KARMA-(Haik)

'Cinema Was the Thing That Saved Me'

"If you’re ever really going to write and direct movies and get your own movies made you have to be, you know, a hustler. You got to be, kind of, obsessively motivated. School’s not going to teach you that or  give you those skills. You just kind of have to do it." - Richard Linklater

Filmmaking Advice from One Producer to Another.

Trite but True ?

Scott Macaulay shared a few pointers he had received from fellow producers over the years — wisdom that he initially dismissed as eye-roll inducing industry platitudes that had little relevance in the real world of filmmaking. But over the course of his career, he found that their words held much more weight than he previously thought. If the advice given to Macaulay is reduced to its base elements, I think that what remains are universal and beneficial lessons for all creatives, namely filmmakers — important guidance that if considered, may offer a new perspective of the industry, and help steady your footing as a filmmaker.

Originally published almost 10 years ago,Maculay's describes these words of wisdom as “vague, counterintuitive, or just plain silly,” even ”Erma Bombeck-ish.” From the perspective of a producer, the advice seems too simple, too trite to carry the weight of a complex and merciless industry, but Macaulay explains how powerful it became later on in his career.

"When seeking financing for a film, don’t get people to say “yes.” Get them to say “no” and move on."

Macaulay describes how working with a flakey person hurt his project, because he was able to convince himself that “their ‘yes’ was truly a ‘yes’,” instead of accepting that perhaps the individual just wasn’t that interested in the project. Which, at its base, says: Work with people who match or exceed your passion.

My NTU Expo film

Expo film

26 of the Greatest Movies According to Director David Fincher!!!!!!

David Fincher's films are known for many things, but being traditional isn’t one of them. His grim themes, low-key lighting, and aversion to happy endings work in tandem with unusual subject matter, which makes for some bleak filmmaking. The genius of Fincher is found in his ability to tap into the beautiful dark side of humanity, evoking fear, anger, and intrigue with his audience. So, what kinds of films does a director of his caliber see as important pieces of cinema? In a hand-written note, Fincher lists 26 of what he considers the greatest movies, ranging from a seemingly obvious influence, Taxi Driver, to ones that seem to come out of left field, like Animal House.

This list has been making its rounds for a while, but thanks to Cinephilia and Beyond, it has resurfaced. Looking at the list, I found myself racking my brain to find something that connected them all. Leave it to an amateur to try to make sense of an iconic filmmaker’s movie preferences without any insight. However, some light is shone on his cinematic sensibilities when considering what he said about the difference between"movies" and "film".  

according to list i learn a lot :"mise-en-scene" form The Graduate. 

a Computer Screen Short Cuts Canada Festival 2013 anylsis mise-en-scene

Noah tells the story of a boy, a girl, a Facebook account, and the new vistas of communication we are living with every day. Created by Canadian film students Walter Woodman and Patrick Cederberg ,the film recently debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. 

A film just computer screen, the setup for the story is as old as love stories: a boy and girl ponder their imminent separation (going away to college), but everything we see is mediated through the boy’s computer screen — the Skype window he uses to chat with his girlfriend, the Facebook chats he has with friends, even a brief dalliance with Chatroulette can all be considered to be “sets” the filmmakers used to make their movie.

MA phase research question Survey

MA phase survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P2SDR6Y

Learn - 'There Are No Rules' - Jim Jarmusch

"There are no rules. There are as many ways to make a film as there are potential filmmakers. It’s an open form."

This is the foundation he sets the rest of his thoughts on. Filmmaking and cinema is not about rules — rules make art easier to observe and experience, which is not always so for creating it. To not call something filmmaking because it doesn’t have a narrative or is just a reel of celluloid with pressed leaves is missing the point.

I personally love when filmmakers talk about inflated egos and humility. Jarmusch advises us that filmmaking is never done by one person. It takes a village to make a film, and respecting and valuing each contributor is something every filmmaker must learn:

Filmmaking is a collaborative process. You get the chance to work with others whose minds and ideas may be stronger than your own. Make sure they remain focused on their own function and not someone else’s job, or you’ll have a big mess. But treat all collaborators as equals and with respect. A production assistant who is holding back traffic so the crew can get a shot is no less important than the actors in the scene, the director of photography, the production designer or the director.

Another point he makes that echoes the sentiment on egoism is originality. It’s easy to get a big head when you think you’re the first person to ever use a certain shot, use a certain edit, or pen a certain narrative. Jarmusch says “no way”:

Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent.

                      They can either help you, or not help you, but they can’t stop you. People who finance films,                             distribute films, promote films and exhibit films are not filmmakers. They are not interested in                             letting filmmakers define and dictate the way they do their business, so filmmakers should have                         no interest in allowing them to dictate the way a film is made. 

