I was surfing the net, searching for a layout I like for the re-design of Unkreative website and as things happen I stumbled across a review of FIVE on Empireonline's forum. Here it is for your eyes:
FIVE Written by: D.F. Mamea and Anita Crisinel Starring: Richard Thompson, Anita Crisinel, Marjan Gorgani, Andy Sophocleous, Amit Tripuraneni, Tahi Mapp-Boren Running Time: 76 minutes
Wanna hear something crazy? I almost swear I dreamed this last night.
Five is one of those films that not even New Zealanders know about, and, to be honest, I didn’t either, until I saw it on the shelf of my local mainstream video store, a review quote on the front of the DVD sleeve touting it as a “beautifully shot film with a story that any fan of David Lynch’s work will enjoy”. While I am by no means a Lynch fan, I must say that I was intrigued that something coming out of New Zealand could be compared to his work, so I picked it up. However, this slow-burning psychological thriller, in which nothing is what it seems and everything makes as much sense as your typical Lynch film wrapped in a net curtain and thrown in a smoke room, should appeal to more than just the Lynch set, as it overcomes a pretty hefty number of flaws to deliver one of the most strangely compelling New Zealand films I’ve seen.
Five starts off as a fairly conventional tale of five ex-flatmates and good friends who come together to go on a hiking trip a year after the suicide of a close friend of the group and lover of one of them. Belinda (Crisinel) and Rajit (Tripuraneni) are happily engaged; Henry (Thompson) is still a little odd after the Emily’s (Mapp-Boren) suicide; Chris (Sophocleous) is unusually moody and secretive; and Zara (Gorgani) is heading off to Boston in a matter of days. The characters all seem to have secrets hidden from each other, and the film does take its sweet time revealing a fair number of them. However, the plot takes a turn for the fucked-up around twenty minutes in, with Rajit having a crazy dream that slowly begins to come true. I can’t say too much more about what happens, as every minute from then on is potentially a spoiler, but needless to say, shit goes down, and it goes down hard. The almost-painfully slow pacing of the twenty minutes beforehand, developing the characters and making you care for them, is paid off somewhat with the remaining fifty-six minutes, and while the pace doesn’t pick up a hell of a lot, the slow-moving nature of the film does become less noticeable by this point, the obvious Lynch influences, the stunning cinematography (making exquisite use of an environment that really should have been used for many more films of this type before this, the New Zealand forest) and the minimal but noticeable foreshadowing of the plot’s numerous strange developments creating a captivating jigsaw puzzle for the audience to put together and an incredibly ominous atmosphere to go with it.
Of course, as I’ve mentioned, the film faces a fair few hurdles in trying to achieve what it wants to. The score, composed by none less than three different people, is clearly influenced by the work of composers like Angelo Badalamenti (Mulholland Dr.) and Howard Shore (Se7en), but it often fails to match the atmospheric creepiness of their influences; rather, it strays into overly telegraphic territory at some points, and painfully overwhelming and intrusive at others. Much like the films of their primary influence, Crisinel’s amd Mamea’s script also suffers from some rather inane dialogue, and this problem is compounded by some inconsistent acting, particular on behalf of Thompson (worrisome, as he has a key role with some of the juiciest moments) and actor/editor/producer/director Tripuraneni. However, the actors do pull it together when required, and they excel when it comes to small moments, like Rajit’s ill-advised joke to Zara in the car on the way to the national park, or Sophocleous’ delivery of the line, “Just thinking,” one scene after a monumental outburst on his behalf. There’s a subtlety and intelligence to their performances that often buggers off for periods of time before coming back, but when it does decide to stay, watching these five act off each other is intriguing and gripping.
This psychological thriller wears its influences on its sleeve, and this is made all the more obvious by some of the film’s obvious flaws (Crisinel and Gorgani, though both two of the better performers in the film, have nothing on Naomi Watts in Mulholland Dr., whose performance distracted from a lot of that film’s flaws). However, if you get through the first twenty minutes, Five pays off in a way more films should – it keeps you guessing, it keeps you hanging on, and, most importantly, it keeps you captivated, right up until the stunning conclusion. It’s a Lynch-esque film that doesn’t hold pretensions of high befuddlement – it’s a simple tale, but built and executed as such that it’s far more satisfying than the work of that respected auteur, and all the more laudable, given its obviously shoestring budget.
Verdict: A solid and gripping thriller-cum-character study with an ingenious storyline and stunning cinematography making up for the generic score and the often-dull dialogue. Don’t listen to the twats on IMDB when it comes to this, and try it for yourself.
4/5
I guess I owe a thanks to the reviewer for watching the movie and then taking the time to review the movie. I am sure the acting concerns that the reviewer has will be negated in 'The Moments In Between'.
The Dark Knight soundtrack is fantastic and the only way to describe it would be that it is consistently surprising and moving. The best way to listen to it is on a good set of headphones where you can hear all the tiny instruments that can cause chills down your spine or send your mind soaring. Needless to say the score is epic. You can listen to the soundtrack online for free HERE but since these are low-quality mp3's you can't really get a feel for the clarity and delicateness of the instruments used in the individual pieces.
I tried Astanga yoga yesterday evening for the first time and needless to say it was exhausting, challenging but good. I don't think I have sweat that much in that short amount of time in recent times. And it was good that I lasted the entire session, so i'll definitely go back again.
I finished transcribing the dialog list for FIVE on Sunday and it was a satisfying feeling. I mailed it off to the finnish distributor, so that they can now translate it into finnish subtitles. I also adopted a couple of Orangutans - which basically means that I have paid for upkeep of 2 of our closest primate relatives being taken care for by The Australian Orangutan Project. We share 97% of our genetic make up with these gentle creatures and yet we have driven them to extinction. The thing is that individuals can make a difference - even a small step taken by you can add up to big things in the bigger scheme of things. A lot of times it is our complacency and inaction that can make things worse. So yeah instead of debating too much about it, I went ahead and supported a cause.
A week just flew away and I have no idea where it disappeared. It has been crazy busy at my end. At work - my boss has gone to China for Olympics coverage, which means that I've picked up some of his duties and this is along with my normal job schedule. So needless to say my brain usually turns to mush by afternoon while juggling various things and making sure that nothing falls over. Hopefully it will be a lot easier from next week since I know what to expect.
