The film of tomorrow will be an act of love.

~ Francois Truffaut

Hot Sun Films

“You can define a professional film production as one that has big names, top-of-the-line equipment, and a multi-million dollar budget. By these standards, Hot Sun Films can’t compete. But, instead, if you define a professional film crew as one that has passion, discipline, and an understanding that in order to succeed, everyone must take their work seriously, then Hot Sun Films has one of the most professional crews around.”

Brian Ekdale, Graduate Student in Communications, University of Wisconsin, USA

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Magodonga Mahlangu and Women of Zimbabwe Arise

“Magodonga’s greatest achievement — that she has given the women of Zimbabwe each other.  That she has given people who long for peace and justice each other. That she has given them a voice they can only have collectively-and a strength that they can only have together. They are a force to be reckoned with.”

President Obama at Presentation of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award

 

Bobby Kennedy once said, “All great questions must be raised by great voices, and the greatest voice is the voice of the people — speaking out — in prose, or painting or poetry or music; speaking out — in homes and halls, streets and farms, courts and cafes — let that voice speak and the stillness you hear will be the gratitude of mankind.”

The full speech of Obama at the Human Rights Award  is here.

Cinema Is Changing ~ cross media

“If we as creators redefine cinema as its complete whole — if we take back what has always been ours — cinema will no longer be the same art form it was 100 years ago, nor will we have the same film industry that we do today. Yet, to think forward, we have to look backwards and recognize cinema for what it truly is and stop naming a part of it as the whole.

• Cinema is not just the narrative component.

• Cinema is the entire process;

• it is the dialogue that goes on between the audience and the content.

• It is the experience that resonates long after the lights have been turned on.” ~ Ted Hope

In key note speech to POWER TO THE PIXEL: London  Film Festival
Take Back What Has Always Been Yours
on 10/14/09

You can watch his speech on Reutars

Passion

Victor Kossakovsky’s 10 Rules for documentary filmmaking:

Russian filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky’s 10 Rules  for documentary filmmaking:

1. Don’t film if you can live without filming.

2. Don’t film if you want to say something – just say it or write it.

Film only if you want to show something, or you want people to see something. This concerns both the film as a whole and every single shot within the film.

3. Don’t film, if you already knew your message before filming – just become a teacher.  Don’t try to save the world. Don’t try to change the world.  Better if your film will change you. Discover both the world and yourself whilst filming.

4. Don’t film something you just hate. Don’t film something you just love. Film when you aren’t sure if you hate it or love it. Doubts are crucial for making art. Film when you hate and love at the same time.

5. You need your brain both before and after filming, but don’t use your brain during filming. Just film using your instinct and intuition.

6. Try to not force people to repeat an action or words. Life is unrepeatable and unpredictable. Wait, look, feel and be ready to film using your own way of filming. Remember that the very best films are unrepeatable. Remember that the very best films were based on unrepeatable shots. Remember that the very best shots capture unrepeatable moments of life with an unrepeatable way of filming.

7. Shots are the basis of cinema. Remember that cinema was invented as one single shot – documentary, by the way – without any story. Or story was just inside that shot. Shots must first and foremost provide the viewers with new impressions that they never had before.

8. Story is important for documentary, but perception is even more important. Think, first, what the viewers will feel while seeing your shots. Then, form a dramatic structure of your film using the changes to their feelings.

9. Documentary is the only art, where every esthetical element almost always has ethical aspects and every ethical aspect can be used esthetically. Try to remain human, especially whilst editing your films. Maybe, nice people should not make documentaries.

10. Don’t follow my rules. Find your own rules. There is always something that only you can film and nobody else.