Cynematik • Cyndi Greening

Today, I was conversing with Jason Cacioppo the mad genius who started SUBVOYANT, the editing house in NYC. In addition to being a creative visual artist, he’s quick on the keys! He can edit with the best of ‘em. We got to discussing MOTION TRACKING. He was talking about how nearly every project requires some sort of motion tracking.

For 1-point tracking, he was saying that APPLE’s SHAKE was a good piece of software. For 2-point PLANAR tracking, he said there just wasn’t anything better than MOKEY. He even said they offer a download that allows you to learn how to use the tracker (and render low-res jpgs) before you buy. They also have the aptly titled MONET which makes compositing and rotoscoping incredibly fast and efficient.

SUBVOYANT was featured on the MOKEY site because of a SUNKIST COMMERCIAL that was a success because of the software.

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While I’d heard of those motion tracking programs, the next one he mentioned was new to me. PIXEL FARM’s 3-point tracking software will track your objects in three dimensions! PF TRACK can be integrated with 3D programs like LIGHTWAVE and MAYA. It works with LIVE ACTION footage, too. If you want to stay on the bleeding edge, go check out these programs.

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I’m in New York City for the weekend and I’ve been spending some good quality time with former Mesa Community College student Mike Luciano. Luciano works at SUBVOYANT, a terrific post-production house in New York City. Located on Broadway and Broome, the facility occupies the second floor of this fabulous, suite of studios with stunning views of lower Manhattan. Mike started at Subvoyant in 1997 (working summers) and has worked his way up to Associate Editor. After graduating from MCC (and, subsequently, ASU), Mike moved to the East Coast and went full-time with the company.

In addition to editing commercials (”little movies”), the Subvoyant folks edit a lot of music videos. In his spare time (trust me, he doesn’t have much to spare … it’s already after midnight), he’s editing a Mopreme Shakur film tentatively titled KILLING BORROWED TIME.

Now, the student has become the teacher. Luciano is helping another MCC film student get started in post production in NYC. Alec Edward recently completed his Media Arts course of study at MCC and will begin his studies at the New York Film Academy. Alec is now assisting Luciano with editing BORROWED TIME and production tasks at SUBVOYANT.

I was talking to Mike today and he said one of the neatest things I ever heard a student say. He said, “At MCC, I learned how to do something that I loved, something I could imagine doing for the rest of my life. After you finish school, life is just work and survival. Everyone has to work. It’s good to be doing work that is fun and exciting.”

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“There are two ways of exerting one’s strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.”
    Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1915)
    U.S. Educator

“For one human being to love another; that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.”
    Rainer Maria Rilke 1875 - 1926)
    German Lyric Poet

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As usual, Dave Hudson over at Green Cine Daily has some of the best summaries and reporting on the Berlin Film Festival! Here’s his brief summary and a recommendation to check his site … well … daily, of course!

Best debut film, a new award, goes to Pernille Fischer Christensen for en Soap.

The Alfred Bauer Prize, “for innovation in filmmaking,” presented by Matthew Barney, goes to Rodrigo Moreno’s El Custodio.

Silver Bear for best soundtrack, presented by Fred Roos, goes to - they’ve got to be kidding - Isabella.

Silver Bear for artistic contribution to cinema, presented by Janusz Kaminski, goes to J?rgen Vogel for co-writing, producing and starring in Der Freie Wille (The Free Will).

Silver Bear for best actor, presented by Lee Young-ae, goes to Moritz Bleibtreu for his performance in The Elementary Particles.

Silver Bear for best actress, presented by Armin Mueller-Stahl, goes to Sandra H?ller for Requiem.

Silver Bear for best director, presented by Marleen Gorris, goes to Michael Winterbottom and Matt Whitecross for The Road to Guantanamo.

The last Silver Bears, the Jury Grand Prizes, presented by Yash Chopra, go to en Soap - naturally, Pernille Fischer Christensen was nearly in a state of shock - and to Jafar Panahi’s Offside.

And the Golden Bear, presented by jury president Charlotte Rampling, goes to Jasmila Zbanic’s Grbavica. A grateful Zbanic issued a plea to capture the war criminals still on the loose, years after the Bosnian conflict has resolved.

All in all, a big year for small movies with small budgets.

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A Scanner Darkly trailer. David Pescovitz:
Here is the new trailer for A Scanner Darkly, Richard Linklater’s adaptation of the surreal SF novel by Philip K. Dick. Coming July 7. Seen here, Bob Arctor removes the scramble suit that hides his identity by constantly flickering through visual characteristics of other people. Very trippy.
Link to Quicktime file (Thanks, Dave Gill!)

UPDATE: BB reader Shawn Geddes writes, “If you check out the scenes in the trailer where a woman is monitoring Keanu’s character, you’ll notice scrolling text on her monitor. The scrolling text in these views comes from the screenplay for “Blade Runner.” [Boing Boing]

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For Minorities, Signs of Trouble in Foreclosures. The increase in foreclosures could be the first of a wave of financial distress for many minority homeowners. By VIKAS BAJAJ and RON NIXON. [NYT > Home Page]

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Close-Up on the SXSW Theaters for 2006. For your pre-planning purposes, this is a reminder of our venues for the 2006 SXSW Film Festival: 1. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Downtown 2. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema S. Lamar (TWO SCREENS) 3. Arbor Great Hills 4. Austin Convention Center 5. Dobie Theater 6. Paramount Theater… (Matt Dentler’s Blog). [blogs.indieWIRE.com: Independent Film]

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Animation celebrates its 100th birthday. Mark Frauenfelder:
The wonderful ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Project Blog is honoring James Stewart Blackton, the father of animation, on the 100th birthday of the artform.

James Stewart Blackton was a “Lightning Sketch Artist” in Vaudeville billed as “The Komikal Kartoonist”. Inspired by Thomas Edison’s recent invention of moving pictures, Blackton teamed with Albert E. Smith to form the first movie studio, Biograph Films.

Smith and Blackton created what were then called “Trick Films”… the camera was stopped for a moment while the scene was changed, making things magically appear and disappear; images dissolved from one to another; and shots were double exposed to create ghostly images. In 1900, Blackton experimented with putting his lightning sketch act on film in a movie called “The Enchanted Drawing”, but it was in March of 1906 when he made his most important breakthrough. In a trick film titled “Humorous Phases of Funny Faces” Blackton created what is regarded as the first American animated film.Link

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RenderMan for Maya training released. Digital-Tutors today announced the availability of an interactive training solution for RenderMan for Maya, “Introduction to RenderMan for Maya,” the newest release in an expanding library of interactive video-based training for digital artists… [MacMinute]

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I applied for and was granted a one-year sabbatical by the Maricopa County Community College District for the upcoming academic year. The purpose of a sabbatical is for a faculty member to deepen his/her knowledge in his/her field, explore areas of interest and bring this new knowledge/renewed enthusiasm back to the classroom. As part of my proposal, I proposed to attend the GNOMON SCHOOL to acquire more animation skills. I also proposed to attend the NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY. So, when people ask me what I’m doing for my sabbatical, I’m surprised that I say, “I’m going to Zambia.”

Though I’ll study at GNOMON and NYFA when I get back, my focus from June until October will be supporting and documenting the first dramatic narrative film to be produced in Zambia. That’s right, Zambia. I’m as surprised as anyone. It was certainly nothing I ever thought would appear in my life.

About a year ago, one of my students told me that he was from Zambia and he was in the U.S. to learn how to make films. His goal was to make the first dramatic narrative film in his country AND launch the film industry in his country. Students tell me a lot of things so I nodded and smiled. I did a bit of research and found that there had been no dramatic narrative films in Zambia and only a few documentary clips that had been shot there.

The student, JABBES, continued to study and work on his filmmaking craft. His short films were quite good. They often had a different rhythms and sensibilities than his American counterparts. I found out that he had been a producer/director for Zambian National Broadcasting. He was a teacher for the Zambian Department of Education. He had been the director of national theater, served on government committees and proposed a national film festival.

When I got back from the Sundance Film Festival this year, Jabbes came to ask for my support. He is returning to Zambia in June to shoot his film. He asked me to executive produce the film. I agreed to get on board and I’m really excited about the possibility of helping Jabbes create the first film from AND about his country. I’m on board to support the creation of the first Zambian film about Zambian culture by a Zambian. As an art teacher, I am eager to bring a unique voice and vision from an unrepresented culture to the world stage.

Additionally, I decided to do a documentary about the making of the first Zambian dramatic narrative. Currently, the unemployment rate in Zambia is about 60%. Copper and coffee are the primary exports. Both industries have significant human costs. The country only has about 18% arable land even though is has some of the most spectacular waterfalls, forests and wildlife in Africa. The documentary will provide a look at how someone from a highly-industrialized nation experiences and interacts with the challenges of an economically-challenged nation.

So, in the upcoming months, in addition to blogging about digital filmmaking, fine art, education and animation, I’ll be writing about the First Zambian Feature.

