Went to see two more films on Sunday as part of the LFF.
Silent souls was a Russian film and again limited dialogue with some narration from one of the characters, which it could have done without, or found another way to speak. Some things were good to explain but perhaps some other way or overall it could have been cut. BUT I found this film quite moving, and quite stark too. Slightly mesmeric in it visual imagery, repition, slow long shots, incredible music.
Even some sympathy with the man at times, though he knew he was with a very young woman who 'obeyed' him. All the films I have seen express women's oppression... The woman is dead in this and its the ritual of what someone does in this small area of Russia, but it tells much about her life and how her husband used her. Sickening and sadning.
Stray Bullet was more mainstream in its narrative and form, a woman who didn't want to marry her uncle in the context of the war/s ongoing in Lebanon. Great titles which made me think it was going to be even more interesting as a form but it wasn't.. gave me a direction. Sat in for the Directors Q & A the director asked, did she win? He said with a smile, leading us... Another man in the audience said yes, she didn't marry him. That's right, she was made to leave her home, her mother was shot and she ended up in an asylum! 'Course she fucking won!?
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Saturday, 16 October 2010
Winters bone
Watched this at Rich Mix with Sophie yesterday. Glad to have called her, she had been asking people in Liverpool about the project the day before, she has a committed considered energy, probably doesn't realise how important it is.
A very moving, sometimes shocking journey of a young woman trying everything, anything to save her home. Holding the hands of the man who took you there as they are sawn off is fucking harsh.
Very few words are spoken, long shots and a tension built. One of the best things I have seen this year.
A very moving, sometimes shocking journey of a young woman trying everything, anything to save her home. Holding the hands of the man who took you there as they are sawn off is fucking harsh.
Very few words are spoken, long shots and a tension built. One of the best things I have seen this year.
Friday, 15 October 2010
Flack seeds and surrealists...
Accidently passing the Tate, we step in...and off to my favourite floor. I should know so much more, remember but I don't, so here... just the walls of the floor, I love the text.
On the way out we looked at the Flax seeds... at a distance they do little for me, or her. The film by Kate Vogel of the process of producing these was good.. stunning shots but the tension between the artist who wants to feel the workers who made them were connected and the workers materiality in relation to this. Will they ever see what he did, be part of it at the end? Enjoy? Reflect? Or wait and hope for another job, a better job as food falls off the table into greedy mouths of our leaders. Stolen.
Purple Cake is a possibility...a visual protest. Our protest. Protest how you feel comfortable or are we way to self and media concious? Its a luxory to be here. And K said all the people like us are cleaners and security, she's right. But we have the right to be here too, perhaps even more right, right now.
Purple Cake
Its not what you say but might do... Might we?
Wear Purple, share cake...
Each day, each hour, each moment is filled, what do we do, what can we do?
Looking towards each other for answers and together to be stronger.
I need to work out the difference between a United Front and a Popular Front too.. what is it we are aiming for?
Wear Purple, share cake...
Each day, each hour, each moment is filled, what do we do, what can we do?
Looking towards each other for answers and together to be stronger.
I need to work out the difference between a United Front and a Popular Front too.. what is it we are aiming for?
Thursday, 14 October 2010
NSSN website
One organisation I work within is the NSSN. Its been a breath of fresh air in the challenges that I have faced with Stalinist officials and those whose class interests keep them limited in their view of the world...
So this year I helped develop a facebook page. In 21 weeks we have gone from no 'friends' to 536, the biggest flurry was to start, then building for conference gave us another 100 then the lobby and recently it seems to be one or more a day. We have another conference in January so that will lift us. I hope for 700 by then.
Meantime I have been the person who writes a weekly bulletin, yes me! Its nuts but thought I would start the ball rolling with short updates of disputes and demos linked mainly to industrial issues as thats the purpose of the network and focus.
It was good, has been good to do, cyber politics and profile raising.. if we're not online, we're not alive! Hmm.. hate that but with a media that does not and has not represented society and industrial action and issues fairly then making use of tools that help is important. With NSSN we have a limited website, infact it drives me mad now.. a re-design is due as the form it takes stops people engaging in the content. As such there are perceptions about the depth of the network and its reputation. Another campaign has no grass routes meetings, events, campaigns or the kind of TU backing we have but has a stunning website and they have profile raised through that and the use of celebs... but the 'celebs' for us are us....Anyway, its now just about to be re-designed, got a young man to start the ball rolling and suggested how it might be organised. Would love to spend time on the look but can't so how it might gently appear but importantly what will go where, timescale it, and re-launch it...I think it will help us and right now, we need to share information as effectively and effeciently as possible.
So this year I helped develop a facebook page. In 21 weeks we have gone from no 'friends' to 536, the biggest flurry was to start, then building for conference gave us another 100 then the lobby and recently it seems to be one or more a day. We have another conference in January so that will lift us. I hope for 700 by then.
Meantime I have been the person who writes a weekly bulletin, yes me! Its nuts but thought I would start the ball rolling with short updates of disputes and demos linked mainly to industrial issues as thats the purpose of the network and focus.
It was good, has been good to do, cyber politics and profile raising.. if we're not online, we're not alive! Hmm.. hate that but with a media that does not and has not represented society and industrial action and issues fairly then making use of tools that help is important. With NSSN we have a limited website, infact it drives me mad now.. a re-design is due as the form it takes stops people engaging in the content. As such there are perceptions about the depth of the network and its reputation. Another campaign has no grass routes meetings, events, campaigns or the kind of TU backing we have but has a stunning website and they have profile raised through that and the use of celebs... but the 'celebs' for us are us....Anyway, its now just about to be re-designed, got a young man to start the ball rolling and suggested how it might be organised. Would love to spend time on the look but can't so how it might gently appear but importantly what will go where, timescale it, and re-launch it...I think it will help us and right now, we need to share information as effectively and effeciently as possible.
