Homage to Bela...The Visuals

Lately, I have been going through some visual references to help me construct the look for Homage to Bela. In some ways I want to be respectful of the visual integrity of Bela's film but I clearly have to make it my own. I've been wrestling with the idea of merging strong contrast of black and white with a vibrant color that makes it pop. I've actually been drawn to the H&M ads that I've seen throughout New York City over the last couple months (here's a word of advice: if you want to look for strong visuals both in classic and non classic ways, take a look at fashion ads and magazines. They're great). I wanted to post two examples of what I am going for here on the blog. Both photos are by the insanely talented LYANI POWERS and you can visit her at http://www.lyanipowers.biz/ She is very dope.

I love this picture. This was taken down in Haiti after the earthquake while Lyani was on location for a UNICEF PSA. I could go on and on about it, but for the purpose of this I want to focus on the color. The blue and red stand out really well against the kid's skin. It adds visual depth while also portraying the theme of life and hope given the context of the situation. It is a simple device (I use that term in a positive way), but very effective. I want to incorporate something like this into the film.

This picture captures the foundation of Homage to Bela. Strong black and white contrast that highlights the details of the subject's face. The weariness on his face is heightened by this visual approach. As I stated in an earlier post,  the piece is highlighting a pretty serious topic. The primary aesthetic needs to communicate the complexity of the subject in a subtle and effective manner. This picture captures that thought well.

I hope this gives everyone a pretty good glimpse into what I'm thinking. I'm doing this so people who are not in film understand the process in creating one and also for those in film maybe I'm passing along a nugget that they didn't think about.

Homage to Bela (A Prelude...)

So I'm in the process of shooting another short film but this is going to be a little different from what I have done in the past. While I've been writing the feature for Osvaldo's, I have been itching to shoot something. You can't go too long without directing something if you want to improve on your craft; especially when it comes to directing. You have to keep your eye sharp, your ability to communicate through the camera must be refined and you have to remind yourself how to deal with people and various situations under pressure. The short I'm shooting is entitled "Homage to Bela...A Prelude." I'll break down the title for you. I saw a film by the great European director Bela Tarr and was inspired to do my own version of it. I thought his film captured a very specific reality of his country but in such a simple and powerful way. I was looking to do the same thing in terms of simple direction and camera work but containing an observation that is very specific to the issue of New York City. Bela's film is a great blueprint for me to accomplish that.

Gun violence amongst young men of color by men of color is very disturbing to me. What I find equally disturbing is the casual manner in which these incidents are received, processed and portrayed by everyday people and the media. People are desensitized to it. It is an accepted practice in our society now and that troubles me. This brings me to the second part of the title. Once Osvaldo's is done I am going to focus on my next project. I won't talk much about it now but it will be my take on gun violence in urban areas. It won't be some stereotypical bang bang hood classic thing, but rather an examination and indictment of all people involved: criminals, victims, community members, etc. I really want to put a mirror up to our collective faces regarding this topic. This short film is a prelude to the larger film. A trailer of sorts if you will. I'm really excited to get this film done.

Did I mention that it is a one shot, steadicam, 4-5 minute piece with a hundred (I hope) extras?! I'm always looking for ways to challenge myself and this is a new way to do that. It's gonna be fresh. I need extras. So hit me up if you wanna be a part of it. Did I mention that I was excited to do this?

Questions

When you go to a movie what are your expectations? What do you want out of the movie? Do you want to see people who look, talk and act like you on the big screen? Do you want to be taken to a far away world? Do you want to see political issues played out in front of you? Do you want to fall in love? Do you want to be a hero? Do you want to laugh? Cry? I'm curious as to the kinds of stories you all are interested in seeing. What draws you to see a movie? Why do you spend your precious free time to watch a particular flick? I want to know what makes you tick and if I'm telling the stories worth your time. Not that I would change everything that I do but its more a question of if we are a match or not. I'm looking to keep people more informed about my work and where I'm heading and don't want to pester people if they're not interested. It is a research thing for me right now. I would love to hear back from some of you. Thanks.

