Attention for all film lovers, fans, nerds, and aspiring movie stars: here is your chance!

Project Fandom is an independent film project based in Toronto that hopes to bring a new concept of film-making to the film industry: interactive film-making.

Using a membership-based website, they are providing interactive “behind the scenes” content, showing how a feature film is created, produced and distributed. By combining social network tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc, members can actually get involved in a film project by being part of it and having their voices heard by the production casts and crews! It is also a great learning opportunity on all aspects of film-making, such as screenwriting, acting, production, etc.

This is kind of like taking crowdsourcing to the next level, which encourages members’ creativity and contribution to the process, as well as promoting participation in an open casting call and other contests.

The membership is $19.95 USD, which lasts until the end of the production. This is a one-time fee: members get a chance to apply for a leading role, or be a production assistant, by uploading a video about themselves on to YouTube for online auditioning. That means no matter where you are (even if you are living in the North Pole), you get equal opportunity to be part of it. Also, members have the opportunity to edit the actual screen play and have their ideas and thoughts passed on to the production crew!

Don’t feel comfortable about being front of the camera? No problem! If you have talent in song-writing, poster-designing or editing, don’t miss this! There will also be contest for members to create the official theme song for the film, design the official poster or create your own trailer.

Members will also receive a limited edition graphic novel and DVD.

The movie itself is not “crowd funded” — it is being made regardless of the amount of members!

The location of this project will be taken place based on the majority of members located in the city. If the majority of members are from Toronto, then it will be taken place right here in our home city!

The actual draft of the script will be released to members in two weeks, and the production crews will start shooting in early spring, and the planing release date is set to be in December!

For more information, check out their Facebook page and Twitter.

Since it’s Hayao Miyazaki’s birthday on January 5th, I figured it would be nice to have an article published around that date. If you don’t know who Miyazaki is, all I have to say is, “Shame on you!!!!!!!!” Hayao Miyazaki is a renowned Japanese animation director. He’s responsible for a lot of wonderful movies like the 2002 Academy Award Winner Spirited Away and other classics like My Neighbour Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service. His latest movie, Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea (watch the trailer here) was out in theatres during the summer.

Now, what is Studio Ghibli? Well, it’s the animation studio he co-founded with director Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. This studio has seriously produced some really magical films.

Anyways, unlike my article on Japanese literature, I can’t just give “picks” on Studio Ghibli films, you have to watch them all! (If you’ve never seen a Ghibli film, I declare that you have no soul.) As a result, I’ll list the top 5 things that make this animation studio so wonderful.

1. The animation is detailed, exquisitely researched and beautiful.

If you’ve watched some of the “Behind the Scenes” DVD extras, you’ll see that the animation team puts a lot of thought into how they will animate certain parts of the movie. In Spirited Away, Miyazaki animated the thrashing Haku by first observing the movements of an eel as it thrashes around when you take it outside a tank. As well, a lot of the animation in at Studio Ghibli is hand-drawn. Miyazaki has been reported to have personally redraw thousands upon thousands of animation cells.

2. Miyazaki knows how to portray people we can relate to.

A lot of cartoon characters tend to lose their realism and humanity. Sometimes it’s done on purpose to make a show funnier, other times the character just has a lack of depth because they don’t act the way a normal person would in a tough situation. This is part of the reason why we love fictional characters, but at the same time, there’s always an easy attachment to characters whose experiences and reactions mirrors yours.

With Miyazaki, he knows that people aren’t perfect. Need an example? Just take a look at Chihiro from Spirited Away. She’s not a preppy, cheerful airhead like a lot of regular anime heroines and she’s not perfect like them either. She’s apathetic, a coward and whiny and has to learn a hard and slow lesson before she can change herself into a better person, just like the rest of us.

(By the way, Miyazaki isn’t the only director of Studio Ghibli but I’ve singled him out because I have several concerns with the themes and characters in Isao Takahata films. I may decide to write an article on this in my Japanese literature blog, so stay tuned.)

3. Studio Ghibli plots are deep and fascinating.

People in North America tend to associate cartoons with children, therefore it’s a common perception that cartoons were not meant for an adult audience. However, I don’t think a child can completely grasp the complexity and struggle within Princess Mononoke even though they’d enjoy the really cool story and characters. At the same time, being an adult can bring forth new interpretations of the films. For example, in My Neighbour Totoro, were the strange creatures called “Totoros” real or were they figments of the girls’ imagination to comfort themselves during a really rough time?

