Cynematik • Cyndi Greening

From theatre entrances and shuttle stops to events and information booths, volunteers are everywhere at the Festival. Over 1,200 volunteers dedicate their time to help make the Sundance Film Festival a thriving environment for independent film. If you are interested in volunteering for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival you can submit an application to the Volunteer Department.
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Volunteer Application available online: July 30, 2008
Returning Volunteer Applications due: October 1, 2008
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New Volunteer Applications due: October 31, 2008*
2009 Sundance Film Festival Volunteer Information

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The Beijing Olympics is underway. The opening ceremony aired on Friday. To be honest, I didn’t catch it live. I was busy working on the documentary and lost track of time. Film director Yimou Zhang (whom I adore) was the director of the opening ceremony. I have heard every sort of review from “It was magnificent” to “It was terribly boring and uninspired.” Summers in Wisconsin are not typically spent in front of the television so I never acquired the habit of watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. It barely registers on my television viewing radar. Fortunately, the internet affords me the opportunity to watch it at a later time to find out what all of the commentary was about.

The thing I heard that was most startling was about Taiwan. The Chinese government and the Bush Administration (of course) do not recognize Taiwan BUT their athletes are being allowed to compete in the Olympics. They cannot, however, carry their national flag or have their national anthem played because they are not a nation in the eyes of the communist China. So, they carried an odd flower-shaped symbol that encompasses the Olympic rings and their star. (You can read an excellent summary of the Olympic Committee position at Cup of Cha — formerly Daily Tea Leaves.) One of my former students, Shwuing was from Taiwan. I find myself wanting to call her and ask her opinion about all of this AND to find out what they Taiwanese are thinking with the current “rise” of mainland China in the socio-eco-political arena. I think I would be a tad fearful, if I were Taiwanese.

One of the things I really enjoyed about the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony (albeit a tad late) was the “dance painting” choreographed by Chinese-born Shen Wei The use of human dancers with paint-drenched socks to capture a wall-sized painting of grace and movement was really fascinating. Shen Wei lives in the U.S. but the Chinese invited him to create a piece for the opening ceremonies. During an interview, Wei said he had to leave China to grow as an artist. His work reminded me of a piece I’d seen at the Getty by Bill Viola. I found myself wondering who had inspired whom.

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Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power.
Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

Be fit for more than the thing you are now doing. Let everyone know that you have a reserve in yourself; that you have more power than you are now using. If you are not too large for the place you occupy, you are too small for it.
James A. Garfield (1831 - 1881)

QUESTION:

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The origin of the May Day as a day for celebration dates back to before the birth of Christ. And like many ancient festivals it too has a Pagan connection. For the Druids of the British Isles, May 1 was the second most important holiday for it was when the festival of Beltane held. May Day marked the fertile half of the year with Samhain, the holiday commemorated by the setting of an great bonfire, marking the dormant half of the year. Samhain was one of those ancient New Year rites performed throughout the world. And the fire was said to lend life to the burgeoning springtime sun.

The Puritans frowned on May Day, so the day has never been celebrated with as much enthusiasm in the United States as in Great Britain. But the tradition of celebrating May Day by dancing and singing around a maypole, tied with colorful streamers or ribbons, survived as a part of the English tradition. The kids celebrating the day by moving back and forth around the pole with the the streamers, choosing of May queen, and hanging of May baskets on the doorknobs of folks — are all the leftovers of the old European traditions.

THE MAYPOLE OF MERRY MOUNT is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The people of Merry Mount celebrate the marriage of a youth and maiden. They dance around a maypole and are described as resembling forest creatures. Their festivities are interrupted by the arrival of John Endicott and his Puritan followers. Endicott orders for the people of Merrymount to be whipped. Stricken by the newlyweds, he spares them but orders they be put in more conservative clothing. He also orders the youth cut his hair in the “pumpkin shell” style in order to show the puritan’s strictness.

