Friday, April 14, 2023

retired.... 2k23

Sooo
Years later 
No equipment
Blogging from my cellphone in a shed instead of from the Collab with icon Sean.
I've stepped down from art to have kids and a wife and a few homes.
New friends new fights new causes. 
It's nothing new.
I'm still making art and still affecting the effected. 
I'm bellow brow because most of my videos are shot on cellphone or disposable camera. 
35 mm is inaccessible for photography and oil paints make you go mad.
The digital revolution came and went. 
The atrophy of the old world is expressing it's growing pains but the digital era and the digital gens are set up for life.
More work to come.
Currently looking for collaborators and Venus. 
Hmu
sotolamarinajorge@gmail.com
As always friends and rivals. 
It's all love. 
-jslm

Monday, January 23, 2012

Digital Cinema has me all Introspective-ey

This is the question prompt we were given to answers, I felt like it helped me understand what direction to go in a bit better. Some of the questions that I am always wondering about my self but have never written down, it will be interesting to read the answers again at the end of the semester. Although this was just an assignment for Digital Cinema Two I figured it would be a good resource for the other classes in case my peers were wondering about what motivates me. 

1, Peculiarities of my life that have made me see with special eyes are…
A large part of my life has revolved around the struggle I have with my social identity. Since I was a child I have been confused about my heritage, Should I ask people to pronounce my name Jorge as it is written or the english variation George? As a first generation immigrant I have many opportunities to be the first in my family to break ground in advanced education and other things, such as career opportunities and amenities that come with being from one of the more influential countries in the world. When I was seven my family moved from South-central Los Angeles, California to Rogers, Arkansas. This move provided a sort of culture shock that I am grateful for as an adult. Moving amplified the interest in my heritage and being an inquisitive youngster I soon realized that the celebration of heritage to the other kids was different from mine. One of the more blaring examples that comes to mind is Thanksgiving, to the other kids it was about being proud of these anglos that came to the new world and made friends with the natives. I had a rather militant cousin who would not necessarily ruin these sorts of celebrations by reminding me that part of my heritage was being conquered by those anglos that I had to color in each year. A side from that, Rogers has a relatively small town feel to it, so being in the South made it a racially charged place for me and my family. I still find it strange that some of the best friends I have are racists who sport confederate flags and hope for the rising of the South. 

2, Conflicts formative in my life are…
As I stated above one of the main struggles that I have faced over my life time have to do with identity. It is strange to think about insecurities in my life when I was growing up. There was a strange while there where I was receiving a lot of flack from other hispanics in my peer group for being "white wash."For those who don't know what that means, "White Wash" is in essence being assimilated in to white culture and turning a cold shoulder to more traditional ways or modes of thinking. This happened to me because of the friends I chose to surround my self with, Nathan Redman was my best friend at the time and his perspective informed a lot of what I found interesting and usually that it was something that most hispanics do not find appealing. I remember that once I was in the hall way during junior high when these two hispanic kids were having this ridiculous argument over whether Catholicism was a Christian religion. When they asked me what I though about the subject I responded that I was an Atheist, a radical thought that me and Nathan had worked out. To make a long story less long, the two boy found my response ridiculous and spread the word of the white wash atheist kid that no one should hang around with. This would have been more devastating to me if I had not have had the support of my good friend Nathan. This experience and many more like it have left me with a resentful taste in my mouth for the ideal of "La Raza" or the interconnectivity hispanics share when regarding one another as extended family. At the same time this Immigrant struggle also effected my work and has been the focus of most of my favorite projects. 

3, Themes I'd Like to Work With…
I've had an interest in alienation and what drives people to disconnecting from their enviroment. What drives us to a point where we want to be isolated and detached. Why do we ignore and detach people who live around us? Horror is a genre of film that I feel examines these sorts of questions. Not necessarily horror as in Saw or Hostel, but instead a more psychological approach to the subject. I find more invested and engaged with slower paced tension filled films opposed to "torture porn" films like I listed before. Maybe not just within horror, just what makes the audience have a complex emotional connection to my subject matter. Getting someone on the edge of their seat is the sign of doing a good job in my opinion, I hope to be able to do this someday soon. 

4, Types of Characters I Empathize with...
Generally I tend to Empathize more with anti-hero characters. Characters that have flawed perceptions or  a skewed system of morals are more interesting to me. For me it is hard to enjoy a film with a character that is perfect in everything and the only struggle he faces is a physical feat or race for a resolution. I enjoy watching a character arch that has as many down points as it has up points. I want a narrative that makes its players confront their demons, not only confront but to explore and question them as well. An example of an anti-hero that fits my fancy is the character Hesher. Hesher is the embodiment of disdain, he love metal music, he follows his own rules, and he has a general disregard for social convictions. The reason he becomes endearing to me though is that he does have a code, and that code might not include open affection for those you care about but it does translate to a deeper concern for other characters within the film which results in exposition and character development.

5, Stories I'd Like to Explore… 
I feel like I have begun to explore some of my personal experiences within my work, but I do feel limited with what I have produced. I want to explore the struggles I have faced as a first generation immigrant. The idea of heritage and the rebellion or appropriation of said heritage. The struggle one faces when regarding the idea of racial obligation and the examination of what that means to individuals. I would also like to develop the narratives of my work in music videos, there is definitely a set mold when reguarding main stream music videos. I want to develop an aesthetic that I can use to relate my ideas. I feel if an audience is exposed to well produced conceptually aware work they are more likely to feel more engaged than if they were approached by a completely experimental or avant guard piece that is conceptually produced but ultimately alienating to the "main stream"audience. 

