A new World Perspective

November 2011

Matt Rice (FITS Europe participant Fall 2010) and his documentary made it into this year’s final of Filmfest Düsseldorf and came in 2nd for the audience award of European Short Film Festival UNLIMITED Cologne.

My study abroad trip in Germany not only defined who I was as a filmmaker, but it also helped frame a new world perspective for me. I discovered the power of documentary filmmaking and I immediately became enamored with it. Why try and recreate false experiences on a dark soundstage in LA when in reality stories surround our lives everywhere we go? I had finally realized that a documentary could highlight these interesting stories and emphasize the beauty of our natural world.
I wanted to go to Germany for a very specific reason. I wanted to rediscover my ancestral roots. Some members of my Bavarian-American family have participated in a German oompah band all my life. They are unique for continuing that tradition and I wanted to be unique too by mastering the German yodel. I went to Germany to find a true yodeling master. Luckily, LMU had a study abroad documentary filmmaking program located in Bonn, Germany.
Six months before I left, I researched as much as I possibly could about yodeling. I found several contacts in both the U.S. and Europe that agreed to do interviews and private yodel performances. I had even found the address of Franzl Lang, the World’s Greatest Yodeler, who retired from his yodeling career a decade ago. I sought out my contacts in Germany and finally found a suitable yodel instructor that taught me everything there is to know about the art. I am not quite sure which was more fun for me, developing my yodel documentary or learning how to yodel.
In the end, I produced and directed an eleven-minute yodel documentary that I was proud of. I quickly became comfortable with telling my story because I was able to connect my experience in Germany with my cultural upbringing in St. Louis. This never would have been possible if I hadn’t received the assistance that I did while I studied abroad in Germany.
The support I received from the AIB and my fellow colleagues was invaluable for my experience in Germany. Even after my film has been completed, the AIB is still helping me out by promoting my film in European film festivals. My study abroad experience will always remind me of this international camaraderie and I can only hope that I will receive the same support in my future career as a documentary filmmaker.

Written by Matt Rice

 

Exploring Kreuzberg

November 2011

On MYBerlin Day, 5 of the film students, including myself, met in the lobby of our hotel at 7:30am to begin or exploration of the Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin. Besides the theme of our tour telling us that we would be learning about Multicultural Berlin, none of us in the group knew anything about Kreuzberg. Luckily, we arrived in the neighborhood to meet our extremely knowledgeable guide who would give us an in depth tour of the neighborhood for the next 3 hours. Our guide was born and raised in the Kreuzberg neighborhood so she had many interesting stories and unique facts to share with us. We began our tour by getting a brief history of the area, learning that it lied right up against the Berlin wall when it was built in 1961. Since the area was so close to the wall, many Germans moved out which left the neighborhood desolate. In the 1960’s when West Germany’s economy began improving they started bringing in foreign workers to fill temporary positions. Many of these workers came from Turkey and Greece and they settled in the Kreuzberg location because of the availability of inexpensive housing as well as central location. These workers were not meant to stay in Germany permanently, but after so many years they were able to become citizens and bring their families over to join them. The neighborhood of Kreuzberg then became the multicultural center of Berlin, with 1 out of 3 people speaking a mother language other then German. Our tour guide was of Turkish descent and shared with us the struggles of living in the Kreuzberg neighborhood. With so many cultures there were often questions of identity and whether or not you would fit into German culture. There is also a very serious drug problem that authorities are still struggling to control. We then went inside the Kreuzberg Museum, which is a museum built entirely by the Kreuzberg community. It showcases the history of the area as well as highlighting the vibrant culture and pride of the families living in Kreuzberg. It was obvious that the community who built this museum cares very deeply for their neighborhood. Our tour guide then took us on a walking tour around the city, pointing out some of the older buildings ruined in World War 2 as well as some of the buildings that had been built by the Communists during the Cold War. The variations of architecture was very interesting to take note of. She then showed us the spot that the Berlin Wall once ran through, which is now marked by a rose garden. People in Kreuzberg lived right up against the wall, practically looking into East Germany, until the wall came down. Today, Kreuzberg continues to host a blend of cultures making it a very vibrant and historically important neighborhood. We all enjoyed the walking tour and gained a deep understanding of multicultural Berlin.

Written by Devyn Maniff

 

Reunification Day

November 2011

On the 3rd of October Germany celebrates Re-unification Day, the day the wall officially came down and East and West were one again. It’s a national holiday and every year the Germans hold a special celebration in one city. Luckily for us it was Bonn this year and that mean at least 300,000 extra people that we weren’t used to. Stands went up blocks were cordoned off and people flooded the streets in what would be the real German festival, unlike Oktoberfest which is more a Bavarian celebration. The AIB had a tent at this festival along International Mile near the UN. Though it was a day of rest for the citizens of Germany us students were put to work to advertise our wonderful school and learn a thing or two from Germans. Split into three groups two were out getting interviews from Germans about what Reunification day means to them and where they were when they first heard the wall came down. Most had the same thing to say, it’s about the power of democracy winning over. How it’s not only important to Germans but to people around the world seeking to get rid of tyranny. Memories came varied from watching the TV not understanding what Mom and Dad were so happy about and only hearing about it from a small village in Africa. All of these interviews were edited together to create a sort of compendium of experiences and feelings about Re-unification Day. The other group stayed in the tent and had mini-workshops with animation. Using cutouts and a special computer program the Film students showed the children the work that is put into animation while also helping them utilize their imagination. Though of course when there weren’t any children around film kids being film kids put it to their own devices. Stories of love between cat and dragon to the end of the world were created. Surprisingly the engineering students even joined in and arguably created the best animation of a princess and her many suitors. Of course it wasn’t all work the students got to take a break to enjoy the Parade full of marching bands and an appearance from Mr. Haribo himself. It was a nice day, an easy day, and good for everyone.