The story is an allegory for the social tension caused by the Puritans in early America. Endicott and his Puritan followers suppress freedom and individuality, a common theme for Hawthorne. Real joy, Hawthorne seems to be saying, arises spontaneously out of contrasts

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Valentine’s Day is upon us and everyone is thinking of love and loved ones. I am, of course, included in everyone. So, I too am thinking about all of those I have loved and those who love me. These thoughts have been exacerbated because we’re working on the documentary and we’re focused on the narrative throughline of the film. Love as a motivating factor for the Zambian films was the topic of our discussion today. Love of filmmaking, love of students, love of contributing, love of learning. The tight bond of the faculty and crew led to love for one another as a major motivating factor everyone.

There is a popular theory that we humans are driven by LOVE or by FEAR. There certainly was the possibility to be driven by fear when were in Zambia. We didn’t know the country we were visiting, didn’t know what we’d be stepping into, didn’t know how things would work out for us. There are recorded sessions prior to our departure that show me warning the students to be cautious. But, once we arrived, the only thing that seemed important was our love of the project and our desire to get it done. It drove us all to the finish line.

One of my favorite film lines ever was spoken by Bette Midler in Janice Joplin biopic THE ROSE. “Don’t you love to be in love?” she asks her manager. “I love to be in love.” She says it so wistfully, so earnestly, so passionately. Whenever I watch that film, I am struck by what a driving force love is for human beings. And, I am aware of what a driving force love has been for me. The Zambia films taught me that the shift from motivation by the object of one’s affection to motivation as the subject of one’s love makes all the difference in the world. It drives the toads away. It makes all things possible.

As the Beatles sang, “All you need is love. Love is all you need.”

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My brother, Kevin, is serving in Kuwait. I get emails from him every now and then. They always say they’re screened and unclassified. For those who are unaware, we were raised in rural Wisconsin and grew up on a farm. We had animals on the farm and learned to hunt (I know, how barbaric). When he’s not serving in the Middle East, my brother lives in the wilds of Virginia. Apparently, these skills are also helpful in Kuwait. Today, he wrote about an interesting capture he made …

“This bird of prey was trained to hunt animals out in the desert. It was lost by its owner while hunting the day before. I took a piece of meat on a long string and spun it in a circle over my head. I was able to catch it. The owner had put his phone number on the bird’s leg since it was worth about 10,000 KD ($35,000). None of my buddies thought I would catch it but I proved them wrong.”

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BY CYNDI GREENING, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – We’ve found a real jewel in Zambia. Mulenga Kapwepwe, the Chairman of the National Arts Council Board has been a real Godsend. She helped us find fantastic storytellers and a terrific student audience. She’s also deeply committed to capacity-building in the area of fine art and performing arts in Zambia.

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It’s Sunday. Mother’s Day. I took a BIG nap this afternoon (I’m always so tired at the end of semester). While I was sleeping, I dreamed I was in Zambia. It was very real. During one part of it, I was walking on the streets of the capital city Lusaka. I’ve never been to Lusaka but I am certain I was there. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been reading (and re-reading) Jabbes’ script. I’m trying to get the locations down and the production schedule ready. As I read, I picture the people and the city as he describes them. I think that is why it is so real. I’m working to imagine what we’ll need for the production, so I guess it’s becoming very real to me.

Later, in the dream, I was in the village. Last week, Jabbes told me I would have to wear a skirt when we went to the more remote parts of the country. Anyone who knows me knows that I haven’t worn a skirt for years! He described some sort of wrap-around thing that sounds lovely (for people who wear dresses). So, I was wandering the village in my wrap-around skirt. The sun bathed everything in a golden glow. I was so disoriented when I woke up. I couldn’t figure out where I was. I guess that means I’m ready to go.

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I got a great email from former MCC Animation student Jordan Pack last week. He writes, “Cyndi, your class on After Effects has saved my butt so many times! All the other animators ask for help when using it and then ask where I learned it. I proudly say, A school in AZ called MCC!” Stephen Glauser from MCC just got in the animation program, too. Lotsa fun.

