Gawdy Gawdy Gah

Floyd's Angel

2011-10-30T12:39:00.005-04:00

My buddy actor Miles and I had been shooting interviews for a gig and ended up having this location for 2 months. One of the people we interviewed was an old gospel singer and happened to have a collection of Bob Jones University films from the 60s/70s. These religious propaganda films were what gave us the loose idea of making a dark answer to them.

What followed was a grueling 2 months of shooting. Without a crew we were moving at a snail pace, working long hours with really minimal results. Operating and pulling focus at the same time resulted in having to do far too many takes on some particular shots. And of course, we shot a handful of scenes that didn't end up in this cut.

Editing was just as bad because in the end I had about 35 hours worth of takes to sift through. And after finally getting through roughcuts of every scene a power outage corrupted my principal external hard-drive as well as my main hard-drive via my operating system. I still don't understand how it took 3 weeks to get everything back online but thinking about the fact that all the footage had to be re-encoded, I had to reinstall OSX about 10 times, and I had to manually reconnect half of the clips in my timeline, it starts to make sense.

I originally planned on riding this through the festival circuit, but I simply don't have the money, nor the patience to wait for rejection letters. I can't see this playing alongside the rest of the programming at a typical horror film festival, and what other film festival would take it? The more I learn about film festivals and how they operate, the less faith I have in the system and the more I realize that like anything else it has far too much to do with who you know, and who can pull a favor to get you in.

Anyhow, hopefully someone enjoys what took an embarrassingly long amount of time to create. Happy Halloween.

Dell Thin and Powerful Video Contest

2011-09-12T23:03:00.000-04:00

I shot this with Ben Zisk (Pete from Republic of Pete) in lovely Chicago. Twas fun to shoot and as always, great to play with my lights.

Wish us luck!

Whirly's Soul on The Cosmic Lounge

2011-08-25T00:03:00.002-04:00

This track is a little older but Profesh at the Cosmic Lounge was nice enough to pop it up.

I'm finally done with Floyd's Angel. Maybe I'll fiddle with it more at a later date but it's cut tight enough for viewing. I submitted it to a few film festivals today... we'll see what happens.

New Reel

2011-07-02T20:26:00.000-04:00

Here's my new reel with some shots from Floyd's Angel which I'm currently editing.

Memory Sudoku

2011-06-13T01:00:00.005-04:00

Memory Sudoku by Avant Grade

Direct download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?f59m92h755fclh5

So I decided to put up a bunch of my new and old music for download. I spent a few months this winter working on what I'm calling Memory Sudoku. It's eclectic. I originally wanted to do a half Drum and Bass and half House album but the tracks that made the cut delve into a few more genres. The result: Memory Sudoku.

I put up the rest of Hot Garbage for download too, all at my soundcloud page.

SOB Online

2011-06-10T13:19:00.006-04:00

For anyone who has wanted to watch SOB and the Legend of Alan Schafer, it's currently streaming via the documentary channel's section on the Dish Network online for FREE! I don't know how long this will last. Wow, we made this a long time ago.

Hot Dog Salad

2011-05-25T11:10:00.002-04:00

So I've been in upstate NY shooting what might be called Floyd's Angel for the past two months... More about the film and experience to come.

Boise X-9 Paper Contest

2011-01-25T10:11:00.003-05:00

Had a lot of fun shooting this one. Hopefully one of these days I'll win one of these freaking contests...

Alvin Greene Kickstarter

2011-01-14T02:15:00.005-05:00

I've done a good bit of work on this project. Did some shooting last fall, been in LA helping edit for the past month and a half, and you know I had to make a cameo in the money plea video! I doubt anyone reading my blog has much money, but if you do, consider donating! Also, I shot their opening with my 50mm prime on the old T2i. Nice look for a hundred bucks, huh?

Widget

Website

2011-01-09T17:38:00.003-05:00

So I finally made a website. I'm sure I'll change it around soon, but check out version 1.0 of

My Website, JesseBerger.net

The Arm Wrestlers

2010-12-19T17:04:00.002-05:00

A few months ago my friend Miles was in Charleston for a few days with his friend Keefe and they wanted to shoot something. Originally I wrote a 10 page script about a prostitute but working out a multi-scene shoot on the fly just didn't happen. So we decided on doing a single scene. So I popped out a 4 pager about two guys in an arm wrestling match. This was an interesting shoot because the actors didn't have time to read the script before we started shooting. So we more or less wrote the script as we rehearsed the scene right before we shot it.

There were two things that stood out with this shoot. First, I decided on a whim to shoot it outside on my landlord/pal Zsolt's 2nd story patio. We already had the lights set up inside his living room, but it was really hot since it was summer and Zsolt is European so he doesn't believe in the inefficiency of AC. Plus one side of our vantage point outside was pure black as it was nighttime and the Zsolt's patio is on the second story.