6, Ways I'd like to act on my Audience are…
I have this obsession with making the people who watch my work question their surroundings or how they feel about a subject. I am a fan of horror movies and so I feel as thought horror is a great medium for conveying large emotions in a small amount of time. I want to take my audience on a roller coaster of emotions. I want my audience to get something different with every viewing of my work. I want layers in my personal narrative that can only be understood once seen through a critical eye. I want my audience to feel comfortable entering a suspended state of disbelief while at the same time being concerned while in that state for my characters and where the narrative is taking them. 

Staying Current

When considering what I do to stay current I found that I should probably invest more time into staying current not only with productions but also with technological aspects of the film industry. Usually I stay current by finding different podcasts that appeal to my tastes in entertainment. I like staying current with a few main sources.

One of the more weekly things that I keep up with is the folks of Film Riot and Film State. Film Riot is a more technically oriented show, with varying subject matter from After Effects Compositing to basic comparison of Video Cameras and film techniques. Film State is a show focused more on coming attractions, critiques of films, and general announcements that I might miss if not for the show. I enjoy these two because of the hosts effort to make a concise infovideo. The people who put it out are also very knowledgeable in their fields. Although I would say that we hold different asthetic ideals or narrative interest, this show does help me stay on the cutting edge of news and "Indie" filmmaking techniques.

When it comes to staying current with Director-al Philosophies I would say that Kevin Smiths Podcast, Smodcast. With Smodcast you are able to hear the process that Kevin Smith goes through when considering film ideas and concepts. It is also interesting to dissect the origin of his ideas, I value this form of staying current the most because of how Kevin Smith uses his personal insights and experiences to produce his material. After being a listener to the podcast for almost a year and a half I can say that Kevin Smith might not be the most versed filmmaker in aesthetic quality in the world but he defiantly brings the kind of candid honesty that I hope my work will show someday.

Another tool that I use for staying on top of the film industry is IMDB. The Internet Movie Data Base is usually on the breaking ground of most film projects. Not only that but it is also one of the most valuable resources student filmmakers should know about in my opinion. If you feel like you have been out of step with Hollywood and even international cinema then a quick scroll through IMDB reveals a plethora of upcoming releases and possible projects to look forward too.

Critical Viewings

I was asked to think of a list of films that I would like to watch and review critically. I was did not want to make it an exclusively art house list, so I have included some films that seem interesting and left me wanting to watch it. Bellow I will list the name of the film, the director, and a link to a trailer for each film. I will start to review these films and will dedicate a post for each including a more in-depth examination of the production team and a critical write up on the story.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil
Directed by Eli Craig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjmhuYgZrow

Giant
Directed by George Stevens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMG_ipol-MI

American Psycho
Mary Harron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jVNmgHKweU

13
Gela Babluani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o503E1Lnyjk

Drive
Nicolas Winding Refn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWX34ShfcsE

Hesher
Spencer Susser
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRfiUfv9NWY

Heart of Darkness
Nicolas Roeg
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110002/

The Shining
Stanley Kubrick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6qDqdYY6-Y

Black Dynamite
Scott Sanders
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96Y24a0cyCE

Boss Nigger
Jack Arnold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Fig_LoBy4

Fargo
The Coen Brothers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB4PmbfG4bw

The Great Dictator
Charles Chaplin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8bVG8XC-4I

2001 a Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU4TQ1NTo50

Full Metal Jacket
Stanley Kubrick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M3sJOmqxEo

Slacker
Richard Linklater
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9f9M6UAYb0

Citizen Kane
Orson Wells
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyv19bg0scg

Clerks
Kevin Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNd8nvnmhyM

Taxi Driver
Martin Scorsese
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k_ZBz30BJA

Half Nelson
Ryan Fleck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNdg2Ds3Fpw

The Evil Dead
Sam Raimi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Bi9mGv1J8

Shame
Steve McQueen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24cjqfVv1fs&feature=fvst

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Terry Gilliam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm7r491n-8o

The Rum Diary
Bruce Robinson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YUx36yLLug

Fantastic Planet
Rene Laloux
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgCxCZNkQ9E

Seven Samurai
Akira Kurosawa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnRUHtSgJ9o

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Short Term Goals

Digital Portfolio
I feel strong with my overall basic materials, I do feel like I have issues with different problems in editing. Mostly with dropped frames. Also I could use a refresher on proper compression, I followed the instructions on the blog but I think I could understand the process for DVD making process.
Dvd Portfolio
My DVD Portfolio was built with help from peers in the class, I understood the process. Although the Step by step instructions were incomplete the basic gist of the process was understood. There are some questions that I still have. One issue that I need help with is getting the text on the main Menu to change. I was unable to bring up the layers tab in the bottom right corner. Also I understand there were some sort of blank spaces that we had to plan, but alas I did not.
Web Portfolio
The Web Portfolio was not as difficult to finish because I have been a long user of Youtube. I also established my Vimeo account earlier this year. Formatting and compressing the files for Vimeo made uploading a breeze and not a very difficult situation. On thing that I did have issue with was the uploading on Withoutabox. I was able to set up and account and project module, but when it came to uploading several attempts yielded no change.

Plans for the Future

Winter break holds a lot of resting with family, apart from that I hope to prepare for the next semester of college. Digital Cinema II and Experimental cinema will not only give me a double dose of Jill but a great opportunity to grow over the spring. Winter time will be used to prepare for future shorts that I want to shoot. I have to come back with at least ten treatments or plans for experimentation. I do not expect on making as many as ten shorts but I hope to have a few ideas to roll with when the semester starts. This summer I will be going to California and Oregon, I will take this opportunity to utilize my girlfriends Medium Format Camera to explore the visual aspects of the frame. I feel that Filming is made better with great camera work, and I know that my weak points include focus and composition.