Cynematik • Cyndi Greening

BY CYNDI GREENING, ARIZONA, USA – Today, we finished editing the Trailer for BAD TIMING, the Zambian feature film. We finished the Documentary Trailer early in the week. Sometimes, it seems like we’ve been working on these films forever. Yesterday, I started thinking about when and how this all got started. Of course, it all started with Jabbes Mvula. The conversation started in January with a request for camera but by mid-March, we were searching for the means to take a small production crew. I was going through old email and found that it was a year ago almost to the day that I applied for an Innovative Project Grant to fund the flights for a six-person crew to Zambia.

Jabbes wanted to return to his home country to shoot the FIRST full-length, dramatic narrative feature film ever. He wanted to strengthen the film industry in Zambia. We all hoped to share our skills and experience with aspiring Zambian filmmakers. And, most importantly, we wanted to get an authentic, contemporary Zambian story into the global cinema. So, a year ago at this time, I was hoping to go to Zambia, making plans to maybe go to Zambia, but it sure seemed like one heckuva long shot. I was reading everything I could find on Zambia, just in case.

Further research in my email archive revealed that the grants announcment was made on May 2nd. Holy cow, May 2nd. With that announcement, we knew that a six-person crew could go but, by that point, we had 18 students who wanted to spend an unpaid month in Africa helping to shoot the feature (and companion documentary). We pushed out shoot date back to give ourselves more time for fundraising. To be honest, last summer was just a blur. And yet, the pace of the summer seems GLACIAL in comparison to how quickly the time passed in Zambia. That month simply evaporated.

When we got back, time played a gruesome trick. It slowed down to a crawl and then seemed to stop altogether. It seemed to take Herculean effort to move things the tiniest amount. I guess it took a bit to bounce back. Now, I’m happy to report, time is moving forward again at a normal pace. There are times I can’t believe we ever went to Zambia. Then I look at the footage and I go flying back in time, Jeniece says the same thing happens to her. I’m hoping that we can create that sense of immediacy for the audience. That they can have half the fun we did and laugh as easily (and as often.) Stay tuned! Soon you’ll be able to decide for yourself.

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BY CYNDI GREENING, MESA, USA – One of the things I love about teaching is hearing that students took what they learned and turned it into a career they really enjoy. And, I’m particularly lucky because students will take the time to send an email and update me on their progress. It is THE BEST! Last week, I got an email from NATE SMITH. Nate studied desktop publishing, animation and illustration at MCC. Here’s what he had to say:

NATE: “Well I’m still here working for the same company and still learning all the little quirks that there are to know. Within the year, I’ve been named employee of the month, ran the shop on my own for about a week and still get everything done, I’ve done my first professional design for a company’s mural display. I was given a substantial raise recently because of the work I do and my work ethic. And I’m getting color matching certified. That’s exciting. I just wanted to drop you a line and give you a little update on what’s going on here. Also so I just want to say thank you. Thank you for making the choice to be a teacher and sharing your knowledge.”

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love teaching, love computers, love new media. So, teaching students like Nate is (probably) more fun for me than it is for them. I just love talking about that sort of thing. Let’s face it, I just love talking. So, it’s pretty cool that there was something in all of that conversation that he found useful and, more importantly, let me know about it. So, THANKS FOR WRITING, NATE! I wish you continued success in all that you do!

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BY CYNDI GREENING, MESA, ARIZONA – I was watching television a couple of weeks ago and saw one of my digital filmmaking students on the news. Beulah Martin (and daughter Holly) were entering the ALMOST FAMOUS 48 HOUR FILM FESTIVAL. If Tigger were a grandmother, he’d be Beulah. She has boundless energy and even more enthusiasm for a film task you put in front of her. The films that they made tended to make had strong stories and, generally, a fun sense of humor. They didn’t win the festival but they did get their film up in lights. Beulah writes:

BEULAH: Holly and I are still engrossed in trying to learn about filmmaking. We entered the “Almost Famous” Film Festival. Our film did not make top 20, but did make honorable mention out of 81 teams. In fact, we were voted Audience Favorite on the night our film screened at Harkins and so we got to be shown again that Thurs. atthe top 20 screenings. That was a good experience to see our film on the big screen. We do enjoy reading your blog as it helps keep us informed on a lot of things going on in the independent film world.

At one point, Beulah had inquired about going to Zambia. She just loves filmmaking and good stories. I don’t know why she decided not to go … no doubt some other film project came her way.

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BY CYNDI GREENING, PHOENIX, ARIZONA – One of my favorite actresses will make her big screen directorial debut at Tribeca. Mary Stuart Masterson’s THE CAKE EATERS stars and was written by Jayce Bartok. It was widely reported that Jessica Yu (whose film PROTAGONIST debuted at Sundance earlier this year) was being tapped to direct but the role ultimately went to Masterson. The film tells the story of a prodigal son’s return that conjures up old ghosts for three generations of two different families in a small, quiet town. Masterson’s debut feature unfolds the intimate secrets and tensions that compel these families to move forward. Shot in upstate New York, the film also features Thomas Cavanagh, Jesse L. Martin, Kristin Stewart, Aaron Stanford, Bruce Dern, Elizabeth Ashley and Miriam Shor.

