Mas y Mas July 2012

mรกs ymรกs

monthly newsletter of NISI MASA

JULY12 THE 3D ERA

A step into 3D Dial M for Murder interview:

Sara Macias report:

NISI MASA new projects

Alfred Hitchcok in a promotional image of "Dial M for Murder" (1954)

editorial Please do not take this as calling for more piranhas, pirates or racing cars jumping at us from the silver screen in the multiplex cinema theaters.

As the interest in stereoscopic 3D technologies floats like a see-wave, once promoted by mass film distributions, the other day executed by the crowds caused by “3D headache” or simply disappointed by week experience of the third dimension, we shouldn’t waste the time and pages of Nisi Masa to think about the pop-culture significance of stereoscopic 3D, although it is a huge and deep topic. Let us ask ourselves, why is falsifying of the third dimension of the picture so attractive to mankind…

I think it is because stereoscopy is one of the technological steps not into metaphorical “third dimension”, but to the virtual reality. To get out of the borders of our bodies and to free our minds scares us a bit on one hand, on the other hand it is target of desire. To change from the world of our everyday life for a world of imaginary yet touchable other space. I do not think, that technology is the only way how to break the laws of physical space, not at all. But if we even think about the technological solvation for longstanding human wish to move without any obstacles, to fly as a bird, to control the world by the power of the mind and to get rid of the arrow of time, stereoscopic 3D made dangerously suggestive step to reach it. It allows us to jump

Old picture of Life Magazine

deeper into the film. Human mind needs to expand, and S3D is the land to be conquered.

Nevertheless, even from the technological point of view, S3D is still only a game of pretending, of course – trick. But it is a game of incredible power and last but not least of unexploited possibilities. As the fruit which haven’t been picked S3D is still attracting our minds…

Luckily we can meet the creators, who are following exactly these tracks: S3D visionaries such as Michael Bielicky (HFG, Karlsruhe), Ludger Pfanz (Expanded 3D, Karlsruhe), Yves Pupulin (Binocle 3D, Paris) or Tomas Petran (Transistor S3D, Prague) are actually still stressing: this what we call S3D is basically just a 2D with some 3D effects to make the thing more catchy, but the real nature of this medium is still waiting to be put out. Those are indeed inviting us into the third dimension. We need to throw away the anaglyph glasses and literally jump into the world of the movie, furthermore then into the virtual space… So let us now make this step, or better flyover the three-dimensional virtual world in this issue of Nisi Masa – this time only in metaphorical meaning. Whats up in 3D in our world nowadays?

And tomorrow – who knows, where we will meet…?

Mas y Mas is a monthly newsletter published by the association NISI MASA. EDITORIAL STAFF Coordination & Layout Lucía Ros Serra

Contributors to this issue: Ondrej Cakl , Jan K. Rolnik , Vera Batozska Wim Vanacker, Lucía Ros Serra, , Sara Macías, Viviana Carlet

NISI MASA (European Office) 99 Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis 75010, Paris, France Tel/Fax: +33 (0)9 60 39 63 38 + 33 (0)6 32 61 70 26 Email europe@nisimasa.com Website www.nisimasa.com

by Ondrej Cakl

credits.

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The 3D Era

dossier

The 3D Era

3D films isn't a new thing: in 1954, Hitchcock filmed "Dial M for Murder" in this format. Almost 60 years later, 3D is living its final (?) revolution, where filmmakers of all kinds (yes, not only James Cameron) want to film in 3D. Let's read what experts and friends have to tell about it!

STEP INTO THE 3rd DIMENTION

Pictures by Vera Batozska , TranSISTor 2011

Stereoscopic 3D (S3D) is nothing new. Actually the first patent for stereoscopic 3D motion picture system dates back to 1890s. In photography the first 3D stereoscopic pictures were commercially exploited already in 1860s. So nowadays we use to talk about cutting-edge technologies of stereoscopic 3D which really grow from rich soil of more than 150 years of experimentation.

The real reason of the amazing outburst of S3D in today’s audiovisual industry is that the “magic” got truly accessible for most of us - both for creators and viewers. And the main merit is probably the digitalization.