Memory - Test
Was just reading a book - (and tempted to look at my notes for the names) one chapter relates to a postgrad project of several students who worked together and each one would pick a theme and then speak about it. Afterwards they would write up notes about that experience, those who presented and those who didn't. It was expected people write up in an hour, no more, to stop the self censorship. Interesting, like morning pages and also surrealists.. how do we know what we right is how we feel, what we recall.
Made me comfortable and happy to give myself this again as I worried, after reading some of the notes how badly it was written... who might read it and what they would judge from this. Somehow I seem to have had a few more people read this than I have shared an odd page with..Latvia and Isreal are two areas.
That book was one of 3 I scrimmed earlier, another chunky one called the art of memory. Decided not to take that, due to its weight, its heavy, and full of Greek history on what people did and how and examples across history. It draws me but I can't, don't wish to take all my time up there, however interesting. But would it give me ways of reflecting on how mine works in a historical context and what I could learn from that. I learn with you, through you.
What else today?
Doc lecture and film earlier: PT & Second years
Began with SELF REFLEX FILM - THIN BLUE LINE
I still think its got as much poetry and expos and performative elements as Self Reflexive.
Titles incorperate the thin blue line, as many films I have recently seen, the title visualise and incapsulate the aim and intention of the film. I liked this and thought I might fall asleep in the warmth of the room, and general sleeplessness but it was engaging and the reconstructions worked well as well as the delicious images: The clock, the milkshake thats thrown away, the red light (anger, energy, stop the injustice, circular) repeated and well used. I like the frame within frames of one shot that had us looking into the window framed, and with another frame of the building. I loved the use of text and ECU of typing, it looked beautiful and I want that and have that within 47. Past and present, what you have said and what was done.
The work of the filmmaker was to explore the 'truths', examine them with the camera, through converstion and some previous documentation and in the process of developing relationships unravel the injustice. Within a year Adams was released. The truths that people imagine and have been fed that the moving image, that documentary is the whole truth, as opposed to the constructed, pre determined artifact that it is.
Thought about why re-construct? Take us away from H & S shots, visualise the moment, show not tell. The facts of the case exist in writing but thats not enough to speak and explore with others, visualise it. Breathe in and feed upon it.
I drew shots instead of writing mountains of notes that I do, though I did that too. The process of writing as I hear helps me focus, remember, think, even if I have heard about it. Painfully fast and slow at times..
He was also encouraging us to this arty... what else could this film be about beyond the story, beyond your basic subject. It is a film after all.... I like that, it gives me a pit stop in the battle ground of my mind. I have one heavy part of me that knows that working in the way I would like to will limit the audience.. on another would I be dis honest and going against what I see and feel. I perform resistance daily.. in some many groups and moments... do I wish to create a populist piece on this period? Yes and No, it wouldn't make sense.
Made me comfortable and happy to give myself this again as I worried, after reading some of the notes how badly it was written... who might read it and what they would judge from this. Somehow I seem to have had a few more people read this than I have shared an odd page with..Latvia and Isreal are two areas.
That book was one of 3 I scrimmed earlier, another chunky one called the art of memory. Decided not to take that, due to its weight, its heavy, and full of Greek history on what people did and how and examples across history. It draws me but I can't, don't wish to take all my time up there, however interesting. But would it give me ways of reflecting on how mine works in a historical context and what I could learn from that. I learn with you, through you.
What else today?
Doc lecture and film earlier: PT & Second years
Began with SELF REFLEX FILM - THIN BLUE LINE
I still think its got as much poetry and expos and performative elements as Self Reflexive.
Titles incorperate the thin blue line, as many films I have recently seen, the title visualise and incapsulate the aim and intention of the film. I liked this and thought I might fall asleep in the warmth of the room, and general sleeplessness but it was engaging and the reconstructions worked well as well as the delicious images: The clock, the milkshake thats thrown away, the red light (anger, energy, stop the injustice, circular) repeated and well used. I like the frame within frames of one shot that had us looking into the window framed, and with another frame of the building. I loved the use of text and ECU of typing, it looked beautiful and I want that and have that within 47. Past and present, what you have said and what was done.
The work of the filmmaker was to explore the 'truths', examine them with the camera, through converstion and some previous documentation and in the process of developing relationships unravel the injustice. Within a year Adams was released. The truths that people imagine and have been fed that the moving image, that documentary is the whole truth, as opposed to the constructed, pre determined artifact that it is.
Thought about why re-construct? Take us away from H & S shots, visualise the moment, show not tell. The facts of the case exist in writing but thats not enough to speak and explore with others, visualise it. Breathe in and feed upon it.
I drew shots instead of writing mountains of notes that I do, though I did that too. The process of writing as I hear helps me focus, remember, think, even if I have heard about it. Painfully fast and slow at times..
He was also encouraging us to this arty... what else could this film be about beyond the story, beyond your basic subject. It is a film after all.... I like that, it gives me a pit stop in the battle ground of my mind. I have one heavy part of me that knows that working in the way I would like to will limit the audience.. on another would I be dis honest and going against what I see and feel. I perform resistance daily.. in some many groups and moments... do I wish to create a populist piece on this period? Yes and No, it wouldn't make sense.
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