inspiration to the n-th degree

I just spent the better part of last weekend [and quite a few evenings last week too], watching a wide variety of videos and films and assorted media at the 20th Annual Dallas Video Festival.

Even from the first screening, I got that same old feeling of “Hey, I could do that. I could make a film. A short one of course, but yeah, I could do it.” So now I have burned into my mind a long list of images, sounds and ideas that were are dying to pop up fully formed as the next brilliant video. Or film. Or doc. (That’s inside-lingo-talk for documentary, donchaknow?)

Can I say the 2 pieces that have stuck with my the past few days couldn’t be more opposite. One’s a slow, quiet deep-dive into the making of a Steinway piano [review in local paper] and the other was 3 clips which preview a gritty, down-on-the-ground and terrifying look at the forgotten war in Afghanistan, and the soldiers fighting it. The Forgotten War [(Scott Kesterson)]

I would love to see Note by Note again (the lush, visually stimulating story of pianos) – yes it was that good. In a former life, filmmaker was a graphic designer. >> about the filmmaker

And I am of two minds about Scott’s work – I really do mywant to see the piece when it’s all finished, but I don’t know if I can watch that so-very-up-close-and-personal look at war. Man’s inhumanity to man is more than tough to watch. Not sure that I can stomach it. I feel squeamish even now just thinking about it. >> about the filmmaker

late. night. downtown Dallas.

I love that the DMA has continued with their late night series. I hope to make it to this screening:

Who Gets to Call It Art?
10:30 p.m., Horchow Auditorium, Dallas Museum of Art
Don’t miss the story behind the New York art scene of the 1960s, and the man who made it POP, Henry Geldzahler, then curator at the Metropolitan Museum. This unique documentary features interviews and rare footage of artists such as Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, David Hockney, and Jackson Pollock.

the ‘hood = little forest hills

I saw an early version of this film by Dean Terry. So what fabulous exposure to be showing this evening on our local PBS station.

KERA

This article provides a nice synopsis of subdivided. (Several of my pals are featured in this doc.)

Art as corny-dogs-and-deep-fried-coca-cola on film

“HOWDY FOLKS!”
The delightful Cynthia and Allen Mondell are working on a film which features one of my most dearly loved ‘big as the state of Texas’ events and as it happens, that very event starts tomorrow.

I was quite lucky to catch a very early version of “A Fair to Remember” at the most recent Dallas Video Festival.

so overwhelmed by 9/11 images

I didn’t really want to, but I got sucked in and started watching the 9/11 show on 9/10.

I had to stop.

It appeared to be footage I’d seen some of previously on The Discovery Channel, but clearly this presentation was a bit different – a back-and-forth timeline between these two French brothers and documentarians.

One of the brothers said something like, “there’s always someone around to document important moments in history; this time we were the ones chosen.”

Gedeon and Jules Naudet.

I’ll have to do a bit more research on all that.

—
This photographer’s story really moved me when I first heard about it. And it still does.

I’ve not been back to NYC since the loss of the WTC. I go back for the first time in OCT. It will certainly be a different place than the Manhattan I left.

Kirby’s doc broadcast here locally

Border Bandits

Had the opportunity watch/rewatch this after tivoing it over the weekend. I can’t get that wonderful rendition of the “Desperados” tune out of my head…

I am amazed at what talent surrounds me.

youtube nugget for today

This video was *supposedly* uploaded by someone other than tv execs but after such a high hit rate, this long-dead sitcom pilot has been resurrected and is reported to soon be broadcast on a television near you.