Written by John Iadarola

 

A Better Learning Experience

November 2011

My Berlin day was a lot less of what the student’s idea of a “My Berlin” day might have been, but it was also probably a better learning experience than what most of us would have gotten into. My group was in charge of learning about East Germany and the wall so our first order of business was to go to Checkpoint Charlie one of the most famous passageways between East and West. It was where American soldiers would leave from on their patrols through the Soviet side of the wall. There my group received a tour, but less a tour than a talk from a man named Schubert. He was the most interesting portion of the day. He alone helped to smuggle over a hundred and seventy people across the border. He did this through various ways but mostly through a car that had been made with extra space in it. Unfortunately his accomplice on the other side was caught and ratted him out to the Stasi, the secret police of the East Germans. He was caught in an underground passage near what is now a Radisson hotel. It was a high profile case but the West couldn’t help him. He then spent 2 years in solitary confinement. He didn’t even see or talk to a guard. He told us the only thing he heard those two years were the words “Get up,” “come,” and the barking of dogs. He let us know that he still has nightmares of the dogs being set upon him. After these two years he was sent to a political prison where many people like himself were serving, he lived there for 8 more years. Schubert hated the communists (go figure) even going so far as to call them Communazis. It was an incredible story and something none of us expected to hear that day. Also of note in the museum was an exhibit on a family from East Germany that had actually constructed a homemade hot air balloon to fly over the wall. The Museum had lots of art and many incredible stories. From there we visited the Berlin Wall memorial where a portion is kept exactly as it was a fence a tower then the wall with a bit of no mans land in between. It was odd thinking that only a little over twenty years before this was functional. At the end of the day we came back and had to tell the rest of the class what we had learned, thankfully Patrick Murphy had this covered with a rap set to the Death of Autotune by Jay Z. A small excerpt is as follows:

• This is anti-communism
• Death of opression
• In early April 1961

The berlin wall popped it’s first erection.
We had quite the wordsmith with us. If the day had been left to us we would never have met Schubert and learned so much about the oppression of Communist Germany.

Written by John Iadarola

 

Leipzig

November 2011

On the 20th and 21st the students attended the DOK Festival in Leipzig, Germany. These were the first two days prior to the filming weeks for our big Documentaries we’ve been preparing all semester for. Due to this many students had reservations about going, wasn’t there a lot of work left for us to do instead of spending time on watching a bunch of random documentaries in some random city in Germany? On top of that they had to meet prior at 5:15 AM just to get there. It’s obvious why a couple of students opted out to start early on their docs instead. On the morning of the 20th there were sour faces, but surprisingly the festival turned out to be a success. It was a needed break from the movies everyone was about to make to see how successful (or not successful) other filmmakers had been. Most features had a short that had something thematically in common. At the end of each showing the director would walk to the front and have a short discussion with a moderator and then field some questions from the audience. Patrick Murphy explained, “It was really accessible everyone was really approachable and nice.” It was a real festival and it seemed the Leipzig was a buzz about it, many bars and restaurants offering discounts for those attending the fest. In all most students saw around 6 movies in the two days. It was a good time to center focus and learn from others. “It was really helpful in giving us creative insight on what we could shoot in the coming weeks,” added Nikki Mirkoff. Some movies suggested by the students in no particular order are:

• War Matador
• Gunnar Goes God
• The Tiniest Place
• Doctors
• Italy Love it or Leave it
• Adventures in Plimptoons

Written by John Iadarola

 

Adventures Of A Time Prior To Germany

October 2011

From Seattle to Philadelphia, from Madrid to Barcelona, from Rome to Milan, from Frankfurt to Bonn – it was an adventure. Early on it was decided that Tracy, Ali, Misha and myself would travel prior to our arrival in Germany. In eight days we saw three countries, six cities and thousands of people.

Personally, I’ve traveled to Canada, only two hours from my house. That’s the only other country I’ve been to. It doesn’t really count. Going anywhere in Europe was big. I now see the world as a book, and if you don’t travel, it’s as if you never read past the first chapters.

I could write ten articles per day with all we that we saw and did; all the nights spent sleeping in airports and train stations, the walking, the (now funny) moments of panic and the moments of content joy, the beautiful imagery and amazing memories. But it’s so difficult to just recount that time in a way that a reader, like your beautiful self, could fully embrace. Traveling the world isn’t just seeing new places, it’s having new eyes entirely.

We get so swept up in our lives that we often lose sight of things, but when you travel, things balance out. There’s the initial panic, the chaos and the unknown, but when you settle finally, it’s a feeling unlike any other. An amazing feeling.

On our negative budget adventure (did we go into a Sephora to use tester perfumes and cologne when we didn’t have a hostel to shower in – yes. Are we proud of that? Absolutely) we weren’t tourists. We were travelers. And a traveler sees what he sees, whereas a tourist sees what he has come to see. We weren’t just going from tourist trap to tourist trap, we were walking the streets (sometimes riding bikes in Rome), talking to the locals and constantly looking around in wonder. Some of the kindest, most amazing individuals helped along the way. Some of the most beautiful things found us.

Most importantly, we always had each other, our pre-trip group. And gelato. That helped.

The ideal message to be taken away from this is the importance of seeing the world, and seeing the world in a new way. The experience of traveling is an education in itself. While like all greater travelers, I’ve seen more then I remember, I find that I also remember more than I have seen. And that’s perfect.

You have your entire life ahead of you – take a few months to see the world. It’s worth it, trust me..

