SpoutBlog » Aaron

People at Denver: Liselle Feingold

Aaron — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 19:56:45 +0000

The description for Mariners and Musicians describes the film best:

A cinematic tone poem based on conversation, writings, and music by acclaimed singer/ songwriter/ author Rosanne Cash. This dreamlike mosaic portrait, with stunning Super 8mm and 16mm visuals and Holga animation, features songs from Cash’s celebrated album Black Cadillac.

The choice director Steve Lippman made to photograph Rosanne Cash in grainy 8mm and 16 mm film was a masterful choice. As Rosanne remembers her recently deceased parents and ponders her great great grandfather who survived a shipwreck off the coast of Long Island, the blurry and grainy imagery of the film communicates where she is at — a woman sifting through memories, memories that are guiding her towards song. Though the film was highly experimental, it was not without a kind of structure. What the film does is portray how we remember and how Rosanne Cash is remembering. After the screening, I spoke with Liselle Feingold who was there to represent the film for director Steve Lippman. We talked the about the film’s style and what her impressions were as a collaborator on the project.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Mariners and Musicians, Liselle Feingold.

People at Denver: Robin Burke

Aaron — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 19:45:32 +0000

The screening of the short documentary Living Lightly was a debut in more ways than one. Its screening at the Denver Film Festival marked the films first public screening and it was director Robin Burke’s directorial debut. Prior to making this film, she worked predominantly as a producer on other people’s projects. Living Lightly is a debut that any first time director would be very proud of. It is poetic and thought provoking and just plain beautiful. The film is about the Vido family. They have chosen to live in such a way that they only take what they need from the earth. The film focuses on their practice of schything to make hay for their livestock. Interviews with the family are imbued with a kind of pastoral poetry that few documentaries achieve. Burke’s approach is not to charm the audience with flashy camera work or clever editing but rather, she places the camera, frames her shots wide and captures the beauty of this family, swinging their scythes in what amounts to a kind of moving painting. After the screening I talked about her process when making a documentary and what it was like to enter the world of this unusual and fascinating family.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Living Lightly, Robin Burke

People at Denver: Arturo Cabanas

Aaron — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 19:03:10 +0000

I saw Arturo Cabanas’ film, Man Up in the shorts program “Pocket Sized Portraits.” His film is a challenging portrait of a father with a son who is a gifted young wrestler. The father responds to his son’s talent with a determination that his son be the best. The film raises questions about whether or not the father’s approach to molding his son into a master wrestler is misguided or on the nose. On the one hand, his son is learning independence and strength of character through the way his father is training him. On the other hand, when does this kid get to be a kid? The deeper one digs into the films questions, the more one begins to reevaluate how our culture defines independence and more specifically, masculinity. Besides the discussion this film sparks, it’s visually compelling and masterfully edited. Cabanas’ camera essentially acts as fly on the wall for most of the film, with brief, to the point interviews of the father and son throughout. The familial drama he captures in his film is fascinating and it rivals any fictional portrayal of drama. In terms of documentary filmmaking, Man Up strikes the perfect balance between thought provoking subject matter and a strong visual style. Cabanas and I talked about the questions this film raises and how he went about making the film.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Man Up, Arturo Cabanas

People at Denver: Adam Burr, Brandon Bennett, Thom Milano

Aaron — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 22:39:17 +0000

I had the privilege last night of watching the shorts program, Secrets and Lives. On hand to talk about their films were filmmakers Adam Burr, Brandon Bennett, and Thom Milano. Burr’s film is RE: Monday, Bennet’s film is Con and Milano’s film is Go I. After the screening I asked the filmmakers to talk about what inspired the making of their films, and how they turned the original ideas into the films we saw last night. They also shared the most rewarding and most challenging moments in the creation of their films.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

