The Science of Fall Folliage

Western Maryland
Originally uploaded by Ewwwww.

It's old news that trees don't 'turn' colours in fall. The green (cholorophyl) just goes away, and the colours that we see (reds, yellows, oranges) were there all along. This much is true. However, beyond that is still not understood.

Current work is showing that the soil that the trees are rooted in makes all the difference. The less nutrients in the soil, the more red the leaves will turn, as the trees try to mine as much energy as it can from the leaves heading into the winter.

So it makes sense that trees of similar colour are usually grouped together, as they share the same type of soil, as illustrated in this wide photo.

Communing with Nature

Western Maryland
Originally uploaded by Ewwwww.

Last weekend, the Subatomic Films office closed up shop and went over to Western Maryland for a wedding. Along the way, we stopped off in Pennsylvania and then drove through the mountains to reach our destination.

It was great to be in that part of the country during this time of year. So many wonderful trees at the peak of their colours. Fall Folliage!

We also found time to take in the Orionids Meteor Shower which was dazzling.

Thanks Mama Nature!

Hobnobbing with Stars/Teachers

My usual 'Directing the Actor' prof is Austin Pendleton. He's off in Chicago working on a play, so as his replacement we've got Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis! She is absolutely a screen legend, and did incredible work in some of my favourite movies (including this year's Away from Her). The good news is that Olympia is a fantastic teacher. I feel that I've learned a lot from her, and we all benefit from the small class. She gives such great insight into working with actors, and how to get interesting performances every time. She'll be with us for another couple of weeks.

Today I also had lunch with Brett Morgen, who graduated from Grad Film at NYU back in the 90's. He's pretty much the example of how the program should work. His thesis film (On the Ropes) was made on a shoestring and utilized the equipment and crew of NYU, but it made a huge splash getting nominated for an Academy Award. From that he's been able to write/direct/produce so many projects, mostly documentaries that challenge the form, and also tons of commercials. Incredibly intelligent, he told so many stories about the industry, how he got to where he is and how he intends to stay there.

All in all, a pretty interesting couple of days.

Snob Movie Review: Persepolis

Another early review, Persepolis opens Christmas Day under limited release.

Directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrape, and based on her book which is more of an autobiographical comic book, Persepolis is the best animated film to come out in many years. It won the Jury Prize at this Cannes this year, and was nominated for the Palme D'Or.

Don't be confused, this is no kids movie. This is a well crafted adult story, bursting with creativity. Marjane is a young girl that grows up in Iran during the revolution, moves to Vienna for high school, eventually returns to Iran, only to leave again, for good.

The trials and tribulations of an intelligent young lady, makes the story completely universal, but somehow completely unique. Filled with genuine emotion, and genuine laughs, the storytelling is what shines here.

However, it's also drawn so beautifully. With stark black and white, and backgrounds that nods to Fritz Lang and the early German silent films, the animation is wonderfully creative.

In person, I found the author to be a tad annoying, but the wonderful Catherine Deneuve (the Belle du Jour!) is still beautiful, and there were some legitimate tear eyed folks, most of them crusty old critics themselves.

Physics for the Birds

Pigeons
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

Flocks of pigeons is no surprise to any Brooklyn resident. Let's be honest, it doesn't matter where you live, there's always birds and most likely the travel in flocks.

I've always been amazed by the complexity of motion within the flock of birds. How do they know which way to turn and how do they all move so quickly in unison?

I've been reading up on various sources over the past years. Of course, know-it-all Cecil (my go to source for knowledge) has already tackled it.

Now, the physicists are getting in on it. Turns out, there's a lot of physics involved (don't be scared, the layperson can understand the article).

Dream Homes

Some dudes would love to have a massive HD TV in their homes. Some would rather have a nice kitchen. Tennis courts? Pools?

I'd love to have an observatory!

There's a serious movement amongst amateur astronomers to build observatories on to their homes. I'm pledging now: if I ever have the opportunity/cash, I will do the same.

Into the Fire

Today my thesis script was read for the first time in Michael Showalter's class. It's always awkward to hear your movie being read, but it's always informative.

The good news is that I feel that this draft is miles ahead of my first draft.

The bad news is that it still needs lots of work.
I think I'm just touching the surface of where I want to be with this thing.

This, however, is the beginning of a very long journey that will probably last a few years.

Prof. Steve Buscemi

Today, perhaps the most important actor in the history of independent cinema, Steve Buscemi, came to my directing class. Apparently, he's chums with Alexandre Rockwell (accomplished in his own right), my prof.

He watched our exercises, answered questions, showed clips from two of his favourite movies and talked about them.

I was struck by his earnest, and sincere comments about our work, his work and others work. Very insightful strategies and experiences was what he told us.

It was just great to hear one of the true legends in a very small and intimate environment relate honestly to a bunch of lowly folks, such as ourselves.

It gives me great pleasure when people are just as cool and interesting as you think they would be.

Reaping What has been Sown

So apparently, the US is the largest arms supplier in the world. Again. The message is clear, buy from us or we have problems.

This article just adds fuel to the debate about the US government's role in the world since 9/11. A great op-ed article also sheds light on the fear mongering that has dominated a lot of American politics in the past 6 years. Definitely a good read.