I’ve loved Masterson ever since AT CLOSE RANGE. The film starred Christopher Walken, Sean Penn and the late Christopher Penn. Based on a true story about family of thieves, Masterson plays the love interest of Brad Whitewood, Jr. Brad, Senior (Walken) fears that she is a threat to the family gang and decides to “eliminate” his problem. Walken gives a chilling speech about how Masterson is like “a coyote bitch in heat who draws the dogs out into the wilderness so they can be hunted down and killed by the pack.” It is one of the best Walken scenes I’ve ever seen. Masterson’s “entrance” in the film shows the young Penn cruising through the center of town. The camera finds the young Masterson and circles her slowly, like a young man on the hunt.

Early in her film career, Masterson was known for those sorts of scenes. In SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL, she played the best friend of Eric Stoltz. While he poured out his desire for another girl, Masterson gave helpful advice on how to win her over. In the end, they figured out they were attracted to each other. Their cinematic kiss was some kind of wonderful. I recall the headline on the USA TODAY review mentioning that kiss. I’m looking forward to seeing if Director Masterson can generate and capture similar moments between her actors. At least she has a good sense of what those moments look and feel like as an actor.

My favorite Masterson film, by far, is FRIED GREEN TOMATOES. Also starring Mary Louise Parker and Kathy Bates, the film was based on the novel by FANNIE FLAGG. Playing the headstrong Imogene (Idgie) Threadgoode, Masterson inhabited the role and imbued the film with dozens of great moments. The film has been running a lot on cable the last two weeks so I’ve had the chance to catch it a few more times. “The secret’s in the sauce.”

For more information on Masterson and her projects, check out Mary Stuart Masterson.Com. Thanks to Claudia for correction info on Yu.

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BY CYNDI GREENING, ARIZONA, USA – This year, Tribeca will screen 159 feature films and 85 shorts selected from 4,550 film submissions, of which 2,250 were feature film submissions. The films come from 41 countries including Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mali, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Russia, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, U.K., and Ukraine. Eighteen narrative features and 16 documentary features will compete for cash prizes totalling $100,000. The Spotlight section presents a combination of both narrative and documentary films that were created by noted filmmakers.

Reading through the film descriptions for Tribeca, the film that leapt off the page was HALF MOON, a film by Bahman Ghobadi. One of my favorite films of all times is a Ghobadi film, A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES. His newest film took the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian Film Festival. It is summarized as “the story of Mamo, a famed Kurdish musician who obtains permission to cross the Iranian border to give his first concert in Iraqi Kurdistan. But the journey poses endless challenges, especially when he tries to bring a female singer from Iran, where performances by women have been silenced since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.”

Another film that excites me is Jia Zhang-Ke’s STILL LIFE. The film is drama about a Yangtze town that will soon be submerged by the Three Gorges Dam. Like the director’s other films (PLATFORM, UNKNOWN PLEASURES, THE WORLD), it’s an empathetic portrait of those left behind by a modernizing society, and a unique hybrid of documentary and fiction.

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BY CYNDI GREENING, ARIZONA, USA – Every year I think I’m finally going to make it to FULL FRAME DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL. This year, it’s from April 12 – 15 and it’s the TENTH year! It always falls in that time of year that I have trouble getting away because it’s mid-semester (not to mention TAX TIME … and I never have my taxes done early AND it’s all the way across the country in Durham, North Carolina). I recall when FULL FRAME first appeared. It was the year following my first Sundance. It was a small festival then, serving a very small niche market … documentary lovers.

They were so far out in front of everyone else on this one! At Sundance this year, we went to several workshops at the House of Docs. Cara Mertes was talking about how popular documentary films have become and how Sundance is supporting the surging interest. Now, don’t get me wrong, docs have always been supported and popular at Sundance but, in the early days, it felt more like the rest of the festival supported the docs. Now, the docs are holding their own and even surpassing the features in some instances.

Several docs that screened at Sundance are on the Full Frame slate. Among them:

• BANISHED by Marco Williams
• CRAZY LOVE by Dan Klores
• THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK by Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern
• EVERYTHING’S COOL by Judith Helfand and Daniel Gold
• FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO by Daniel Karslake
• MANDA BALA (Send A Bullet) by Jason Kohn
• PROTAGONIST by Jessica Yu
• WAR/DANCE by Sean and Andrea Nix Fine
• WHITE LIGHT/BLACK RAIN by Steven Okazaki

I either saw several of these films or saw the filmmakers on the Panels. MANDA BALA won top awards at Sundance. I personally loved Okazaki’s film. I really wanted to see FOR THE BIBLE and WAR/DANCE. I liked Dan Klores previous film RING OF FIRE: THE EMILE GRIFFITH STORY. Alec and I both really loved that one.

