as an
ordinary looking woman, not out of place alongside the ‘white trash’ Eklund
sisters. He just seems a bit slow – as a
boxer and as a human. Rather vague. I would have loved to see Casey Affleck in
that role. Bale steals the show as
always, reminding me very much of John Lurie (in Down by Law and on stage with
the Lounge Lizards).
There is some clever cinematography. It is
not always clear what is being seen from the film crew making the documentary
and what is real; dramatic camera angles pull us in to the drama (and rapidly out
in one scene early when the camera backs away from the street junction where documentary
is being filmed). O’Russell uses a hand-held, free-moving approach and cuts in
scenes as they would have been filmed for TV at the time, as well as some
unusual multi-camera set-ups which convey the sense of chaos. There is also lots of natural lighting to add
to sense of this being ‘almost documentary’.
I very much enjoyed watching Melissa Leo as
Alice Ward as I always loved her in Homicide, Life on the Streets as Kay
Howard. Alice could have been played
very differently and would have been less convincing. Having some strong female characters in a
boxing movie was a treat. Shame that
Charlene still had to be seen in various states of undress and subject to the
male gaze.
In the final analysis, this film does not
grip us emotionally because it is hard to care too much about Micky but it is
interesting to watch and has some good moments of filmmaking.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Chris Marker: A Grin Without a Cat, Whitechapel Gallery (16 April-22 June)
The Chris Marker exhibition at Whitechapel Gallery is unwieldy, disorienting and a bit bleak, which is probably what one should expect from someone who was prolific for decades and had an obsession with war and the ravages of time.
This French filmmaker, born in 1921 had made over 60 films by the time of his death in 2012. He is possibly most well known for La Jetée, a 1962 sci-fi work made up of still images, which formed the basis of Terry Gilliam's movie Twelve Monkeys.
Gallery notes say that his main themes are: The Museum, Travelogues, Film and Memory, War and Revolution. Marker was fascinated by how time, history and memory interrogate practices of collecting, archiving and displaying images and objects.
On arrival, we see some collage work, but much bolder and more intense than Hoch's. It has a stronger futuristic feel to it, reinforced by the typographical/fonts image next to this set.
Marker has captured glimpses of people all over the world - his lens being an "inquisitive snake" in the crowds. There are many faces beautifully frozen in a millisecond, often sad, thoughtful, distant. Often the photographs are very dreamy with soft focus, heavy grain, natural light and velvety dark contrasts.
One of my favourite parts of the show was Zapping Zone (Proposals for an Imaginary Television - 1990-94) - a dark room chock full of TVs and old computer monitors displaying a variety of footage. This is a strong sensory experience but not as manic as I feared it might be at first. There is a mixture of colour and B/W and some pleasant sounds (eg slot machines which we associate with leisure time, even in this intense environment). There is a lazy cat alongside clips of war and civil unrest. On the back wall, small images are displayed like contact sheets on a light box. The whole effect is unusual, thought-provoking and very effective.
Next we watched a black and white film where stills of wooden and clay masks are shown to an edgy soundtrack of drumming. The overall impression is of a build up to war. The light is harsh and the contours of the masks are in high contrast. Different cultures are portrayed with slightly different features and sculpted approaches reinforcing the sense of conflict being global and eternal.
The differences in faces around the world (which I am fascinated by) was then echoed in the Petite Planete covers from various countries. Very strong graphical design - surprisingly timeless. The images worked beautiful alone as and a set - I could have stared at these for ages.
The section which really caught my attention were the The Hollow Men set (Owls at Noon) and the photogravures along side the monitors. Creepy but strangely compelling and very haunting.
La Jetée was the highlight of the show for me, despite there being a lot of screaming children in the vicinity, but there are many other haunting images and ideas to explore. It feels very multi-media, with multiple screens bombarding us with scenes of the world we have made.
I suppose I was a bit disappointed that there was not more of a sense of Marker's quirkiness in the exhibition. It was mostly rather pessimistic narrative spliced with documentaries which force the viewer to go into dark and haunting places. Even the set which explores the post Cuban missile crisis euphoria, he concludes that he is just seeing "the everlasting face of solitude". My husband said "I would not want to be inside this guy's head". And there were not enough photographs of cats, imo! Lots of intriguing ideas and images though that would warrant many hours of exploration.
Here is a proper review of the show.
Ideas to explore:
This French filmmaker, born in 1921 had made over 60 films by the time of his death in 2012. He is possibly most well known for La Jetée, a 1962 sci-fi work made up of still images, which formed the basis of Terry Gilliam's movie Twelve Monkeys.
Gallery notes say that his main themes are: The Museum, Travelogues, Film and Memory, War and Revolution. Marker was fascinated by how time, history and memory interrogate practices of collecting, archiving and displaying images and objects.
On arrival, we see some collage work, but much bolder and more intense than Hoch's. It has a stronger futuristic feel to it, reinforced by the typographical/fonts image next to this set.