4. The music is absolutely gorgeous.

The composer of all music in Studio Ghibli films is almost always Joe Hisaishi. His pieces beautifully capture the mood of each film. Sometimes, instrumental soundtracks are a bit boring, but not Hisaishi’s stuff. I think his best work can be heard in either Castle in the Sky or Kiki’s Delivery Service (I love the waltz in that movie), although Ponyo by the Cliff on the Sea will be an interesting soundtrack since I think he’s expanded his style.

5. They’re just tons of fun.

If watching Studio Ghibli films doesn’t make you happy, then I don’t know what would.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAYAO MIYAZAKI~!

Pictures from here, here, here, here, here and here.

You won’t be know how much it takes to make a music video until you get yourself involved! Just before the end of 2009 drew near, I got a chance to help out on a set of shooting a music video for U of T’s upcoming film festival. It was my first time getting involved in events like this and boy what a pleasant experience that was. Being on a set of video shoot can be chaotic sometimes, but you have to be pleased with the effort everybody puts in!

The theme of the music video is social justice and was directed by award-winning Iranian film director Babak Payami, who studied cinema at the University of Toronto decades ago.

Some technical stuff: When shooting a music video, usually the same sequence will be shot around 11 times so that it will provide enough material for the editors to edit during the post-production stage. However, the song will be played over and over again! By end of the day, almost everyone who worked on the set has the song inked in their heads!

Some additional photos:

Erm, “Roll On the Floor and Shoot”…

Shooting outdoor at night:

The U of T Film Festival celebrates the University of Toronto’s rich contribution to the arts through its student and alumni film and video makers. Now in its ninth year, the festival also welcomes films and videos from all emerging and established filmmakers, through we have not lost our focus on student work. For the 2010 edition our special guest will be Babak Payami.

The types of submissions the festival is looking for are:

• short films and videos of any length, genre and topic
• “Super 8″ films that are silent and played with live music
• 1-minute long “Shitty Films” for the annual Shitty Film Contest
• installation art, including site-specific proposals
• film and videos of any length that address social justice issues, especially social entrepreneurialism, providing innovative solutions to social problems.

The deadline is February 8th, and the festival takes place March 13 but early submissions encouraged. For a submission form and details, go to www.uoftfilmfest.ca or send an e-mail to info@uoftfilmfest.ca.

Before your brush this off as a Twilight-bashing or Twilight fangirl post, please be aware that neither of the reasons stated above are the purpose of this blog. However, I cannot promise neutrality as I read the first two books in a post-exam state of brain-deadness while the last two were read with the purpose of cynically laughing at the characters and plot. (You should ask me and my fellow friend and blogger, Ailsa, for our five minute skit of the entire series. We’ve made complete strangers laugh with it.)

Nonetheless, I’ve been wanting to explore this question for a while since I heard the following comment from one of my friends: “I know that Twilight is a horribly written series but Edward is the kind of guy I’ve always wished for.” Coincidentally enough, I was not surprised by her declaration; in fact, I always had a suspicion that this was the reason why the book had become so popular.

Although he is definitely not my cup of tea, I can somewhat understand how Stephanie Meyer’s readers would be attracted to the sparkling vampire. However, I feel that there are a few implications that are quite alarming in the fact that millions of girls and boys of all ages are obsessed with this handsome vampire.

First of all, let’s enumerate some of Edward’s qualities. It’s been repeatedly said that he’s handsome, extremely in love with the lead protagonist and is always there to save her when she is in danger. Although I will not take issue with the first two qualities stated above — we’ve all been attracted to who we think are good-looking people and it’s definitely good to be in love with someone who reciprocates your feelings — I often wonder at the admiration for Edward’s protectiveness, especially since most of the readers of the Twilight books are girls and women. In other words, my big question is: if the series is indeed a source for wish fulfillment, then do girls really want to be protected? If so, does that mean that there is something big and scary out in the world that they need protecting from?

Consider this: most Twilight readers are women and girls from their pre-teens to their 40s who are living in areas of the world that could afford them the luxury of buying books or at least are privileged enough to access them in some way, are educated and most probably literate. In having the right to education, they should have the tools that would allow them to be equal with the opposite gender in their respective societies. If this is true, then what is the big bad monster out there that they want Edward to protect them from?

In the end, I would like to just throw this question out into the wide expanses of the intertubes in hope that someone could give me an answer. Maybe to most Edward-lovers, their adoration of him stems from the fact that they like his romanticism, or that girls actually want guys to stalk them and watch them while they sleep. Perhaps I’ve been going about all of this the wrong way the entire time and all there is to this Edward-obsession is the fact that guys these days just don’t cut it anymore. Ouch.

So to all the guys out there, if you want a girlfriend:

1. Try acting emo
2. Crawl up to your crush’s bedroom window and watch her sleep
3. Remember that death by glittering is the most romantic way to commit suicide in case you think your love is dead

(The author of this post doesn’t actually encourage any of this behaviour. She takes no responsibility for any of her readers’ actions.)

