Saturday, September 30, 2006

and i decided to start blogging again..

after, the adventure is not over and will not be over until "TOO MUCH BEAUTIFUL WOMAN" gets released (or until we get on another crazy project). so like.. what can i talk about ?

hmm.. let's see.. today the topic will be strictly artistic. well, centred around the artistic part.

i'm not only a trained producer, i'm also a trained director. well i haven't directed anything and didn't even WANT to direct anything since the screening of my film school short movie "explosion" in 2002.. i hated the movie, hated my work and i refused to ever see it again.. actually the 16mm film is with my sister in Paris, that's how much i hate it.
but i'm full of concepts and ideas.. i have my little own prejudices and my ideology.
i guess it can be explained by my influences. i never ever have even had a remote desire to make movies until i went to film school. my thing was Music Video and its bread-earning cousin, Commercials. i have a very unhealthy fascination for the Russian 1920's "Avant-Garde" in general and Sergeï Mikhaïlovich Ensenstein in particular. I watch "Soy Cuba" far too often and think Scorcese is better than Coppola. I like visuals, authors, despise dialogue (and Woody Allen) and traditionnal film-making. Wong-Kar Waï is my idol and i'd sell my soul for an internship at Johnny To's Milky Way Films or to work with Chris Doyla. I admire Gaspard Noe and Godard's early work.

and i was, in Nigeria, where nobody has or even wants to watch a movie that wasn't shot in english.. working with a director who after has been schooled by the american method..
so like we had a bunch of debates.. "Montage" vs "Editing".. and how the two words don't mean the same thing. the real reason why in the USA you make full coverage (i believe it's because it gives more room for the producers to take over the editing..).. radicality and shit.
so yeah, i'm radical. a shot, an angle is a choice. fuck having options. and uchenna is older and more realistic and wiser. that's why he's the director and why i probably will never direct.. after a while, we decided full coverage was a better option.. the movie was changing so fast that being orthodox about it was counter-productive. how can you have a clear and precise idea of how that scene is gonna be shot when you don't even know what the location look like ? huh ? how ?
so even if i have my prejudices i supported uchenna is making those choices..

and basicaly, i've learned A LOT.

like, i remember having a conversation with Koko towards the end where he said something like "MY movie will be shot a lot faster".. i was like "nah.. this thing IS hard" and yeah honestly i'm not looking foward the moment *I* will be the man. nope. or may be i am.
i don't know it's hard to explain.. it gave me the desire to direct one day. but i also have a better idea of the conditions i want to direct in. and honestly it sucks that uchenna and his most personnal project had to be the learning experience for us..
and like, personally i was involved. like i told him, out of the various project we have (yeah, son. we have a bunch of them), TOO MUCH BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, is the one i'm the most emotionnally attached to. yes more than that other one that is based on a idea (and desire) of mine, yeah more than ones i've spent hours discussing with uchenna. this one is the one that made me really want to make movies. this one is the one that made me say "ton pied mon pied" and decide not only i'll make movies but i'll make movies with HIM. an artistic crush, basically (*no homo*).

so i feel blessed.. i'm proud i worked with these guys. i'm proud i learned this much. i can't wait to use what i learned and i can't wait for you people to see what we've done. this thing is my baby too. after all, i cain't forget that during my "strike" (after the incident with the assholish actor i refused to go on set until he was done)), uchenna and koko were every morning telling me "are you coming today ? WE NEED YOU !" i couldn't because seeing that sucker fuck up something i cared so much about was driving me crazy but i was moved. i mean.. it's OUR movie. it's OUR dream. i will forever cherish those conversation at 2 am in a hotel suite parlor about angles and lights and i will forever cherish those moments where we were shooting ideas because we had an issue (a missing actor, lights blowing up, WHERE THE HELL IS THE MONEY STASH ? and stuff..) and the crew and the cast were looking at us and it was getting late.. i'm gratefull for seeing uchenna pulling out great ideas out of his brain in a second notice and therefore teaching me so much about storytelling.

it's really not over.

aflakete the wunderkid at 10:00 AM

2comments

2 Comments

at 2:58 AM Blogger Kwasi said...

Since when did we switch over purely to American movies man?

I remember people loving HK and Indian movies when I was younger. Now I mention Johnnie To and no one has any idea who I'm talking about. Its weird. I was just noticing yesterday that MNET has even cut down hard on the diversity of films that they used to show and gone hollywood. Plus the odd SA or naija production.

Its an issue

 
at 3:36 AM Blogger Comb & Razor said...

i'm all choked up, man... f'real.

we really miss you over here (been trynna call... i just picked up a Multi-Links here on the Island to call you tonight).

i have to admit that in general, the spirit is kinda low around here these days... we still have those early morning convos in the backyard about all the grand shit we're gonna do, but by noon... LOL well, reality starts kicking dudes asses!

still, i'm glad to see that you're still inspired because i was worried that Point Noire would have swallowed you whole by now!

talk to you soon...

 

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