M.E.D. ft Aloe Blacc "Know Where I'm From"

The one thing I have noticed about all the music videos from the stones throw label is how simple they are. They embody the environment that they hail from and incorporate it seamlessly into their visuals. Its almost like they grab a camera and just shoot some everyday cali stuff and put the music to it. I love that. It keeps everything down to earth and relatable for the audience. I love this track and when I heard it on a compilation album I was real curious what kind of video would they do for it. Needless to say, I wasn't imagining something so straight forward. But what else would I expect from the best indy rap label in the world. Enjoy. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_X8AEHH15E&w=600&h=338]

Video courtesy of www.stonesthrow.com

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Embracing the Process

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I have been focusing on the feature version of Osvaldo's off and on for almost a year now. This is my first major undertaking of a feature script and I feel a little weird because I am not carrying the whole "tormented artist" weight on my back. I have definitely had moments where frustration has popped up, but that is more a by-product of my general tendency to frustrate myself for no reason. I think it's a curse of being such a critical thinker. Some times those thoughts spiral wildly out of control. But anyway, I'm not sure because I have a short film to reference or because the story is a simple and organic one, but this has pretty much been a satisfying eye-opening experience. I have thoroughly enjoyed discovering new things about the Vazquez family as well as new things about myself as an "artist" (I put that in quotes because I still can't come to grips with the idea that I'm artistic. It's funny to me). I mention all of this because you normally read or hear people speak about the creative process like it's some near death experience. I have yet to have a seminal moment where I could relate to that sentiment. I love the process and the discovery of it all. I'm insanely curious about how one grows from one project to the next. Sometimes I'm more interested in that than the end product. Maybe I've put up a roadblock or I'm tricking myself but I love it. I should probably be writing more consistently, but I could be doing a whole lot of things more consistently. This just further solidifies my feeling that I made the right choice in pursuing film. It is a very tricky thing to be a part of, but the fundamental joy that it provides at its high moments make it well worth it. Ok, back to writing.

Harlem's Blues

So I read somewhere that many directors fail to understand that every opportunity that a new project provides him or her is a chance to screen some of their older work. I think that's true. We are so focused on moving forward that we tend to neglect the pieces that helped us get to that point. In an earlier post, I offered every one "The Anniversary." As I wrote in that post, "The Anniversary" was a very personal film because of my relationship with Tim Ruiz, who is a posthumous character. I felt like I needed to put up some of my other work for everyone's enjoyment, but also to showcase my improvement as an artist. So I present to you "Harlem's Blues." This was my second year film at NYU and I'm quite proud of it. There was a lot that I didn't know about directing coming into this film, but I think there are some great moments in the flick. It stars Samuel Ray Gates, Erin Cherry and Lemon Andersen. I have noticed that pretty much all of my films deal with family relationships and more specifically the complex dynamics of siblings. Blues is no different. I also think this film has the best shot that I have ever done in my life so far. I get all excited every time I see it. I won't tell you which one I'm talking about, but it will be pretty easy to figure out. If I can post a higher quality version of the film later I will. Also, check out my one and only SPEC commercial that I've done. We had a lot of fun doing it and it's not bad for a first time. Please let me know what you think. [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/19157903 w=600&h=400]

Harlem's Blues from Randy Wilkins on Vimeo.

Strong Arm Steady

I have been looking at a couple of music videos lately for  a potential gig. I've struggled with this medium for a while now; not as a filmmaker, but as a viewer. I found a lot of them to either be lazy artistically, not well done or very typical in the sense that you throw some money in the camera, rent some cars, hire some strippers and you find yourself with a video. I always thought that videos and commercials were a great outlet for directors to take some liberties with visuals. Of course some songs require narratives but the beauty in a video, at least in my eyes, is that a strong song provides all the narrative that you need and the visual aesthetic can be just an accompaniment rather than the driving force. I also love when something is simple in idea but contains layers in the look. It just makes it a more enjoyable experience for me as a viewer. One example of that is this Strong Arm Steady "Chittlins & Pepsi" video directed by Henry Demaio. The idea is basic: dude with a bad chick cooking and eating some healthy food. What I like about it is the transparency of the images, the colors, the aged texture and the framing of the shots. In many ways its reflective of the song in emotional context and intimacy. It's definitely not what I would have thought of when I first heard the song and after watching the video I think its pretty on point. What do you think? [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3_6vfQHTeo&w=600&h=338]