Picture taken from here.

Image from Wikipedia

Warning: This contains spoilers after the jump!

We all know how tough it can be growing up and figuring out who are, which is why, I think, we can all somewhat relate to Water Lilies. Made in 2007, it’s a French film (originally titled Naissance des pieuvres) essentially about two young girls reluctant to come to terms with the fact that they are both lesbians. Okay you’re probably thinking, this is the perfect movie for guys to get horny but I assure you it is much more than that. I was so moved and felt just as much sadness, happiness and shame as the characters did. I know that sounds completely fruity but it’s true.

One of the main characters, Floriane, is the captain of her synchronized swimming team. All of the girls hate her. She’s beautiful and gets all the guys but many call her a slut. What they don’t know is that Floriane is carrying a deep dark secret, which you probably already figured out. Funny thing is, she carries the facade just to irritate the girls. The other main character, Marie, falls in love with Floriane but struggles to come to terms with her sexuality just as much as Floriane does. The two girls fast become best friends and an obvious relationship ensues though nothing ever really happens. Furthermore, Floriane tries — unsuccessfully — many times to lose her virginity with a guy, (interesting when you find out who did but again, you probably already figured that out). This hurts and confuses Marie and thus further complicates their relationship.

We see the torment, the confusion and the shame in acknowledging one’s sexuality. Who hasn’t at one point at least questioned their sexuality? To me, this film is much more than just two lesbians or people trying to get laid. We do see a lot of nudity and half-naked bodies but that’s just a metaphor of how exposed we want people to think we are. Deep down we all have something to hide, something we feel ashamed of.

The 13th annual edition of the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is almost here! It will happen November 11-15. Many of the films will take place at Innis College here on campus while the rest will occur at various theatres around downtown Toronto. There is also an industry series program to attend a variety of lectures by qualified guest speakers for those of you who are interested in The Art of Film Making. The industry pass is unbelievably inexpensive and let’s just say you get much more than you bargain for. Check out the full programming at www.reelasian.com

Here are the short descriptions of just a few of the great films that will be showing at the RA Film Fest:

OPENNING NITE GALA: OVERHEARD
A Hong Kong film about three cops torn between money and justice in the highly anticipated Canadian premiere of this suspenseful crime drama.

YANG YANG
An absorbing coming-of-age tale about a beautiful French-Taiwanese runner whose mother re-marries the father of her track-and-field rival. Winner of the Audience Choice Award, Special Jury Prize, Best Actress and Best Music at the Taipei Film Festival.

A SCHOOLGIRL’S DIARY
A North Korean story about the daughter of a national researcher provides a remarkably lucid window into the social fabric and cinematic culture of the contemporary DPRK.

BLIND PIG WHO WANTS TO FLY
A funny-sad film about a group of strange Chinese Indonesians post 1998, including a blind dentist and his firecracker-eating daughter. Winner of the FIPRESCI International Critics’ Prize at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

WHITE ON RICE
A quirky comedy about Jimmy (Hiroshi Watanabe, Letters From Iwo Jima), a 40-year-old divorcé, who embarks on an enthusiastic mission to replace his ex-wife with someone better, but comes up against his suave friend Tim (James Kyson Lee, Heroes).

FISH STORY
A doomsday adventure about a Japanese punk song that rescues humanity—adapted from the acclaimed book by Kotaro Isaka. Winner of the Special Award for Best Pop Culture Rush at the New York Asian Film Festival.

Lead character "B" (Bobby Del Rio). Image from tiff.net

Written & Directed by: Mio Adilman
Starring: Bobby Del Rio, Jean Yoon, Paul Hyung Sun Lee

“Unlocked” is a dramatic comedy about an average, but nice guy named “B” who is trying to get his life back together after some not-so-happy experiences. However, he has to overcome many obstacles throughout his journey into living and rebuilding a normal life.

This film highlights the difficulties downtown Toronto cyclists face with other fellow cyclists, as opposed to the cars versus bikes dilemma we’re all aware of. It just shows how much integrity and tenacity it takes to be a long-term cyclist. It’s not just about riding a bike in your neighbourhood or park just for fun; neither is cycling simply just a mode of transportation. It is, rather, a type of lifestyle for many in Toronto and especially around the U of T campus.

This film is fun, funny, witty, and even a little bit spiritual, although some may disagree. How must one maintain his momentum and sanity to get through the harsh realities of life? In a way, there’s a little “B” inside all of us. We must learn how to live above ourselves, let go of our egos and walk through the difficult-but-sometimes-sweet journey of life. At the end of the day it’s “A-OK!”