I have been talking to a few film makers for VUDU and I have managed to get firm commitments from 6 film makers, which is exciting. I also bit the bullet and went and saw an entertainment lawyer so that a proper contract can be drafted for agreement between Unkreative Artists and the film makers. So more news on that once the contract is finalized and signed between the parties.
I had a comprehensive eye test at Optometry School's public clinic and I almost had a big scare when the supervisor who was overseeing the student optometrist's work came in after the tests to do some more tests and mentioned that they were worried that I might have glaucoma. It turned out that everything else about my eyes is healthy, so they think it is highly unlikely that I have glaucoma. I have however been recommended to wear reading glasses if I want to stop my eyes from getting strained over extended periods. I am tossing and turning the thought in my head and I think I might get myself a set of reading glasses just to try them out. If I don't like it then I can always discontinue their use.
Frontier(s) was a real shocker of a movie. It was ultra violent and extremely sadistic. It had my guts churning in a fair few places and the easiest way to describe it would be to take 'Hostel' and multiply it by 5. I think I am over this genre - it is not horror as much as it is sadistic violence.
In other non-significant news - I have put my head down and trying to finish off the dialog list for 'FIVE' over this weekend, so I can deliver it to the Finnish distributor of the movie. It is harder than you think, especially when a good chunk of the dialogue was improvised and chopped and changed on location. I spent almost 5 hours on it till now and I am 35 minutes into the movie. Another 40 minutes odd of movie to transcribe. :-)
That's really it from me for now. Till later, Amit
In a bid to curb the rising power bill I donated both the oil heaters off and they weren't great anyway as they wouldn't heat the room because of the high ceilings. And on monday I went and bought myself a magnetic woolen underlay and it is so comfy to sleep in. I'll get to know in a month or so if it is any beneficial. I'll let you know how it goes then.
I made a decision that if within a year nothing significant happens with my film making career and I am not able to raise any funding for the next movie then I'll give up film making. It has been an incredibly hard decision but I am looking at the ground realities and I can't make another self-financed movie and get everyone to work for nothing - not on my third movie, no way. I'll give it a solid shot to try and raise money for the movie but if nothing eventuates then I'll have to hang up those boots. I have never had things easy and I have always had to fight for even the smallest opportunity to prove that I am capable of achieving things as well as others, so I am aware all this is again part of the pattern where I am still fighting for some sort of support and recognition. Am I feeling angry about where things are at - very much so and the challenge for me is to try and focus those energies into this coming year to make the next movie possible.
No feedback has come back yet on the script but Serena has started working on the revisions and hopefully by the time the feedback hits we would be in a position to start off work on second draft.
I don't know if I mentioned it but a finnish independent distributor has picked up FIVE for DVD distribution in Finland. I have sit and write down the dialog list, so that they can translate it into finnish and put it in as subtitles. That's the task for this weekend.
That's me for now. Till later, Amit
P.S - If you have any advice for me i am happy to hear it and if you have any brilliant fund raising ideas that are feasible then I am all ears as well. Feel free to drop me a line.
Well - FIVE was chosen as the Best Feature by the judges at DeReel Independent Film Festival in Australia. And yeah I am thrilled beyond words.
Besides that - just mentally preparing myself for tomorrow when I sit down with David to lock down To'ona'i - the short film that he is making. I need to sharpen my knives and forks to combat his nanchucks - it will be one helluva wonderful event I swear. I will write an update if I come out as the survivor.
I have seen the first 4 episodes of Season-4 of Battlestar Galactica and it is thrilling as usual. Seeing the cylon civil war was awesome - they seem to be laying parallels with humanity but I am finding it hard to imagine as to how they will wrap up the story.
Anyway time to hit the sack. Till later, Amit
P.S - the new DARK KNIGHT trailer rocks..it rocks real hard.
I am off to South Island for 5 days to attend a friend's marriage and will be back Monday - so I guess that will be a long update about the trip but till then will leave you with a link to buying soundtrack of FIVE on iTunes. Click on the button to be redirected to it:
'The Astronaut Farmer' is a syrupy movie and it was an OK watch. Some of the cinematography is downright beautiful but the third act comes across as forced and hard to swallow even though on paper it probably looked right. It might have to do with the fact that the turning point was so weak and poorly executed that it made the entire 3rd act look so syrupy. Good family fare though.
I also finished reading 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wau' and it was crisp, funny and ultimately very sad and tragic. The book is a surprsingly quick read and it is a page turner for sure.
Here is the video link to my favorite scene from 'No Country for Old Men'. The only other piece of news is that 'Five' has been selected to screen at DeREEL Independent Film Festival to be held in April in Victoria, Australia.
So I finally got around to editing a trailer for FIVE. I was never planning on editing a trailer for the movie but I was kicked into action as one of the prerequisites for signing a VOD deal with Jaman was that I needed to provide a trailer along with the movie. I spent the better part of Saturday editing the trailer and it was made challenging by the fact that there was no scored music tailor made for the trailer, so I spent a good chunk of time trying to mix and match and combine the original score from the movie, since the rhythm of the trailer is dictated by the score more than anything else. So here it is without much further ado, I hope you enjoy it.
To watch a bigger version {screen size - not the length} of the trailer you can watch it HERE.
Ok. So here is the first part of the international strategy. FIVE & MEMORIES OF TOMORROW are now available for a DVD quality download through international website caachi.com. There’s no DRM (i.e., anti-copying measures) on the Caachi films. We trust you so you have the freedom to watch your downloads where & when you want (i.e., on computer, TV, video iPod etc).
If you are wondering how that website works for downloading -it is pretty simple. You can check out a detailed page here. Simple steps - join the website, go to the movie page, pay through Paypal, download movie, enjoy.
Soundtrack of the movie and NTSC DVD coming soon. Amit
So what do I write about? Movies? My movies? Books? Well - I guess the big thing for me is that FIVE soundtrack is complete and it has been mailed off to the company in US. It will only be available as a download instead of as a traditional CD as that reduces headache for me by not having to keep constant track of orders and mailing the orders, especially considering that Unkreative Artists is not a record label. It also keeps the costs down. I am pleased with the overall soundtrack as the compilation is rounded off nicely by trimming down on the dead spaces and ambient undertones, so what you get is 36 minutes of eventful music. Big thumbs up to the composers - Spencer Powell, Jamie Newman and Andrew McMillan as well to Benji for compiling the soundtrack beautifully.
