fuzzynormal

Also, I like the "leave the city" line in homage to the other short film, that inspired this one, which Ed shared here a year ago.

Be that as it may, I contend that a rule of 3 is not something requiring implementation in one's work to make that art effective or worthwhile. Feel free to disagree. As for psychology, I do believe that potential voters of someone like Bernie Sanders are more likely to have a mindset apart from a voter that would rather hear jingoism and be comforted by that approach. And as this is a short film to appeal to a certain worldview/voter right now (as opposed to a general election) I can see how it might be effective in it's defined space.

It's sincere question. I disagree with your assertion of what a valid film is, as you explained it, but if that's how you define it, no worries. It is subjective. However, you know... the questions you're asking about the film pretty much help define it as a valid film. You're trying to reckon with it after all. But you don't have to ponder that if you don't wanna. As for me, my terms that define "film" are broader. I like impressionistic cinema. I'm drawn to Malick for that reason. I find Ed's storytelling with this film more narratively cohesive than one of the popular contemporary travel films like "Watchtower of Turkey" which is a cool editing/cinematography exercise, but doesn't offer a story. Still, one of my favorite films is "Man With A Movie Camera" and I find it fascinating all these years later. It's not even near as structured as Ed's film here, but nevertheless a classic of cinema. On the other hand, another one of my fav films is Casablanca, which is as mainstream narrative as possible. Of course, but then again: fiction that affects the viewer by employing empathy and generating contemplation in the viewer/listener is a foundation of many forms of art. As such, I'm not taking it literally. But I do like it, and I appreciate the questions it raises in my mind. I think so, yes, if it's fiction for a traditional populist audience, like a Ron Howard film. But who's to say that's necessarily the best way to create something like this?

If not, what does? Unfortunately, everyone is uninformed to an extent. Heck, former Prez GDub and his cabinet admitted they were chronically uninformed and offered it up as an excuse for a lot of their foreign policy decisions. (to which I say there's a difference between willful ignorance and being uninformed, but, well, you know, semantics)

Well, from my POV, I'd give that sentiment a full on raspberry. If a US citizen voter isn't frustrated with the candidates and is perfectly comfortable with any particular person, I'd say that kind of outlook is more dangerous than being skeptical and worrisome. Especially in 2016. If one finds themselves trusting a politician, any politician, I'd say they've gone off the intellectual deep end. You think it would be any less disturbing if we just watched a similar styled movie called "Trumphead"? Oh my good lord, that would be something. Also, Ed, what would you tweak about the color? Nothing seems off to me.

Cool! It's fun and encouraging to see how (seemingly) simple footage can be used for shaping creative narratives. I do wonder if a lot of filmmakers get that part backwards and demand assertively creative visuals before the storytelling? Not that you don't need both, but you get the idea. Also, clever use of irony there at the end is an impressive bit of storytelling craft. Anyway, POV from an aspiring documentarian, so I'm biased. I am biased for a heavy handed use of film grain too. What is it about me that enjoys that? BTW, one of the things about ideological rhetoric, and is present here, is how things are framed as of the USA is a broken state that needs to be fixed. You see this in phrases that typically has the word "again" in it. Make America great again! Make things good again! As if the way American culture exists is currently in some sort of disaster. I don't see it that way. We're constantly and absolutely flawed and screwed up, yes. Things are always unfair in many regards and needed remedy, yes, but you can't have a broad swatches of cultures coexisting without that sort of reality. To assume otherwise is a fundamental misunderstanding of the philosophical DNA of this nation. Hey y'all, our system is pretty much broken by design. The three branches of government are built to NOT cooperate wholly. You don't fix it. You continuously shape it through compromise, but fixing it is impossible. I realize the "again" phrase in this instance is coming from the perspective of a fictional character in a movie, but nevertheless it triggered my thinking, so you should be congratulated. Good storytelling should accomplish that.

