Ovation Interviews Filmmaker Ignatius Lin - Ovation Audio track

Ovation TV, a company founded by the producer of National Treasure, interviewed me last week about Stranger Now, The Zone, my background and directorial style. I also provided some advice for beginning filmmaker.

It was an honor to be interviewed. I think I said "you know" and "um" too much during the interview!! Haha. Please check it out & share it. Here is the interview.

Ovation has a short film contest, deadline May 13! Check it out!!

Lastly, a reminder, Stranger Now premiers in theater on May 3rd. Details here.

Video Games/Anime Spree

Last week, my animator buddy, Joseph, found 2 video games/anime/comics stores in Culver City (same owner, stores right next to each other). We and my wife went to check them out.

Joseph dived right into the video games covered from wall-to-wall. I was a bit disappointed because besides awful sports games, it didn't appear to have much Super Ninendo/Famicom games (the only console I still own - since WAY back). I lost my Sega Genesis, Game Boy, and Nintendo Famicom (red/white machine) systems when I moved.

After an hour, Joseph said a little sheepishly that he wanted to check out the sister store. At first glance, the store offered mostly DVD's and Blue-Ray's, but Joseph found huge stacks of Japanese imported PS2 games in the corner. As I sauntered about, I looked inside the store's glass counter more closely and discovered about 20 Super Famicom games.

I was intrigued and asked the store clerk to take them out. As I saw the titles, I began to salivate. Presented to me were several great games I remembered playing from my childhood--五右衛門 (Goemon), 幽遊白書(Yuyuhakusho)--and several that I wanted--Dragonquest, NBA Jam, etc. Can you imagine how I felt as I held them in my hands? I couldn't stop talking about the games and recalling stories of my days as an avid video game player. Please allow me to briefly introduce some of them. 

Goemon allows you the simple pleasure of being the Japanese Robin Hood, walking around and whacking people with a smoking pipe. (Or being his slapstick, happy-go-lucky thief sidekick.)
 

NBA Jam: As sports games become more and more realistic, one's nostalgia for fantastical sports games can't help but amplify. NBA Jam really is the grandfather of such sub-genre. When a player is "on fire," his ball is literally "on fire." FLYING to the basket, LEAPING, TWIRLING, 360 DEGREES, SLAM-DUNKING the hell out of the rim.

Dragon Quest: fantasy genre RPG game. Most notable for the fact that 鳥山明 (Akira Toriyama, Dragonball creator) serves as the character designer for the game. Any true Dragonball fan should be barely able to contain himself/herself when looking at the beautiful game cover.

That day was truly awesome. I really need to thank Joseph for finding the place and my wife for sharing my excitement. While anime and video games have their own strict genre rules, I took away from the visit a feeling of creative freedom and excitement -- that arts can & should go anywhere. They should excite, entertain, and challenge their audience. This applies to cinema. The excitement that I felt as a kid is the type of excitement that I, as a filmmaker, MUST impart on my audience.    

The Social Network: The Sound Show

My friend, Scott, posted this invite, which I'm reposting here. Seems like an awesome opportunity to learn about sound, which is after all half of the picture as they say. Plus, this movie is absolutely one of the best of the year. 

You and your friends are invited to hear the story of the sound of the critically acclaimed movie about the creation of Facebook.

Special clips will be presented by key sonic artisans offering a rare chance to hear some of the discrete audio elements that were connected into a network of aural information.

AND this unique presentation will be made at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, a venue that prides itself on offering the best in sight and sound technology.

Want to know what’s better than a million bits of digital sound? 

A BILLION bits of digital sound presented by the people who helped make them!

Sharing their craft and experience will be supervising sound editor/sound designer Ren Klyce, re-recording mixers David Parker and Michael Semanick, picture editors Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, and producer Scott Rudin.

One night only!  And Free!  Friday, January 7, at 7:30 pm at the ArcLight Hollywood, 6360 West Sunset Boulevard.

RSVP to mail@mpse.org or call 818/506-7731.

Please provide your full name and any industry or school affiliation.   Seating is limited.

An Introduction to Production Sound | Film Independent

I am attending a sound class tonight, courtesy of Francisco from Film Independent! Sound is half of the movie, as they say, but it's surprising to see how many filmmakers neglect sound recording when they shoot and pay for it in post. I have worked with some awesome sound people and developed a great respect for this aspect of filmmaking. I'm looking forward to learning a lot from this class, taught by Arran Murphy (The Wheeler Boys, Hollywood je t'ame).

Film Independent offers this and many other wonderful classes. The Art of Editing class is excellent. I've included the link below if you like to know more about Film Independent and their educational resources.

An Introduction to Production Sound | Film Independent

Lionsgate's Joe Drake: 'You can’t just have a dream, you have to have a plan'

Complete transcript of the keynote speech by Liongate's COO.

Blew my mind. Inspiring! Insightful! Pragmatic!

Toolkit | Lionsgate's Joe Drake: 'You can’t just have a dream, you have to have a plan' - indieWIRE

Ebert presents At the Movies

I'm so excited that Roger Ebert is relaunching @ The Movies, and I'm doubly excited that the insightful Elvis Mitchell with serve as one of the new co-host. Mitchell and the other co-host, Christy Lemire, look like a good pairing. Ebert has his own segment, interestingly titled Roger's Office, in this new format. It will air on PBS starting 2011; I hope audiences of various markets will be able to watch it.



For more go to Roger Ebert's Journal

Sundance Names 13 for June Directors & Screenwriting Labs

                                                               (photo courtesy of giantsarise.com)

Thirteen projects were selected by the Sundance Institute for itsJune Directors and Screenwriters Labs, taking place at the SundanceResort in Utah June 1 - 25. Spearheaded by Michelle Satter, Director ofthe Sundance Feature Film Program, and Artistic Director Gyula Gazdag,this year’s crop of participants include projects hailing from theUnited States, Ireland, the Middle East, Romania, Spain and Uzbekistan.

indieWIRE: Sundance Names 13 for June Directors & Screenwriting Labs | Film Independent

(I’m in high school,) what should I be doing right now (to be a filmmaker)?

DO IT NOW LIST:
1. Research: Everything about all the Shopping Festivals. Get to know the staff, go to screenings, follow what films they pick up all the way to their release, and meet as many filmmakers as you can.
2. Make films: It's important that you always have product of some kind or another, so if you're a filmmaker you should constantly be making films. When you finish one, start another. And so on and so on.
3. Write stuff: Even if you're a director and not a writer, it's important to use down time to write and come up with concepts. Writers always need to have fresh material and lots of scripts; well, so do directors.

More

(Article courtesy of Film Independent and Heidi Van Lier)

Workshop with the Director of Zombieland

Ruben Fleischer, the director of Zombieland, spoke to me and other Project:Involve fellows in depth about his career, experience as a first-time studio director, his extensive prep work on projects. For Zombieland, he gathered hundreds of reference photos and video clips from 200 of his favorite movies!!

He is down-to-earth and open to share. I learned a lot from his talk -- both in terms of the nuts-and-bolts and the right attitude to have. For a young writer-director like me, they are invaluable.

I feel even more MOTIVATED than before!

Big shout-out to FIND, Francisco, and Jane for making this happen. Also to Nori Takei for taking this photo.

Deconstructing Cinema in Order to Reveal It

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/movies/11darg.html