The other thing that stood out was the process of shooting. We wanted to start shooting early. However it took hours to hash out a bare bones scene that the actors could make it through. And it still wasn't pretty. By the time we finally started shooting moral and expectations were pretty low. We did two takes of the master and it was horrible. At least that's how I felt at the time.

I once read about directing techniques in regards to working with actors. In this literature there was a suggestion to be conscious of which actor you choose to cover first. Actor A might be up and running at full force, and Actor B might need to warm up a bit in order to crank out their best stuff. So shooting closeups of Actor B first will yield a sub-par performance from him/her while spending all of Actor A's mojo while he/she isn't even being shot. And in this case, I began by covering Keefe first. Now, Keefe did an excellent job in this short, but he is a less experienced actor than Miles. More importantly, Miles and I have worked together a lot and this was my first time shooting with Keefe.

At the point when I switched from the master to covering Keefe, the scene just wasn't functioning right. If the actors weren't comfortable enough with the scene to start the shoot when we took the master, then why would they be when we moved to tighter shots? In hindsight it didn't matter (see below) but it's always regrettable to continue shooting something that isn't working. Fix it before moving on... but I was more focused on damage control at that point.

So we were doing tighter shots of Keefe, and it was just not working. He wasn't warmed up yet, and I, as the camera operator, wasn't warmed up either. A few more takes and there was a breaking point. Everything I had shot looked bad, the acting was bad, the pacing was bad, and everyone was aware of this. It became a joke to all of us. Of course going into it we should have known that even if it were a great script, putting something together on the fly always makes you vulnerable.

It was then that I more or less pulled the plug. If all we were doing was wasting time, then we needed to minimize the amount of it we were wasting. The goal changed to simply getting it done. All the while we were joking about how awful it was going to be. We more or less came to the conclusion that we'd be lucky to each come away with a few shots for our reels. We've all made terrible projects before. At a certain point, it's important to know when to just give up if something isn't going to turn out. We decided to get a few takes of Miles, call it quits and go to a bar.

Granted, this was first thing I'd shot since finishing Republic of Pete. At this point in the night, all I could think about was how pathetic it was to come off of a feature making something so amateurish, how I had failed to learn anything, etc. It was a really bad feeling: doubt of the worst degree. But when we switched to shooting Miles, something changed. As we were running through takes, I found a sweet spot on the lens. And Miles tried some things with the part. And voila, it suddenly went from a worst case scenario to something I could work with. But why?

The simple fact that we stopped caring is what allowed us to get it right. Without inhibitions, it stopped being a laborious pain in the ass, and started being fun and worthwhile.

What's really nice about shooting digital is that you can readily show people what you've shot. So right after I got a good angle, I showed it to the actors. And moral was boosted. So we finished up Miles and went back and grabbed more takes of a now warmed up and on point Keefe and finished it.

Granted, the sound is still awful. But I think all in all, the scene... well to just have any scene turn out is a success in this scenario... even with bad sound. Here is the end result:

Special thanks to Ryan Holderfield for hooking it up with a nasty lens, some lights, and some lighting skills. And of course thanks to Zsolt for letting us film in his house.

This post was written while taking a break from helping edit the Alvin Greene doc I helped out a couple of days on before the election. I'm in LA working on this until mid January, doing the LA thing (working a lot and drinking a lot of coffee). I still have a ton of pics that I'll eventually use for a few pic blogs about Alvin, but I'm still figuring out exactly what I think about him. And it's likely I'll be doing that for a long, long time.

Salesforce Contest Entry

2010-11-29T11:37:00.000-05:00

Voiced over by yours truly...

An Afternoon at the Fair with Alvin Greene

2010-11-03T14:36:00.000-04:00

A few weeks I had the opportunity to do some filming for Leslie Beaumont and David Garrett's documentary Who is Alvin Greene? Alvin Greene's run for office turned him into a celebrity overnight. He did no real campaigning, lives at his dad's house, and somehow beat an established Democrat in the primary. There are conspiracy theories that the Republicans fronted him the $10,000 running fee for the primary to assure an embarrassing defeat for the Democrats. But truth be told, Alvin Greene is just a random guy who had the idea of running for office and got lucky. As my friend Nate said , is it really so crazy to think that a normal person would want to run for public office? Normal might be used loosely in Alvin Greene's context, but he's much more like the average American than some pedigreed party/lobbyist controlled asshole like most other American politicians. But I digress. Here are some pics:

Alvin at the entrance.

Alvin couldn't walk more than a few steps before being stopped by fans. He would ask everyone he met "Where you from?". As if it was a tip from some political playbook.

Sitting in the shade on a hot fall day in South Carolina.

A pensive Greene looks toward the crowd...

And while Alvin was always looking for a chance to talk to his fans,
they would often lose interest in him as soon as they finished their photographs.

The wacky environment of the fair compliments the bizarre conditions of Greene's political stardom.

Underdog Greene looks back while a white suited man on stilts looms over him.

And not even yours truly could resist the chance to take a picture with the phenomenon himself.

I'll do another one of these in a few days...

Skinful Video

2010-10-29T15:18:00.002-04:00

I had the pleasure of helping film Skinful with Justin Nathanson last weekend. This was without a doubt the best party I've ever been to. Here's what Justin cut together:

Skinful Halloween 2010 : debauchery from Justin Nathanson on Vimeo.

Nasty Nate Gets a Haircut

2010-10-20T14:15:00.000-04:00

Great Night Movies

2010-10-12T22:44:00.001-04:00

In the spirit of Halloween/Fall I was trying to think of some great movies that take place almost entirely at night. First on the list is what made me think to post about this topic:

1. The Warriors

I can't believe I hadn't seen this movie before. A gang called the warriors has to fight their way home across New York City after they are blamed for the murder of the leader of the most powerful gang in the city. Great concept, gangs and their respective outfits, and locations. This is what every comic book movie should strive to be.

2. Night on Earth

Jim Jarmusch's tale of four taxi experiences in four cities across the globe is a feat of filmmaking. To keep an audience intrigued by what is basically a two hour cab ride... well you get this picture. It's fun, clever, and exactly what should be expected of a Jarmusch film made during his prime.

3. Dark City

A well executed dark concept film about a man whose special ability leads him to discover that his entire city has been turned into an alien experiment. I saw this in the theater as a kid and I'll never forget it.

4. Touch of Evil

Orson Welles acts/directs in this story of good cop vs. bad cop on a border town between the US and Mexico is ultra stylized film noir. Known for it's first shot, which is a very long and intricate long take and for the fact that Charleton Heston plays a Mexican, this film is about as dark as they come. Welles created a dark carnival of a world. And he supposedly shot at night so the studio execs would be asleep instead of bothering him in the middle of the night on set.

5. After Hours

It's nowhere near Scorsese's best work, but there's something about a crazy night in the city that leaves you with a good feeling when it's over. Bonus points for Clarence Felder playing a bouncer at a weird bar.

6. Escape from New York

I love John Carpenter. As all of his movies are being remade by Hollywood hacks, it become more and more apparent how great of a director he was.

7. The Crow

Another example of a comic book type movie done right. And Ernie Hudson nails it in his role as a cop.

8. Alphaville

Alphaville wraps up this list. Godard's futuristic detective story was shot in Paris in the early 60's yet it looks authentically futuristic. It's about the only big brother type movie that isn't disgustingly hackneyed. I saw this movie for the first time earlier this year and have watched it at least 10 times since.

The End

New Reel

2010-10-12T00:25:00.001-04:00

Here's my new reel with a couple of shots from the soon to be finished Arm Wrestlers short short.

Picture blog: 3 Dude's at the 2010 Charleston Green Fair

2010-09-27T00:50:00.000-04:00

Back to the Greenfair two years after I did a pic post with shots taken for a doc Justin Nathanson was making. I was taking pics again as Justin was filming a concert by the very young local band 3 Dudes. Here are some pics:

Poster for the band

The dudes before the show

Justin wondering if it's raining

Sound check

Badass soundguy who was wearing a Howlin Wolf t-shirt

Setting up drums

The stage at Marion Square

The show

The show pt 2

Nice drum face

No photoshop here, fun w/ focus on my 50mm lens

Ancient symmetry


Hoola hoop girl

My fav pic of the set


Nice promo pose

Riva Starr - Splendido (Avant Grade Remix)

2010-09-24T00:06:00.000-04:00

Riva Starr - Splendido (Avant Grade Remix) by Avant Grade

American Heart Association - Spanish Commercial Entry

2010-09-21T12:48:00.000-04:00

So I made this for a video contest, which I'm going to start doing a lot more of in the future. My roomate's mom was in town and nice enough to do the voice over... the commercial had to be in Spanish and she is Puerto Rican.

Wish me luck! And if you're a member of Poptent.net leave a comment and show me some love!

Boardwalk Empire Review

2010-09-21T00:34:00.003-04:00

Scorcese's The Departed laid out the blueprint for Boardwalk Empire to fail. Now that he's an old Hollywood legend, he can somehow do no wrong. I thought the great directors were supposed to do porno after they peaked?