Written by Alex Salazar

 

Amsterdam 2011

October 2011

On Saturday the 10th the Film students had the privilege of attending the International Broadcasting Conference, or the IBC, in Amsterdam. It is the top technology showcase of Europe. Every year thousands of industry heads and Do-It-Yourself entrepreneurs gather to bare witness to the latest and greatest technology for Movie making, Music Recording, Editing Software, and News Broadcasting. This year was no different, several companies important to Film making were there including Sony, Panasonic, Arri, Red, Avid, GoPro, and tons more. The floor was packed with stands and lights and people, the sound of business and techno babble filled the 4 Buildings the IBC took up.
Of particular interest to us all was the new Arri Alexa the new digital camera that has some of the industry’s top cinematographers finally making the jump from film to digital. It is so popular that James Cameron Director of Avatar and The Terminator showed up at the demonstration to profess his love for it. The new Sony F65 had a similar ring to it though no one famous cared to show up. The companies all had one thing in common though, their emphasis on the 3D craze. Just about every booth had a stage set up with dozens of objects from spinning bikes to potted plants and sometimes even actors. Around the stage were about a dozen different types of 3D cameras. To some the lines may have come too late. 3D ticket sales have been on a sharp decline for a year. More importantly everyone got Hands on experience with professional equipment such as Steadicams, Cranes, and other nifty devices. Tracy Ip found this to be the most exciting part of the day, “it’s so nice they don’t treat you any different because you’re a student they just want to show you their product.” Most stands had full time workers to answer any questions or walk you through the mechanics. “I actually know how to work the menu for some of these high-end cameras, it’s nice to have this to put on my Résumé,” Ali Brocato explained. Though not everyone totally understood the tech there was still plenty to do. Erika Kubick added, “I’m not too technically minded, but the atmosphere is great.” Presentations on how some of the Blockbusters of the summer were presented. Favorites like Game of Thrones and Captain America had their special effects teams show up and give how-tos in programs. There was so much to do there was a question of whether one day would be enough arose. “Really there’s a reason this event takes up 5 days,” Joe Kappes ruminated, “I’ve gotten a small taste of what it’s like to be a professional, and I want more.”

Written by John Iadarola

 

Casting

October 2011

As the days draw closer to the first shooting day of our four chosen narrative scripts, the film students are continuing to make preparations and working hard to straighten out all of the final details. Last week we held a casting call at the AIB where over 20 actors and actresses from the Bonn and Cologne area came in to audition for the four narrative projects. Each group was given a space to hold their auditions as well as camera equipment. It was a very professional environment as the actors and actresses filed into the AIB lobby to prepare for their auditions. Each narrative group prepared audition material and questions to ask the actors and actresses during their session. One by one the actors and actresses were sent in to one of the four rooms to audition for various parts, ranging from an aspiring poet to a Barbie doll. Each group got to have one on one time with all of the actors and actresses that they wished to see, allowing us to really see who would be right for each of the parts. The actors and actresses that came to the auditions were extremely professional and excited about the projects. “It was a good experience and fun to meet new people,” said film student Nicole Mirkof. All of the film students really enjoyed talking to the German actors and actresses and learning what it is like to be in actor in Germany versus Los Angeles. Casting in Germany did present some hurdles, such as the possible language barrier. Most of the actors were wonderful and spoke excellent English, but there were some where communication was more difficult. This challenge presented the film students with a great learning experience in what is probably a very common reality, as well as some extra German practice for us! By the end of the auditions we were all exhausted, but excited about all of the talent we had just met. There were some tough decisions to be made, but in the end each group found actors and actresses that are perfectly suited for each roll. In the past few days the calls were made to notify the chosen actors and actresses. The next step will be rehearsals as well as prop and costume preparations. We are really looking forward to working with the actors and actresses in the upcoming shoots and cannot wait to see the great work they will do!

Written by Devyn Maniff

 

A Little Bicycle Journey

October 2011

All 16 film students met bright and early the day of our bike ride to Linz, a small medieval town right on the Rhine. Everyone showed up eager for the adventure, despite the impending rain clouds. We all went over to the rental place to pick up our bikes and we were on our way. The bike ride began by riding across the Rhine River and then taking a nice scenic path all the way down to Linz. We rode along the river and through parks so it was a really nice ride. About an hour into the trip down it began to rain so we found shelter underneath an old bridge. When we realized that the light rain was not going to let up we decided to tough it out and continue on our way. It took about two hours to bike down to Linz. Linz was an adorable little down with cobble stone streets and charming shops. The whole group had a really nice lunch at a local restaurant before going off to explore the town briefly. Most of us headed over to a large shop full of amazing, hand-made glass. Then, some of the group decided to check out the “Torture” museum located underground, which Adrienne Childress described as “a creepy but bonding experience for the group as we learned the medieval torture practices. We left relieved that they don’t continue the practice today otherwise we would all be screwed.” After a nice relaxing lunch we got back on our bikes and headed over to the Peace Museum in Remagen. We were greeted by our friendly tour guide who was actually a former Mayor of Remagen, so he was extremely knowledgeable. He guided us through the museum, which is at the site of the old Bridge of Remagen that was destroyed by the Allies in World War II. We learned a lot about the history of the area, especially during World War II. It was a really interesting museum and the whole group learned a lot. After the museum most of us were losing our energy quickly, but it was time to bike the two hours back to Bonn.

Some people made it back quicker then others, but we did all make it back in one piece. While the bike ride was exhausting, it was also rejuvenating and a great way to see the surrounding areas of Bonn.

Written by Devyn Maniff

 

Parallel Lives

October 2011

The sun was not even up yet as we left our houses in the early morning hours on Tuesday and made our way to Rheinaue Park. The four crew members, Jes Bickhart (Writer and Director), Tracy Ip (DP), Erin Kelly (Producer) and Devyn Maniff (Sound), all met at the tram stop in the park at 7am to begin filming. Our lead actor playing the role of “Ken”, Daniel Koetter, met us shortly after and they day was quickly underway. It was an unusually cold morning so the first few hours of filming were a little difficult.