What I like about this film is that such a simple topic as “two wheels” can have so much meaning and depth. I guess it’s just as the saying goes, “less is more.” It is indeed more than one can expect judging from the first thought of the word “bicycle.”

What we may gain from the frustrated cyclist story might be that we must learn how to remain calm and not blow up in times of trouble. Even if we do blow up, we must learn how to admit our own mistakes, and learn from that. We must be able to ask for forgiveness, to forgive and forget, and to even forgive ourselves for our very own wrongdoings, whether knowingly or not. As corny as that may sound, it is true that we must all have a compassionate heart and have love for all humanity, and that is the only way that our species will survive.

“Unlocked” was premiered at TIFF here in Toronto. It was also screened at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, the Vancouver International Film Festival, and several film festivals in the U.S. You can catch the next screening at the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, right here on campus on November 14.

As a side note, here’s a little video from the Toronto Cyclists Union showing appreciation towards drivers for their efforts in helping keep Toronto cyclists safe.

So today, fellow blog readers, I’ll instead give you the down low on what it is like to be a volunteer for TIFF. You begin by signing up to volunteer. If you are chosen, you will go for orientation sessions and sign a simple contract which involves you promising not to stalk the famous or becoming star-struck when they arrive. You get one of those ubiquitous totes with little freebies, such as: shaving cream, a Stella Artois glass, coffee and a volunteer shirt. On the shirt is the logo of NBC Universal, the main sponsor, so you become its walking billboard.

When the time comes, you sign up for shifts online. ID is needed at all times when picking up TIFF-related stuff. There have been horror stories in which some people steal volunteer shirts and sneak in repeatedly for free films and, mostly, celebrity-stalking.

There are various theatres you can sign up for, ranging from: Roy Thompson Hall, where all the major premieres and gala screenings are held; Ryerson, famous for midnight madness films; Scotiabank, AMC and Varsity, which handle press and industry screenings or public screenings. First-timers (i.e. me) are mostly allocated the latter three theatres.

So what do you do at a theatre? You can usher, scan tickets, tear tickets, use the clicker to count the number of guests, count the actual ticket stubs, get people in the right lines, answer questions about where the bathrooms are as well as standing on your feet for long periods of time, doing nothing (there’s a lot of that). There’s the aforementioned, “make sure people are not illegally recording the movie” shift where you can stand in the theatre and watch the movie or the “stand outside and make sure people without a ticket don’t try to come in” bouncer-type job. You can also work at the box office selling tickets.

It doesn’t sound too glamorous or exciting, but once in a while a “lockdown” will occur in which “talent” will be attending a film screening. Talent refers to people that played a part in the film, like directors or actors. During a lockdown, you will stand hand in hand with other volunteers forming a barricade so that screaming fans will not attack their heroes with requests for autographs and pictures. At the Varsity, you get a variety of talent. Some new and cocky as heck when they arrive, and others more famous (and sometimes a lot more humble). I got to see Michael Douglas and Matt Damon during a lockdown, and whilst waiting for them, had a discussion with a 7-year-old autograph-hunter about why these people were better than Hannah Montana.

If you sign up for four or more shifts and are not late to any of them, you get an invitation to the TIFF party after the festival, which is pretty awesome with its selection of food and booze. You are also given volunteer vouchers, redeemable for one movie ticket for each shift, or two if the shift is more than 7 hours. If you don’t use them at TIFF, you can use them at Cinematheque Ontario screenings. Usually, by the end of the festival there is a lack of volunteers, and so things pick up and get busier, as opposed to the start of the festival. If you prefer hectic shifts, it is recommended that you work in the morning as opposed to the evenings where things are actually slower then. However, during long periods of inactivity, you also get to meet other cinephile volunteers, so the waiting time actually passes by quickly.

All in all, with its highs and lows, volunteering for TIFF is a pretty cool experience — maybe you’d like to try it next year.

Oliveira’s style is certainly different from what we would normally see today. Perhaps it’s his age or perhaps it’s to reflect the time period, but the film was captured in a very old fashioned way. I’m not an expert so I don’t know the correct technical terms, but it was shot such that the quality of the picture seemed like it was something that was made in the distant past with many moments of static. More than that, Oliveira relies on the bare minimum, using as little settings and props as possible.

The story itself is one that has incredible potential and I can definitely see why it was a success in its literary form. It’s potential, however, was not translated onto the screen. Running at an hour long, there were many scenes that the film could have done without. It seemed only to prolong the story leaving the audience exasperated as we waited for some action to occur. Like I said earlier, the film is based on a short story and it should have been exactly that…a short story. Oliveira could have shot the film in about thirty minutes and still capture not only the essence of the story, but also the interest of his audience.