People at Denver: Paul Aaron & Mark Piznarski

Aaron — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 23:39:38 +0000

In this film, Looking for Sunday the city of Denver is meant to be a character, according to the filmmakers. Bill and I interviewed the producer and director of the film. Paul Aaron, the producer, talks about how the film was financed and produced all in Denver. Director, Mark Piznarski, talks about what it meant for him to make the film in Denver.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Looking for Sunday, Paul Aaron, Mark Piznarski

People at Denver: Mike Ott & Jenifer Shahin

Aaron — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 17:16:08 +0000

Following the screening of Analog Days, director Mike Ott and producer Jenifer Shahin talked with me about how their film came into being, the challenges they faced in production, and how the film has played at festivals here in the U.S. and abroad.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Analog Days, Mike Ott, Jenifer Shahin

People at Denver: Aaron & Adam Nee

Aaron — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 17:09:40 +0000

Aaron and Adam Nee seem to be the ultimate collaborators. I sat down with them to discuss their film, The Last Romantic. We talked about their approach to shooting on DV, how to stay creatively consistent on a low budget production, and what it’s like to watch your film with an audience.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, The Last Romantic, Adam Nee, Aaron Nee

People at Denver: Vlimos Zsigmond

Aaron — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 16:17:32 +0000

I had the pleasure of interviewing Vlimos Zsigmond following a screening of Robert Altman’s film, McCabe and Mrs. Miller. I had wanted to see this film for quite some time and seeing it at a festival with the cinematographer was a rare and wonderful gift. As I listened to the Q&A after the film, I could see why directors like Robert Altman’s, Woody Allen, and Steven Spielberg wanted to work with this man. He was patient, good natured, and a consummate artist. Zsigmond has been the cinematographer on such films as Deliverance, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Deer Hunter, Heaven’s Gate, Melinda and Melinda and more recently, The Black Dahlia. Listen as he discusses his experience watching McCabe again, what it was like to work with Robert Altman, and the cinematographers and films that inspire him as an artist.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Vlimos Zsigmond

People at Denver: Aaron Wiederspahn

Aaron — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 13:37:37 +0000

Today at the Starz Denver Film Festival I spoke with Aaron Wiederspahn about the unique way his film, The Sensation of Sight was created. Wiederspahn discusses the creative challenges faced by filmmakers on a tight budget and how making a film has a lot to do with being in the moment. Finally he discusses the filmmakers who have had an impact on him as a filmmaker, and what projects await him.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, The Sensation of Sight, Aaron Wiederspahn

Films at Denver: The Sensation of Sight

Aaron — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 13:30:32 +0000

Just moments after walking out of the film The Sensation of Sight at the Denver Film Festival, I decided to record this audio review. I was very moved by Aaron Wiederspahn’s film both for it’s artistry and for the independent spirit in which it was made.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, The Sensation of Sight, Aaron’s review

People at Denver: Erik Canuel

Aaron — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 13:24:28 +0000

I talked with director Erik Canuel about his action-comedy, Bon Cop, Bad Cop at the Canadian filmmakers reception here at the Denver Film Festival. Canuel discussed how his film came into being and what filmmakers inspire him the most–essentially all filmmakers with real vision and passion.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Bon Cop, Bad Cop, Erik Canuel

Jindabyne

Aaron — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 02:24:59 +0000

Jindabyne centers around the marriage of Stewart (Gabriel Byrne) and Claire (Laura Linney). As the film unfolds scene by scene, we discover that Stewart and Claire have unresolved matters in their marriage stemming from Claire’s intense postpartum depression after the birth of their son. Claire constantly strives to be the mother she wasn’t when her son was born. Stewart finds himself in the middle of his life, wondering where his marriage is and what kind of a man he has become. The film draws us into this domestic life, which seems to be in a kind of stasis.

When Stewart goes away on an annual fishing trip with his friends, however, this stasis ends, bringing their wounds to the forefront. An incident followed by a collective decision by the men ignite a crisis for Stewart and his friends, as well as their wives and girlfriends. Ultimately, all of their secrets and deceptions are brought out into the light, along with a piercing question: What kind of men would make such a decision? For Stewart and Claire, this question forces them to face where they are wounded and decide ultimately what they will do and how they will move forward.