Marker has captured glimpses of people all over the world - his lens being an "inquisitive snake" in the crowds. There are many faces beautifully frozen in a millisecond, often sad, thoughtful, distant. Often the photographs are very dreamy with soft focus, heavy grain, natural light and velvety dark contrasts.
One of my favourite parts of the show was Zapping Zone (Proposals for an Imaginary Television - 1990-94) - a dark room chock full of TVs and old computer monitors displaying a variety of footage. This is a strong sensory experience but not as manic as I feared it might be at first. There is a mixture of colour and B/W and some pleasant sounds (eg slot machines which we associate with leisure time, even in this intense environment). There is a lazy cat alongside clips of war and civil unrest. On the back wall, small images are displayed like contact sheets on a light box. The whole effect is unusual, thought-provoking and very effective.
Next we watched a black and white film where stills of wooden and clay masks are shown to an edgy soundtrack of drumming. The overall impression is of a build up to war. The light is harsh and the contours of the masks are in high contrast. Different cultures are portrayed with slightly different features and sculpted approaches reinforcing the sense of conflict being global and eternal.
The differences in faces around the world (which I am fascinated by) was then echoed in the Petite Planete covers from various countries. Very strong graphical design - surprisingly timeless. The images worked beautiful alone as and a set - I could have stared at these for ages.
The section which really caught my attention were the The Hollow Men set (Owls at Noon) and the photogravures along side the monitors. Creepy but strangely compelling and very haunting.
La Jetée was the highlight of the show for me, despite there being a lot of screaming children in the vicinity, but there are many other haunting images and ideas to explore. It feels very multi-media, with multiple screens bombarding us with scenes of the world we have made.
I suppose I was a bit disappointed that there was not more of a sense of Marker's quirkiness in the exhibition. It was mostly rather pessimistic narrative spliced with documentaries which force the viewer to go into dark and haunting places. Even the set which explores the post Cuban missile crisis euphoria, he concludes that he is just seeing "the everlasting face of solitude". My husband said "I would not want to be inside this guy's head". And there were not enough photographs of cats, imo! Lots of intriguing ideas and images though that would warrant many hours of exploration.
Here is a proper review of the show.
Ideas to explore:
- The Photo Roman is very appealing to me - both as an art form and a documentary approach (as sometimes used by duckrabbit to such powerful effect)
- Creating more dreamlike images - some of Marker's work really succeeds in forcing the viewer to slow down and drink in the imagery. He famously said "I compare dreaming to cinema and thinking to television."
- Using disintegrating photos, damaged by time and neglect (this was always powerful in the Saatchi exhibit of items found after the Sumatran tsunami) - would need some context/anchoring
- I need to do more research on the Nouvelle Vague
- 'Silent screams' - capturing intense moments but in a quiet, still way
- There is a wonderful juxtaposition of two images of protesters. He urges us to focus on the young tree in the background rather than the faces of the people. The second picture shows how the tree has grown. "Within these few inches, forty years of my life." This is great device to show "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" - would be a great social documentary project
- Images of animals from travels...
From Immemory:
"And always the animals
From each trip
You bring back
A gaze
A pose
A gesture
That points
To the truest of humanity
Better than images
Of humanity itself
Sound effects #2
This recording is glorious...
TW: "It sounds like a choir, it sounds like angel music. Something sparkling, celestial with full harmony and bass parts - you wouldn't believe it. It's like a sweeping chorus of heaven, and it's just slowed down, they didn't manipulate the tape at all. So I think when Wilson slows people down, it gives you a chance to watch them moving through space. And there's something to be said for slowing down the world."
TW: "It sounds like a choir, it sounds like angel music. Something sparkling, celestial with full harmony and bass parts - you wouldn't believe it. It's like a sweeping chorus of heaven, and it's just slowed down, they didn't manipulate the tape at all. So I think when Wilson slows people down, it gives you a chance to watch them moving through space. And there's something to be said for slowing down the world."
Sound effects
Interesting piece here about sound effects. It reminded me of the Berberian Sound Studio, which I wrote about six months ago and has stayed with me for all that time.
scraping dry ice across a contact microphone and combining it with a woman's high scream recorded backwards... the sound of dog food being slowly sucked out of the can... a pistachio nut being destroyed by metal plating... the cries of the pigs, slowed down to sound unearthly
In a more cheerful/less traumatising way, it also put me in mind of this, which always makes me smile...
