What's Happening In Kosovo...

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

What's Happening In Kosovo...

As I am typing away,"Stick & Pound" is probably screening right now in Kosovo at Dokufest! I do really wish that I was there. Many thought that I was crazy when I announced that I was going to fly to this eastern European nation known for inter-ethnic tensions for the screening. I see it differently. This would have been an experience that not many could say that they've had. Anybody can go to Paris, London, or New York, but how many can say that they made it all the way over to Kosovo for a film festival? I've always been an off the beaten path kinda guy, and this trip would have given me unusual material to blog about. Unfortunately, flying out to Kosovo would have cost me an arm, a leg, and a few internal organs, so I had to decline the adventure. I stand behind every IDOM production, and I want to be there for every screening of our work. For this very reason, I am bummed. However, there will be more film festivals in the future, and hopefully, these will be at venues where I can afford to go to!

Synopsis

Within the last few years documentaries have entered into a renaissance period. Filmmaking tools are now so affordable that anyone willing to invest the time and energy to tell a story can do so. Audiences have finally realized that some of the most compelling stories come from the truest form of drama—documentary films.

It has become obvious that there is no shortage of engaging stories, aspiring artists wanting to tell them, places to screen them, and people to view them. With that in mind, and after seeing the impact the 48 Hour Film Project has had on the independent fiction filmmaking scene across the country, Doug Whyte, Director of Media Arts Programs for KDHX, developed the International Documentary Challenge. A documentary filmmaker himself, Whyte saw the potential an event like this could have on the documentary filmmaking community.

An event like the Doc Challenge is a great opportunity for up-and coming documentary filmmakers to broaden their skills. It is a somewhat ridiculous notion to think of completing a film in just 5 days, especially a documentary, which often can take years to finish. But that, in essence, is the point of this competition—to encourage documentary filmmakers to work straight from their instinct, make quick decisions and finish a creative project under pressure. When making a film in 5 days, one learns a lot about what is and isn’t important in filmmaking—lessons that will never be forgotten.

In addition, an event such as the Doc Challenge can strengthen the documentary community as a whole. To have throngs of filmmakers out in their communities making films at the same time has several impacts:

1) Many short documentaries for viewers to watch at public screenings, on TV and on the internet;

2) More press and exposure for documentary filmmaking as an art form;

3) The filmmakers, all under the same restraints, will bond with each other by sharing war stories from their week of intense filming and editing; and

4) The community in which the filmmakers live will recognize the presence of documentarians in their area.

The Doc Challenge is an event that appeals to both novice and professional filmmakers alike. Novice filmmakers have the opportunity to go through the whole filmmaking process in less than a week, learning the art of documentary production in a trial by fire situation, and professionals have the opportunity to work on a creative, personal project without having to commit years of their life. In the end, the International Documentary Challenge is just plain fun, for the filmmakers, the subjects and the viewers.

FILMS

All The Eights, 88
City/Country: Sydney, Australia
Genre: Biography/Character Study
88 year old Betty Van Acker, champion bingo player, shares her secrets to finding luck in life.

Ars Magna
City/Country: Seattle, WA, USA
Genre: Biography/Character Study
Cory Calhoun, creator of the famous Hamlet anagram, is an average guy with an obsession for finding meaning in jumbled phrases.

The Art of Balance
City/Country: New York, NY, USA
Genre: Sports
In a society where singular dedication to a career seems like the only way, Gary Synder struggles to balance two lives and thrive as both an art dealer and an Aikido instructor.

Beholder
City/Country: Brooklyn, NY, USAGenre: First Person
An autobiographical film about a photographer's evolving perspective of New York City.

Bend & Bow
City/Country: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Genre: Experimental
Natalia Paruz reveals the moment that changed her life and how she became known as the "Saw Lady" to millions of New York subway riders.

Click Whoosh
City/Country: Seattle, WA, USA
Genre: Historical
An homage to a familiar fixture of popular culture that now teeters on obsolescence.

Ghost Bike
City/Country: Toronto, ON, Canada
Genre: Art
This documentary explores the grassroots "ghost bike" movement - why are these mysterious white bikes being placed in cities all over the world?

I=me2
City/Country: Sherman Oaks, CA, USA
Genre: Experimental
The parallels and divergences of twins Chris and Kevin--twice the documentary in the same low running time.

Ice Fishing
City/Country: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genre: Sports
As the ice fishing season comes to a close, families and friends drive to their huts on the frozen lake to get away from the city, breathe fresh air, drink a few beers and fish one last time before the surface of the lake melts away.

Jetty
City/Country: Portland, OR, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
A "Mom and Pop" fishery on the Oregon Coast is threatened by an ecologically unsustainable crabbing policy.

Meet The Freegans
City/Country: Portland, OR, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Steve is an educated man. A school teacher. A homeowner. He also enjoys eating food from dumpsters.

Pennywise: The Changing Face of Change
City/Country: Silver Spring, MD, USA
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Reflections on the cultural value and economic insignificance of the American one-cent coin.

Red Light Blues
City/Country: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Genre: Social Issue/Political
Could this be the Swan Song of the world’s oldest profession?

