2 feb 2022

Desert Paradise

 

 

The Namibian desert town Oranjemund was until recently run by the Namdeb Diamond Corporation. Only employees were allowed to live there and Namdeb provided housing, free water and electricity. Now that Namdeb is about to close its mines and leave town altogether, the people of Oranjemund are left with uncertainty. Many are planning to depart. Desert Paradise is a nicely flowing documentary, which lets the inhabitants tell the stories of their town in conversation amongst themselves. Like supermarket manager Tate, grilling food on the barbecue and telling his daughter and grandson about his early days in Oranjemund. Or the three young women sitting beneath a tree who realize their days of luxury might not be as obvious anymore. Everyone remains optimistic, but also critical of the faceless diamond corporation, not taking responsibility for a town whose resources it drained for decades.

 



 


 

City of Rembrandt

 

 

Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight. Daylighting (using windows, skylights, or light shelves) is sometimes used as the main source of light during daytime in buildings. This can save energy in place of using artificial lighting, which represents a major component of energy consumption in buildings. Proper lighting can enhance task performance, improve the appearance of an area, or have positive psychological effects on occupants. Indoor lighting is usually accomplished using light fixtures, and is a key part of interior design. Lighting can also be an intrinsic component of landscape projects.


1 feb 2022

Carnival in the 30 ties

 

 

Cutting on action or matching on action refers to film editing and video editing techniques where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action. A common example is a man walking up to a door and reaching for the knob. Just as his hand touches the knob, the scene cuts to a shot of the door opening from the other side. 


 

 

25 jan 2022

Money to burn

 

 

Political cinema, in the narrow sense of the term, is films that portray current or historical events or social conditions through a partisan perspective in order to inform or to agitate the spectator. Political cinema exists in different forms, such as documentaries, short films, feature films, experimental films, and even animated cartoons. n order to differentiate between the narrow and broad notions of 'political cinema', film scholar Ewa Mazierska suggested to divide all such films into the categories of conformist or oppositional and marked or unmarked: • Conformist films "accept the political status quo;" while oppositional films reject it. • Marked political films are willing to reveal to their viewers the party/ideology "they serve"; while unmarked films prefer to hide it. From this point of view, it is the oppositional and marked political films that the most viewers regard as 'political', as discussions about politics in film typically single out these two categories.


 

 

24 jan 2022

Macedonia and Skopje

 

 

In the early 1960s Yugoslavia produced more films than ever before. Exports soared during this period of intense creativity and experimentation. The film makers were linked by a common wish to increase the freedom of artistic expression, and to reform the cinematic language. The filmmakers wanted the right to show the darker side of the human psyche and to openly criticize the policy of the socialist state. This stream gained international attention as well as provoking strong controversies within Yugoslavia. The liberalization of the film form and expression reached its apex in 1967– 1968. In the following years, the counter-offensive against the new movement intensified. Black films were attacked for their pessimistic view on the Yugoslav socialist development and liberalism in general, as well as their valorization of anarchistic and individualistic tendencies in the society. The attacks on the movement can be seen as a natural result of the broader political developments at the time. Eventually it led to the banning of selected films and some directors were forced to leave the country. 



 


19 jan 2022

Ocean aquarium

 

 

Welcome to Oceanogràfic València, the largest aquarium in Europe. Located in the avant-garde architectural complex of the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, the aquarium is a true tribute to the seas and oceans of the planet and contains large aquariums which faithfully reproduce the most important marine ecosystems. 



 

17 jan 2022

HomeMovie Camera

 

 

A home movie is a short amateur film or video typically made just to preserve a visual record of family activities, a vacation, or a special event, and intended for viewing at home by family and friends. Originally, home movies were made on photographic film in formats that usually limited the movie-maker to about three minutes per roll of costly camera film. The vast majority of amateur film formats lacked audio, shooting silent film. 


 


Markiezenhof a french palace


 

 

HOW TO WORK WITH LIMITED FOOTAGE What happens when you have very little footage? Maybe you have just one shot of graphic violence but no context. Think about these options:
a) Borrow footage – from colleagues or from footage with Creative Commons licenses
b) Film an interview to explain it c) Use title-cards to tell your viewer more. And remember that on some websites you can place contex- tual information around your video. 

 and a special bonus
 

13 jan 2022

Clair obscure

 

 

Rembrandt lighting is a standard lighting technique that is used in cinematography. It can be achieved using one light and a reflector, or two lights, and is popular because it is capable of producing images which appear both natural and compelling with a minimum of equipment. Pioneering movie director Cecil B. DeMille is credited with the first use of the term. While shooting the 1915 film, The Warrens of Virginia, DeMille borrowed some portable spotlights from the Mason Opera House in downtown Los Angeles and "began to make shadows where shadows would appear in nature." When business partner Sam Goldwyn saw the film with only half an actor's face illuminated, he feared the exhibitors would pay only half the price for the picture. After DeMille told him it was Rembrandt lighting, "Sam’s reply was jubilant with relief: for Rembrandt lighting the exhibitors would pay double!" 


 

11 jan 2022

Folklore

 

 

Folklore is the expressive body of culture shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging from traditional building styles to handmade toys common to the group. Folklore also includes customary lore, taking actions for folk beliefs, the forms and rituals of celebrations such as Christmas and weddings, folk dances and initiation rites. Each one of these, either singly or in combination, is considered a folklore artifact. Just as essential as the form, folklore also encompasses the transmission of these artifacts from one region to another or from one generation to the next. Folklore is not something one can typically gain in a formal school curriculum or study in the fine arts. Instead, these traditions are passed along informally from one individual to another either through verbal instruction or demonstration.