This story unfolds in the Australian outback in a little town called Jindabyne. The locations for this film are both stunning and haunting. Filmed entirely with natural light, the film has a sensibility to it that reminds the viewer of Malick, but what Ray Lawrence, the director, does with the landscape is wholly original. The vastness of the outback, the desolation of it, the beauty of it, guides the characters in a way. This approach casts the landscape as a kind of character all unto itself. Its secret and sacred places try to warn the characters against the tragedy that awaits them. Some of them can sense this, but other cannot because their lives have caused them to dull their sensitivity to the beauty around them and what it wants to tell them.

Each scene of the films unfolds the way it needs to, for how long it needs to. Lawrence doesn’t seem to be interested in making sure the audience is “entertained” at all times. Rather, his concern seems to be with the emotional truth of each scene and what that truth means for the characters. Lawrence leads us, and them, towards a conclusion that is utterly profound and moving, while at the same not heavy handed or emotionally manipulative.

One of the highlights of watching this film at Telluride was the presence of lead actress, Laura Linney. After the film was screened she answered questions about how it was made and how she created her character, Claire. One of the most interesting things she had to say involved the director’s decision to only use natural light for the film. He made this choice, she explained, so that their performances could shine through and be the centerpiece of the story. This decision, while risky, imbued the film with beauty and a sensibility that is not often seen in the cinema.

Round Table Review: The Last King of Scotland

Aaron — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 11:55:42 +0000

Several members of the Spout team watched The Last King of Scotland at the Chuck Jones Theatre in the Mountain Village above Telluride. To get back to Telluride you have to take a short gondola ride down the mountain. On our way back, we thought it would be interesting to record a podcast as we rode the gondola. So there we were, suspended above the mountain, dangling in the darkness, slowly descending, returning to Telluride, discussing the powerful film we had just seen.

Participating in the podcast are Rick, Dave, Aaron and Bill.

People at Telluride: Peter Bogdanovich

Aaron — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 23:14:36 +0000

I saw Peter Bogdanovich at the Telluride gift shop. A few moments later I approached him as he was headed to his car. We talked for a few moments about his documentary about John Ford, his past Telluride experiences, and his memories of Orson Welles. It was a very memorable moment for this humble blogger.

People at Telluride: Kevin MacDonald

Aaron — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 05:11:36 +0000

Did you enjoy Touching the Void? One Day in September? Well, the man behind these two award-winning documentaries, Kevin MacDonald, took a few minutes to talk about his new film, The Last King of Scotland. MacDonald spoke eloquently about the central theme of his film–the seduction of power. He also discussed his fondest Telluride memory–screening Touching the Void in the outdoor theater, up in the mountains, beneath a starry sky.

People at Telluride: Bill Pence

Aaron — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 04:47:20 +0000

Every festival needs a director. Telluride is so amazing it takes two directors to make it happen. We interviewed one of them, Bill Pence. Bill discussed why he believes in Telluride and some of his fondest memories from the past 33 years. He also talked about his favorite films (Singing in the Rain and Lonesome) and what they mean to him.

Part 1

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Part 2

People at Telluride: Laura Linney

Aaron — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 04:31:50 +0000

The patron’s brunch must have been the place to be at Telluride today. Aaron Smith, with some help from Bill HR, managed a brief interview with Laura Linney. Laura discussed her role in the new film, Jindabyne, how much she hates watching herself on the screen, and how much she absolutely loves the process of filmmaking.

People at Telluride: Forest Whitaker

Aaron — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 04:20:03 +0000

Maybe you’ve seen Forest Whitaker in Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai or The Crying Game. But we saw him today at the Telluride patron’s brunch. I asked him a few questions about his new film, The Last King of Scotland. Listen in.