Award-winning indie filmmaker Maria Giese's charitable heart and experimental quirk of mind are a welcome anomaly in the realm of film production. She's often wanted to perform an experiment where 50 random people from arbitrary walks of life are given jobs on the set of a feature film, and says she'd wager that with a great script, this makeshift cast and crew could produce a feature as good as any coming out of Hollywood in a given year.
Giese loves the idea of audience participation, which necessarily involves the unexpected, nice to hear from someone representing a medium known for favoring ‘canned' scenarios. "As you can see in Hunger," she points out, "almost all the extras were real people just wandering around, going through their daily routines. Our camera and crew were so small, few even knew we were shooting a film. That's a wonderful use of Los Angeles-the locations include great throngs of built-in extras."
Giese's adaptation of Knut Hamsun's Hunger, long one of my favorite novels, was shot on a budget of zero dollars entirely on digital camera, with borrowed film and effects, and is the only one I've seen so far to successfully recreate the surge I felt first reading it. Driven by faith in his worth as a writer, the film's protagonist "Charlie" lives and dies by the literal world's regard for what he's worth, as every dedicated artist must begin. As Giese says, "Midway through reading it, I knew that on some level, 100 years later, that character was me."
Her first film, When Saturday Comes, was financed by U.K.-based Capitol Films during production, but she never saw a penny after its release. The five subsequent years of failed attempts to get another feature off the ground, during which Giese subsisted by writing screenplays, were frustrating, she says, "not to mention the spiritual and financial destitution that accompanies what seems to be career failure. My mother sent me a copy of Hunger. Shortly after reading the book, it hit me in the sudden way that inspiration sometimes visits us: I had to contemporize this story. I would make a film about a screenwriter wandering around Hollywood, trying to get a job, literally starving to death. Exactly what I'd been doing for five years-if not physically, then spiritually. My friend, the brilliantly gifted actor, Joseph Culp, immediately wanted to make the film with me."
A few fledgling attempts to get producers to finance the project were fruitless. "They hated the script. They would have hated the novel, too. I knew that shooting this film for any kind of budget, with a big star, would be totally inauthentic to the story." Shot entirely on digital camera, with borrowed film and effects, Hunger's narrative, originally set in late 19th century Norway, is artfully transposed to modern day Los Angeles in Giese's film, and the novel's comical aspects skillfully accentuated without any betrayal of Hamsun's blueprint, and the updated times and surroundings have the effect of emphasizing points made in the original, rather than muffling or trivializing them, as might be feared.
In true DIY fashion, Giese caught on to the notion that if you had a great story to tell, people would overlook the grainy nature of projected video image and in time, even come to revere it as much as they did the traditional style, provided the films were good enough. "History is jammed with examples of how human aesthetics make radical shifts. Among the most obvious: Van Gogh. In his time, his work was viewed nearly universally as being lurid, ugly. Now most people see it is exquisite. With the advent of the digital video camera anyone, anywhere in the world, could make feature films of any kind-even ‘little epics' based on classic works of literature. The trick was not to try to make video look like film, but instead to embrace it and use it to enhance the story. And more than that, embrace everything about no-budget guerilla filmmaking: unsteady images, weird zooms, in-camera digital effects. Whatever works."
But despite the profoundly liberating nature of the concept of ‘Free Movies', the film business is crowded and influenced by corporate interests, independent filmmakers left to their own devices in terms of promotion and distribution. "There is truly no accounting for peoples' success in the film business," she says. "The best we can do is attempt to get our films into festivals in order to get the necessary attention that may result in a distribution deal. I prefer to give everything away for free. I suppose I have always agreed with Karl Marx on that subject: ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his need'. Unfortunately, I am one of those who is perpetually in need-and I live in America."
But there is a bright side. The 150th centennial of Knut Hamsun's birth (August 4th, 1859) took place recently, so Hunger the novel is enjoying a nice resurgence in Norway, and the excellent documentary, "HAMSUN", by one of Norway's finest directors, Knut Erik Jensen, emphasizing the contemporary influence of Hamsun's work around the world, including clips from Hunger the film and several interviews with Giese and Culp, premiered there early last month. Besides which, in August her film helped celebrate the opening of the new Hamsun Museum in Hamaroy near the Arctic Circle, and was accepted to four festivals, winning Best Film in two, Best Underground Film in another, and receiving a five minute standing ovation at the Nordkapp Film festival, held in Norway, near Hamsun's home town. "That screening was thanks to Knut Erik, and the response from the toughest audience my film will ever face was pretty overwhelming, to say the least."
She's working on another adaptation at the moment, of Meindert Dejong's Newbery Award winning children's novel, The Wheel on the School, set in Holland in 1910. "I co-adapted it with my writing partner, Laurie Grotstein. She's a two-time Emmy-nominated editor and one of the best screenwriters I know. It's a beautiful story of how a group of children (and their propensity to wonder why) restore grace to a bereft community. If we can get it made, it will become a children's classic. It has a message the world sorely needs to hear right now."
