Thursday, June 01, 2006

Notes on Future Films

I am always thinking about my next films. Currently I am attempting to focus my attention on cutting, but that is not a simple transition for me. Particularly now, as I am very distracted by some things in my personal life.
For some films I see a density of information in the frame and for others I see space. Original Glory is wide open - lots of sky and loneliness. Depth and separation of characters from one another and the landscape - emphasizing their inability to connect to the here and now. Perhaps an articulated coming closer as LBJ, the protagonist, is capable of more of a relationship with himself. Made Crooked was in-your-face doc style coverage, punctuated with longer shots that seemed to spy or reveal characters individually or in sub-groups. The density of the frame often depended on random impulses of actors and camera operators. Pendleton will use wider shots to include the landscape of Eastern Oregon and the emotional terrain of its characters. I like the idea of long lenses and wide vistas to flatten the space and emphasize familiarity of scale - father is taller than son, even though son is an adult. Smashing the characters into the land, rooting them there whether they like it or not. That's where they're from. I also like the idea of hanging the characters on a closeline in the distance, not literally but by flattening perspective. Hanging them out to dry.
My grandmother told me a story of how her father used to cut wood in South Dakota when she was a girl. (Aha! I used to stare at maps of South Dakota with longing - but never made the connection that my grandmotehr is from there.) He would jack the car up, remove one of the rear wheels and attach a belt to the axle that would power a saw. I want to rig something similiar in Pendleton for Zach/Clay to cut the wood for the picket fence he builds for his grandmother. But it sounds really fucking dangerous.
I want to experiment with longer interior shots and more intentionally dense frames in our next Actor's Retreat movie, which is tentatively planned for the Fall. I'm thinking of two families living in the same house or going to the same weekend house at different times. I don't know if their experiences are parallel or contradictory, but I like the idea of playing out different characters and their stories in the same space from the same perspective. I am going to rewatch Hou Hsien Hsien's Goodbye South Goodbye for inspiration. It is one of my favorite films. I recommended it to someone a few years ago. When they commented on the ending I was at a loss, for even though I had seen it a dozen times I didn't really care about the plot. I love the way it looks and feels - the story is incidental. Somewhat like Last Days- more of a psycho-spiritual journey than an entertainment.
I saw The Proposition. Ray Winstone was brilliant as always. Danny Huston is the guy that has stayed with me. He has such courage. At least his character did. I'm of the mind that the depth of personal courage that he showed can't be played or acted.
I'm also wondering if Emilio Estevez can act or if he's doomed to wooden characterizations that bank on the familiarity of sharing his infinitely more talented father's voice and demeanor.

Muesli,
Signore Direttore

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