Thankfully, the large piece of duve we brought to use for lighting made and excellent blanket. Daniel was extremely cooperative and did a great job riding his bike for all of the morning shots, despite the Bonn traffic and curious onlookers. Erin kept us right on schedule and even provided some coffee which helped to energize us on that early morning. Jes and Tracy got really creative with their shots and used the beautiful park to its full potential. Shooting with Daniel until about 3pm went very smoothly and we even got to enjoy a nice lunch together. At 4pm our beautiful lead actress playing the role of “Barbie,” Rike Turik, met us at the park so that we could shoot the ending scene of the film with both Daniel and Rike. The ending scene of “Barbie and Ken” was shot on a picturesque stone bridge overlooking the small lake and the footage was beautiful. Overall, day one ended in high spirits as we were ahead of schedule and very happy with how the shoot went. Exhausted, we all went home to get a good night’s sleep and prepare for day two of shooting. Call time for day two was 9am, so the crew arrived back at Rheinaue Park well rested and ready to go! Day two began with our adorable little actress, Grace Jaclyn Freidrich, playing the role of the little girl playing with her barbies in the park. She was wonderful to work with and gave a great performance. We filmed on the grass by the side of the pond and wrapped that portion of the shoot fairly quickly due to how cooperative Grace was. We then were able to take a leisurely lunch break until Rike arrived to set at 1pm. We began shooting with Rike in a colorful field of flowers and the footage was looking great. Tracy got beautiful shots of Rike all over the park. Towards the end of shooting the sun began to peek through the clouds, which actually posed a slight problem for lighting, but we made the best of it. Our shoot came to a close at about 4pm on Wednesday, an hour ahead of schedule! Everyone on the crew was very pleased with how the shoot went. We cannot wait to see the various edits of the footage and the final product of “Parallel Lives.” We had an extremely successful and fun shoot thanks to our hard working crew and of course our amazing actors.

Written by Devyn Maniff

 

Things Lost

October 2011

“I now must prepare for the inevitable stress that putting a movie together brings on.”
These were the fatal last words of John Ialadora, the director of “Existential.” He was killed in action by his producer. Just kidding.
In all honesty, I expected the shooting of our narrative projects to be completely overwhelming, and a little humiliating. From my experience, it doesn’t matter how much planning you do: you can plot out shot list upon shot list, but something will go wrong and nothing will ever be to the sound guy’s liking, according to Murphy’s law. Of course, the fact that every group turned in all of their paperwork late was ominous at best. The hair pulling and frustration on each of the producers’ faces last Monday was no more promising. I doubt I only speak for myself in saying this left me scared poopless.

Yet, working with other film students is always an interesting experience. Each of us are headstrong narcissists with our own unique vision of how the film should look. Sometimes, this coincides and accents the director’s view. Other times, it clashes. We want anything we have a part of to turn into a masterpiece. But at the end of the day, it’s the director’s film. We can make helpful suggestions or smart-alack comments, or a healthy mix of both. Fortunately, the “Existential” crew stayed on schedule and on each others’ best side. The location was beautiful, the actors fit and professional, and the weather was perfect: a thick overcast and not a drop of rain. Things seemed perfect, but we’ll leave that conclusion to the group assigned to edit our material together.

The biggest problem we encountered was our lovely location: the houses bordering Poppelsdorfer Allee may be stunning, but they act as a tunnel, bouncing sound waves from cars, squawking children, and scowling old people back and forth like a pendulum on speed. Each time a car began creaking down the street, six pairs of butt cheeks clenched so tightly, that somewhere Richard Simmons proudly smiled. This wasn’t the only problem thwarting our picture perfect film: we decided to shoot authentically “auf Deutsch.” At first, this seemed to be an exciting opportunity for me: I could finally employ my sub-par German skills in the field I love! Unfortunately, I forgot that understanding the few words I know takes 110% of my attention. Directing people to avert their eyes and shut up while walking past a rolling camera also takes up 110% of my attention. This leaves -120% of my attention on the actors, their dialogue and continuity. As we know actors are prone to do, there was a bit of improv going on that allowed the characters to shine more naturally. Although this means a great performance, it makes for a tedious little editing job. But, you’ll be fixing that in post. Suckers!

Overall, it was a great experience. In order to have a successful shoot, each member of the crew has to pull their own weight, even if that means getting an extra hour of sleep for organizational purposes.

Written by Erika Kubrick

 

Things Lost

October 2011

Although it was a bit overcast on the first day of shooting, that didn’t stop the production of Things Lost written and directed by Misha Scott. With her crew of three women: Ali Brocato, Director of Photography; Sam Chasse, Producer; and Gabby Dematteis, Production Sound; and her two actors, Alex Volk, playing the role of John, and Maggie Thomas, playing the role of Hannah, Misha set out to create a world of lost dreams and of finding the courage within oneself to discover new dreams. The first location was along the Rhine River, where an old stone wall served as the backdrop for the opening scene where we meet our protagonist, John, a young man with a wandering mind and a dream of being a 19th century poet. The next location was a park bench in Poppelsdorf Allee where John meets Hannah, a passionate mathematician with a good heart and sound mind. Together, they embark on a short adventure through Bonn, discovering things about themselves and each other.

Written by Gabriela Dematteis

 

I’m On A Boat… on the River Rhine

October 2011

The River Rhine is the longest and most important river in Europe, around 800 miles long. It was on this river that the students of Loyola Marymount traveled by super-ferry. The many castles and prehistoric fortifications followed us along the way.

The river was dazzling. The sun was shining (in late September no less) and we laid out on the deck. Let’s talk about the ship. It was three stories and quite sizeable. It even had an elevator. The main deck had it’s own restaurant and plenty of space. On the top deck was a playground and tons of chairs. In those chairs sat the students of LMU, basking in the sunlight. It was like a summer day. We took in the sights and mingled with the locals as we cruised along.

We were able to spend some time in a small town, climbing up to a castle to look over the river. A stop along the way at a bakery was a must. You must try the schokoscroissant (It’s filled with chocolate and it’s cheap!). At the end of our Rhine adventure was another beautiful castle situated on a hilltop. We were given a tour by a peppy and energetic guide who took us through the history and the many rooms of a castle. There was even a torture chamber! The view was incredible and the castle was quite authentic – preserved for hundreds of years, first by royal families and now by a private company that restores historic monuments.