Due to the computing force and possibilities of work with digital image, it is now easier than ever to prepare and “assemble” moving 3D image in viewer’s vision. S3D home video cameras, S3D TV sets, S3D editing software and related technologies are now available in every store for reasonable prices.

At the same time the 3D in cinemas gave back the significance of its size and picture quality to the silver screen and put audiences from living room couches back to cinema seats. The home video S3D processing is of course still miles behind the professional S3D handling in big production studios. Quality is the key. Depth budget of the whole movie or right amount of parallax for each shot is essential for nowadays professional productions but mean nothing to home video S3D creators.

There are few places where you can get good S3D training nowadays: In Ireland the “3D cinema in Europe” focuses on producers. Pre-production, budgeting, financing, storyboarding etc. are the topics to go through in two sessions, each lasting for 3 days. In Paris the Avance Rapid Communication offers two courses – one lasting for 9 days focused on production of S3D movie and second lasting for just 2 days focused on marketing and distribution.

Finally in Prague during every summer there is a TransISTor workshops series which lead you through the whole process of S3D pre-production, production and post-production also offering to your projects the entry to cinema screens and network of distribution professional due to the partner S3D festivals. It is up to each one of AV professionals to choose from the available trainings and finally step in the world of S3D.

by Jan K. Rolnik

MURDER CALLING IN 3D! Mid-century 3D movies, inspired by the panic reaction to drastically decreased movie attendance in the early 1950s after television invaded the American home, tended to feature boulder-throwing lagoon creatures, laser-shooting space aliens, or spear-hurling, non-politically-correct ethnic groups, but Hitch would have none of that. Alfred Hitchcock just had to do things differently and assured that there would be no spears or chairs to throw at the audience. Almost perversely, Dial M for Murder's primary setting is a one-bedroom apartment in London. As anti-cinematic as it gets.

Dial M for Murder, faithfully adapted from a rather talky, but nonetheless gripping drawing-room play by Frederick Knott, hardly exits the coffin-like setting of the original play’s singular location. Hitchcock made no effort whatsoever to open up the play and transplant it to streets, or parks, or rollercoasters, or anything

else that screams “This was never a stage play!” to take advantage of the unique qualities of the stereoscopic technology. Or so it seems.

Dial M for Murder might be the only movie that takes 3D seriously, moving it beyond its obvious novelty at the time. Hollywood’s latest gimmick brought an otherwise ordinary apartment to life and allowed Hitchcock to penetrate the thin, taut fabric of the screen as filmy and elegantly as the nightdress Grace Kelly wears when she gets up to answer the phone. Hitchcock's intention was to emphasize the theatrical aspects and treat movie-going audiences to a night at the theater.

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dossier

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Ambitious as that may have been, the film gave audiences much more: as the bi-lensed camera roved about capturing details that would be missed by a stationary spectator, viewers were given the uncanny sensation of ascending the stage to move invisibly among the characters, inhabiting the body of that most ghostlike or godlike voyeur, the invisible man.

Amazingly fluid camerawork contributed to that impression: rarely locked down on the tripod for a static shot, the camera was constantly moving, subtly responding to the drama placed in front of it. With at its peak, the scissors, metaphorically slashing through the messy sentimental empathy of traditional theatre. A murder without gleaming scissors, he reasoned, is like asparagus without the Hollandaise sauce – tasteless. By the time the intermission rolled around, viewers had seen every wall in the living room, from just about every conceivable angle. Out of those self-imposed spatial limitations emerged a veritable lexicon of three-dimensional cinematography.

The 3D Era

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Too bad more film makers haven't read it. Yes, Avatar's James Cameron, I'm talking to you. Dial M for Murder comes across as a profiterole in Hitchcock's oeuvre. When asked about the film years later, demonstrating his inability to resist a pun, he replied, "I could have phoned that one in." But the film turned out to be, far and away, the best exploration of the artistic potential of 3D film making ever, Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience included.

by Wim Vanacker

You can watch some clips in 3D of Hitchcock's master piece: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6N5gXr784Y

DIAL M FOR MURDER: THE SCISSORS SCENE

"Dial M for Murder" by Alfred Hitchcock screenshots (1954)

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The 3D Era

dossier

interview...