There is a film at FULL FRAME that I am trying to imagine how they’re going to make it interesting … seriously. It’s called HELVETICA … it’s a film about a typeface. You know the film world is getting crazy when they can make a movie about type. Gary Hustwit has made a film about “graphic design and the global visual culture.” I want to see how he pulled this off!

A couple of other films that really caught my attention were THE KILLER WITHIN (about what happens when someone you know and love reveals himself to be a murderer) and ANGELS IN THE DUST (about a family-run orphanage serving children living with AIDS in South Africa).

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BY PAMELA BOWMAN, MESA, ARIZONA — Today, our press credentials to the Tribeca Film Festival were approved. This festival is in New York City. Manhattan. The Big Apple. I have never been to New York City but a year ago I had never been to Africa, either. Manifest and whatever you want can be yours. I have always wanted to go to New York. My grandfather was born there. I want to look up his history and see his house. So I am going to believe that this will happen and then it will.

According to their website, “The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff as a response to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Conceived to foster the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music and culture. The Festival’s mission is to promote New York City as a major filmmaking center and allow its filmmakers to reach the broadest possible audience.” The sixth annual Tribeca Film Festival (my first, however) will run from April 25th to May 6th, 2007. The Festival is anchored in Tribeca (that is the triangle below California) and takes place in additional neighborhoods throughout Manhattan, featuring film screenings, special events, concerts, a family street fair, and panel discussions.

In my experience, good motives breed an environment for creativity and acceptance of new ideas. Even though I graduated in journalism and enjoy covering the indie films and their creators, it is the production of my own ideas and the sharing of my own creative thoughts makes me want to attend this festival. I am excited to learn from others who will share their filmic vision and have inspired one of my own.

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BY PAMELA BOWMAN, MESA, ARIZONA — I love this time of year! I can eat my breakfast on my porch …for two days … and then the nasal drip begins. My eyes get puffy and the allergy breath nauseates even me. I would love to be able to scratch my brain! Anyone have a brain scratcher? Knitting needles? Really long q-tips? So the allergy medicines are purchased and I am back on my bike riding to work. Today I made Cyndi take a break and go outside just to sit in the sunshine. We can only stare at those monitors for so long. I keep going over to the Lakes’ pool before work, during work, after work. It’s not like watching exercise gurus on T.V. I actually swim while I am there! The exercise is invigorating and motivates me to get my work done so I can go play some more. The truth is that I feel like I am playing when I work, but looking out of the office window at the beckoning sunshine is … just … well … more than this girl can take!

I am convinced that finding time to play outside helps the work progress. We are getting things done. We are almost meeting our deadlines. Believe me, this is an improvement! Last week, Cyndi’s family was here. There was a phone conversation she was having with her sister because, apparently, she was supposed to have met them at a restaurant. “I am almost there. I will be right there. Really! I am just exiting the freeway.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She was still sitting at her editing desk! Even if we aren’t actually making a deadline, Cyndi thinks she is! She always thinks she’s going to make it.

With all of the pollen in the air, my head is so stuffy, I can barely remember what day it is. So spring has sprung. Ain’t it great? Hope you indie filmmakers are making your deadlines. If you’re struggling with allergies, let me recommend Benedryl. As a child of the 70’s, I’ve always been told drugs can be a wonderful thing! They make it so much easier to love this time of year … and meet your deadlines … for real!

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BY CYNDI GREENING, ARIZONA, USA — I attended the SXSW Film Festival for the first time last year. I had never been to Austin, Texas (and if I ever spoke of going to Texas, I generally had something fairly disparaging to say about the state) so I was totally shocked at how much I liked the city. Since I’m such a Sundance aficionado, I was even more surprised about how much I loved the festival. Of course I love the films at festivals but there TWO other things that make ache to attend them. First, I adore the panel discussions. The latest trends and current production methods are discussed by industry professionals. These discussions create the second incredibly valuable thing about festivals — access. All filmmaking is about getting connected to the “right” people, the people who can fund your film, star in your film, distribute your film. At the festivals, these normally well-insulated, virtually invisible people become very approachable. There are hundreds of film success stories that start at one festival or another.

SXSW has the MOST extensive panel discussion schedule I’ve ever seen. For the four days of the film festival, they host 17 panels PER DAY. Most panels are comprised of four or five panelists so the depth of knowledge and experience in the room can be quite substantial. (Although, there certainly are exceptions. Last year, I was on a panel about film blogging. It was a whole bunch of fun but, hey, it was me.) Even if you can’t attend SXSW, you can check the Panel Schedule find out who the movers and shakers are in the industry. On Sunday, there was a panel on finding the narrative thread in documentary. I would have loved to catch it.

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