Bloody Love Christmas

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First Film Fundamentals

This week we continue the topic of filmmaking with a feature editorial by Paul Horsfield. Paul is an experienced actor, who's seen the process of making films in and out, and many times over. In this feature he points out what he sees as the top ten issues to consider when shooting your first film. So without further ado, here are the ten First Film Fundamentals.

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First Film Fundamentals by Paul Horsfield

10 fundamentals of filmmaking? Or was it 10 Commandments?

This coming Sunday Effluxio will feature a special editorial from actor Paul Horsfield. Paul will guide us through what he argues are the ten fundamental principles of filmmaking. The primary goal is to provide a formula for filmmaking to those who have never made a film before, but the article should also give a structure for those filmmakers who have already been through their first steps. Stay tuned!

PHOTO: from The Sky in Bloom, Hydra films © 2011.

Languedoc-Roussillon: Mainstay of Peace (FILM)

A truly magical experience

Languedoc-Roussillion is a truly magical place. So when Bouwbegeliding Sud France, a Dutch contracting firm operating in South of France, asked me to create a video that would allow their customers to experience the captivating beauty of the region I didn’t hesitate for a second. The goal was to capture the richness of the experiences that the region offers without compromising its charming tranquility. To realise this goal I invited photographer Andy Shannon to work on this project together. After three days of filming it was fascinating to see how the scale of ancient monuments such as the Pont du Gard aqueduct and the Arènes de Nîmes amphitheater magnified the seductive ambience and flavours of everyday life in the region’s cities of Nîmes and Uzès. The resulting film reveals this serenity of the fairytale-like French countryside and the alluring way of life of its natives. 

5 tips for aspiring filmmakers

Making films may look easy...

Shooting films is a lot of fun. No matter if you are acting, directing, operating the camera or supervising the sound, working on a film set can make you feel as if you were part of something big. Not to mention the awesome experience of seeing the finalised product of your labour for the first time. But working on an independent production is not the same as working on a blockbuster flick from one of the major Hollywood studios, and getting the desired results will often be preceded by a stream of serious sweat and tears. Especially if you are new to the craft and haven’t got that much experience (like me a few weeks ago). To assist those of you who are just starting out, here are five simple tips that should help you get a bigger bang for your buck when it comes to filmmaking.

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Benched

This truly is a magnificent bench.

“Benched" sneak peek #2

Karma isn’t love, it’s not blind.

We’ve been working around the clock and finally our humble attempt at film making — “Benched” starring Paul Horsfield and Sammy Sousa and me — will be making its online debut! We are planning a release on YouTube this coming Sunday at 20.00 GMT, so watch this space or check my tweets around that time. For now, sneak peek #2.

SNEAK PEEK #1: Benched — first glimpse

Paradox of Human Nature

El coloso
Asensio Juliá

Modern humans are like tamed lions: it is in our nature to love but also to kill. We refrain from killing not because we do not want to — we are simply tamed, habituated by the society to follow certain rules and customs in order to meet its needs. But sometimes, just like a tamed lion, our wild nature resurfaces and takes over. In an instant, we become the savage beasts that we once used to be: we explode, we fight, we sometimes even kill. If that is true, the question of efficient functioning of the society aside, is it right or wrong to kill? How could anyone be penalised for being true to their nature, penalised for being true to themselves? The major argument here certainly is: a person that kills is penalised for their inability to control this nature, and not for staying true to it. But isn't that precisely were the real problem lies? That our attempts at self-control have the same effect as a cracking whip and iron bars of the cage have on a tamed lion? In other words, isn't the self control we try to exert upon ourselves ultimately what leads us towards loosing the control in the first place?

Languedoc-Roussillon: Mainstay of Peace

Pont du Gard

Languedoc-Roussillon truly is a magical place on Earth. The Sun is tender, the landscape is never the same, the ancient monuments reign throughout, and the cuisine... mmmm the cuisine! The combination of these pieces makes for a wondrous outcome — a magnificent feeling of inner peace and balance with nature, the dream of idyll life come true.   

FLICKR: Languedoc-Roussillon: Mainstay of Peace

Exegi monumentum aere perennius

Non omnis moriar

The news of yesterday’s passing of Steve Jobs still echo in my head. What a remarkable man! His company sold millions of gadgets worldwide yet... that’s not what really made him extraordinary. To me, rather, it were his unshakable beliefs and unfading spirit. For one thing, I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing now had it not been for his words of wisdom (“It’s more fun to be a pirate than to join the navy” or “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”). Monumentum aere exegi perennius, Steve Jobs.

Benched — first glimpse

“Benched"

The above image is gives you the first glimpse at the short film we made with friends last month in London. It’s called “Benched” after the phrase used in football when the coach sends one of the players off, often contrary to the player’s will. We are still putting the finishing touches and the film should be ready for release very soon now. Stay tuned!

How Will You Lead the Future?

Together with my mate Andy Shannon we shot this video as part of the promo campaign for the 2011 edition of TEDxRotterdam. The theme of the event is “Future Leadership” and is made exclusively for students. So to film the video we chose to go directly to those most interested, shooting at three different higher education institutions, and approaching over a hundred students for participation. It was hard work but mostly it was just good fun. 

If you could be a leader in any discipline, who would you be?

Every student we approached we asked one question: "If you could be a leader in any discipline, who would you be?” The point was to inspire the viewers by showing them those who were busy working towards their passions. We also wanted to stimulate awareness among the students about letting go of what other people expect them to do and acknoledging their true dreams, the things they had always wanted to do but were either too shy or too afraid of pursuing. We concluded the video with a direct challenge to the viewers to do the same, by asking a simple question: how will you lead the future? 

