Phoning it In...
I am constantly amazed about how fast technology has advanced, particularly when it comes to cellphones. I still have my "first phone" which I bought in 1997. It is so big (it almost the size of my current home phone) compared to the skinny models that we have access to now. And forget just using the phone for a call. You can send email, text message, download and listen to music, and take pictures, and both watch and capture video footage.
Has the cellphone launched a new era of filmmakers? Gone are the days where one must carry around a video camera, it's as simple as pulling out your phone. And because of the size, the "filmmaker" is practically invisible. Just a few weeks ago here in Chicago, footage was released of a former police officer beating up a bartender. Then, in Virginia last week, the news used a student's footage of the chaos on Virigina Tech campus, also captured on a phone. The images are erratic and a bit blurry but it's clear to see what is happening. The media and audience seemingly has accepted this coverage as a reliable means of journalism, but would they it accept it as entertainment?
This week, Why Didn't They Tell Me It Would Become this bad in Afghanistan, a film shot almost entirely on a cellphone, will play at both the Tribeca Film Festival and the San Francisco Film Festival. The film is told through the eyes of Cyrus Frisch, a Dutch soldier who has returned to Amsterdam, traumatized after a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Frisch has taken advantage of the fuzzy video quality and easy mobility of a cellphone, to create a intimate, experimental film told in the first-person narrative.
I'm curious to see the film myself to see how it stands up as a feature. But nonetheless, I find it truly inspiring that someone has taken what was only used a tool for communication to make art. As the technology continues to advance, I believe this will open up more doors for future filmmakers who use alternative methods to share their story. Indie filmmaking on the rise... you can't beat that.
Long live indie film,
Michelle
P.S. If you are in San Fran or Tribeca and see the film, email me at Michelle@indieIN.com and let me know what you think.
Has the cellphone launched a new era of filmmakers? Gone are the days where one must carry around a video camera, it's as simple as pulling out your phone. And because of the size, the "filmmaker" is practically invisible. Just a few weeks ago here in Chicago, footage was released of a former police officer beating up a bartender. Then, in Virginia last week, the news used a student's footage of the chaos on Virigina Tech campus, also captured on a phone. The images are erratic and a bit blurry but it's clear to see what is happening. The media and audience seemingly has accepted this coverage as a reliable means of journalism, but would they it accept it as entertainment?
This week, Why Didn't They Tell Me It Would Become this bad in Afghanistan, a film shot almost entirely on a cellphone, will play at both the Tribeca Film Festival and the San Francisco Film Festival. The film is told through the eyes of Cyrus Frisch, a Dutch soldier who has returned to Amsterdam, traumatized after a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Frisch has taken advantage of the fuzzy video quality and easy mobility of a cellphone, to create a intimate, experimental film told in the first-person narrative.
I'm curious to see the film myself to see how it stands up as a feature. But nonetheless, I find it truly inspiring that someone has taken what was only used a tool for communication to make art. As the technology continues to advance, I believe this will open up more doors for future filmmakers who use alternative methods to share their story. Indie filmmaking on the rise... you can't beat that.
Long live indie film,
Michelle
P.S. If you are in San Fran or Tribeca and see the film, email me at Michelle@indieIN.com and let me know what you think.
posted by indieIN | 8:09 PM
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