[sudo-discuss] Open source documentary

Fri Jan 17 08:49:44 PST 2014

I'm with Max and think its a wonderful idea Naomi. I'd be happy to
participate as a sudo room biohacker :)
On Jan 17, 2014 8:43 AM, "Max Klein" <isalix at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 16, 2014 at 7:19 AM, Noemie Serfaty <noemieserfaty at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Hello sudo-ers
>>
>>
>>
>> Let me introduce myself, although some of you know me already. My name is
>> Noémie, I'm French - among other things.
>>
>>
>>
>> I discovered sudo-room last September. It was the first time I set foot
>> in a hackerspace, and it kind of blew my mind. At sudo room, I discovered
>> the concept of open source, a concept I didn't really know till then. That,
>> together with a lot of really great encounters and conversations, kind of
>> changed things for me, and made me realize that even in what I do in life
>> (films), I can do things completely differently. Up to now the film
>> industry has been very hierarchical, in many different ways, and it always
>> made me uncomfortable. Only recently did I understand that if I sense that
>> something’s not fair, I can actually do something about it. That was an
>> empowering realization.
>>
>
> This is so heart-warming to read.
>
>>
>> So I've been playing with the idea of making an open source documentary
>> film at/about sudo room. Before I go any further, I would just like to say
>> that I saw you're trying to agree on a sort of chart about the conditions
>> under which you'd be willing to have people film at sudo room, and it all
>> seems very reasonable to me.
>>
>>
>>
>> I'd like to expose you my idea, for you to tell me what you think, and
>> also, if anyone among you would like to participate. I’m hoping that (at
>> least some of) the ones who will be in the film will also participate in
>> the making of the film. The project would probably be scattered over a few
>> months, so that it doesn't feel heavy, but also so that there is time to
>> develop a genuine narrative, and to follow one or a few projects that could
>> constitute the backbone of a story.
>>
>>
>>
>> The question I've been fiddling with is the following: how to make it
>> open source? And beyond just putting the footage under CC license and
>> leaving it available somewhere on the internet, how to make it an exciting
>> experiment, an opportunity to create new processes in film making that are
>> non hierarchical and more participative? To me the question is also a
>> pragmatic one: how can this participative process allow to create
>> compelling films with a vision, films that people actually want to watch,
>> beyond the open source community?
>>
>
> A thousand times yes. Reminds me of the quote.
>
> “*When the structure of a work is one of its themes, another of its
> themes is art*.” - Gertrude Stein
>
>>
>> The idea is to develop a sort of github for editing movies in a
>> collaborative way, so that as the film is being shot and made, there is a
>> tool online that allows to do things together:
>> - rate, annotate, underline the footage or parts of it, organize it
>>
>> - upload videos, music, etc.
>>
>> - edit sequences.
>>
>> - fork the project to create a different timeline and a different movie.
>>
>> This tool would be free of access and available not only to the people
>> involved in the project but to anyone, and hopefully will generate a cool
>> community of users who want to be empowered film viewers *and* makers.
>> To me it's the continuation of genius director Chris Marker's work with the
>> Medvedkin Groups in the 60's. * (see below if you want to know more about
>> it!).
>>
>>
>> I've been talking about the possibility of building this tool with a
>> really great and talented hacker that some of you know, Robert M Ochshorn.
>>  He's already made some great advancement on the future of video (two
>> works of his:  http://interlace.videovortex9.net also check
>> http://montageinterdit.net) and he'd be excited to continue with this
>> project. I’m excited too actually! I think it could change the whole idea
>> of how to make films, and what it is to be a spectator, and what is a truly
>> participative movie... So I’m offering to do an experiment, and I think
>> sudo room would definitely be the best place to do it, not only because of
>> all places, it is the one where I would want to experiment in a fun way.
>> Also because I envision a really good, touching, fun and awakening movie...
>>  hopefully more than one movie!! I hope that after the 1.0 movie is
>> released, it is only the beginning of an adventure consisting in hacking
>> the movie. Making a different version of it, maybe more than one.
>>
>  I'll be in Oakland starting from February and I'm thinking of spending
>> some time at sudo - probably for other projects as well. I'd like to take
>> this time to think of how to do it, what story (ies) to tell, talk about
>> the project to whomever among you is interested in participating in it, and
>> see more concretely how it could be done in a participative way, but also
>> with a vision, and a unity, so that it actually has a reach.
>>
>>
>>
>> I wrote this email today because I’d like everyone to know about it, and
>> open a discussion that I hope will mostly take place in real life when I’ll
>> be here in February rather than on this email list, although I would be
>> happy to already get some feedback, questions, advice or ideas that you
>> think are relevant at this stage…
>>
>
> I love this idea. As well as sudoers being involved, I think it'd be cool
> to work on it with some other groups who'd be excited. For instance the
> film-studies groups at Bay Area Public School (radicals in our same
> building) and others. In that way, sudoers could learn film-making theory,
> and film-makers could learn open-source theory. I'd love to dedicate some
> time to the project.
>
> --notconfusing
>
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you!
>>
>>
>>
>> A bientôt :)
>>
>> Noémie
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>>
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>>
>>
>> * Chris Marker went to film the factory strikes in Besancon; and when he
>> showed his film to the workers, they said that he’s completely incompetent,
>> that it does not represent their point of view at all, that this director
>> from Paris is just like the bosses that exploit them. Chris Marker agreed
>> that the film was filmed from his point of view, and created with the
>> workers the Medevkin groups. He shared with them the material, the means
>> and the knowhow to create their own movies, and helped them to re-edit his
>> own footage. Some of the films of the Medvedkin groups are amazing.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Noémie Serfaty
>> 108 rue du Faubourg du Temple
>> 75011 Paris
>> Tel: 06 27 76 88 84
>> Tel: 01 71 50 51 82
>> noemieserfaty at gmail.com
>>
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>>
>>
>
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