I mailed off the DVDs of FIVE to 2 different outlets, so I can make it available for DVD quality download for PC as well as for portable devices like ipod and PSP; along with normal DVD sales. So more status update on that once those things go live. But before I stop on this topic - here is a thought for consideration 'Grace is Gone' - an independent movie starring John Cusack was picked up by Weinstein company for $4 million (that's $ 4,000,000) and to date it has earned back $37,000 in ticket sales. It will probably make that money back through cable TV sales and DVD release but it still highlights the plight of independent cinema and if you don't have a name on board the movie then you can but just hope. There are examples where smaller movies have made it huge but those you can count on your fingertips.
I watched 'Charlie Wilson's War' and it was an OK movie - the acting is brilliant but somehow the truncated runtime on this one seems to have done more harm than good. Tom Hanks is brilliant and so is Philip Seymour Hoffman. The last 20 odd minutes of the movie kind of spoil the real nice build up. It is a good watch neverthless. It was weird seeing the movie because in the book 'Ghost Wars' that I read recently Charlie Wilson was in the book for 4 pages out of the 600 page book.
I am loving the tennis lessons - I think for me the best part of learning a new game is trying to master a skill which you never thought you had. I reckon serving is the hardest bit in tennis (even though it only accounts for 4-5% of the game time) - it takes a lot of skill and precision to get the ball in correctly. Forehands are fun and probably constitute about 80% of the game.
Anyway I will probably go off on a different tangent, so will stop for now.
WOW. Finally a movie which doesn't spoon feed the audience. I enjoyed the movie and it is a great watch. A good chunk of the audience thought that the ending was weird and crap and that it was a crap movie but I think that was the perfect ending. I hope they don't make a sequel for it either. The movie is by no means a landmark but it definitely reinvigorates monster movie genre. This is what Godzilla should have been like. Even though the technique used is not new - it does put it to good use and the movie feels epic even though it is not. And the monster - oh my!!!!!
I am now a member of Screen Directors Guild of New Zealand and I received my membership card today. Wohooooooo....... I don't know if having the membership will do anything or not but good to finally get around to doing what I had been planning for the past 2 years. :-)
I picked up the NTSC DVD masters from Lucas at Digitalus and I am now just waiting on the artwork before I mail it off to the US of A for further processing and then it will be available for DVD sale as well as for download. Yay!!!!
FIVE is available to view for a limited time only FOR FREE HERE (You just need Real Player installed).Hurry up before the week runs out.
'After the Wedding' is a brilliant movie. It hits you where it hurts and never let's go. Everything about the movie is great - the acting, the cinematography, the editing and the directing. The movie will haunt you for a long time after you leave the theatre. It is a danish movie directed by Sussane Bier and it was nominated for a 'Best Foreign Film' Oscar in 2007 and lost to 'The Lives of Others'. Between the 2 movies I definitely prefer this movie over the other one - even though I enjoyed that movie as well.
Aliens must have implanted a metal plate in my head or something - I seem to be setting off shop security alarms ( atleast I did in the 2 shops - once yesterday and then other one today). I wasn't even carrying anything - just myself and the shop keepers were as puzzled as me as I was entering the shop when the alarm went off - so it was not like I was taking anything out of the shop. It is a bizarre feeling. It caused a fair bit of amusement to everyone standing nearby as I slowly discarded any movable items from my body - like keys, wallet, i-card and the alarm would still go off. Amusing indeed!!!!!
I finished reading both the books that I was reading. 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' is shocking, human and epic - all at the same time. Khalid Hosseini is a fantastic writer where the observations become poignant truths that hit home without batting a lid. The journey is incredible.
Interpreter of Maladies is a collection of short stories and each of them is different but similar at the same time. The stories are lyrical and very observational at heart. There were so many times that I was laughing at what was happening within the stories and so many times that it felt that someone was standing there with a mirror in their hand reflecting things back as an immigrant from India. I think the themes are further amplified and written into a long form narrative in 'The Namesake' - a book that was made into a movie that I watched last year.
In the past month or so I have read more books than I have done in the previous 5 years prior. It is frightening to think but I have been here in NZ for 5 years now (well almost!!!) and time has flown by so quickly. It has been eventful all along - the struggles, the pains, the joys, the achievements, the failures - all snowballed into one big lump of time. It has taken me all these 5 years to start from nothing and just about stand up on my own 2 feet. I don't think this would have been possible without all the people who have been supportive and encouraging of the ways of this mad man.
Anyway I will sign off for now but not without a BIG SHOUT OUT for Lucas Young at Digitalus, who has completed the DVD authoring for the NTSC release of FIVE. Now it is a matter of getting the DVD cover and disc print finalized and then I will be mailing it off to the website through which the DVD will be available. More on that when time comes.
I am Legend is a really good movie for the first half of it's running time and then it turns into utter crap. Will Smith gives a fantastic performance and it is a pity that the haphazard third act with plot holes galore ruins the movie. What made the movie interesting was the lady sitting right in front of me who for some reason wouldn't turn off her cellphone and it rang 3 times and each time it took her longer and longer to find her cellphone and the experience wouldn't have been complete without a lovely young couple sitting right next to me, deciding to catch up on their gossip and love lives once the movie started. I reprimanded them 5 minutes into the movie and they promptly shut up and watched the movie for rest of the time. Oh my.....
I did a second round of raid to the library and got 3 more of the books that I wanted. I am currently reading 'Interpreter of Maladies' and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'. How can I read 2 books at the same time? I have 2 eyes, no? Just kidding. 'Interpreter' is a collection of short stories and the way I read short stories is to read one a day and let it seep into you before reading the next short story, which obviously gives time to carry on reading another longer format story.
I start back at work from tomorrow and it should be a good way to get back into the groove of things. I feel primed again to start jumping back into the fray of things with all the feature projects and all - after taking a good month's break from it. First and foremost on my list is to try and get the NTSC DVD of FIVE out for sale. The rest of the things will follow.
Just came back from watching Beowulf in Imax 3-D - it was a great experience. It was really well done and 3-D pulls you further into that world rather than distance you from it. If you watch this movie then watch it in 3-D.
Also a fresh review has come in for FIVE from Hollywood Bitchslap and it is a mixed review but a good one nonetheless - or atleast I took with me the good bits while committing the bad bits to heart to rectify in future projects.