TEDxRotterdam: official website

Femme Nue

Femme Nue
Pablo Picasso

A young girl with her lover

Are staring at the sky

He turns towards her only to discover

a tear in the corner of her eye

He doesn't interrupt its flow
Watching it slowly trickle down her cheek
There is something she wants him to know
But right now, she simply cannot speak

He can feel her heart pulsing stronger
More violent with every beat
How much longer will she remain silent
Before heart rushes her to speak?

They keep still like an open ocean
Unaware of everything but the other's gaze
They may be lying there without motion
But their hearts are in a constant race

It takes all her strength to talk
But finally she utters this one word
It comes crushing down on him like a falling rock
Even though it barely can be heard

He tenderly wipes her lonesome tear
That still lingers on
He knows her memory will stay near
Long after she is gone.

Words of Wisdom (#2)

Bez tytułu #2

Chcę zatrzymać ten moment
Kiedy patrzę na Ciebie
Ale ten moment ucieka
Jak oka mgnienie.
Jak zatrzymać ten czas?
Chociaż na chwilę!
Tego co w nas
Nie pozostawić w tyle.
Ile bym dał
by posiąść tę siłę
By zanim wyruszę przed siebie
Móc, w chwili gdy patrzę na Ciebie
Wstrzymać Słońce od wschodu
Unieruchomić gwiazdy na niebie!
Boże, nie chcę umierać za młodu.

Words of Wisdom (#1)

Planet of the Apes

What makes them believe
That money can solve
What their hearts could not conceive
Will they ever evolve?
Stop being so naive.
This apelike mentality
Is harassing me
I really cannot see
A trace of rationality
In this senseless anarchy.
Someone please explain to me
Why would anybody
Waste their time and energy
On looting and polluting
Their own community?

Andalucía, me enamoré de usted

Toro de Osborne

In Andalusia the Sun is always out. In Andalusia the women are nothing but fascinating. In Andalusia time stands still. In Andalusia you feel like an indomitable bull, you feel inspired, you feel alive!

I took a few pictures during my last trip to this remarkable region of Spain. Photos come mostly from excursions to Malaga and Granada, cities marked by tremendous Arab influence. Hit the link below to check them out, see if you will fall in love as well. 

FLICKR: Andalucía, me enamoré de usted

Homo sapiens — a work in progress?

Leonardo da Vinci
Uomo vitruviano

Let's assume, for the sake of simplicity, that a human being is a creature that after 5 billion years of evolution became 1000 times more advanced than an average bacteria. If that kind of evolutionary progress is attainable, then if we take another 5 billion years it should theoretically be possible for evolution to come up with a creature that is 1000 times more advanced than an average human being is, right? Now, as a human race, we came to believe that we are the top of the crop, the remarkable creatures that became the undisputed sovereigns of the planet. But what if, contrary to this belief, we are just one of the countless gears driving the evolution engine’s journey towards its pinnacle, not the pinnacle itself? A gear that will promptly be discarded once it has fulfilled its mission. Aren't the clashes (e.g., aggression, sex drive) between our "humanity" and animal nature a sufficient evidence that this, indeed, is a work in progress? More so, wouldn't that also mean that the top predators we consider ourselves to be, our role in this world, in fact, wasn't any more different than that of an average bacteria?

Egress into the unknown

A Huguenot on St. Bartholomew's Day
John Everett Millais

These days I feel like a soldier,
Fighting in a war.
Every day is getting longer,
Just waiting for you to knock on my door.
But every day I’m growing stronger
and less afraid of pain.
I know the day is coming,
When we will meet again.

Bonjour la Suisse

Switzerland is a magnificent place on Earth. From the spectacular views of the pristine nature to the mouthwatering cuisine, visiting this alpine country will be among the most unforgettable experiences in your life.  

Hit the link below to take a look at the few photos from my first visit there, they should give you a taste of what it is like to live in the second most livable city in the world.

FLICKR: Bonjour la Suisse!

False Mirror

Specchio Falso
René Magritte

I want to start from scratch

And build this house anew

Let go of my anxious clutch

On things I wasn’t cast to do

But every time I get near

To shifting to a new course

My heart is paralysed by fear

Of failure and remorse

I will not fall for this decoy

And will escape this bitter fate

I know I will have to destroy

In order to create. 

A walk to paradise garden

A walk to Paradise Garden
W. Eugene Smith

If we could go together
To places that are yet unknown,
Would you ask me whether
We would be back by dawn?

Or would you go wherever,
Just so we can go!
Not looking at the time, the date, the weather,
Or what we left at home.

Let's dream of what we can find if we go further
Forget about what is unknown!
Let's walk on this road together,
I promise you will never be alone.

A few words on religion

Jheronimus Bosch
Tuin der lusten

The idea of a religion always seemed a primitive one to me. People didn't understand what moved the world around them and created religions to explain it, I thought. But what if religion came from a different source? What if it came from our fascination with the world's incredible complexity rather than our obscure understanding of it? What surrounds us, and the very nature of our own existence, is of such imposing dimensions that ascribing it divine origins would seem like an appropriate way to match this might.

Could it be then, that religion is just a tribute to the marvellous complexity of our world? If so, praise that is commensurate (if not exceeding!) divinity would seem even more appropriate today than in the past. After all, the complexity is no longer a mystery, but a reality! And shouldn't we praise more that which is certain than that which is not? Then, paradoxically, would it not be safe to say that now, more than ever, it is time to be religious?