Story board of Haik's film - Karma

script - "Curse" helping Haik filming his “horror” film

Curse

1   INT.  HOME

Fade in:

We can see a man is doing something strange. The light is very dark. He is writing some Taoist magic figures, to burn incense, praying on his lips...

2   INT.  HOTEL

A big bed in the middle of hotel’s room. The man is sitting at the foot of the bed and smoking. We can see a woman(call her S below) behind him, lay on the bed, wrapped in a quilt, looks very sluggish.

3   EXT.  STREET(OUTSIDE OF THE HOTEL)

The man and S walk out of the hotel. We can see them from far away. Man’s hand put on S’s posterior, looks very intimate. He is saying something to S, but we can’t hear that. Then the man pats S lightly, they separate.

4   INT.   DRAWING ROOM

Man’s girl friend (call her N below) is sitting on the sofa and watching TV. Actually, she is absentminded.

At this time, man is back. He walks to the fridge and takes a bottle of beer. Then he sits beside N, drinks the beer and watches TV.

N (still watch on TV, looks deadpan): Where are you going this morning?

Man: GYM.

N: GYM? I guess you have some exercises on somebody’s bed, am I right? Why don’t you fuck her in my house? Fuck you! You bastard! How dare you lie to me? (when N curse the man, he just drinks the beer, didn’t say anything)

When the man finishes his drink, he stands up and leaves the drawing room.

Man: Don’t forget to cook later.

N (suddenly stand up): Go to eat your ass!

5   INT.   DRAWING ROOM

The man holds a bloodied knife, and put it into a bowl of water. Strange thing is the knife stand in the water. We can see a taoist magic figure beside the bowl.

Then, the man lights 4 candles in front of the bowl. After that, he burns incense and says something we can understand. Suddenly, he stops praying and open his eyes. 4 candles extinguish at the same time.

The man put some ash into the bowl, and then he holds the knife and takes it out of the bowl. We can see a spookiest smile on his face.

6   INT.   DRAWING ROOM

N is cooking in the kitchen. She hears the man is back.

The man walks into the room, looks very strange.

N even doesn’t look up, start cursing: Come back so late again! Fuck! You’re a pig that just knows how to eat and fuck bitches! Why are you coming back? Why don’t you live in that bitch’s home?

N curses a lot while she is cooking. She doesn’t notices the man already stand behind her. Unexpectedly, the man stabbed a knife in her back. We can see the knife penetrate her body, shed blood like water. N stops talking this time, she looks very suffering, but she can’t sound any voices.The man is deadpan this time.

Fade out

7   INT.  DRAWING ROOM

Fade in:

N has been put beside the sofa.

Man is still doing his ritual. He drinks the water in the bowl, and spews all the water to the taoist magic figure. Then, he walks to N’s body, and put the taoist magic figure on her wound. He starts to pray for something, the taoist magic figure slowly disappearing.

Man: Don’t forget to cook later.

Suddenly, N’s body became squirm. She stands up slowly. We can’t see any emotion on her face. She just walks to the kitchen, doesn’t say anything.

8   EXT.  STREET(OUTSIDE OF THE HOTEL)

Flashback: ( back to no.3 scene )

The man and S walk out of the hotel. We can see them, in a very close place.

Man’s hand put on S’s posterior, looks very intimate. Actually, he put a taoist magic figure on her back.

He is saying something to S. Actually, he is praying.

Then the man pats S lightly, the taoist magic figure has disappeared.

Man: Go back to your home.

They separate.

Fade out.

The end.

Karma(second draft)

1   INT.  HOME

Fade in:

We can see a man is doing something strange. The light is very dark. He is writing some Taoist magic figures, to burn incense, praying on his lips...

2   INT.  DRAWING ROOM

The man walks into the drawing room. He dresses a suit, looks very tired. Woman sits in the sofa and looks ahead. She looks lifeless.

Man: It’s too busy today. Ah, I’m so tired!

Man walks to the sofa and crouch down.

Man: Sophie(slowly, lightly), cooking, please.

Woman nods, and stands up walks to the kitchen. This time, we can see a special radio on the desk in front of the sofa.

After a while, dinner is finished. The man already sits behind table and eats. Woman put the last dish on the table, then stand behind the table.

Man: It’s delicious! (look at the woman) Sit.

Woman nods, sit down.

Man:(while he is eating) Sophie, are you OK?

Woman looks at the man, doesn’t say anything.

Man: Say: Yes. Please.

Woman: Yes, please.

Man:(continue eating) Don’t forget clean the room later.

3   INT.  BEDROOM

Woman is cleaning the kitchen.

Man sleeps in the bedroom, he looks very unpeaceful, just like he has a nightmare.

This time, we can see woman’s feet walk into the bedroom slowly.