Sara Macías Sara Macías is probably one of the very few women working as Crane Operator and Hot Head in Spain and probably in Europe. After studiyng Audiovisual Communication and Film Production, she decided to specialized as Crane, Hot Head and Steadycam operator.

Lately she has been working in some 3D projects as stereoscopic operator and learning about the advantages of the way of make movies. Let’s hear her opinion on 3D and its future.

Most of the camera operators are men, how did you decide to specialize in this? Do you think that eventually we will see more women behind the camera?

The truth is that within the audiovisual sector, technicians are mostly men. Me specializing in this area has much to do with my concerns and my desire to always learn new things. I had always liked the technical part of the audiovisual and when I had the opportunity to introduce it, I confirmed that passion. I took a course of crane operator and hot head and I fell in love; and that took me a little later to learn stereoscopy, and I was fascinated.

I guess that as a woman working in the audiovisual world, it seems a very tempting challenge to make me a place within the technical area and that is something that motivates me every day. Some time ago it was not easy to find women as camera operators and yet it is increasingly the number of women working in the technical crew. Personally, I have the pleasure of working with a very professional team where the most important thing is respect and companionship.

How was your first contact with 3D? My first contact with 3D was through Kronomav, a Valencian company with an area of Audiovisual Engineering Studies and an expert on live broadcasts in three dimensions and in the development of robot systems and machine vision. In 2009 I started working for Kronomav as a crane and hot head operator and that was when I first started filming in 3D.

Sara Macías with a colleague working during the Fallas ® Kronomav For a camera operator, is very different working with a stereoscopic camera than with normal one?

When you work with 3D, we must know that there are some parameters that we don’t use in the 2D, as the interaxial (distance between the two cameras) and the convergence (angle of the cameras). These two parameters are as relevant in 3D as the focus and iris are for 2D. That is why the camera operator must have a knowledge about stereoscopic to obtain a correct 3D image. However, the camera operator work will be supervised by the chief of estereoscopic.

Do you think that 3D will replace the traditional cinema?

I don’t think that 3D cinema will replace the traditional cinema, but I do think that little by little, the 3D is being implemented at present, to the point of being standardized and settled as a way of making films. This is not about supplanting, but about adding, adding alternatives to what we are used to.

In what sense the 3D can help the story telling? Do you think it can become essential to tell for any kind of story?

In my opinion the 3D doesn’t favor the story telling of a film, although it helps the film to be stronger in a visual way and it can help the viewer to enter further into what is being told. But I personally don’t think the 3D is indispensable to tell a story. It's just another way of making films. As the contribution of color to the movies, the 3D is a technique that benefits certain audiovisual projects visually.

Which is you next 3D Project?

Kronomav has confirmed that they will be making the London Olympics in 3D, but the technical team is not closed yet. In addition, there are several 3D documentary projects, but I can’t talk about it until the projects are closed.

by Lucía Ros Serra

spotlight NISI MASA

new projects NISI MASA and FEST (Portugal) are calling for participants for Borderline, a new and amazing workshop where 12 young filmmakers from all around Europe will be exploring inmigration across the continent, using a big powerful tool: CINEMA. During three weeks (10–30 November 2012), the 12 young filmmakers will travel on a doubledecker bus from Paris (France) to Guimarães (Portugal), filming their experiences and getting deep into immigration around Europe to produce and edit 4 short film documentaries.

Why immigration?

Paris has the biggest Portuguese population outside Portugal, a vast of immigrants that arrived to Paris during between the 50’s and 70’s.

Our 12 participants will be doing the opposite travel that hundreds of thousands of expats made more than 30 years ago having access to film archives, but the rest of the content of the documentaries will be up to the initiatives given by the participants.

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After the success of the Istanbul Express and the Polygloyt and its CineBoat experiences, NISI MASA strikes back with another itinerant workshop, but this time our team will be traveling in a double- decker bus.

Hand by hand with FEST, we will be exploring immigration across Europe in Borderline. And as we love tradition, in 2013 we will be helding the 7th edition of European Short Pitch...and yes, you can apply NOW!