When Tom Waits released the album Blood Money in 2002, the pre-release notes mentioned a mouse tambourine and a journo asked about this in an interview:
"Instruments utilised include piano, cello, pump organ, hand bells, circular violin, spring drum, marimba, calliope, timpani and mouse tambourine. l ask about the mouse tambourine and he laughs. 'Oh, you know what,' he says, bending over and rolling up his right trouser leg 'See these boots here, they have this buckle,' He wiggles a small silver buckle at the top of his black motorcycle boot. 'Well, during most of the songs I was tapping my foot and there was a lot of room mics in the studio, and so when we listened back to all the songs my wife's going, "What the hell is that?! That *tsk tsk tsk...*"' We just couldn't figure it out. Finally, she said, "Dammit it's those boots. I told you not to wear those boots. It's on everything!" And she got so upset!' He laughs. 'We tried to get rid of it and couldn't, so finally we just had to call it the mouse tambourine." ("Conformity is a fool's paradise" Time Out London (UK) by Ross Fortune. February/ March. Published: April 24 (- May 12), 2002)
Sourced from the Tom Waits Library: http://www.tomwaitsfan.com/tom%20waits%20library/www.tomwaitslibrary.com/percussioninstruments.html
I also love this: "On 'In The Colosseum' we used the Conundrum. This was an instrument that was built for me by a neighbour of mine who's a sculptor and a welder. It's just an iron cross with a lot of metal hanging off of it. it sounds like a jail door closing behind you."
Matt said he has video of our friend Pascal, who is a wizard with stringed instruments, tuning our ukulele. Just down the street there were some construction workers smashing a lot of glass and it created a great effect. I would like to explore this idea but with more subtlety - and a point to it - so I will have to think about that more.
scraping dry ice across a contact microphone and combining it with a woman's high scream recorded backwards... the sound of dog food being slowly sucked out of the can... a pistachio nut being destroyed by metal plating... the cries of the pigs, slowed down to sound unearthly
In a more cheerful/less traumatising way, it also put me in mind of this, which always makes me smile...
When Tom Waits released the album Blood Money in 2002, the pre-release notes mentioned a mouse tambourine and a journo asked about this in an interview:
"Instruments utilised include piano, cello, pump organ, hand bells, circular violin, spring drum, marimba, calliope, timpani and mouse tambourine. l ask about the mouse tambourine and he laughs. 'Oh, you know what,' he says, bending over and rolling up his right trouser leg 'See these boots here, they have this buckle,' He wiggles a small silver buckle at the top of his black motorcycle boot. 'Well, during most of the songs I was tapping my foot and there was a lot of room mics in the studio, and so when we listened back to all the songs my wife's going, "What the hell is that?! That *tsk tsk tsk...*"' We just couldn't figure it out. Finally, she said, "Dammit it's those boots. I told you not to wear those boots. It's on everything!" And she got so upset!' He laughs. 'We tried to get rid of it and couldn't, so finally we just had to call it the mouse tambourine." ("Conformity is a fool's paradise" Time Out London (UK) by Ross Fortune. February/ March. Published: April 24 (- May 12), 2002)
Sourced from the Tom Waits Library: http://www.tomwaitsfan.com/tom%20waits%20library/www.tomwaitslibrary.com/percussioninstruments.html
I also love this: "On 'In The Colosseum' we used the Conundrum. This was an instrument that was built for me by a neighbour of mine who's a sculptor and a welder. It's just an iron cross with a lot of metal hanging off of it. it sounds like a jail door closing behind you."
Matt said he has video of our friend Pascal, who is a wizard with stringed instruments, tuning our ukulele. Just down the street there were some construction workers smashing a lot of glass and it created a great effect. I would like to explore this idea but with more subtlety - and a point to it - so I will have to think about that more.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Wildfire wedding photo
Glad they made the most of this opportunity:
http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/as-wedding-is-evacuated-married-couple-pose-for-incredible-wedding-photos
http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/as-wedding-is-evacuated-married-couple-pose-for-incredible-wedding-photos
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Fifty people, one question - Galway, Ireland 2011 by Kamil Films
A friend recommended this video on Facebook and I am linking it here because I thought the non-linear approach to the editing worked really well.
That said, it is rather bloated for a film that the makers presumably hope will continue to go viral on social media. I reckon they could have got this all across in five or six minutes (maybe with a link to a full length version?). The meta fluff at the beginning filming the filming equipment was a bit off-putting and will guarantee that they lose viewers. Some people I know only managed a few minutes and then gave up.
What I thought worked really well was how the sequence of clips, grouped by content rather than speaker, allowed for the capture of the interviewees mulling over their answers - these silent contemplations would have been painful if all the segments had been presented as intro-question-consideration-answer for each individual.
A simple strong idea and quite inspiring - good job Kamil Films! I would love to see how this would have turned out if it absolutely could not run over 5.59 mins!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP7pdAn3foE
That said, it is rather bloated for a film that the makers presumably hope will continue to go viral on social media. I reckon they could have got this all across in five or six minutes (maybe with a link to a full length version?). The meta fluff at the beginning filming the filming equipment was a bit off-putting and will guarantee that they lose viewers. Some people I know only managed a few minutes and then gave up.
What I thought worked really well was how the sequence of clips, grouped by content rather than speaker, allowed for the capture of the interviewees mulling over their answers - these silent contemplations would have been painful if all the segments had been presented as intro-question-consideration-answer for each individual.
A simple strong idea and quite inspiring - good job Kamil Films! I would love to see how this would have turned out if it absolutely could not run over 5.59 mins!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP7pdAn3foE
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