After our castle tour we took a bus ride through the countryside to a massive cheese factory that sold some of the most delicious cheeses I’ve ever tasted. We experienced some amazing German culture here. Following the cheese tasting we were served a tasty dinner with fine company and spent the night laughing and dining with elegance and of course, class. We were gearing up for the next morning when the film students would be off on another adventure to Munich, Germany.

Written by Alex Salazar

 

The Ironing Man

October 2011

AIB student film at Film Festival - Abbey Nelson, FITS particpant 2010, makes it into UNLIMITED SHORT FILM FESTIVAL in Cologne with her film “The Ironing Man”

 

When I first came to Bonn with our study abroad program, I had no idea what was in store for me as far as making a documentary was concerned. I had never done one before and was excited for the challenges that would come with making a film in a foreign country. Originally, I had planned to make a much different documentary, but circumstances changed and left me to scramble for a new topic before our deadline. I have always been a lover of extreme sports and decided that I wanted to make a film about an obscure aspect of that world. What was my choice? Extreme Ironing of course!! No one had really heard of it before, so it was about time they did.

I mostly intended this to be a fun, goofy documentary, something that I would enjoy making at the very least. I never expected it to turn into what it was. When I arrived in England, however, with my partner Matt Christensen, we immediately recognized that our star Richard French (aka Frenchy) had a lot more to tell than just stories about a goofy sport. For the last ten years, he has worked as a sniper for the British Royal Army and has served on various tours to Afghanistan and Iraq. We quickly found out that he and his friends choose such an extreme pass time in order to help them cope with their extreme jobs.

With plenty of help from the staff and professors at the AIB, I was able to develop my story into a look at what life is like for these soldiers, on and off the battlefield of war. This film probably would’ve never been made in another setting. All of my professors and fellow students in our study abroad program were very supportive of such an “out there” idea for a film. They had their doubts about it, but in the end, they helped me pull through and make a film I am proud of.

The film program in Bonn, Germany offered me and many other students an excellent opportunity to experience different cultures and people that we never would’ve had a chance to otherwise. Best of all, they created an environment where we were allowed to explore any idea that came to our minds and help you to produce great films from those ideas. I will always look back to Bonn as the start of what will hopefully be my long career of producing documentary films!

Written by Abbey Nelson

 

Fairy-tale Land - The Eifel trip

September 2011

The Eifel is a low mountain range in Western Germany and Eastern Belgium, only an hour away from our new home in beautiful Bonn. The LMU Film Students, in the company of the lovely LMU Engineers, took a bus ride out to the area. We would be staying in the town of Monreal for 3 days, the other students accompanying us only for a day visit to the nearby Gregorian mass held in Maria Laach’s Parish (Over 1000 years of amazing tradition in a valley created by an ancient volcano explosion)

After a beautiful mass and a visit to the gift shop (The Monks have a full retail/gift shop) we headed over to Monreal. The town itself is very quaint, less then six square miles in size with a population of less then a thousand. And it’s beautiful. It’s amazingly green, only broken by the tall white windmills in the distance and the quiet venerable castle overlooking the town.

Our main location was a large inn just on the outskirts of town. A young, kindly couple took care of us, making us food and walking us through the delicate steps of cheese tasting (Allgau for the win!). The six men of our program stayed with an amazingly welcoming wife and husband just down the street in a second story flat (wonderful bonding time) and the girls were across the street in their own house.

The next three days were spent doing a variety of activities, most of all just taking in the world around us. We had a few small projects and lessons, one of which was shooting a variety of nature shots to portray a specific emotion. In my own personal experience, with the company of the infamous Patrick Murphy, the two of us wandered around the village and farmlands, tracking deer and shooting lone shoes to convey the emotion of loneliness. We were guided by the lessons of famed Serbian film director Slobodan Sijan.

When we weren’t learning or eating wonderful food (And the desserts!), we trekked many hikes up to the beautiful castle overlooking the town. Up the keep you could go, rolling hills and green valleys stretching into the distance. We even went on an old-fashioned torch hike at night (with much singing of classic 80’s and 90’s songs) and the next morning had a very early hike with our constant trusty guide, Rainer. One of the most amazing ways to start the day. A celebrity appearance was even made by the most beautiful dog in the Rhineland, Cosmo, whose proud owner is our very own Olaf, our wonderful program director.

Eifel is a wonderful place. There’s something about looking up into that beautiful sky at night to see a thousand hovering stars twinkle over the waves of green, of feeling that crisp morning breeze blow past as we hike through streams of sunlight and to look at the generous (chicken-filled) nature

Written by Alex Salazar

 

Choosing the narrative scripts

September 2011

The semester wasted no time in getting started this year with directing class starting the day after arrival. The focus of this class was to be on narrative filmmaking. Professors Glenn Gebhard and Art Namura knew that not every student on the trip had an emphasis in documentary filmmaking so in collaboration with the other teachers decided to add a new project for the students. In it the students would write a 5-page script to be produced in the first two months of the semester. This year unlike last year 4 films will be made, enabling everyone to have a major role in production. To do this Prof. Gebhard had each student write a script during the summer so as to start as early as possible. Only four to be chosen, there was a democratic vote by the students to elect the scripts they most wanted to make. This event happened in the first weekend during the trip to Eifel.

My peers and I broke into two groups of eight where we gave a pitch to the group and the group elected four for the rest of the students and teachers to hear. The 8 elected semifinalists made their pitch again and a final vote was created. For Adrienne Childress it was “a great way to hear everyone’s idea, practice pitching, and get to know our classmates.” The winners this year were Jes Bickhart, Misha Scott, Joe Kappes, and myself. The experience all around was less stressful and more amiable, every student showing support for the others and showing genuine interest in each creative mind. Mr. Kappes had this to say of the experience, “I was satisfied knowing the group liked my script that much, but I believe that just about every script would make a great movie.” It was a humbling experience for me undoubtedly.