Scorcese was onto something with his early films. Mean Streets, Raging Bull, and Taxi Driver were raw and gritty. They had soul. And now he has perfected his style to the point that it isn't much more than seeing something which is technically sound but lacks the dazzle that once made it shine. He is past his prime.

Whereas he once made films with techniques that challenged conventions of cinema, he is now making over-stylized garbage. Granted this is tv (say what you will HBO, but it's all the same). But the audience of Boardwalk Empire's premier was subjected to a full hour and a half of relentless camera movement seemingly for no reason other than to keep a dimwitted viewer engaged. Boardwalk is nothing more than a hackneyed storyline of Steve Buscemi as a crooked politico alcohol cartel during prohibition. Some will draw inferences on the current prohibition of marijuana. If such symbolic ties exist by the hands of the filmmakers they are most likely light and superficial like the rest of this show... especially it's characters.

The story is predictable for Scorcese and for HBO. That's really all that needs to be said because if you are familiar with modern gangster shows Empire is the Soprano's with Steve Buscemi as the boss in the 1920s. But Buscemi is not a big scary mean looking mofo. He's a skimpy ugly sort of fellow that's made a name for himself playing poor schmucks. And if the general premise of Buscemi playing this particular lead isn't perculiar, imagine him somehow having the strength to smash a guy twice his size into a roulette table. Obviously nobody realized how this or many other little things simply did not work while they were filming.

Buscemi is known for his talents as a character actor, however he has starred as the lead before. The one film which comes to mind is Tree's Lounge which he also directed. In that film handled himself fine in the big actor's (and director's) shoes. So what makes this perfectly capable actor come off so flatly?

Whether it's Scorcese's focus on the style of this project as opposed to the acting, or the awful dialogue, or the poor writing, Boardwalk Empire is a huge letdown. We're talking writing which gives characters problems that should make them pop out of their cardboard shell but said problems are so obvious that they are worse than having none at all. Typical by the books scriptwriting that should be offensive to a man of Scorcese's likes. From Paul Schrader to this!?!

Besides the awkward acting there are more than enough awkward jarring edits. How did these slip by Scorcese or the producers? The color correction is overdone to the point where some shots which might have had no CGI look full of it. CGI is distractingly fake looking and unappealing. But these are just a few more things to add to the list of Boardwalk's disappointments.

After hearing about this show I wanted for it to be good. I wanted the same while watching it. But as the premier progressed the quality control issues began to blare out of the television building up and expanding like the blood boiling under my skin.

The (Only) Good: The supporting role of a young Al Capone was a wonderful idea for this show. I have no idea if it is any bit historically accurate, nor do I care. Seeing the young version of an American legend is enough to make me want to watch another episode. The actor in this case nailed it. And I suppose any series can start off with a piss poor episode... so there's a chance it might get better.

The Bad: Steve Buscemi is looking like a miscast. Scorcese is way past his prime. He's directed this show before as a bunch of other movies, most of which are better than Boardwalk Empire.

The Ugly: The dialogue, the predictability of the story and characters, and the fact that it embodies the current Entourage mentality of fast cutting style over fresh writing and good acting. Somewhere in it's creation, this show managed to be birthed without an authentic soul.

Nicole Moudaber - Stomp That (Avant Grade remix)

2010-09-19T19:52:00.000-04:00

Nicole Moudaber - Stomp That (Avant Grade remix) by Avant Grade

Avant Grade - Hot Garbage

2010-09-07T18:11:00.001-04:00

So I found out about Createspace, a publishing company owned by Amazon. And I've decided to put out the collection of music that I've been working on for the past year or so. I'm calling the album "Hot Garbage". I took some stills of a piece of art I acquired to use as the artwork. And I'm pretty pleased with how the packaging (and music) turned out. Some tracks are available for listen/download at my soundcloud.

Buy it at https://www.createspace.com/1841863 for the low low price of $12 plus shipping.

BUY BUY BUY Seriously though, I'm poor! BUY BUY BUY

S.O.B. on the Documentary Channel

2010-09-07T16:26:00.000-04:00

What a bad blogger I've been... S.O.B. began it's 2 year contract with the Documentary Channel halfway through August. The Documentary Channel is available through Dish Network and DirectTV. The next screening will be 9/23 at 6pm on 197 Dish Network, or 267 DirectTV. Here's a link: http://www.documentarychannel.com/movie.php?currID=8756&t=S.O.B.-and-the-Legend-of-Alan-Schafer

BUY AN OVERPRICED DVD!

Transformus 2010 Pics

2010-07-21T02:13:00.012-04:00

I went to a music/art festival outside of Ashville NC and took some pictures with my new camera last week. It has been a while since I've blogged but I'll post a real update sometime soon...