I've actually witnessed the opposite. My circle consists of some pretty assertive females, so my reality is a bit different I suppose. Ultimately I'd say it's one of the things one runs into when dealing with inexperienced young people; some trying to figure out what they're gonna do with life in general.

I had a bout with stress dealing last year with a bad client and it put things into perspective for me. Heart problems arose. Not fun. Personally, I'm not sure, for me, that the idea of of a suffering "artist" (or, in my case, "craftsman") is worth it. However, I do get the sentiment of why suffering for art is noble. An artist desires to be emotionally invested under high stakes for their creations to have a particular energy behind it. Finding philosophical truths and paradoxes can be an emotional difficulty; much less figuring how to bring them into an existence that fits one's oeuvre. But, not all storytelling needs to come from that sort of place. Also, I'm not into the idea of being a work-a-holic. The notion of being prolific because you have to express yourself is okay. But the notion of being prolific because you want more jobs and more money is somehow morally wrong to me. I don't buy into that at all, be that at a cultural level or at an artistic level. I guess I could understand busting my ass and sprinting hard to work on something like "Ida", for instance, but I wouldn't feel good about myself if I did something like that to help create the next Transformers movie. And that's not saying that "Ida" is a great piece of art. But it does have a certain quality in it's craft that gives it more value --to me. As it is, I float in my little pond content on being the fish I am --and aspire to be. As long as I progress on my terms, I'm cool with it. Other creative's muses may push them harder and down a more tortuous path, but we're all different and tell the stories we're gonna tell. I wouldn't want to be around for those first 5 days. How about the self-important males that do the same? Do they get a pass on being idiots or something?

Yeah, well, you know, it's like, just our opinions, man.

Well, I don't think it's in any way a stretch to realize that the American judicial system is flawed and imperfect. Honestly, any system run by humans will always betray our foibles. Regardless of this particular instance outlined by the documentary, I'd say it's reasonable to realize concerning problems do exists. Sometimes they can be very deep, motivated by pettiness, institutionalized, and/or highly troublesome. Cumulative realities about American law over the history on the nation are pretty telling. So, on the other end of the spectrum in this example, to idealize an institution without honest critique isn't good either. Also, the main point of the post I got is that a filmmaker can tell a good story without great gear. Other factors are wildly more important than image quality.

Not at all. I actually believe the filmmakers in this instance are making the right choices for their tale. Their storytelling decisions are impressive. Good storytelling isn't always comprehensive truth telling is all I'm saying, nor should it be. Nor, often, can it be. And I just felt like I could see some of the narrative strings being pulled in this instance. I do agree with most of their decisions regarding what strings needed to be yanked (and not yanked) in service of amazing a viewer. In other words, I'm impressed with the story, but am confident a more nuanced reality of it exists. I'm not saying I, as a viewer, should experience that nuance.

All you say is true, but I felt the filmmakers were a little too strict in defining their protagonists and antagonists. --Justified in doing so for the sake of storytelling, but it felt a tad over done to me. Ultimately that works to help manipulate the story for the viewer, but it also diminishes the actual nuance of reality. Basically, the filmmakers sophistically exaggerated the elements of their already unfortunate story and I'm impressed by it, but find myself skeptical of their drawings of the characters. And even though this is a doc and the reality of words said and actions done are damning, there's a lot of addition by subtraction when it comes to information in this series. I don't know, I'm from small town Midwest. I can see exactly how this sort of story could unfold. Law enforcement has a real quality control issue that invites tragedy. But on the other hand, I also knew a lot of dangerous low income stupid people who deserved their violent reputations, so I'm not eager to make Avery into some sort of martyr. Honestly, for me, I find more "truth" in a fictional series like Rectify, that deals with similar issues. Also, it's the Em5ii. :-) And I've recently made a doc with the GM1, so you're right that IQ isn't always the goal, nor in docs should it be.

I don't disagree that heavy-handed crap is heavy-handed crap. I just refuse to be offended by it and expect that sort of nonsense when online and watching certain things. If I was offended everytime I saw something like this on the internet, I'd never have a chance not to be.

By ignoring them, honestly.

I say no, not really. Even Michael Bay is making his jingoistic movie. If one is not creating something with perspective and passion, then it's just craft. Which is fine for some things, not so much for others. And if you want to do something artistic, you need that. Even unsophisticated passion interesting. Isn't the opposite rather boring? It's like looking at a Norman Rockwell painting or a Thomas Kinkade. I think the reason that so many movies have a progressive political slant is simply because storytelling artist tend to be a more empathetic lot. One has to be to willing and able to create characters with "truth" to them. It's easier to get there if you project your feelings and emotions, rightly or wrongly. But whatever. I don't mind navigating the ideological minefield. It's part of what makes life interesting. If you want political parroting, there's plenty on on-line cacoons to wrap oneself in.

I'd say it's pervasive. It has to be by definition, doesn't it? Ugh, getting to (or closer) to 5 decades happens faster than you care to imagine.

Well, awards are awards. Oscars, Grammys, whatever. Yes, the Oscars trend to auteurism because these are industry craft people deciding what "matters" and they can see that skill set. Hollywood is an industry town. People that do the craft well and with a commercial sheen are indeed cherished. The Oscars represent a certain sensibility, just as the awards from the FilmOut San Diego film festival have a sensibility. Sometimes great movies and the Academy Awards line up, but most of the time what really wins is industry politics, so I wouldn't put too much import on owning a gold trophy. The reality is that a majority of films that stand the test of time were originally overlooked by the Academy. Best Picture winners are almost always decent watchable films, (okay, maybe not "Crash," that sucked) but you could review the entire list from the past and realize there's stuff that's been rightfully dismissed by the passage of time. (and the opposite) It is what it is. And there's plenty of nuance in all of this. Nothing is absolute. I just don't trust the Oscars to be some sort of upper echelon quality barometer and really never have. As for Tree of Life, it resonated with me on a deep level, but it directly reminded my of my relationship with my brother, so I was "all in" after the first 20 minutes. Other's mileage will vary. Also, I like impressionistic films. Heavy plot is nice for some things, but these days I'd rather be confused and curious than hand-held and explained to.

Subjectivity in the context of life, wisdom, etc. As you get older you just look at thing different. Pop culture aims at younger people, so most gray hair folks develop a disconnect. You might no be there yet, but it does happen gradually.

Indeed. Happy accidents. I love the fuji cams for stills and just get so frustrated that their cameras I have on my shelf are pretty average for video.

Honestly, that's like trying to multiply with zero. If video ever works well in a fuji camera I'm convinced it will be by accident.

Does it work? I need a Hi-8 device for an archiving project...

Yeah, I think have been successful colorizing to an extent, but I don't use LUT's much.

That's a hell of a statement to leave behind. Damn impressive.

“NX-1, GH4 or 5DMkII?” The answer is yes. Any of those cams will allow you to capture fine images and to an accomplished 1080p edit. The quality on all will be fine. The difference in how they render their image is a nuance that you'll have to decide on your own, preferably by doing tests. In a way, it's like choosing a preferred film stock. As we all know, any "drop dead gorgeous" images created on modern gear typically depends on the skill of the shooter and lighting, not the camera. You're right to be more concerned about the post process and, depending if your a beginner or a skilled pro, figuring out the best workflow for your abilities. And man, when I shoot a doc and end up with hundreds of hours of footage, I want postproduction firmly planted in the KISS realm. If you know how the BMCC behaves and are pleased at what it delivers, why not stick with that? ProResHQ and Raw, use either depending on need.

You can always make the edit with a comp track and share it around to online forums for people that do VO. If your cut is impressive enough, maybe you can work out a swap wherein a pro agrees to help you out in order to have a cool new video on their demo reel.