After the scripts were decided the students formed groups around the scripts they would most like to work on, the writers becoming the directors and the integral positions of Director of Photography, Sound Technician, and Producer to be filled. It was arguably the most stressful part of the ordeal for the new directors, as we didn’t want to make any new enemies. The groups, however, formed themselves. “I feel good about the group I’m on. I feel Joe will be a good director and I know we work well together,“ said Nikki Mirkorf one of Mr. Kappes’ new crew members. We all now look forward to casting, location scouting, and shooting the scripts in the next 3 weeks. Afterwards the students must edit another group’s film. Things are already getting busy for SFTV, but excitement is only growing. I now must prepare for the inevitable stress the putting a movie together brings on.

Written by John Iadarola

 

The AIB soccer cup and welcome event

September 2011

This past Saturday was the annual AIB Soccer Tournament and Welcome Party. The activities commenced bright and early Saturday morning as all of the AIB students converged on the lawn in front of the University. We were separated into our teams and the games began. The LMU film students were scattered about in different teams, which allowed for some new friendships to be formed with the other AIB students. Round by round some teams prevailed while others joined to the spectators on the sidelines to watch the rest of the games. In the end, it was team HAM, including our very own Christian Sautter, that won top honors and a very nice trophy. Once the tournament was over all of the students went to freshen up for the Welcome Party later that evening. The film students called for some extra rehearsal time in the park to practice our introduction skit for the Welcome Party. We found a nice shady area of the park and went through our skit a few times to make sure that we would be the most wellrehearsed group there. Of course this did draw some stares and confusion from onlookers. We walked over to the Welcome Party ready for our performance.

However, before that could happen, we received a very warm welcome from Angelica Kappel, the Mayor of Bonn. She gave a brief history of the wonderful city that we now call home. Next was the introduction of the AIB groups, including the LMU engineers, the LMU New Europe program, the Texas A&M students, the Italian students and of course the LMU film students. All of the groups had creative introductions that showcased who they are and we had a great time watching everyone from the poem to the human pyramid. Then it was time to eat. The students were joined by their host families in a lovely dinner put on by the AIB. Everyone sat outside enjoying the perfect weather as we met new people and talked with old friends. We were also fortunate enough to have a live musician playing music for us throughout the night. After dinner the fun continued when Olaf started a dance train through the yard. Everyone joined in and this kicked off the dancing for the night which then continued with an array of songs from classic rock to German folk, all of which the film students showcased their best moves to. Everyone had a wonderful time and it was a great night of Bonn-ding (the perfect use of that word).

Overall it was a perfect day full of laughter, dancing and new friends and a great beginning to what promises to be incredible semester here in Bonn.

Written by Devyn Maniff

 

I AMSTERDAM

Nov 10th 2010

As our charter bus from Bonn rolled into Amsterdam, our group had a general sense of interest mixed with a tangible feeling of excitement for the upcoming day.

The International Broadcasting Convention, for which we had made the trip, offered an almost limitless amount of information on the latest developments in entertainment technology.

Upon hitting the trade show floor, we were immediately overwhelmed. Where should we head first? The Post-Production Village? Isn't Arri showcasing the new Alexa camera in the main theatre? Wait, what about the stunning Sony and Panasonic displays in Hall 8 right by the new steadicams, helicopter mounts, and Ziess lens displays? Simply put, we had only two options: Find a few specific vendors and see what they had to offer or just wander through the halls and displays, stumbling on the latest that the Entertainment world had to offer.

We saw as much as we could. I personally headed straight to the Post-Production Village to sit in on a session about the new Media Composer 5 editing software from Avid. After having a few questions answered and signing up for a chance to win a free copy of the software, I wandered the rest of the area looking at the latest offerings in green screen technology, Adobe software, and high-end tapeless post-production workflows.

After a quick lunch of an "American" cheeseburger, I made it to the Production halls where Sony was showing off their latest 3D cameras and TVs. One TV in particular had a 4k (4096 x 3112 pixels) resolution, which is about 4 times larger than HD! After that, our group met up with Jens, our Cinematography professor, who spoke with us about some of the exciting things to see at IBC. He directed us to the main show theatre where an Arri presentation was about to begin on cutting edge lighting and cameras. While waiting for the doors to open on the presentation, two high-level people from RED cameras walked out of the theatre with a working prototype of the highly anticipated RED EPIC camera! After some features were explained to the impromptu crowd, a few of us got the chance to hold the beast and try a few shots.

After that excitement, plus the informative and exciting presentation from Arri, we had enough time to hit a few more booths before leaving. Even though our whole group was exhausted from the gigantic trade show, we all would have easily liked a whole week to take in all that the IBC had to offer.

Written by Matt Christensen

 

Brötchen

Nov 9th 2010

Directing Brötchen was not only an incredible experience but also the hardest thing I have had to do thus far in Germany. It all started with the script, which the team decided to translate from English to German. We hadn't originally planned to use German in the film but decided it would evoke better performances from the actors and give an overall more natural feel to Brötchen.

But regardless of the translation, the actors were incredible. Ralph, our supporting actor was the first to be cast. We knew instantly that he was right for the part. We actually auditioned him the same day we chose the script and were so thankful that we found him! With the wonderful support of the AIB and especially Lena Schnabel, we found an equally talented woman perfectly fit for the lead. Cornelia was added on to our project only a few days after Ralph, but due to our tight schedule we did not get to rehearse with the two leads together until the first day of filming. This was definitely nerve-wracking but miraculously, everything pulled through.

I will never forget Cornelia's method acting on the second day of set. I asked Cornelia to run down various streets in a busy market asking for directions to an art museum. Cornelia went above and beyond that. Because we needed a range of reaction shots from strangers on the street, Cornelia said all types of things to random people on the street and used her wonderful range as an actress to get diverse reactions. Needless to say, we lucked out with our amazingly daring cast. They worked hard and were very willing to listen to both Matt and I for direction.