Here is my final from last semester — http://www.iamthefro.com/BatGuyWeb.avi. I start character animation and Renderman coding next semester. Oh boy! I also made a goofy little film about the insanity of advertisements for the class that former MCC student Jarod Cardon was a Teachers Assistant in — http://www.iamthefro.com/TheAdvertsWeb.avi.

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Sometimes, I sit down to blog and I find myself lost in the blogosphere for hours. Tonight, I started looking for video FX sites and found a site with GREAT how-to’s, interviews and clips. And, it’s shockingly speedy on the download. I strongly recommend VFX Guide and, in particular, the making of the Guinness “Rhythm of Life” Ad. In addition to viewing the Guinness Ad you can also watch a “Making Of” Interview.

Josh Oakhurst has posted an enlightening dialogue on his site. Take a look at Steven Soderbergh and Mark Romanek on Digital Filmmaking. And, Self-Reliant Filmmaking offered Widgets for filmmakers. All in all, a successful evening.

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Camera with built-in games. Cory Doctorow:
The Fujifilm FinePix V10 is a 5 megapixel camera that also comes with built-in games. I’ve often wondered why the camera in my pocket — which has a fast processor, a big beautiful screen, and a four-way rocker-switch — doesn’t come with a couple thousand video-games, given its capacious memory. Now we’re seeing the start of it. But it’s pretty thin — I want a MAME camera that’ll play every game ever made.

While the value of these games — which include a Space Wars title and a version of Breakout — is debatable, the camera, a little over six ounces and less than an inch thick, is no slouch. The V10 has a three-inch L.C.D. screen and a 3.4-times optical zoom lens, and it can digitally zoom up to 5.7 times. It will cost $349 when it is released in March.

Link

(Thanks, Alice!)

Update: Ask and ye shall receive: here’s MAME running on a big old Kodak digital camera — (Thanks, Alex!)

[Boing Boing]

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Vintage computer gear — 6,000 pounds of it — for sale.. Xeni Jardin:
David Freeman, computer retailer and founder of the Freeman PC Museum, has been collecting computers since 1976. He says: “It is with great regret that we place our PC Collection up for purchase. My own unfortunate disability has forced us to find a good home for the collection. (…) This collection represents 30 years of collecting. Many of these computers are complete systems with all peripherals, software and marketing brochures.” Link to the eBay auction for 6,000 (!!!) pounds of sublimely obsolete devices (thanks doug humphrey via Wayne Correia’s list) [Boing Boing]

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Photographer charged after actor’s Disney party. A photographer has been charged with child endangerment and battery after allegedly pushing one child and striking another with his camera while trying to photograph the actor Reese Witherspoon. [Film Unlimited]

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The U.S. base in Kirkuk was under attack for five hours yesterday. According to Reuters, “Shells and rockets screamed into the night sky after the attack on the U.S. base at an airport on the edge of the northern oil hub city of Kirkuk.

“You can see rockets flying and landing all over the base,” a Reuters correspondent said from a vantage point some 500 yards from the base’s perimeter, as thick black smoke poured over the city, some 150 miles north of Baghdad.

Loudspeaker announcements could be heard on the base warning troops to stay under cover but there was no sign of ambulances or firefighting vehicles in the city of 700,000, which was under curfew after dark because of regular guerrilla violence. Mortar and rocket attacks on U.S. bases are almost daily occurrences across Iraq.”

Because of Andra, I track Kirkuk in particular. Across Iraq, food is being rationed (many bases are only providing two meals a day now) and violence is on the rise. It’s very disconcerting. While we have known of the daily base attacks, this sustained 5-hour guerrilla attack is definitely a turn for the worse.

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“Facts do not cease to exist just because they are ignored.”
    Aldous Huxley (1894 - 1963)
    English Author

“A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.”
    Robert Heinlein (1907 - 1988)
    Science Fiction Author

“The ‘teen years’ are God’s gift to help parents let their children leave.”
    Author Unknown
    Said by an adult when I was a teen,
    I undertstand it differently now.

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