Something that Yann Martel wrote in the preface of 'Life of Pi' has just got me more centered - "If we , citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up in believing in nothing and having worthless dreams."
FIVE got a mini review from AROVIDEO and they have called it a potential cult kiwi film. Other than that life is at a standstill right now - I don't mind it - need a little time for reflection and see if I am still on the right path.
I watched 'NO END IN SIGHT' and it is a good documentary. The subject matter is explosive and the interviews are amazing but not sure if it is deserving to be on the Academy Awards short list for Best Documentary.
Well the reason it has been so quiet at this end is because I have been taking it easy. With FIVE almost out of the way [the only things remaining are ntsc dvd authoring and international sales], I decided to take a good couple of months off from every project that I am doing. After I finished 'Memories' there was a sense of uncertainty and a period of heavy introspection but after FIVE - I don't feel that - I am feeling motivated and charged to keep making movies [ hopefully with a small or a decent budget from now on instead of the 'no budget' approach - until ofcourse there is no other way :-) ]. A pleasant surprise was getting a text message from a friend who was visiting Christchurch, who told me that they were looking at a copy of FIVE at the local video store there. It put a grin on my face for the rest of the night.
The only major change that did happen this week has been the change in flatmates. Benji has moved out of the flat. And now Lance is my new flatmate - which is fantastic.
The 60 second version of the Xbox 360 advt that I recently acted in found it's way onto youtube and is screening in US at this point (I think)..The video encoding on the advert for youtube isn't great and the colours and the quality is off by miles but still gives you an idea. :-)
The NTSC DVD for FIVE is being designed by Lucas, so that can self-distribute it internationally through b-side.com. Plus the movie will be available for online viewing through either Cabinetic or www.film.com sometime soon. Let's see how this method goes for making money from the movie.
I went and picked up my Wii on Saturday. Lance came over yesterday evening, so we could have a few rounds of the game. It is a great gaming system - my body is aching from all the physical exercise - especially from the boxing game. I am hooked and so is anyone who plays it. Ande Schurr (the foley recordist on FIVE) came over to pick up his DVD copy of the movie and got roped into playing the game with us. In his words it is the first time he has fallen in love with video games - ever since his childhood. And it is easy to believe that - playing wii is an experience. Here are some pics from a boxing match between Lance and me (courtesy: ande)
Lance and me in an intense boxing match (I am smiling because I am winning)
Wireless motion control enabled games are the future of gaming
That game is physically exhausting
Another review for FIVE has come through from Extra Ordinary Movie & Video Guide. It is a positive review and it doesn't have any rating system plus it also contains minor spoilers.
the next review has POTENTIAL SPOILERS (even though some of the plot interpretations are liberal and not necessarily true). PLEASE AVOID READING THE REVIEW IF YOU WANT TO ENJOY THE MOVIE ON IT'S OWN MERITS. The reviewer did not know how to review the movie and thought that writing out the storyline from start to end would be a good way to introduce the movie. You've been warned - here it is: a 3 STAR Review from Slasherpool
In other random things - I went ahead and bought a Nintendo Wii. I guess what tipped me over was the fact that the console sacrifices superior graphics for interactive motion controlled game play making you do stuff physically. Let's see how the console holds up against my expectations of it. I will be picking up the console sometime next week.
Benji is moving out of the flat as he goes on his trip to China and it looks like Lance is going to move in. I am excited for sure. At one point I was tossing between going flat hunting myself or keeping the current flat and getting a flatmate in. The few flats I looked at weren't as nice and had even smaller rooms but were charging about the same amount, so decided to stuff it and just get a flatmate since my current place of residence is spacious and beautiful. Lucky for me that Lance has just come back into the country and was looking for a place to stay. At this point, just trying to sort things out with the landlord's son about the excessive moisture in the house and the landlord's responsibility to make sure that the mould growth is fixed. I went ahead and cleaned most of my room yesterday - I will finish off the cleaning today with only bits and pieces left to sort out but it never stops to amaze me as to how much junk accumulates over a period in time without even realizing it.
Anyway - time for me to cook some bacon and eggs for breakfast and then get back to cleaning. :-)
FIVE has just landed a non-exclusive VOD deal with Cabinetic [formerly greencine.com's vod section]; who had earlier brought 'Memories' to the VOD market through film.com. The movie will soon be available online and more details to follow as I get to know them. The posters for FIVE look fantastic and a special shout out to Ilke Gers, who spent a lot of time designing the poster and also in getting them printed properly. They are truly fabulous.
Me, D.F.Mamea (the writer) and Rod Johns at the premiere of FIVE [pic courtesy - Dr. D]
In other news - one of my best mates and business partner and partner in crime, Lance, has returned from his world travels and it was great catching up with him over the weekend. Here are a couple of pics from the party that night. More pics are on his camera. :-)
I was afraid to walk into 2 of my favorite video stores because of the fear that I wouldn't find FIVE there at all. And there is a reason for that fear as well - 'Memories' was hardly stocked by any video stores besides the ones that supported independent NZ films.
So I mustered up enough courage and checked out both the stores and was pleasantly surprised that both of them had stocked FIVE. First up was Video Ezy in Ponsonby and the photograph below shows only half the rack - the other half of the rack had another 4 copies of the movie. When I asked the owner if I had the permission to take this photograph, he asked me the reason and I told him that I had made the movie and wanted to share it with friends. His response caught me completely off-guard, he said that he had watched the movie and had enjoyed it thoroughly and hence the copies in the store. :-)
FIVE at Video Ezy in Ponsonby
Next up was the video store from where I get almost 95% of my rental DVD's - Civic Video in Glenfield. I was nervous because they never stocked 'Memories' and they haven't really supported NZ cinema that much, so it was relief seeing a couple of copies of the movie there. Note in the photograph below that one of the copies has already been rented out and that's not by me either :-)
FIVE at Civic Video in Glenfield
So yeah I am happy that atleast this movie has been better received than 'Memories' {which incidentally a lot of people still like because of it's scope and ambition}
Here is the opening scene of FIVE posted on youtube to convince anyone reading this to hire out the movie
FIVE has been released for DVD rental today and should be available at a video store near you if you are in NZ. You can also rent it online at AROVIDEO DVD UNLIMITED I don't know how many video stores are stocking them and the easiest way to get it is ask your local video store for it - if there is demand they will provide. As far as retail sales for FIVE goes - it won't be happening for another 6 months.
A few other major things happening, which I will update about when I get the time.
Above is the photograph of the review by Craig Major and the text of the review is below:
FIVE Director Amit Tripuraneni
This ultra-low budget psychological thriller by South Seas Film School graduate Amit Tripuraneni tackles familiar themes and motifs that work exceptionally well within a New Zealand context. Five starts off with a group of friends tramping into the bush and camping out in a basic hut. Chris is a melancholy and moody gay man; Zara is an ambitious girl about to leave for the US; Rajit (played by Tripuraneni) and Belinda are recently engaged; and Henry is the everyman of the group. Tension between the friends is heightened by recent memories of the (apparent) suicide of their friend Emily (Henry's girlfriend). As the quintet hangs out together, a growing sense of isolation beginsto take over. The story slowly unfolds, with a series of sinister events resulting in the friends' descent into paranoia, deception and violence.
A genre pic that thematically references The Shining, Cabin Fever, and My Little Eye (about how isolation can turn you mad), Five's strength lies in its setting. Shot on digital film in spectacular native bush outside of Auckland, life mirrored art to some degree with Tripuraneni and his crew having to tramp to the location and set up camp. The lush beauty of the forest ironically adds to the film's sense of claustrophobia as we watch the group's psychological stability begin to crack and crumble.
Not only does the film look superb, but also the performances are incredibly strong (with much of the actors' lines improvised). Music and sound design is also top-notch. A shining example of what can be done on a shoestring (Five was apparently made for a measly $12,000), the film looks polished and avoids falling into cliche. There are also moments of genuine shock as the 'stalker' is finally revealed. Five is a solid film that thankfully pulls away from being over-the-top. Watch it and be impressed.
It is nice to get a nice review, especially since the only review for the movie we have had till now did not talk about the acting and the sound design kindly {which in my opinion came down to personal taste of the reviewer}. There are atleast 3 other reviews somewhere in the world either waiting to be published or waiting to be written - I will update you as and when they come out.
Oh on a completely different note - I forgot to take photographs at the premiere since I was such a nervous bundle before and after the screening. :-( I will try and see if I can atleast get one photo from the premiere.
First up I have to confess that I have just woken up from a 15 hour 'nap' - I lay down to take a 1 hour nap after work yesterday and I woke up to find it is 6.30 in the morning now. I feel super fresh and energetic. :-)
The premiere of 'FIVE' on Friday night was exciting. I was there at the theatre by 10.00PM and there were only 2 other people there and I was thinking 'Shit, no one will actually show up.'. So you can imagine by excitement when 55 people showed up before the movie started. I was thrilled beyond words as it was a good sized audience for that time of the night and that too on a long holiday weekend. I was also happy that I did not have a nervous breakdown while the movie was actually screening. There were some technical hiccups initially with the sound and it took a good 5-10 minutes for the cinema to sort out sound while the movie was still screening. The other thing which was annoying was that the theatre had a 2.0 setup while the DVD was a 5.1 mix, so the music sounded loud and overbearing and some of the audio was getting muffled because everything was being mixed down to the front speakers. But technical issues aside, the feedback I got after the movie was mainly positive and the audience did come out of the theatre buzzing, so that's always a nice thing to see.
I didn't attend the Saturday screenings - i was working the day shift while I was taking a 'nap' in the evening. But I did pop down to theatre in the morning to do a quick sound check, to make sure that the movie experience would be as good as it could be. The word I got back from someone who attended the Saturday morning screening is that there were about 15-20 people in the audience. I don't know what the numbers were for the evening session but will find out soon enough.
That's the lot from me for now. Amit
UPDATE - It seems that there were 7-10 people in the last screening and in between all the good and constructive feedback I have been getting about the movie - I had someone whammy me by saying that the movie felt amateurish (which inspite of my bravest face and the attitude that everyone is entitled to their opinion - really hurts because that's one of the worst things you can hear as a film maker). But oh well - that's the nature of the game.
Nothing much to update besides the fact that I am buzzing with excitement about tomorrow's NZ premiere of FIVE. Here is a screen shot from Academy Cinemas website. I will try and take some photos at the premiere tomorrow - I would be happy if 50 people turn up for the screening [especially with the late night screening and all]
And I keep forgetting to upload this photograph of me getting my NZ citizenship,so here it is. Now have to get off my arse and apply for that NZ passport. :-)
Being congratulated by George Wood, the 'ex'-mayor of North Shore City (he lost the mayorship election last week)
For some reason I have been having massive trepidation since this morning and I can't seem to shake it off. Why? What? How? I don't know.
I finished watching the rest of Season-3 of BSG and overall the season was a little bit slower than the first 2 seasons. Off the last 8 episodes - there were another 2 filler episodes and it was frustrating at times but the season ends with a big bang and now have to start the agonizing wait for the final season. Rumors have it that they will screen first 10 episodes from early 2008 and then the show takes a break with the rest of the episodes airing in 2009. I hope the rumors are wrong and the screen the entire Season-4 in 2008.
For now here is the promo for Season-4 - DO NOT PLAY IT IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN SEASON-3.
One of the screening times for FIVE has been changed and now the screenings are on 19th October @ 10.30Pm; 20th October @ 10.30AM and 10.30PM. The entry is priced at $5 to cover the costs for the theatre.
On other completely random note - the housing affordability in NZ is at an all time low - here is a report for it. Add to it the state of economy, rising inflation and cost of living and the tightening credit market influenced heavily by the global markets - owning a house is a pipe dream. Maybe if you are married and both husband and wife are earning atleast NZ$ 2000 each week in take home pay - the prospect becomes a reality but otherwise welcome to the rental market. Anyway..................
I am officially addicted to Battlestar Galactica - I managed to get my hands on the first 8 episodes of Season-2 and it was satisfying as ever. Now that the craving is high and the product is scarce (the series always seems to be booked out at the local DVD rental store) - I went ahead and bought the entire DVD set: the mini-series, season-1, season-2 and season-3. Now just have to be patient and wait for them to arrive within the next couple of weeks. This TV series is a keeper.
