Film

Biggie Arts vs Lil Arts - A fools paradise

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(note: This was inspired by reading a piece of Hugh MacLeod’s new book in progress.  I have often thought about this and it’s been heavily discussed within my inner peer group, because, well, why the hell not)

I have a friend who draws mini cartoons everyday.  He puts them up on his instagram, or website and releases them out into the world, several times daily.  It's effective, he is fast and consistent and his fan's appreciate it.  They share it, link to it.  

At first, I advised him to not go crazy with supply.  You know, hold out a bit.  I think I was a bit off on that one.  But, I’ll still argue with consistency either way, as long as you keep em coming.  Too much too fast and burnout city man, like whoa, you dig.  Too little too slow, and you're a bum.  Or, a dinosaur of old art.  

Scarcity hardly works these days like it once did, unless you established that record a decade or so ago, because frankly, abundance and choice is out of control.  And waiting is not the name of the game anymore.  I WANT IT NOW!  That’s your little inner child yelling at you.  Or, your actual child screaming in your ear.  Either way, we are in the sphere of the NOW.  Eat a spoonful, and lay back down on your coach.  It’s not going away fatass (that was clearly a subconscious dig toward the “imaginary” mailman who hasn’t taken my outgoing mail in the new place I’m staying at for a few days). 

Going back to my friend, he does what can be labeled as “lil art”.  Edward Gorey (the recipient of a recent Google honoring), Charles Schultz, Hugh MacLeod and many many other people do lil art.   Of course, the term “lil” is subjective and based on context.  Alan Moore does “lil art” compared to Dostoevsky.  But, what the hell does that mean anyway?  I’d like to define it as somehow both related to length of time to produce, and production costs.

I have a directing friend who just wrapped principal photography on a 3 million dollar movie.  He does “biggie art” compared to a Sunday editorial cartoonist, but even his 3 million dollar movie doesn’t stack up to Kathryn Bigelow’s ZERO DARK THIRTY when we talk about biggie in terms of size.   Still,  we are familiar with tons of names of biggie art.  They are part of our folklore.

The real question however is, is there are a difference in what that piece of art ( or gift if we are being generous)  provides between these two places of the biggie and lil.  Between a Charles Schultz or an Orson Welles or a Leo Tolstoy?  

Aside from the medium, and its size, nothing.  This is not as simple as I'm making it out to be, but getting past the intellectual bullshitting, it all comes down to a FEELING.  And, quality.  It’s resonance to the individual.

How did that MAKE ME FEEL.  Was I moved?  Did it connect?  

And, when it comes to that, certainly lil art has affected me just as much as biggie art. 

These days, so much of biggie art is squeezed under pressure.  The zeitgeist, especially now treats everything on the same leveling field.  So, lovers of the biggie, don't forget to look into the lil once in awhile.

Even as far as filmmaking is concerned, look into your lil cousin, television to tell you times a changing.  “Small is the New big” as that luxurious nerd brain Seth Godin states.  He probably means something else, but this isn’t his space now, is it.

Writer's Block in B Minor

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Presenting: An ANIMALS Christmas Special in Ultra Technicolor 2D!

The story for this evening revolves around one man in for the fight of his life. 
Suspense, drama, anticipation, a cat!

________________________
concept + video: Amir Motlagh
produced by ANIMALS
words: Amir Motlagh / Sean Gillane
titles: Sean Gillane
animation: Pixopop 
cat: Flash
© Dec 2012

Music was a performance of Richard Wagner's Die Walkure (The Valkyries) 
performed by The United States Marine Band. It is available under Public Domain.

RIP Filmmaker Celso Ad. Castillo

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My friend, and fellow filmmaker Chris Castillo's father passed away a few days ago.  His father was Celso Ad. Castillo, a heavyweight in the Filipino Film World.  Here is an open letter he posted about his father's passing.

_______________________________________________

AN OPEN LETTER ABOUT MY FATHER, CELSO AD. CASTILLO 

As soon as I received the news that my father had passed, I sat there not knowing what to do. I didn't cry. I couldn't. So I did the only thing my father loved doing the most - I went to the movies. I watched Lincoln. The little kid in him had always admired Spielberg. They had met before and he was going to direct a movie for him at one point.

 

And inside the dark theater, I cried. 

As the images flickered on the screen, as Lincoln fought for the future of humanity, I saw my father fighting all his life for his vision, his morals, his values. He was going to make the films he wanted to make. No matter the personal cost. He was The Kid, The Messiah, the Philippine's first truly independent and renegade filmmaker. The man who was larger than life. Fitting. 