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A Jazz Thing

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So for those of you that don't know me that well I have a very broad range of music that I like to listen to. I used to be a big time hip hop head. You would always see me with a big ass pair of headphones attached to my ears, a fitted pulled low, baggy clothes flopping all over the place and a very distinct NEW YORK bop to my walk. I dj'd too and loved the music that basically defined my teenage years. But as we all know hip hop was flushed down the toilet save for a few great artists that have managed to keep it moving as an innovative musical genre. The one personal benefit of hip hop becoming bastardized is the new forms of music I have been following. Whether it be brazilian, world, afro beat, garage, electronic I have truly been inspired by the various voices and interpretations of such fantastic artists. But the two things that I still find myself being drawn back to is good hip hop and jazz. There is one person who has mastered the marriage between the two. His name is Madlib. I know I'm borderline obsessed with dude's work but its well-earned. His catalogue is crazy. For all of 2010, Madlib has put out an album every month. His latest two albums are amazing, but this is a biased comment because they are his two jazz installments. I'm not sure there is a more beautiful thing than a strong jazz record. I rely on jazz heavily in my work as a filmmaker both as a writing inspiration and a reliable tool in the film itself. It captures the primal and complex emotions of man in such a specific and honest way that I can't help but to draw something from it. I was a drummer in a jazz band in high school and never understood how lucky I was to be a miniscule part of such a beautiful thing. Now that I'm a little older, I understand its importance to me as a person and as a filmmaker. In any case here is a snippet of Madlib's Medicine Show #8: Advanced Jazz. Peep the album cover and notice how much visuals influence the music as well. It is such a dope marriage. I hope you enjoy the clip and you can cop the album at www.stonesthrow.com (I'm giving out free plugs that's how much I love it). Have a great day.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR_oPvuI7jo&w=600&h=338]

Osvaldo's finally wins!

Osvaldo's is the winner of the Best Short Film Award at the 2010 Colorado Film Festival! This is our first win on the festival circuit and it is real nice to add this to the list of wonderful accomplishment the film has enjoyed. A big thank you to the cast and crew and all the supporters of the film.

God was Willing and Da Creek Didn't Rise

For those of you that don't know I was recently an assistant editor on Spike Lee's latest film, "If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise" that aired on HBO last week. Its amazing the gamut of emotions you go through when you're in post for a film. The initial reaction is excitement. Excitement that you have a job. Excitement that you're about to embark on communicating an important story to the world. Excitement that you are going to grow as a filmmaker and hopefully as a person. The trepidation is going through the process of that growth. When I worked on "When the Levees Broke" I was completely overwhelmed. I had just learned the avid editing software maybe six months prior, I had never been an assistant editor before and I was working on Spike's passion project. All of these elements were essentially working against me at the beginning. I had to learn on the job and I had to perform. I was green behind the ears and had to grow up quickly. It was a grueling learning process as a FILMMAKER that I underwent, but I made out well in the end.

For If God is Willing, the growth was more of a PERSONAL nature than an artistic one. In the time between the two films I camera operated on two features, I was an assistant editor on a few more projects and more importantly, for me, I was enjoying the success of my own work with Osvaldo's. My improvement as a filmmaker was increasing by leaps and bounds and my confidence joined for the ride. So when IGIW came around I knew that artistically I was up for the challenge. What I didn't expect was the increasing sentiment within myself that I'm ready to put my name out there in the world. It's great to work for one of the greatest to ever do it, but I want to be a part of that conversation. I'm looking forward to building my own community and collaborating to tell stories that impact people and have the streets buzzing. I'm not in this for self-indulgence but to give a voice to all kinds of everyday folk. I was reminded of this while working on IGIW. It was a tough road during the making of this film to reach this understanding, but I'm appreciative of it. I'm ready.

If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise Interview

So I have not been on here for months. I sincerely apologize for those that are still even checking in on here. Since March 8th I was working as an assistant editor on Spike Lee's "If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise" which is the follow up to his film "When the Levees Broke." I was an assistant editor on that film as well. The film is premiering August 23rd and 24th on HBO at 9pm. Once it airs, I will go into detail about my experience working on this film. But for now I wanted to link up an interview Spike recently had on blackreel tv in which he discusses the film and the state of the gulf coast 5 years after the man made disaster known as Hurricane Katrina. Enjoy! credit: Black Tree tv/40 Acres

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skZQv4HVA-o&w=600&h=338]

San Diego IndieFest and Screening Tomorrow in NYC

I'm proud to announce that Osvaldo's is an official selection of the San Diego Indiefest! The screening will take place in late March and when I receive more information about it I will pass it along here. Also, if you are in the New York City area please check out Osvaldo's tomorrow night at the DUO Theater located at 62 East 4th at 8pm. The tickets are ten dollars and it is close to selling out.  You can purchase your tickets at http://tinyurl.com/yk783sm

I hope to see some of you tomorrow.

Radio Interview with Spike Spillberg.

I did a radio interview with Spike Spillberg earlier today. We covered Osvaldo's, my introduction to film, how I feel about the depiction of characters of color in films, etc. It was a pretty dope time and I answered some people's questions as well. You can check it at http://tinyurl.com/yfzbcma Let me know what you think!