The weather has been playing havoc recently and it finally brightened up today. Add the extra hour of daylight (courtesy: daylight savings being moved forward by 2 weeks) and the evenings are now great. I am eagerly awaiting my next lot of free days so that I can try and cut down my 'to do' list atleast by half.
A view from Rakino's on High Street
Tranquility
I did a couple of interviews with print media over the last week and hopefully it will give FIVE some much needed publicity. And if you are in Toronto on the 12th of October by any chance then you should check out the movie at Camera Bar (1028 Queen Street W).
I watched 'The Kingdom' yesterday night and it was a decent action flick. Very well executed but in the end it wasn't satisfying coming out of the movie theatre. Something is missing from the movie but still it is a fairly decent watch- you never get bored.
'If you don't like something then change it because no one else will do it for you.' - that's been the over riding theme for me for the past month or so. A lot has changed in that time and there is a lot more things that needs to change that I am in the process of changing. One thing at a time I suppose.
After going through a fair bit of research, I finally bought a new car - it is not NEW new but it still looks new and is in real good condition. It is a 2000 Toyota Vitz 1.3L Automatic - I was wanting something sporty and small but at the same time that didn't empty my wallet for petrol and this one seemed to fit the bill to the dot. Trying to sort out financing for it was not the fun bit, especially considering that I am not good with numbers but I did manage to get a good deal. So I am pretty happy about it. I have to get around to replying to my month old emails. In case any of my friends are reading this and wondering as to why I haven't replied back to their emails then all I can say is 'Sorry. But I love you, irrespective of my email reply status. :-)'. I finally have a couple of days off from work and I will try to cross off as many things as possible on my list of 27 things to do - some of them are massive tasks too.
I just watched a Hindi movie 'Rang De Basanti' - it was a really good movie according to bollywood standards but for me it was a mixed experience- it was painful seeing some of the plot contrivances and the song/dance sequences slowed the pacing of the movie right down but at the same time it had some great acting [and some hammed up acting as well{ which is not good}] from the ensemble cast. Overall a decent entertainer - check out a catchy song from the movie here.
The cinema screening for FIVE is set for 19th October @ 10.30PM 20th October @ 11.00AM 20th October @ 10.30PM
Venue - Academy Cinemas, Lorne St. (right next to the library) Price - $5 per head
So if you are in Auckland and wanna pop in to say hi I will most probably be there at one of those screenings. :-)
The weekend disappeared in shooting for the ad and it was heaps of fun. I was originally rostered onto work at TVNZ over the weekend but my team leader supported my endeavors and swapped my days so that I could do the ad. It was a blessing really that it worked out. It also means that I have been working straight from last thursday and my next day off is on Wednesday - next week; making it a straight tally of 12 days of back to back work. I am not complaining - far from it I feel refreshed and raring to do stuff.
You get to see some crazy and weird people on K'road in the early hours of saturday and sunday morning. It is a source of constant amazement. We shot the ad on K'road and it was a surreal experience because of the scope of the ad - it was big. The director was great to work with and the best part was hanging out with other actors and doing fun stuff during our down time. The other great thing was that Caren and Claire from my acting classes were also in the ad, so we got to actually work together and get paid for it. Definitely an event I will treasure. Here are some pics from the shoot over the weekend.
The location and 'the set' - K'Road bridge/bus stops. We had atleast 100 extras and an equal number of crew besides the main cast. This was taken during the lunch break.
A view from across the road (there were points where we had the whole road blocked off at both the ends and we had it to ourselves)
Stephane showing magic tricks to David while Claire and Madeleine look on (we experienced a lot of those while waiting between takes)
At the pub - after the shoot: Garth (the director) showing stuff to David, Bonnie and Hayley
Stephane, me and Caren
David, Caren, Claire, Dwight and Hayley
Madeleine and me
As of yesterday I am officially a New Zealander. The ceremony was kind of boring but I guess everyone who wants to become a NZ citizen has to go through it. Yay!!!! I can now apply for my NZ passport and then for OCI, so I can still remain a citizen of India.
The industry screenings for 'Five' have been set - October 19th @ 10.30PM and October 20th @ 11.00 AM and 10.30PM. Not great times but something is better than nothing. The DVD is going to be released for rental the following week after that.
The ferry terminal on a foggy morning
The misty woods right next to our house
A beautiful sunrise
The amount of things that I need to do to keep sane is pilling up again and that includes replying to mail. I guess the next chance I get to reduce the workload will be next week. In the meantime I am hunting myself a new car - most probably a 2000 Toyota Vitz - keeping fingers crossed on that one. :-)
Well - here are some good reasons I am feeling elated right now.
> 'Five' won Best Feature - Action/Thriller at Microcinema Fest (don't know how it played or went down with the audience yet) > I got confirmed for my first advertisement that will be shooting soon. > My NZ citizenship ceremony is confirmed for next week. > I finally got around to watching 'Before Sunrise' and was not disappointed at all. > I got rid of a lot of my 'extra' clothes and put them in the recycling bin.
A minor blip in the whole proceedings is that I need to spend a couple of hundred bucks getting a minor problem with my car fixed. That set off a chain of events and I have decided to get myself a decent car [by decent I mean something that's not 18 years old - the current age of my car].
I left the files encoding, so I can get the mpeg files for DVD authoring. I will be able to author the DVD on Tuesday. I also layed back the movie onto tape but noticed a typo in the last 1 minute of the movie, so will have to lay it back onto tape again on Tuesday. So close yet so far.
Well..what's been happening at my end? Several things and the main thing obviously has to do with FIVE. We are at the last few stretches of finishing off sound post - will be doing final viewing checks for the stereo mix in a couple of hours and then will be laying it back onto tape tomorrow evening. Then it will be another week and half's work for Benji to finish off the 5.1 sound mix - an added luxury we are working towards since we got a small extension for delivery deadline to the distributor.
To give you an idea about how intensive sound post on the project has been - here are 2 screen shots from the audio project. The first gives an overview of the audio timeline and most of the audio tracks used. The second screenshot is a magnified image of a part of the timeline. You can click on the images to enlarge them.
Screen shot 1: Audio timeline overview
Screen shot 2: Magnified audio timeline
The overall sound design on the movie is starting to sound a lot better. Looking back at the project as a whole - the entire project was challenging as a whole but sound definitely ranks above everything else to make this project work and it is a mini-miracle to be finishing off the movie properly. There will be a couple of theatrical screenings of FIVE a week before the DVD release and I will post the details once they are finalized.