I am the first born son of Celso Ad Castillo. Growing up on film sets, I was destined to follow in his footsteps. Never to eclipse him but to be the best that I can be in using the gifts he gave me. My path had always been set. As my mother always said, I am my father's son. 

We had spoken recently about some exciting things that the future was going to bring. My project with producer Alemberg Ang was short listed in the upcoming Cinemalaya 2013 and after I finished my interview with the selection committee, it dawned on me the excitement that I might have a chance to work with my father once again. But this time with with me in the director's chair and he as an actor. Our last talk was about the long awaited and much anticipated Ang Lalaking Nangarap Na Maging Nora Aunor which was going to be his FDC film. It would be his swan song, a tribute to his love for Philippine Cinema. He would be Salvatore in Cinema Paradiso. I was going to write it for him. 

As I sit here and pen this missive, not just for me but for everyone that admired and was influenced by him, I always think back to a night in San Francisco over two decades ago that truly defined who he was. When for the first time, he explained to me the reason why our family broke apart. We were living in Las Vegas at that time when he came to join us for good but decided to leave after a couple of months back to the Philippines. He told me that he made the hardest decision of his life. He had to choose between his art and his family and he chose his art. And from that decision came some of the greatest films cinema has ever seen. I have never begrudged my father for what he did. I have never questioned his love for us. I have always understood him and felt sadness that he was put in that situation. No one should ever have to make those kinds of decisions. But all of us in his life have always competed with the characters in his head and stories in his mind. 

Film was his family. Film was his life. And we are all the better for it.

We will celebrate the man and his films. We will honor him with words and tributes. But let us not forget the greatest gift my father gave us. The strength and courage to be an original, to be rebellious without fear, to dig deeper into ourselves and embrace the madness within us, to question art and mold it to our own perception, to test people's comfort zones, to force the audience to watch what is uncomfortable in their own lives. 

So to those filmmakers influenced by him, continue the fight to make the films you truly want to make and extend the path that he paved and pass along the gift that he gave to you to the next generation of filmmakers. It would be the only thing he would ask any of you. I wish all of you would have met hm. Then you would see the true man behind the legend. A man of wit, wisdom, and a huge sense of humor. 

To some people, he was the greatest filmmaker of his generation. To me, he was simply a wonderful father. I will truly miss him until I see him again. 

- Christopher Ad. Castillo 

Celso Ad. Castillo

Celso Ad. Castillo

35 Year Old Man screens at the HHM Film & Music Fest

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​35 YEAR OLD MAN makes an appearance at the 7th Annual Hells Half Mile Film & Music Festival in Bay City Michigan, Oct 6th & 7th.  This will mark our third film screening at this cool event.

More info, tickets and showtimes can be found here:​

35 YEAR OLD MAN - 2012 - Directed by Amir Motlagh​

35 YEAR OLD MAN - 2012 - Directed by Amir Motlagh​

35 YEAR OLD MAN plays at IFF

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Just got back from a short trip to SF to catch 35 YEAR OLD MAN screening at the 5th annual Iranian Film Festival.  I did miss my screening as usual, but catch the tail end of the program.   I meet Saeed Shafa, the festival director (he also runs a few other festivals), whom was a very cordial and nice man, from my brief estimation.  This has become a very literal update.  And, here is an obligatory picture from the Bay Area.

A nice picture, with a nice filter.​

A nice picture, with a nice filter.​

Yahoo Movies Profile on "35 Year Old Man"

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From Yahoo Movies -

"The 12th Annual deadCenter Film Festival boasts a list of short film programs that each explore little slices of life audiences are usually afraid to talk about: loneliness, aging, and disappointment. Director Amir Motlagh captured a glimpse of all of these experiences through the eyes of the sole character in his narrative short "35 Year Old Man." The film is about a guy named Greg whose birthday just passed and, as the synopsis explains, "Yesterday, he bought a toaster and cleaned the fridge."

Read the full interview here:

The "Tim and Eric" 35 YEAR OLD MAN connection.

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Was forwarded this link the other day, which is about a month old.  In it, Sam Proof (who plays Raz on Tim and Eric) curates a page called "The Funny Pages" on a website called Craveonline which features 35 YEAR OLD MAN.

I must admit that I've never been on such a website.  From Raz (Sam Proof) in regards to the aforementioned film :

"This is a bit reality, a bit dark comedy. But there’s something magical and scarier about the humor in it. This may NOT be the feel good way to start your day, but I think it’s definitely worth watching."

This is my Tim and Eric connection.  

And you can find the link here: