How we live our life is our Art.

How we live our life, work with others and create is our art. The tactile work that results is merely the byproduct of life lived artistically.

By bringing quality to our lives in relation to how we create we will bring quality to our Art.

These qualities are numerous. In the past I have discussed the quality of space, patience and kindness. Hard work, diligence and dedication are of equal merit.  I will discuss these and more qualities in future posts.

Artists don't look at problems, they look at intentions.

A film shoot is an environment which demands problem solvers working in unison with artists.  Ideally, but rarely, you find artists that do both.  Problem solvers find new ways to make something work. What makes that problem solver an artist is their ability to serve the original intention rather than simply removing the problem with their solution.

Let me give an example. An artist decides to use a worn out child's shoe with a hole in it to conjure images of poverty and neglect in the imagination of the viewer. What if the artist and his team had no way to put that hole into the shoe? One problem solver might suggest we use an old gumboot from the back of his truck that conveniently has a hole in it.  This of course solves the problem of the hole but does nothing to serve the intention. This object stimulates the imagination toward images of a rugged, old farmer rather than an impoverished child.  

The 'artist' problem solver does not look at the problem, they look at the intention. The artist would not focus on how to make the hole or find another object with a hole rather they hunt for ways to communicate the intention with the resource they already have. Perhaps we remove a shoe lace from one of the tattered old shoes? How does this image read when one shoe has a lace and the other does not? does it serve the intention? 

Toi Film Wrapped

Toi Film is wrapped. Fantastic effort from Cast and crew. Absolutely outstanding effort from the design students in the build of multiple sets. Brilliant!

Back in the directors chair

Directing scenes for Toi film today. Nathaniel Lees and I are directing three separate stories which connect as one film. Yesterday's shoot went great! more to come.

U F O

I am designer for the short film 'U F O' directed by Gregory King.  Pre Production is nearing completion with shoot beginning Monday.

Together with a fantastic Art Department consisting of Brett Blenkin, Michael Simpson, Therese Eberhard, Jo Williams and more to join we are bringing the design to life.

I want to take the chance to share my gratitude to this team for their help in delivering this design. I want to thank them also for their support toward me developing my craft as a designer. We are fortunate to be working with the trust and support of Mhairead Conner, Gregory King and Simon Baumfield.

I look forward to sharing images of the design and film sometime soon.  Watch this space for UFO or check out the Facebook page at the link below.

Facebook - U F O

Context is Everything.

In Art Context is everything . It is not enough for an artist to be skillful with craft.  Beautiful craft attracts the eye but Art 'resonates'. All art exists in the social, economic, political, spiritual and intellectual landscape of its time. Art acts as a window of awareness to the environment and time in which the viewer lives. Art that is in tune with context resonates long after the first viewing because the art is alive in everything we see and experience not just the object or image the artist has crafted.

Two Locations Film Wellington Needs.

Wellington has fantastic resource in Peter Jackson's Stone Street Studios and in the local construction crews that fill them with wonderful sets. Wellington lacks a few shoot locations though that would make us even more attractive to international films.

The first is a section of Motorway that can be closed for shooting. Currently Auckland has options for this but as far as I'm aware Wellington does not. The second is a location that can act as generic New York streets. Ideally we would have a permanent back lot set of New York Streets somewhere that could be rented at a fraction of a build cost and re redressed depending on period or style.  Potentially there is an existing street that could have New York details constructed and added. The changes would come at a cost but it might be in the interest of Film Wellington and the Wellington City Council to explore how they might support such a development jointly with future production companies. The aim would be to retain the NY street so future productions could use it and enjoy all the other benefits of shooting in Wellington, New Zealand.

Just some food for thought.

Teaching relationship is hard.Teaching off a relationship is much easier.

Some things are hard to teach. Teaching relationship is hard. Relationship between director and designer for example is very difficult to communicate. Teaching off a relationship is much easier.  Therefore where possible at Toi I enjoy working with another practitioner in the teaching. This allows the lesson to be overt in how we work together rather than something that is talked about or is staged as an exercise.  Teaching the qualities of relationship does not require a production as the backdrop. It does require though people aware of the purpose of production. A meeting of purpose is where relationship happens.

Stillness and Violence in Cinema

Stillness and violence go hand and hand in cinema.  It is fair to argue one does not exist without the  other. So often in Japanese cinema the designer creates beautiful, centered and still spaces as the place for a violent image or act. Akira Kurosawa and Tekashi Kitano films are classic cases. The 2011 film '13 Assasins' from Tekashi Miike is also an outstanding example. In this film the image of pain, sacrifice and evil are contained by the beauty of the design. Contained but not caged. The serenity brings with it the tension that it will not hold. It is only at the point that the violent image appears that the true nature of the beautiful space is revealed.  Both the violence and the stillness are defined by their relationship to the other.

Character of Space.

A film set is a character in its own right. Human characters are interesting when shown in conflict. That conflict reveals their true nature. A set or place can be developed in the same way. Through conflict and change the character of space is revealed. The production designers role is to control that reveal in relation to the story and the qualities the story holds.

Think back to the apartment in Luc Besson's 'The Professional' or 'Leon'(the French Title). The stark whiteness, clean, minimal lines, anywhereness of this environment does nothing to reveal its nature or that of Leon its quiet inhabitant. As the story develops the apartment becomes not only the setting for the film but a character in it's own right. The building helps bring Leon and Mathilda together. The building is a protector. Later the building is integral to Leon defending himself and getting Mathilda to safety. The building is not only his castle it is also his companion and comrade. In the end Leon sacrifices his life just as the building too is destroyed. It is unimaginable that this space could continue to exist without it's friend.

For a space to hold then reveal such qualities slowly and intimately takes great design.

What is the resource in the room?

What is the resource in the room?

I don’t like this question. People aren’t resource. They are people.  When considering people as a resource you come across a problem.  When looking through a lens of resource you see only a person’s current use or how that person has worked in the past.  You do not see how that person got there or most importantly where that person wants to be.  These two latter factors are far more important when bringing people to work. Looking only at resource that exists stifles innovation and creativity.

Take me for example. When someone looks at my work the resource they see is art that can get a film financed and made. This is true to a point. The problem though is that I became that resource through a hunger to learn and master a skill.  The learner is the true resource not the artist. If I loose that hunger to learn or my drive to improve the energy that makes my art alive will be gone.  To deliver great art and design it is necessary that I cast myself as a learner and explorer.  There needs to be a new challenge in every new work I take on.  I must be careful that I don’t cast myself as a resource that will be the same as I was in the past. 

It might be said that resource is used to 'recreate' a past action or event. An artist must remember their role is not to ‘recreate’ it is to ‘create’.