Stick and Pound
City/Country: Foster City, CA, USA
Genre: Art
A documentary that explores the rhythmic language of the Gullah people.

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It Donned On Me?

For the past few years Evan Donn has been teaching classes in After Effects and Final Cut Pro in the Multimedia department at College Of San Mateo. Every semester there were a couple of students who just wouldn't go home when the class was over, staying after with a seemingly endless stream of questions about every imaginable aspect of video production. Many of them returned semester after semester for whichever class Evan was teaching at the time.

In the spring of 2006 Evan taught a new class called DV Workflow which consisted almost entirely of these "irregulars". DV Workflow became essentially an 'everything but the kitchen sink' type of class covering the entire process of video production with an emphasis on producing video for the web.

As part of DV Workflow every member of the class had to produce an episodic video series for the web. This led to various members teaming up to work on each others' videos as well as providing valuable input on the finished videos during class screenings. When the class ended everyone felt that the working dynamic of the group was worth continuing.

Led by Chief Instigator Tony Nguyen they dubbed themselves 'The Evan Donn School of Film' and began holding quarterly screenings of everyone's current work. In 2006 several members of the group attended one of the 48 Hour Film screenings, and they all walked out with the same thought - we can do that.

From that point on the quarterly screenings took on a new direction as 'challenges' were thrown out with criteria similar to the 48 Hour Film Project. This helped prepare the team members for the challenge of building a short film around a character, prop and line of dialogue.

As the 2007 competition drew closer Mr. Nguyen once again took the lead and signed up the team for the San Francisco 48 Hour Film Project. Put on the spot to come up with a team name he considered and rejected many possibilities before the ideal name 'donned' on him...

Despite their history the San Francisco competition was the first time all members of the team had worked together on a single project. Everyone jumped right in and the result was our first short film - 'Urgent Care'.

Despite incredible audience reaction to the film, 'Urgent Care' failed to win either the audience or juried competition for San Francisco. However, the team was selected by competition sponsor Visa as one of ten teams from San Francisco to compete in their national "Life Takes" Invitational against teams from New York and Los Angeles.

With only one film in the can, Evan decided the team needed a little more practice before the Visa competition. Unbeknownst to the team, he signed them up for the nearby San Jose 48 Hour Film Project and announced it at the cast & crew party for 'Urgent Care'. Fortunately everyone jumped at the chance to hone their skills and prove that the success of the first film wasn't just luck. The result of that effort is 'Doggie Style', the second official film from It Donned On Me.

In September the team came together once again to complete another 48 hour film for the Visa "Life Takes" Invitational. In collaboration with members of the a capella group "Flying Without Instruments" they completed the fantasy film "EXIT".

In October, 2007 the team completed their fourth 48 hour project, the National Film Challenge, producing "Retreat", an existential tale of a horse seeking enlightenment. After this they took a break from high-speed filmmaking for the holidays in order to prepare for the 2008 season.

In March 2008 IDOM kicked off the 2008 filmmaking season with the International Documentary Challenge, producing our first non-fiction film, "Stick & Pound". Selected as a finalist in the competition, 'Stick & Pound' screened in Toronto at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival where the team brought home Documentary Challenge awards for Best Cinematography and Best Directing!

After an amazing first year of competition IDOM came full circle, returning for the second time to the 2008 San Francisco 48 Hour Film Challenge and successfully completing our 6th film, "Tail". 'Tail' brought home the award for 'Best Sound Design' as well as being nominated for Best use of Dialoge and Best Cinematography

Just a few weeks later it was once again time for the San Jose 48 Hour Film project. Despite a rough start IDOM pulled together and created 'TwirlyBoy', possibly our strangest film so far.

With seven very different films completed in a years time some would say it's time to take a break, but not IDOM - this is just the beginning as IDOM tackles new projects and goes in new directions in the quest to become the greatest competitive filmmaking team of all time!

Stay Tuned!

Who Is Quang Khoi?

When Quang Khoi and his family immigrated to the United States from Vietnam back in the mid seventies, his mother decided to give all the kids American names. Nobody could pronounce Quang Khoi, so his mother renamed her youngest son Tony. Quang Khoi's mom is a huge movie buff, and her passion for cinema is evident in the fact that she named her children after movie stars. Though it has never been confirmed or denied, word on the street is that her all time favorite movie is Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO, and that she named her youngest son after that film's leading man, Anthony Perkins. "Tony" is not so bad, considering that Quang Khoi could have ended up being "Norman Bates Nguyen."

These days, Quang Khoi uses his real name when he is acting in film. When he's behind the camera, he goes by his American name, Tony. Quang Khoi/Tony Nguyen inherited his mother's passion for the movies. He enjoys every aspect of film, from playing character roles on the screen to editing time lines in Final Cut Pro behind the scenes. Mr. Nguyen is very proud to be a part of this year's 48 Hour Film Project. Working with the It Donned On Me team has been such a rewarding experience, and he hopes to continue to work this awesome group of people in future projects.

Blogged Arteries - The Unrendered Files

Tuesday, August 5, 2008