At work - I applied for a permanent position at TVNZ in technical resources and had my interview and was offered the position. I have taken up the position and it is definitely another exciting phase, especially with the changes in technology that is happening. My job officially starts from 2nd September.
I went and saw Ratatouille and it was a really good movie. Brad Bird is incredible in creating emotions with his characters. The movie had so many laughs and at the same time kept moving all along in such a way that it was a delight. The food in the animation looked so totally amazing and the animation overall was excellent. A highly recommended movie.
I think that's it from me for now. Till later, Amit
I just got up and watched 'The Namesake' and it was a beautiful movie - there are so many small things that it captures with such pinpoint accuracy that it is frightening. Another movie that I saw recently was 'The Illusionist' and it was a pleasent surprise and felt so much more natural and engrossing than 'The Prestige'.
I heard back both from Jason Grunebaum (the english translator) and Uday uncle (the original author) regarding adapting PCWL into a feature and needless to say I am excited as it is a love story and alienation is one of the over-riding and central themes of the story. It will be an interesting one to bring to life since it is so relevant in a global landscape where the boundaries are now drawn in the form of culture.
We will be finishing off sound design on FIVE by 1st September but in the meantime I have started making notes for the third draft of Ghost Scream, which my friend John Dalton is writing. So busy and exciting times as always.
Well first off - FIVE has been selected to screen at Microcinema Festival '07 in Palatine, Illinois and will be the closing the festival. Also Gina Dellabarca who runs Star Publicity will be helping me out with publicity for FIVE leading up to it's DVD release. It is another week and half before we finish off sound design on FIVE and deliver the master tape to Arkles Entertainment.
I watched a documentary titled "Flight from Death: The Quest for Immortality" - the doco was alright but the philosophy and the subject matter was fascinating - it deals with Death Anxiety and the way it shapes our lives. It is definitely a must see doco - if you can ignore some of the weird music choices they make in the background.
The NZ DVD release for FIVE will be towards Halloween period - end of October, so expect to see the movie in video stores near you. It gives us till the end of this month to finish off the sound on the movie. Ande Schurr has come on board to help out with foley recording and getting the sounds that we need - which is a big plus as we were in a tight spot with resources and equipment.
John Davies - the NZ distributor liked the poster that Ilke created for the movie that he has commissioned her to create the DVD jacket for the NZ DVD. It is exciting because I think the color scheme in the poster is truly enticing and reflects the movie as it is supposed to be.
The first review for FIVE has come in and it is a mixed review but HERE it is in all it's glory.[The bit about acting confuses me as the feedback from all the test screenings said that acting, tension and cinematography were the movie's strongest points.]
I watched a few movies - The Unpolished; Knocked Up; The Simpsons Movie and the only movie that can be given a miss is 'The Unpolished' which was slow and boring and did not go anywhere. I started following a TV series called '30 Rock' and it is hilarious - an intelligent comedy.
Signing off for now but do check out this article which explains how to rip off WINZ - I wouldn't recommend it because dealing with WINZ is such a pain - one is better off putting those energies in getting work than getting treated like scum.
A quick update with links to 2 articles - one is the interview that I did with Nick Grant, the editor of ONFILM magazine and the second is an editorial he wrote after a small discussion I had with him about the lack of support for NZ Digi features by the NZ Film Festivals.
Editorial on NZ Film Festival and lack of support for local digi-features. [Note to International Film Makers submitting to NZ Film Festivals - don't bother - they don't give a shit about your film till your movie has already played at some other A-list film festival like Berlin or Cannes or Rottredam or Toronto]
I am feeling like crap right now and don't want to spend time on the net. But before I sign off I have to say that 'A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints' was a dynamite movie - it takes a bit of time at the start to kick off but it turns out to be an emotional roller coaster ride rounded off by powerful performances from everyone.
Is a dream worth striving for? Is an idea worth fighting for? Everytime I think of those questions I cry. Human society is such a hard place to be in - the majority live with a compromise for most of their lives and they don't take too kindly to people trying to live a dream. I guess those questions gives me pangs of existential crisis now and then. But then again I know that the easy way out of this angst would be to give in to the majority and lead a 'normal life' but then where is the fun in living a life less ordinary. I bumped into an old acquaintance who heard that I had just finished off my second movie and sarcastically commented 'It is good that you are still trying'. I promptly corrected them saying 'I am not trying - I am doing it.' I don't know if the meaning of my words carried through or not but I hate the cynicism that people carry with them when they quickly pass judgements about you based on their 'normal' world view. On the other hand I had a few conversations where some people I know have told me that I am talented. I don't take compliments really well and I frankly don't know what talented means but it gives me hope that maybe I am still on the right path; maybe I can still keep dreaming. It is a matter of finding some sort of balance between reality and dreams, so I don't disappoint my family.
Waiting for the ferry
FIVE's initial sound mix is done and I have fired off the copies for reviews as well as to Microcinema Festival. It is a big relief and definitely a big weight off the shoulders. I have decided to chuck out the idea of doing a proper 5.1 mix since time is so precious without money and the plan is to work a little bit more on the 2.0 mix and bring it as close to perfection as possible. The sound is good as it is right now but the additional work will lift the movie up a little more.
The second draft for 'Urameshiya' has come in and I am currently reading it before I send it out to the people already on board the project. My room is in a state of complete mess and I still have to tidy it up. It has gone from bad to worse after I started cleaning it up :-(
I watched a couple of really good movies - 'Half Nelson' and 'Sophie Scholl: The Final Days'. Half Nelson isn't technically perfect but the acting is fantastic and it totally pulls you into the movie and never lets go and it is the same with 'The Final Days' where the human drama is so raw and honest that it is emotionally devastating by the time the credits roll. Acting can make or break a movie and technically the idea should be to just capture those moments when they happen.
Time to try and cut a trailer for 'FIVE' and update the website along with cleaning my room - maybe all at the same time; maybe at different times - who knows.
The voice training workshops came to a close today and it is sad as I was finally making some progress and it feels like an abrupt full stop. I will probably continue with the workshop when they are held again after the tutor returns from her trip to France. It has been an amazing 5 sundays though. It is good to keep learning new things.
I read a couple of quotes that I had to share:
"The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of challenge and controversy" - Martin Luther King Jr.