The crew was also fantastic. Thanks to our executive producer Olaf Brodersen and our Producer Abbey Nelson, we got all of the locations we wanted. But as Murphy's Law goes, everything that can go wrong will go wrong. We coped as well as we could. Some tourists stopped to take pictures of our set while we were shooting and they are clearly in the background of some shots, oh well! A lawnmower running in the Hofgarten the entire day of the shoot? No problem. Weather changing with tricky wind and cloud continuity? Dirt off your shoulder. Our cast and crew handled it all with ease.

I have never been so proud of something I've worked on, especially because I was lucky enough to write the script and make it a reality. I cannot thank enough Art Nomura, Mike Beegle, Lyndon Leunes, and everyone else who came to set for staying with the project and having faith in it. This film was a team effort and could never have been made without the dedication and love everyone put into it. I thank everyone for this, and cannot wait for Brötchen to be completed and enjoyed!

Written by Emily Daniel

 

Truth & Good Energy

Nov 9th 2010

An Interview with Cornelia Schönwald, the Lead Actress of "Brötchen":

What motivates you to continue a career as an actor?
For me, it is a great thing to be able to work with my imagination, body, voice, and soul in a way that tells stories and reaches out to people.

What moments do you experience as an actor that inspire you?
Moments of truth and good energy while playing with a good partner remind me of how grateful I am for my career.

What kinds of acting do you do and which do you prefer (Theater, Commercials, TV , Movies, Abstract, etc.)?
Mostly I do acting in theatre, I do performances with Chanson-Solo-programs, and sometimes I do acting in TV-movies and short films. But honestly, I like every kind of acting because each genre is different and has its own special challenges.

What methods do you use to be able to emotionally portray each new character that you play?
First. I have to be in good spirits, good health, and good concentration. Second, I study the play, the scene, and the dialogue, trying to find out what the character wants, what he needs, and what his action in the scene is. Then I listen to my partner and let my character react.

What did you like about the character you played in Brötchen?
I love that she is a woman in an everyday situation, which was suddenly changes into an unusual experience of something deep which could potentially be life-changing for her.

How was your experience on the set with the crew and the directors?
For me, they were wonderfully professional with good ideas and great teamwork.

Would you like to work with AIB film students again in the future?
Yes, I would appreciate that!

 

Köln: A Great City to Lose Oneself In

Nov 8th 2010

Köln is a beautiful city, I've been to Köln a lot at night to experience the nightlife it has to offer but this was my first time there during the day.

Our adventures started at the Köln television studios where we had the chance to walk through all of the sets and get a glimpse of how German television works behind the scenes. Probably the most recognizable set was that of the German "Who wants to be a Millionaire." I remember gathering on the couch and watching Regis question the contestant when I was little. Now, sitting in the host's chair in another country was never something I imagined I'd be doing.

Another cool site the group ventured to was the Ludwig Museum. This museum was something special. Besides the exhibits of all the moving art there were more modern pieces scattered throughout the museum. It was refreshing to finally see something other than Spanish and Italian renaissance paintings with Mary and Jesus painted whiter than paper – which obviously they weren't. In the Ludwig Museum, there was a painting of Mary spanking Jesus on the third floor, right next to a piece from Pablo Picasso.

Probably the most recognizable sight of Köln is the Köln Cathedral. It's hard to miss when it is 157.4 meters (516 feet, for all you Americans) tall. The Köln Cathedral houses the bodies of the "three kings." They rest in a golden casket by the altar. We went up to the roof of the Cathedral for a breathtaking privately guided tour.

The Catholic Church in Germany is one of the richest churches in the world because members of the church in Germany must pay taxes to be members. It's sad though seeing all this money getting poured into the Cathedral. The Cathedral is constantly being retouched due to the nature of the material from which it is built. The church is spending so much money for upkeep of the cathedral while the poor wander around asking for money just on it's steps.

We then went out to dinner and I had my first German schnitzel. It was basically like a thin lightly breaded pork chop. I didn't really know what to expect when I ordered it but it was really good. It was definitely far from a Chinese chicken salad (light dressing), which is the frequent cuisine of many Los Angelinos.

Overall, Köln is a great city to go lose oneself in and I imagine myself doing it again very soon.

Written by Sean Krimmel

 

Flicker

Nov 7th 2010

As a film student, it has always been a goal of mine to shoot a project on film, to work with the medium that launched the art of filmmaking. Recently, the final project for cinematography provided my fellow film students and I with this chance. With the assistance of our great cinematography teacher Jens Koppelmann, I was able to fulfill my longtime goal and shoot a short film on Kodak film stock.

In groups of eight students we shot two short films comprised of seven individual shots. The short story that my group chose to film was about our fellow film student, Abbey Nelson, who gets trapped in a dark room with nothing but a piano. In order for her to escape she has to play the piano faster and faster. The other group also shot in a dimly lit room but had a vastly different story. Their film was about a competitive ping-pong player who pretends to be a monster in order to scare away his opponents and remain undefeated.

Lighting our scenes, especially for film, was an educational experience. We lit them dimly with only a few lights shining harshly down on Abbey and the piano. This dim lighting setup isolated her from the rest of the scene and gave the film a dark quality. With our professor Jens pushing us on, filming in this dark environment also gave us the chance to test the limits of the film stock and see how much detail we could still get from the walls and floor even though we were underexposing. By doing this test, we would see how much underexposure film could handle and really learn the boundaries of the medium.

Working with the film camera was another great experience. As I held it on my shoulder, I could hear the film advancing through the camera and, as Jens says, watch the "flicker" of the film though the viewfinder. But instead of operating the camera during the entire shoot, all of us students tried our hands at the various roles on set. For at least one shot, we each tried the position of Director, Director of Photography, Gaffer, Grip, and Assistant Camera.

