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February 27, 2006
The Light of Eons
Kodak has a little corner of their enormous corporate website dedicated to Super 8, which I check from time to time to see if they're still making the stuff. Apparently, this year marks Super 8's 40th anniversary. Sometimes I read the interviews they do with filmmakers who are using the format in novel ways. Although they always ask the same stock (no pun intended) questions, they are still worth checking out. Here's an interview with David Rogers, the creator of a very promosing sci-fi short called The Light Of Eons. Kind of reminds me of Arranovsky's Pi.
Check out the trailer for some exquisite B&W small gauge cinematography--I don't know how he got some of those wide shots to look so good.
Speaking of Kodak, while reading the latest book on Walter Murch, Behind the Seen, I came across the story of how the word Kodak came into being. The story (which the official Kodak site contradicts) goes that George Eastman hired a linguist to come up with a word that would be "pronounceable in all languages and sound like the click of a camera." Ko-dak.
Posted by rsexton at 11:50 PM | Comments (0)
Elements
High school always made me feel like a startled tourist. I went because I was told "you have to go here and do this and this and this..." I didn't understand the culture and barely retained enough impressions to prove that I was even there. Our guidance counsellors and guidebooks tell us to focus on the milestones and monuments but even our selective memories recognize the significance of the times in between. When we procrastinate on papers or wait on train platforms, we're not going anywhere but that's when we let our guards down enough to let memorable things happen.
I remember the first time I saw the cover of Douglas Coupland's Shampoo Planet. I was in Grade 12 English class and we were waiting for the teacher to show up. On the book's cover, there is a photo of a partially obscured face and I remember seeing it superimposed over the face of a classmate as he crammed for some book report on "Canadian authors." I remember how the bright green blobs of shampoo (get it?) really threw off the balance of the expressionless photo and the white on pink type. It seemed too perky, too "teen fiction" and I felt embarassed to be a teenager. Of course, that is what being a teenager is all about. Despite my embarassment, I was startled and delighted that we were going to talk about my favourite author in English class--of all places!
I don't remember if I had already read it by then or not but I had all but dismissed Shampoo Planet, despite falling in love with Microserfs and Coupland's other books. Maybe it was just a kind of "brand transference" (as Malcolm Gladwell calls it in Blink) originating from the graphic design but I never liked that book. I should probably re-read it.
Anyway, when I finally did pick it up, I had to admit that the cultural "periodic tables" that were printed on the inside covers were brilliant. They've haunted me for years and so, as with any nagging bit of nostalgia, I had to google them. I love how when you search for "Shampoo Planet periodic tables" you find Coupland's tables in the class notes for a biochemistry course at Carnegie Mellon University.
Speaking of Google, an image search reveals that the book's cover has been redesigned several times.
Posted by rsexton at 09:42 PM | Comments (0)
Alphabets
For pilots and anyone who has given out their address over the phone, here are the ABCs: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India Julilet Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whiskey Xray Yankee Zulu.
Variations: Apple Baker Mary Nancy Thomas Zebra.
In the BC film industry, V is for Visual because you get a tax credit in for every visual effects shot. And you never use India because i looks too much like the number one.
Posted by rsexton at 08:37 PM | Comments (0)