"The real contest is always between what you've done and what you're capable of doing. You measure yourself against yourself and nobody else." - Geoffrey Gaberino
I watched a kiwi movie called 'You Move You Die' and it was an interesting experience. Technically it is brilliant and has a visual style that is pretty flashy but the thing which really sucks in it is the acting. There were moments here and there that I believed what was going on screen otherwise it was just performing. Good on the film makers for trying something radically new but hopefully they will realize that acting is the backbone on which a movie rests on. I would recommend it reluctantly as it is a kiwi movie and it is good to support fellow film makers in their experiments and endeavors.
I just came back from seeing 'Rescue Dawn' and it was an excellent movie. I am pretty pleased with myself that both the movies that I have seen at the festival have been great. Christian Bale and Steve Zahn are fantastic in the movie and they keep the movie flowing seamlessly. It is a highly recommended watch. Next one on the list is 'Half Nelson'
I am just encoding the 2.0 mix of FIVE for DVD authoring and will be mailing off the festival screeners tomorrow after watching the movie for any unexpected slip ups. Better to be safe than sorry. The festival I am really keen for the movie to get into is Microcinema Film Festival because it is a true grass roots independent film festival and is essentially what 'Memories' was and what FIVE is - pure microcinema. More updates later.
I finally caught up on my sleep today after 3 weeks. I was so exhausted that yesterday evening I fell asleep by 6.00 in the evening and woke up this morning at 10.00.
And today hasn't been the greatest day - the power surges that happened yesterday due to the storm has fried the broadband router and the fridge - so no internet for the next couple of days and no more refrigerator.
Talking of storms - yesterday I took the ferry to work and it was a petrifying ride to say the least. The sea got rough really fast and it was like being in a mixer-grinder. The ride back was better as the wind was flowing in the direction we were going, so the ferry was not fighting the waves. It was definitely the worst ferry ride I have ever had.
A view from the ferry
Furious and serious
The sea lashing at the ferry terminal
Magical lands by the seaThe feedback from the first audience test screening came back from Paekakariki and overall it ranged from interesting to good while 2 ladies walked out 20 minutes into the movie as they couldn't bear the tension and anticipation. So I guess overall it is a welcome change hearing that kind of feedback from people I have never met.
The stereo mix is still not completely done and I extended the deadline for that till this coming Sunday but I don't know if that will be delivered according to my expectations as the first pass of the stereo mix had a fair few issues and the way things are going I am just not sure if there will be enough time to review the mix before sending out the copies to the film festivals. The frustrating thing right now is that I can't do anything about it - I just have to wait.I wish I had the money to be able to pay someone to deliver to the deadline.
Crazy times.... It has been almost a week and half since the last post and it is hard to believe. It has been insanely busy at my end. In the last post when I wrote that I had only 2 X 16 hour days coming up I was being pretty optimistic - the truth is that ever since then I have only had 18 hour days and today was the first time I got to sleep for about 8 hours. So in total it has been 2 weeks of 18 hour days and it is a minor miracle that my work rate did not drop + I didn't make any mistakes especially since every single moment was important.
The visual component of 'FIVE' is locked while the first part of the audio segment is almost done for sending off the DVD for the audience test screening at Paekakariki. I extended the 2.0 mix deadline by a week and half since the amount of audio post on the movie is massive - especially with the amount of ADR we have done (close to 30% of the movie).
During this time I also went to my first audition for a TV commercial and I was on hold for the job till this morning but ultimately didn't get it. It was great just being on hold since it was the first thing I ever auditioned for. I also got my head shots done on recommendation from my agent and it was a good experience - I will get to see the results sometime this week.
Ilke Gers has delivered the poster for FIVE and I love it since it captures the mystery of the movie. The poster at this point obviously has lots of space but that will be filled up once reviews for it start coming in and stuff. I am not sure that this is the poster that the distributor will be using but it is definitely the one I will be using to send as part of press kit to festivals.
The weather has just gone from bad to worse and the chill just creeps through the woolen clothing and heated rooms. And the thing that makes it that much more miserable is the rain. Funny how we get so used to complaining about the weather - I bet there are several hundred places right now that would be praying for rain.
Heavy rain advancing against the landscape
Here is a pic I took at a birthday party I was invited to and I love it. I am sure each one of us has done the same thing at some point or the other during our childhood.
Isn't that cute?
I recorded ADR for 'Rajit' and it was fun considering that I was doing it for the first time ever. I got my stuff done in a couple of hours and it went like a breeze. Got 2 more ADR sessions to go in the initial round. Most of the music is in and the movie is feeling much better. It is a relief seeing everything click into place.
The future is blue
I am feeling tired as I have had 3 X 18 hour days. Plus I need to catch up on sleep as I have another 2 X 16 hour days coming straight through, so that's me for now. Till later, Amit
ADR's can be pretty intense as yesterday proved it but it is worth it. There is nothing that can beat having good sound in your movie [besides having good visuals and good acting and good editing ;-) ]. It lifts a movie up several notches and definitely takes away from the low budget feel. I finished the second pass of color grade as per schedule and I think I am happy with the final color mix - will check it out tomorrow. Still have another 3 character ADR's to go and we will hopefully will get them done this weekend.
Talking of sound I did much research on finding cheap but good headphones and finally bought Koss KSC75 headphones and they are frickin awesome. I love listening to music and sound on them - there is something about the sound quality through them which is great.
I had a laughing fit recently when I saw someone break away from what they were doing so that they could 'clean up' their virtual pet. I found the whole thing ridiculously funny and every time I think about virtual pets I just crack up. Japanese are weird (no that's not a racist comment but just an observation) as they just want to get away from reality as much as possible and the means which they come up with is hilarious - in this case 'Tamagotchi' - virtual pets. I won't write anymore on the topic as I am cracking up already. You can read all about it HERE.
Now back to work with the end credits. Later, Amit
Finally got around to seeing 'The Lives of Others' and it was a well-crafted film and emotionally engaging. I am not sure if it is a great movie but it is a brilliant and outstanding piece of cinema which tugs at your humanity and the ending is beautiful. Well worth the watch.
Silver reflections
Emptiness
Invisible
How I am feeling!
First set of ADR's have been set for evenings this week and the immediate deadline looming over the project is 3rd July when I have to mail the DVD's to a special audience test screening in Paekakariki.