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“No human thing is of serious importance.”
    Plato (427 BC - 347 BC)
    Greek Philosopher

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I spoke with Matt Mahurin last week. You may remember me writing about Matt and his Sundance documentary I LIKE KILLING FLIES. The film was about SHOPSIN’S, a wonderful restaurant in Greenwich Village owned and operated by Kenny Shopsin. An outspoken, creative chef, Shopsin makes the documentary a tasty treat. During the conversation, Matt said I LIKE KILLING FLIES will be in theaters this spring! According to IMDB, the film is being distributed by THINKFilm. Be sure to watch for it in your local theaters.

Matt is a terrific artist, illustrator, photographer and filmmaker. He’s done some memorable portraits of folks like Tom Waits, Queen Latifah, David Letterman, Courtney Love, and Marilyn Manson. You may recall that Matt has produced music videos for Peter Gabriel, U2, REM, Tracy Chapman, Sting, Bonnie Raitt, Ice-T, Metallica, David Byrne and Joni Mitchell.

Matt was in L.A. editing his new feature film, FEEL. The screenplay for the film was actually written before I LIKE KILLING FLIES was produced. FEEL was backed by VOX3 FILMS (the same folks who funded the Diane Arbus biopic FUR which stars Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey, Jr.). FEEL is the story of a single day in a massage parlor. Four different men visit looking for some kind of emotional or physical connection. Simultaneously, the film explores the complex emotional experiences of the women who work there. Starring Billy Baldwin, Fiona Lee, Tom Bower, Kevin Corrigan and WRISTCUTTERS Clayne Crawford, I’ve got a good feeling about FEEL.

Matt is married to artist and illustrator Lisa Desimini. Lisa is also a fantastic illustrator! Lisa did the covers for Barbara Kingsolver’s books. Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors and I was so pleased to discover that Lisa created the covers of some of my favorite books! Lisa also illustrated numerous children’s books including TRICK OR TREAT, SMELL MY FEET and GOOD MOUSEKEEPING.

It must be fabulous in their house! Their whole lives are about art. The conversations at the dinner table must be fantastic. No doubt they’ve collaborated intellectually on numerous projects. (Lord knows we’re always talking about our latest projects around the house.) Anyway, they did a book together. Lisa wrote and Matt illustrated the children’s book MY BEAUTIFUL CHILD. In her review of their book, School Librarian, J. Mckee (Pittsburgh, PA) says, “Within its spare text and quiet illustrations lies the powerful message of teaching a child to appreciate the simple things in life through a parent’s unselfish love. This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.” As you can tell by the images on the post, they’re pretty talented people and their work is all around you.

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Well, he’s off to find his future in the bright lights. After 19 years, (yes, I know he’s only 18 but there was the nine months getting ready) of wondering, worrying, watching and praying that he’d grow up happy, healthy and excited about his life … it’s hard to let him go. It’s absolutely bizarre not to be picking him up, taking him here, there and everywhere, nagging him about what he’s not doing. I hardly know what to do with myself!

“Small children give you headache. Big children give you heartache.”
    Russian Proverb

“Children pay little attention to their parent’s teachings, but reproduce their characters faithfully.”
    Mason Cooley (1927 - )
    U.S. Aphorist

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Teen counterfeiters. David Pescovitz:
A 16-year-old was behind a counterfeit money ring in Cincinnati, Ohio that police say may have landed them $5,000 in a couple weeks. He and his cohorts, a 16-year-old and a 21-year-old, were allegedly cranking out the bills to finance a planned drug operation.
Officers stumbled onto the operation when they responded to a break-in at vacant house on Sundale Avenue on Feb. 8, (police chief Paul) Toth said. From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

The adult and one teen were cutting counterfeit bills from sheets of paper.

Toth said officers obtained a search warrant for the house next door - the residence of the 16-year-old alleged ringleader - and found the computer and paper being used to produce the fake money.

The boy’s parents apparently were unaware of the counterfeiting, Toth said.

The computer was used to produce images of older bills, so they wouldn’t have to deal with water marks on the newer bills, said Toth. They were then run in a washing machine or dishwasher to give them a used look. “They were good enough you would not have felt the difference,” Toth said. Link (Thanks, Charles Pescovitz!) [Boing Boing]

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NAPOLEON DYNAMITE director Jared Hess is exploring the dark side of pro wrestling with NACHO LIBRE … not really … he’s sticking to his comic bent by directing a wildly original comedy about Nacho, a lowly slop cook at an orphanage who secretly dreams of becoming a famous Mexican wrestler. Moonlighting in disguise, he is ultimately exposed and excommunicated by the church. But when he defeats Mexico’s most feared Luchador, and gives his winnings to the orphans, he becomes a local hero.

If this photo of Jack Black isn’t enough to get you grinning, you might want to check out the other images and trailer on the site listed above. SCHOOL OF ROCK writer Mike White penned and produces another Jack Black comedy.

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