The 4 films result of the project, will show the point of view of our participants about the immigration, its causes and effects and how it changed Europe.

Why an itinerant filmmaking workshop?

For the last few days, NISI MASA has organized travelling film workshops on trains and boats, through Russia to Vladivostok, across Europe to Istanbul, and around the arhcipelago in the Baltic Sea. The result of all of them had been a bunch of great short films which gained a lot of international visibility and help young filmmakers from all around Europe to get together and explore other countries and cultures to show their point of view through their cameras.

This year, our participants will be travelling on a double- decker bus across France, Spain and Portugal with a common theme: immigration in Europe.

Conditions: - 12 filmmakers will be selected.

- The candidates should be between the ages 18-32 and residents in one of the EU-member countries, or in Turkey or Croatia.

- Participation fee of 375 Euros, that covers the travel, accommodation and some food costs from Paris to Guimarães.

- Selected participants will be covered 20% of the travel costs (limit of 75 Euros financing) from their home town to Paris, and going backhome from Guimarães.

- NISI MASA and FEST are the producer of the films made in the frame of the workshop. The distribution and sales rights of the films will be shared by NISI MASA and the director of the film.

Deadline: 10th July How to apply?

www.fest.pt/borderline/register/

EUROPEAN SHORT PITCH 2013

European Short Pitch, an initiative aimed at promoting the European coproduction of short films is about to launch its 7th edition. It's call for projects will be launched on the 6th July! It combines a scriptwriting workshop in residency, an on-line session and a coproduction forum bringing together scriptwriters and industry professionals from all over Europe.

From the previous editions (2007-2012), around 125 projects were presented that have resulted so far in the making of 24 short films - many of them having a very successful international career.

Once again, we’re looking for new and exciting projects. This year, the scriptwriting workshop will take place early January in Zagreb, Croatia.

The coproduction forum, where the participants will have a chance to pitch their project in front of a panel of 40 European Film Professionals, will take place in early March in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. This, in close collaboration with the Discovery Zone Film Festival. Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity.

European Short Pitch 2013 wil consist of two main events: 1. The Scriptwriting Workshop: 8th to 13rd January 2013 in Zagreb (Croatia) 2. The Coproduction Forum: 1st to 3rd March 2013 in Luxembourg City (Luxembourg) If you want to take part in European Short Pitch 2013 or learn more about it, contact us at: europeanshortpitch@nisimasa.com Deadline: 30th September

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nisimazine cannes 2012

read the e-book online!

european short pitch 2013...is ready! call for PROJECTS

The team will travel in a double-decker bus, which will be used as hotel and office for the participants.

The adventure will star in Paris (France), the 10th November and will end in Guimarães (Portugal).

The outcome of the workshop will be 4 documentaries with a common theme: immigration in Europe.

Deadline: 10th July

More info: page 6 of this issue www.fest.pt/borderline/

Bright YOUNG screens The 4th of July we published Nisimazine Cannes 2012 and in less than a month we've reached more than 1200 reads!

We are not surprised, the 2012 team; composed by Chloe Vollmer-Lo, Ali Deniz, Andreaa Dobre, Cécile Janvier, Franziska Knupper, Aurite Kouts, Marek Maëts, Emilie Padellec, Greta Varts, Matthieu Darras, Giovanni Vimercati and Maartje Alders; made an amazing work in Cannes Film Festival covering the Caméra d'Or and Short Film competition.

The result is this 90-paged e-book where our reporters fullfill with reviews of all the films and interesting reviews with its directors and producers, some of them winners of the Critics' Week Award or Caméra d'Or Award: interviews with Benn Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Carlos Diegues (President of Jury of the Caméra d'Or 2012), Alice Wincour (Augustine) or Benjamin Parent (It's not a cowboy movie), beyond others; and reviews of Aqui y Allá, Hors les murs, Los Salvajes, Au Galop...

If you're into cinema and you would like to read about films and short films all around the world, you can read Nisimazine Cannes online here: http://issuu.com/emiliep/docs/nisimazinecannes2012 if you want to get the .pdf version, send an e-mail to: lucia@nisimasa.com

The 7th edition of European Short Pitch is ready and set to go. For all those hungry writer/director’s out there, the call for projects for our next edition will be launched on Friday 6th July! Keep an eye open and be the first to apply to make sure your short film project reaches its full potential.

