Mission Statement
Housing Problems, the documentary I was making, has hit the wall for the last time. Olly came over today to help me film some of it, in particular an interview with one of my former clients at Cleveland Housing Advice Centre. After all the trouble Olly had taken to get here and I'd taken to arrange the interview, the bastard didn't turn up, and something just clicked inside me.
Why am I still doing this? Why am I rolling the stone up the hill? Why, after spending nearly seven months doing this bastard thing, am I nowhere near completion? Why am I putting so much faith in people, and the weather, and technology, when it's clear that these things are letting me down time and time again?
So I decided to hash it out with Olly; what kind of film should we make? I'd like to do something that's quite inventive formally, and I'm feeling very inspired by the cinema of Andrew Kotting, Werner Herzog and Abbas Kiarostami - all people who make great cinema out of the world around them. These are the things that set us free.
The things that limit us are as follows. There is seemingly nobody in Middlesbrough who wants to talk to us about anything. We have a microphone and sound recording systems, but they are crap. I don't want to appear in the film and neither does Olly, as we both hate the sound of our own voices. We don't know any actors, but are open to getting to know some.
We discussed things with a completely blank slate in front of us. Should we make a silent film? (Earlier, we had collaborated on a silent short, They Do It With Mirrors, that had been a much easier and happier shoot) Perhaps we could make a film about my granddad - he'll never let us down, and has some great stories to tell. But what sort of shape could such a film take? Perhaps we would make a film with one actor and make a sort of documentary around people's responses to him in character. But what character, and who would the actor be? Could we make a film about travelling somewhere? Or about music? Travelling where? What music?
Here's the thing. If you have answers to any of the above questions, post them below. If you don't have answers to any of the above questions, post them below. If you can think of an idea for a film we can make cheaply and easily, post below. If you can think of a subject you'd like to see a film about, post below.
Everyone. Post something.
If you'd like to do something in this film or help out in any way... you guessed it, post below. Or even if you just have some random comment or criticism about this post, post the freakin' thing below. I want a complete circus of creativity below me, a real internet brainstroming session, and I will not allow any of you to stop until I've got a film idea.
Why am I still doing this? Why am I rolling the stone up the hill? Why, after spending nearly seven months doing this bastard thing, am I nowhere near completion? Why am I putting so much faith in people, and the weather, and technology, when it's clear that these things are letting me down time and time again?
So I decided to hash it out with Olly; what kind of film should we make? I'd like to do something that's quite inventive formally, and I'm feeling very inspired by the cinema of Andrew Kotting, Werner Herzog and Abbas Kiarostami - all people who make great cinema out of the world around them. These are the things that set us free.
The things that limit us are as follows. There is seemingly nobody in Middlesbrough who wants to talk to us about anything. We have a microphone and sound recording systems, but they are crap. I don't want to appear in the film and neither does Olly, as we both hate the sound of our own voices. We don't know any actors, but are open to getting to know some.
We discussed things with a completely blank slate in front of us. Should we make a silent film? (Earlier, we had collaborated on a silent short, They Do It With Mirrors, that had been a much easier and happier shoot) Perhaps we could make a film about my granddad - he'll never let us down, and has some great stories to tell. But what sort of shape could such a film take? Perhaps we would make a film with one actor and make a sort of documentary around people's responses to him in character. But what character, and who would the actor be? Could we make a film about travelling somewhere? Or about music? Travelling where? What music?
Here's the thing. If you have answers to any of the above questions, post them below. If you don't have answers to any of the above questions, post them below. If you can think of an idea for a film we can make cheaply and easily, post below. If you can think of a subject you'd like to see a film about, post below.
Everyone. Post something.
If you'd like to do something in this film or help out in any way... you guessed it, post below. Or even if you just have some random comment or criticism about this post, post the freakin' thing below. I want a complete circus of creativity below me, a real internet brainstroming session, and I will not allow any of you to stop until I've got a film idea.