Suddenly, the man opens his eyes, looks very scared. He notices the woman is standing behind the bed. She holds a knife and looks at him. Woman still very lifeless, but she raises the knife in her hand and stab it to him!

Man screeches. Suddenly, he sits up on the bed. He finds this is just a nightmare. He gasps and recalls something...

4   INT.  KITCHEN (MEMORY)

Woman is tidying the kitchen. She looks very angry, she says a lot of swear words to man. Man is standing behind the desk.

Man: Why you always talking, talking, talking! I don’t love you anymore! You will be my sweet doll, shut up! Shut up!

He already can’t bear woman’s talk endlessly, so he takes a knife and walk beside the woman. Unexpectedly, the man stabbed a knife in her back. We can see the knife penetrate her body, shed blood like water. N stops talking this time, she looks very suffering, but she can’t sound any voices. After her death, he moves her body to the sofa.

He walks to the table and becomes to do Chinese traditional sorcery. He is writing some taoist magic figures, to burn incense, praying on his lips...

Man: You will listen to me now. You will follow my order forever!

Then, he walks to N’s body, and put the taoist magic figure on her wound. He starts to pray for something, the taoist magic figure slowly disappearing.

5   INT.  BEDROOM & DRAWING ROOM

Man stops to recall, he still sits on the bed. He looks up this time, suddenly, he watches the woman is standing outside! He is very scared and angry! He stands up and walks out, slaps on her face.

Man: Never stand here again! Now, go to sit on the sofa!

Woman nods. Man goes back to the room, and the woman walks to the sofa. When she sits down, she knocks the radio heedless. The radio starts broadcast...

6   INT.  KITCHEN (FLASHBACK)

Man and woman sit behind the table together. They looks very sweet.

Woman: I’m so scared. I’m scared if you don’t love me.

Man: Don’t worry, baby. If I don’t love you, you can just cut off my head!

Woman: Wait! I need to record this. Say again!

7   INT.   DRAWING ROOM

Radio: If I don’t love you, you can just cut off my head!

Woman sits on the sofa, when she hears this sentence, she nods.

Then, she stands up and walks to the kitchen. She takes a knife, walks into the bedroom...

Realism or Neorealism?

Realism or Neorealism?

A cinema experiment: what rival visions would emerge if you pitted the director of The Bicycle Thieves against the producer of Gone with the Wind on the same movie material? History can tell us…

Neorealism is characterized by a general atmosphere of authenticity.

Every cut is a form of judgment, whether it takes place on the set or in the editing room. A cut reveals what matters and what doesn’t. It delineates the essential from the non-essential. To examine the cuts of a filmmaker is to uncover an approach to cinema.

Realism or Neorealism?

'Chinatown' Screenwriter Robert Towne Interview

In its structure, dialog, and characters (who can beat the iconically mangled Gittes?) Chinatown is regarded as the “perfect” script. In 1974, the film was nominated for 11 Oscars — everything from Best Picture, Best Director for Roman Polanski, Best Actor/Actress for Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, to Best Art Direction, Cinematography, and Score. However, the only Oscar the film won was for Best Original Screenplay, which went to Robert Towne.

Learn the Art of Film Grant Writing

The grant committees are thinking, “We want that voice of yours to make the changes we believe in,” but they still make you fight to have it heard. It’s a weeding out process. They want to see if you’ll last, if you’re serious about your own success, and that you’re telling a story that will impact people on a higher level. The process takes months, if not years, considering most grants are annual or bi-annual. You’re hit with many questions like, “How will your film impact or raise social justice issues?” or “What is success as defined by the politics of your subject?” What seems like easy answers sitting snug in 500 word limits, sometimes barely squeezes in, and other times, you draw a blank as to what they are really asking you. You might, as I did, apply multiple times before you even become a blip on their radar. Prepare for this. Reapplying is indeed part of the process and they watch what names come back. They too are in the practice of a good preseason scout of your film career and want in when you hit it big with a great idea.

1. Make friends with the grant committee. 

2. You’ll need to present your project as having “impact.” 

3. Attach some names. 

4. Know the politics. 

5. Kill them with kindness. 

6. Submit and forget. 

7. Have some humility.

Father of Independent Cinema 2

He sums up his approach to filmmaking in the documentary when he says:

We decided we’d come up with a great idea, that we would buy all of our film equipment, but they wouldn’t give us any credit. So, we started our film without any money, and we just used people that would help us to make the film only because of their idealistic attitudes toward filmmaking, which is, in America, a business not an art. So, we’re saying [sound]  with your business, and we’ll try to make it some kind of an art — art meaning that we will enjoy ourselves and express ourselves freely.


The enlightenment I anticipated from you is being replaced by another. This one doesn’t invite analysis or dissection, only observation and intuition. Instead of insights into, say, the construction of a scene, I’m becoming enlightened by the sly nuances of human nature.