Two days after our shoot, all seventeen film students visited our post production house in Köln and were lucky enough to watch our short films as they were going through color correction and the transfer from film to digital. After seeing the final product, I saw the effect of our dim lighting and learned that three stops of underexposure means a near complete loss of detail. But overall I am very proud of our shorts and thoroughly enjoyed working with my classmates.

Tschüssi!

Written by Shan Liljestrand

 

We be Cruisin'

Nov 6th 2010

After misreading the meeting time for a trip to Köln on Thursday and arriving late for my Cinematography final on Friday, I had to make absolutely sure that I was on time for the AIB Rhein Cruise on Saturday. Instead of setting a bunch of alarms that I knew I would sleepily run around and turn off only to dive back into bed, I spent Friday night at a friend's house so I would have someone to physically drag me out of bed the next morning. Needless to say, we both got drunk, overslept, and missed the boat. The End.

Okay, so unfortunately I actually was late for the Köln trip and my Cinematography final, but the third time's the charm and Saturday morning my friend and I dug each other out of our beds and made it onto the buses at the Old AIB right on time for a day full of adventure in the Rheinland. We were on time, but we were far from peppy and joined the rest of the film and engineering students for a twohour nap on the way to our boat.

Now a little more rested, the entire group unloaded off the bus and quickly explored a tiny, romantic, town called Bacharach (whose name no one can pronounce correctly) full of old, sagging architecture before running down to the dock for our cruise. We discovered the haste was unnecessary as our ship scooted into the dock over half an hour late. Oh well, it gave me a chance to chat with a colorful old couple from Modesto, California who "had no reason to be in Germany" but were vacationing there just for the fun of it.

Once on the cruise ship, the entire cast and crew of study abroad students and coordinators literally chilled out on the top deck. It was a very cold day so instead of relying on the bursts of sun every now and then, we kept ourselves warm by dancing to the music of a German marching band that boarded the ship with gold shoes, kilts, tubas, drums, a mini keg, and much much more.

Two hours of breathtaking German riverside scenery later, we enjoyed a lunch of schnitzel in a cozy old Braubach restaurant. Next on the agenda was a tour of the regal Marksburg castle but due to the lateness of the boat we didn't make the tour. In order to soothe our disappointment, our program director, Olaf, bought us all ice cream for the hike back to the buses.

A short bus ride later, we stopped at the oldest Cheese maker in Germany for a tour and a finger-licking-good meal of meats and cheeses. It was a perfect ending to a perfect Saturday in Germany. A happy group of fresh-faced students were dropped off outside of the Old AIB that night all looking forward to the next excursion.

Written by Sam Queen

 

Tripping on Toothpaste

Nov 6th 2010

Reflections on Directing the Short Narrative "Oracle"

"Interior or exterior. One female, one male. Create a dramatic moment where A wants something from B and B doesn't want to give it to A. Character A should fail at least once, regroup and try again."

 

This is my mantra as I pound my host sister's desk, trying to come up with an idea for the narrative project. The Eifel excursion inches near, slowly creeping over the horizon. I turn around to look at my bed, but the blank Celtx on my laptop screen produces a mental Vertigo-dolly-zoom; the bed gets further away and the bedroom walls rise and bend towards me.

My assistant director Sam is burdened with the task of fitting over seventy shots into two days of shooting. One moment on the morning of day two he and I realize that we were going to fall far behind schedule. Get the best lighting setup for the next shot or finish your film today, Sam tells me. The bathroom walls close in on me.

I begin to hear a voice in my head other than my own. It's professor Andrew Hood, telling me how to find my film. "What's the hardest moment in the narrative for your protagonist? This is the biggest moment in your film", "Remember that the camera tells the story" and finally, "If you like the way your actor is performing, push him/her one notch further".

I listen to his advice and a peculiar shoot follows. Seven other students and I crammed ourselves into a bathroom for a day and a half. We turned a tube of toothpaste into an ancient mystic. We wrapped our actor in toilet paper and dunked him in water. We filmed an "underneath-a-toilet" shot by building a fake toilet. We made butterscotch on a stove and filmed the mixture as it caramelized.

Looking back on this project, I'm reminded of some hectic moments that challenged my leadership abilities. Thank G-d that I plan to be a cinematographer, not a director. It's a calming thought. But as I step towards my future I hear a quiet voice coming from the bathroom counter, bating me to relive the trip once more.

 

do what you love

Nov 6th 2010

An Interview with Michael Jassin, Lead Actor of "Oracle"

When did you decide that you wanted to be an actor?
When I was young, I spent more time watching movies than doing my homework. Movies fascinated me and I wanted to become a part of that world. But the older you get the more reality catches up with you. I decided to study Economics at the University of Essen. If there is one thing I learned from studying Economics, it is that happiness should be the most important thing in my life. So, I made the decision that I could only be happy if I followed my dreams. That is when I transferred to a film acting school and graduated with outstanding achievement.

What are the most rewarding aspects of acting?
You can play all aspects of life, have a lot of fun, and get paid for it ;) And that is really awesome!

What kinds of acting do you do and which do you prefer (Theater, Commercials, TV , Movies, Abstract, etc.)?
On the one hand, I like theater because of feeling the audience's direct response. On the other hand, my passion is acting for film because it is more realistic and I like the atmosphere on set. So I prefer acting for movies.

What methods do you use to be able to emotionally portray each new character that you play?
That remains a carefully guarded secret between me and my acting coach!

What did you like about the character you played in Oracle?
I like playing crazy but also smart characters. Nick crosses the line between crazy and smart by disgracing himself which makes him even crazier and crazier. My favorite parts in this film were dunking my head into the water of a toilette bowl and squeezing toothpaste onto a mirror. My whole life I have wanted to do both of those and never dreamed of doing them in a professional setting.

How was your experience on the set with the crew and the directors?
I would say: Awesome and.... Awesome!

Would you like to work with AIB film students again in the future?
Yes, of course!

Interview by Sam Queen