Saturday, February 2, 2008

Finally...

I'm back from Toronto and already getting ready for Edmonton. I've never been, I hear that it's a happenin' town though. All I know is that there is a spa in our hotel and a big jacuzzi and pool. It can't be that bad.

I worked on a music video calledBlack Mirror for the Arcade Fire this summer and it finally came out. I assisted the art director. Our main inspiration was German Expressionist Cinema. We built almost the whole set together, with some help from some very generous friends at times. This was my first experience working with just green screen. It was definitely a challenge. As I watch the video, I notice that some of the things that we made didn't seem to make the cut. One of these took the most time for us to build, this iceberg:


Or this abstract thing that represents the tip of a boat sinking. This was a very large part of our budget to get it built:

That little boy didn't make the cut either. He was so excited to do this. That's show business, I guess.

Some things did make it in. The shots with the people in the sea was shot in the green screen studio. We bought a used outdoor pool, built it in studio, lined it with black velvet, and filled it for 2 days with a small hose. The poor actor that plays the main character was soaked for almost the whole two days. He had been cast the day before and had no idea what he was getting into. That water was cold. I know because I had to get in there myself at one point.


Here's a picture of the cave that he's walking in.


We also built the costumes for the triangle people.



For a two day shoot, this video was definitely challenging. I got to work with some really hard working, good people. I'm happy that it's out though. One part of my work that I find difficult is the amount of dedication that I have before and during a production, and then basically being cut out until one day I hear that there will be a screening or that it's out on the internet.Maybe it's because I started as a film maker and that's why I'm so attached to the whole process. It's usually so difficult to get my own copy of the work. The other day, I went for an interview to work on a film and they asked for examples of my work, I only had some pictures from shoots and I really had to search for even a quick time. I'm getting a bit tired of thee process to be honest. I'm hoping to make my own film this spring or summer... we'll see what happens.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey, I watched it and I think it looks great. Then I read a chunk of your blog! And now I leaving a comment to show that I've done these things and that I'm solid friend. BTW, I'm probably playing hockey and going to see a movie with your boyfriend this sunday while you're hanging at the Edmonton mall. Jealous?

*safe solvent™ said...

tom fennario on a blog! what's next??

Liz F said...

Thank you so much for sharing that!! Love how so much story can be packed into only a few minutes.