Yeah, you are a great filmmaker, one of my favorites. But what your films illuminate most poignantly is that celluloid is one thing and the beauty, strangeness and complexity of human experience is another.

Learn - Coppola & Scorsese Discuss the Future of Filmmaking

This is a fascinating interview especially for those of us in the midst of the very swing of change that Coppola and Scorsese predicted. But aren’t things always changing? In a time of transition, one thing will always beat out another — that’s natural selection, but Coppola describes how a time of transition is important for seizing the moment and creating that change.

The traditional studio period was coming to an end and it was a bit of a no man’s land, and the movies I got to make in the 70′s were purely because we were running too fast for anyone to stop us. We never got permission to start those movies — we just sorta started and by the time they realized what we were doing, we had those films in production.

The contention that Scorsese makes is that the corporate studio world essentially became too afraid to takes risks. Well, that seems to be a job better suited for the artists. Filmmaking is such an expensive medium that it has a built-in obligation to make money, but with budgets getting lower and lower, what does it mean for the current system? What Coppola had to say 15 years ago still rings true:

The movie business is not Coca-Cola– you still depend on artistry and this flies in the face of how modern corporations are run. Things change whenever you have an old system that basically is not profitable and shaky, and at the same time you have a vital new group of young people who are very passionate about movies. It’s sort of like how Italian neorealism collapsed the old Italian costume period.

Which leads us to another question: Is cinema an important medium? Why? What is its true purpose? Is it in conflict with the apparatus that is required to create them? To me, Coppola says it better in this interview than anywhere else I’ve read:

When you hear people talking about a film they’ve just seen, you can see hear how important it is for them to get something out of it — how audiences look to film to somehow illuminate life. As long as film is gonna be this product that is based on another film that was successful, then how are writers and directors and actors going to deal with the subject matter that helps interpret modern life? Life is changing, the role of the woman has changed, the politics, all these things. You wish that films could shed some light on this stuff, because that seems to be the role of art.

How is cinema different from television? Scorsese describes what it is for him:

It’s a different frame of reference. We had the frame of reference from Hollywood’s Golden Age. We saw movies on the big screens, in theaters. Unfortunately, a lot of the audiences now, the younger people — their frame of reference is television with snappy dialogue. This is cinema, this is something else. This is something else that is supposed to be here in this room.

It seems that everything in life moves in cycles, and the organism that is cinema is no different. The ebb and flow of the established movie industry and the rise of independent film is a pendulum with no end in sight. Coppola describes a sense of regret he feels about his own inability to make the kind of permanent changes he thought he might:

Back then in the middle ’60s I really thought we had the potential to have a company that would change the system. I don’t regret any of the projects I did, but I regret a little bit that the film industry we’re leaving to the next generation is not as good as what we received.

What makes these two people such great filmmakers? I think the theme that unites Scorsese and Coppola is the hunger for learning. The risks they take are to create opportunities for learning — for growth. They want to experiment, to push boundaries and unlock doors.

The diversity of my films comes from the fact that I always would say, well, if it’s an assignment, as The Godfather was, then I’ll learn a lot. I used to use every film as a kind of experiment, and saying someday when I get back to making my own films I’ll have done all these experiments and I’ll be able to utilize what I’ve learned. We use the profession of making movies as a way to educate ourselves, because we haven’t uncovered 6% of what cinema can be and what it can do.

What have you learned from Scorsese and Coppola? Join the discussion in the comments below.

Father of Independent Cinema 1

Most known for his films Shadows,faces,A Woman Under the Influence and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Cassavetes’ films consist of exposing the human condition as truthfully as possible. It wasn’t able glitz and glamor, idealizing a scenario so that it’d be easier to digest for an audience. He shied away from themes like politics or religion, instead making films that dealt with love, isolation, and trust. Cassavetes once said:

Life is men and women. Life isn’t, say, politics. Politicians are only bad actors grubbing around for power — In my opinion, these people and these small feelings are the greatest political force there is.

His first film, Shadows, which he made in 1959, was financed by Cassavetes for $40,000, and because of its limited release, didn’t find much of an audience. However, it did catch the eye of some critics, which helped him cash in on a Venice Film Festival Critics Prize for the film. Studios also began showing interest, and Cassavetes signed with Paramount to do Too Late Blues and A Child Is Waiting. 

The documentary, an episode of a French documentary series called Cinéastes de notre temps (Filmmakers of Our Time,) which originally aired in 1969, reveals Cassavetes great passion for filmmaking, as well as artistic free expression. For him, it wasn’t just about making films, it was about making films that allowed him to say what he wanted to say. He didn’t need a big budget or known actors. In fact, he chose to work mostly with handheld cameras, and with his friends and people he knew, casting many of them in roles often times without compensation.