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by http://www.cheap-uggs-outlet.net/ , September 05, 2010
Modern people have a wide choice available in the selection of their boots. What a person chooses to wear can reflect that person's personality or likes. When people who have cultural status start to wear new or different boots a fashion trend may start. People who like or respect them may start to wear boots of a similar style.
Nowadays，UGG boots are more and more popular. Our Uggs outlet store offer cheap UGGS - Fashion styles, High quality, No sales tax, Free Shipping Worldwide
What you had is not only a beautiful ugg boots, but also your beauty ,your comfortable and your unique confidence
It will be your best choice to choose our ugg boots from
http://www.cheap-uggs-outlet.net/
written by http://www.cheap-uggs-outlet.net/ , September 05, 2010
welcome to http://www.cheap-uggs-outlet.net/
written by http://www.cheap-uggs-outlet.net/ , September 17, 2010
it is great and we are waiting more of them
uggs are welcomed by more and more people
we sold uggs worldwide with free shipping and low price
http://www.cheap-uggs-outlet.net cheap uggs
written by cheap nhl jerseys for sale nhl jerseys on sale http://www.mdgreat.com/Wholesa...nals_c2416 Wholesale Arizona Cardinals, http://www.mdgreat.com/Wholesa...vens_c2418 Wholesale Baltimore Ravens
written by Wholesale Anahtim Mighty Ducks jerseys Wholesale Atlanta Thrashers jerseys , December 14, 2010
http://www.nhl-jerseys-supply....ks_c242178 Wholesale Anahtim Mighty Ducks jerseys,Wholesale Atlanta Thrashers jerseys, http://www.nhl-jerseys-supply....rs_c242179
written by juicy couture outlet , May 30, 2011
Being the leader of both elegant and sweet trend, juicy couture continuously pursue for customer’s most satisfaction and has launched juicy couture handbags and juicy couture tracksuits 2011 new models. Follow me and search for definitely the right one you need with globe lowest price! You won’t be disappointed!
written by Abercrombie and fitch t shirt , July 06, 2011
Good post.We hope all of you could enjoy your shopping from http://www.abercrombiefitcht-shirts.org /. When you order the items from our http://www.abercrombiefitcht-shirts.org /, we will send the items to you as soon as possible.
written by wang , July 06, 2011
I suppose I have always agreed with Karl Marx on that subject: ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his need'. Unfortunately, I am one of those who is perpetually in need-and I live in America."http://www.guccisoutletonline.com/ Gucci outlet
http://www.guccisoutletonline.com/ Gucci outlet online
written by christian louboutin outlet , July 09, 2011
Welcome to our http://www.christianlouboutinoutletus.org/ online store,we can provide all kinds of http://www.christianlouboutinoutletus.org/ to customers.
written by herve leger sale , July 09, 2011
I love to wear the http://www.hervelegersaledress.org/ herve leger sale dress to go to the party to enjoy the lifetime.The beautiful http://www.hervelegersaledress.org/ herve leger dresses are so comfortable and soft for me to wear.
written by sony669 , July 17, 2011
Do you still confuse which one to choose from so many Gucci outlet online shops? if so,pls just keep your steps with our store,we mainly sell the newest design gucci handbags, and also matches some other gucci accessories,like gucci wallets,gucci belts, gucci sunglasses and so on.
We will fast delivery to your order, top convenient for your business.they are so many styles that you can find the one you like best to fit your every occasions and to show your personality and style. If you are having trouble deciding which of our fabulous gucci bags to choose from, or can't seem to find exactly what you are looking for - pls just contact us. We are online 24 hours to service for you.
written by timberland outlet , July 20, 2011
Welcome to buy Timberland Outlet online store provides you kinds of styles timberland shoes to choose.
written by abercrombie fitch outlet , July 23, 2011
Wear the abercrombie fitch clothes to catch the fashion in this season.The http://www.abercrombieandfitchoutlets.org/ abercrombie fitch outlet supply all kinds of cheap http://www.abercrombieandfitchoutlets.org/ abercrombie and fitch items.All of them are high quality with low discount.
written by ugg outlet , July 28, 2011
I love the warm snow boots very much.In the cold when the snow comes,we could wear the http://www.uggoutletsboots.org/ ugg outlet boots to enjoy the snow scenery.At this time,men could wear the http://www.timberlandoutletboots.org/ timberland outlet boots to enjoy the happy time.
written by wholesale jeans , August 04, 2011
When we are still in how to make trouble, there is a way to solve your worries, that is, http://www.cheap-replica.com/J...-c642.html Of course, in addition to the method we can also have many other forms, such as can be donehttp://www.cheap-replica.com/New-era-hats-c679.htmlThrough these methods, hoping to be helpful. Thank you very much for sharing the master.
written by NBA hats , November 01, 2011
http://www.supreme-hat.com/New-era-hats-c762.html
http://www.supreme-hat.com/Winter-hats-c2291.html
written by wholesale hats , January 17, 2012
Many of my friends do not know how to get the road to make money before they can make their own, and here I give you two possible ways to make money, the first one is, http://www.nikeairmaxo.com the second is http://www.nikeairmaxo.com ,I believe that you two ways to do so if the real will make money, while very grateful to the author of this article.
Show/hide comment form
