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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Short Documentary in Kazakhstan

Very nice piece, almost all medium shots, no narration. Who is the other cameraman and why is somebody shooting off a strobe? HOw did this come to be made and who paid for it?
Lovely small film.
Rob
 
My friend works there and I always felt I could make something interesting if i could get out there. Wasn't easy...

The strobe is just from the flash off a stills camera. A company called U-dox here in London produced it.
 
What a great piece, love the styling, editing and general feeling of muted EVERYTHING...wonderful work
 
Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you all enjoyed it.
It was a very basic setup, only two of us out there so were limited with gear. Plus I didn't want to stand out much so stripped everything down to the minimum. I used Zeiss Distagon lenses and recorded all sound through the camera with A-Box/Rode setup, no lights.
Everything went smoothly and no camera issues, my concern was the cold would effect its operation but it handled the -10c fine. We filmed non stop for a week and it took a while to cut as we had so much material. It was always going to be an abstract film but in what capacity was the question, we went out with a rough idea of what we wanted to get but very hard to know till you actually get there.
All in all it was a breathtaking experience and I felt very fortunate to be working there with that camera, the results were fantastic, so many shots didn't make the cut. One day I might make something out of them, who knows.
 
Hi Scott - cheers. It was very easy where I was but was a small airport so may be different in Almaty. But in general they're not too concerned about filming so you should be OK.
 
Hi Sam -
Had a look. Frankly, torn at the duration of some of the shots. I mean, certainly one way to look at it is: this is brave stuff, editorially. Seems to harken to an older school of editing style. I think it heightens the sense of change (or lack of?) in that country. And some of the framing! Just letting the camera rest and see what develops in the frame, and around its edges. And the reward for staying with the piece of course is coming back to original framed shots from earlier, within a more developed sequence. Liked the spare dialogue. And the old man was a treasure. Thoughtful treatment of the subject in a way I would not expect. Kudos.

Stu Aull
Alaska
 
Hi Scott - thanks firstly, appreciate your analysis.
With work like this, that is heavily stylised and abstract, you tend to polarise and separate opinion. We know this is not everyone's cup of tea but it's how we wanted to tell this particular story. It was what suited the ideas for the film and the best way we could bring out our own attributes as filmmakers. We're both interested in letting the viewer watch things unfold so obviously that necessitates the long takes. Not ideal in a short film but balances itself out I think..
 
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