6th Annual NYC Downtown Short Film Fest & Twitter

So a couple updates for you guys: Osvaldo's is a selection to screen in the 6th Annual NYC Downtown Short Film Festival Audience Choice Screening Series. The idea is that the festival allows the audience to decide who will be the official selections in the main festival in April. So Osvaldo's needs as much support as possible to get into the bigger festival. We are screening TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23RD AT 8PM AT THE DUO THEATER, 62 E. 4th street in Manhattan. The shows are generally sold out and they will only sell a few tickets at the door if there any available but at a higher price. So if you would like to check out the film please visit https://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?EID=&showCode=6TH4&GUID= to buy tickets. We need as much support as possible!

The second update involves my decision to join the twitter thing. Too many people told me I needed to take advantage of it for the sake of the film and my comings and goings. So I'm a part of it. Please follow me at https://twitter.com/pamsson. I'm working on putting a twitter widget up on the blog as well. I have no idea how twitter works so if you have suggestions and info on it please let me know. Thanks.

My mom is Pam. Pam is my mom.

If you look at any of my films, or the name of this blog or my business cards or if you're around me long enough you'll know that my mom's name is Pam. It's really Pamela but no one calls her by that name. She only wants to be called Pamela when its official business because "that is my real name." Whatever. Anyway, my mom is a trip. We are one in the same in many ways. But one way we are not the same is the things we look at while watching a movie. So of course she knows Osvaldo's starts at 11:15pm. Why is she sleeping at 11:15 pm? The very first image of the piece is the big Pam's Son logo. She has no idea that is the case because she's sleeping. So she wakes up and starts watching it. The scene with Lemon and Gina outside of the barber shop is a pretty strong one. You know there is some kinda emotional thing going on. The only comment I get from Pam is "why are her earrings so big?" "Why did you make her wear those earrings? They're too big." Never mind the part about Gina or Ana Daisy's trepidations about going to an apartment where the spirit of a dead woman may be floating around or that there is a little girl ready to pounce at the first female stranger to walk through the door. No the earrings are too big. Okay, great. Thanks Pam. We shot the apartment scenes in Parkchester (Thank you Naim and Catherine for saving my life). I was born and raised in Parkchester. My mom lived there longer than I did obviously so she knows the apartments well. The first thing she says when she sees the apartment: "Parkchester has new cabinets! When did that happen?!" Me: "Naim put those cabinets in. Watch the damn movie." Pam: "Oh ok. I knew they didn't have no new cabinets." This is going well with Pam.

So the big scene of the movie is the dinner scene. This is where all hell breaks loose. As its building, Pam says: "What's going on with those eyelashes? "They're HUGE!" Now I understand you may be able to see the eyelashes a little better in that scene but really?! I didn't even know if she was paying attention until she laughed when Glenda said "she's like Jerry's age!" At least I know Pam is present now.

Credits are rolling. She's quiet. Then she sees her name in the Special Thanks. THEN Pam sees the logo at the end. Pam: "HAHAHA, the best part of the movie!"

My mom is Pam. Pam is my mom.

P.S. Yes, I'm living with the fam. Its called 5 years of expensive ass graduate film school. But it's also called HBO money to get your own place by the end of the year. Haha.

My Movie Was Just on TV...And It Wasn't a DVD...IT WAS ON TV!!!

I am excited, shocked, overwhelmed, giddy, confused, motivated, scared, gassed, hungry, even less satisfied than I was before 11:15 pm on thursday february 4th, 2010 and also hurt. These are all the things that I am feeling at this very moment. I can't believe that our little film made it to the big little screen for all the country to see. Whether anybody outside of my friends and fb friends saw it is irrelevant. My family and I saw our hard work exhibited on television. Of course, you always dream big in whatever you do. You spend all this time trying to convince yourself that those dreams are gonna come true. Very few people are comfortable enough to tell you that more than not, those dreams aren't going to become reality. But for one night, I was able to live in a dream. I saw my name on tv. I saw my producer's name on tv. I saw my dp's name on tv. I saw my editor and production designer and my wonderful, talented and committed actors on tv. I saw my hard ass working and amazing crew's names on tv. We all got a chance to live a dream for a night. We were able to tell a story to an audience that may have never met a family like the Dominguez family. We told a story to an audience that may very well be the Dominguez family. We made an audience FEEL something. The small short film born from my heart, cultivated at NYU, inspired by the honesty of everyday living and executed by wonderful people lived a dream today. Now it's time to make the next dream a reality. P.S. I'm sorry if this makes no sense. I'm on cloud 9 right now and just blurted out anything that was in my head.

P.S.S. I'll explain the hurt in another post.