Selected on the basis of their short film projects, 25 European talents will gather to discuss, rewrite, and learn to promote their stories on a European level with the support of 5 tutors. They eventually pitch their projects in front of a panel of 40 producers, financers, buyers, and distributors.

As a participant, you’ll take part in the Scriptwriting Workshop in Zagreb (8 13 January 2013) and the Coprodution Forum in Luxembourg (1-3 March 2013)!

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity!

More info: page 6 of this issue e-mail: europeanshortfilm@nisimasa.com

BORDERLINE

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS

FEST- International Film Festival (NISI MASA Portugal) and NISI MASA are organizing Borderline, an itinerant filmmaking workshop where 12 young filmmakers from all around Europe will be exploring immigration across Europe.

From 1st to 8th July, NISI MASA is hosting Bright Young Screens, a workshop which takes part of FEST– raining Ground in Espinho (Portugal). Bright Young Screens is a 6 day long seminar that evaluates the current level of European cooperation among youth film organizations, focusing on intercultural dialogue and non-formal education through screenings and festivals.

One of the main goals of such an event is ensuring already existing partnerships are reinforced and new collaborations are created. 26 participants (most of them festival and screenings organizers gather to discuss ways of consolidating and intensifying their common work in order to improve concrete results on a European level. One of the main goals of such an event is ensuring already existing partnerships are reinforced and new collaborations are created. The seminar focuses on developing Trans-European partnerships; innovation in nonformal education; The role of film events in promoting social, racial and gender equality issues; development of thematic film programs; and improving participation of disadvantaged groups.

Among the official guests of Bright Young Screens, we will have Marion Klotz (Memento Films); Paz Lázaro (Panorama, Berlinale), Scandar Copti (director and

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producer of “Ajami”); Liz Harkman (director manager of Encounters, Bristol) and NISI MASA friends Tomas Prasek (Eventival); Wim Vanacker (NISI MASA’s Head of Script Department).

The project is funded by European Youth Foundation and Youth in Action programs.

More info: www.brightyoungscreens.fest.pt Contact: michaela@nisimasa.com

The visual artist Max Hattler is the president of the international Film jury and the screenplayer Antonello Rinaldi of the Rodolfo Sonego Award to the best screenplay.

Lago is a village on a lake and the openair festival plays in the courtyards and the main screen is in the water under the stars.

The 8th edition of the festival has several international premieres, art shows, concerts and projects of contemporary art.

For more information and to learn about the film selection: www.lagofest.org/

BELLEVILLE EN VUES LAGO FILM FEST

CALL FOR entries

agenda 29 june - 7 july

Nisimazine Special: Karlovy Vary

1 - 8 july Bright Young Screen at FEST, Espinho (Portugal)

1 - 8 july

FEST International Film Festival, Espinho (Portugal)

3 - 11 july

Kino Euphoria in Helsinki (Finland)

6 july

Launch Call for Projects European Short Pitch 2013

9 july

Deadline DepicT!, Encounters Film Festival

10 july

Deadline call for participants Borderline

From 16th to 18th November 2012, the parisian neighbourhood of Belleville will be helding the Young European Documentary Films Festival that will have the following theme: European Borders, visible and invisible.

Lago Film Fest is an International Indipendent Festival of short films, documentaries and screenplays, wich will take place from the 20th to the 28th of July in Revine Lago (Italy).

More then 100 films in competition selected from over 2000 films arrived from 86 countries in the world.

Organized by Belleville en Vues, this documentary festival is non-competitive, and they're calling for documentaries directed by young European directors and with the common theme of borders, whether geographical, territorial, political but also cultural, social or even imaginary.

The films might be the 1st, 2nd or 3rd film of the director and are accepted all the running times.

For more info and for film submissions: www.belleville-en-vues.org/FESTIVALAPPEL-A-FILM dokincubator.net

Deadline: 13th July

13 july Deadline for Young European Documentary Films Festival

22 - 28 july

Lago Film Fest