we are almost done, sort of.

First: filmmaking. Our group has been working ardently the past couple of weeks in acquiring footage, and this last week, I am excited to announce, we started EDITING. Chris M. has extensive experience with the GarageBand digital music program (similar in nature to FinalCutPro), so he has been behind the computer while I have been next to him throwing out editing ideas and seeing if he can do them. LIke the audio project, my work has largely involved tedious file conversion and organization in order to smooth out the editing process. As far as production goes, I have mainly been in front of the camera, which I like as long as I don't have to talk. So far, I have been lucky enough to eat currywurst and eclairs, smoke cigarettes, drink beer, and ride my bike in front of the camera. These all are major sources of pleasure for me, so I don't mind "acting" so much. But we only have two weeks left. Ahhhh!

Our discussion of Kutlucan's film "Ich Chef, Du Turnschuh" and Göktürk's articles was one of the most productive of the quarter, I think. What interests me most about the film, and Göktürk's article mentions this, is its use of exaggeration. Common cultural stereotypes and identity signifiers are exaggerated aesthetically (the Indian turban or Leo's hair dy(e)ing) and otherwise (praying in the dark closet). The acting is also at times quite over-the-top (exploding German men). It is precisely these exaggerations that make us laugh because we are aware that they are, in fact, hyperbolic. In this way then, what is commonly perceived as natural or essential regarding identity is recontextualized through comedy. So when the performers exaggerate, they are unveiling the myth status (or at least ambiguity) of those very stereotypes that they are exaggerating. I was immediately reminded of Susan Sontag's "Notes on Camp" after reading this article. One primary characteristic of "camp" is its tendency to theatricalize experience. Take drag queens, for example. By employing every feminine stereotype to the max, she provokes the spectator to question the essentialist notion of femininity through superficial exaggeration. Maybe if there were more drag queens, more Kutlucans, more Stephen Colberts, and less people who take themselves too damn seriously, we would live in a non-sexist, non-racist, and Republican-free world without the stifling, unproductive, and neverending debates about identity politics.

P.S. I am not arguing that "Ich Chef, Du Turnschuh" is a "camp" film, but that its affect is of a similar nature.

7th and 8th Weeks continued...

So the tattoo thing did not work out, so I must wait another week. Boo. Back to the journal. So as far as the "personal experiences" go, the last month has been absolutely, unbelievably insane. I met a German boy who is as obsessed with (riding) bikes as much as I am. All I can say is that he is rad, a messenger, and will be coming to join me in Seattle soon! Updates will come later I am sure. So I have been riding around Berlin with him quite frequently, thus giving me the unique perspective (for a foreigner anyway) of knowing Berlin primarily by bike with all the shortcuts--over the curbs, through the little parks, down one way streets (the wrong way), through parking lots, etc. Which brings me to a substantial topic: Lola Rennt. This type of cycling unique to Berlin. One can do it in any city, once one has been there long enough to figure out the fun and fast little shortcuts and tactical (a la de Certeau) maneuvers used in negotiating the space of an urban area. I smell masters thesis idea, which has been on my mind through the whole trip as well. This is not the place to expound on this idea, but I will be attending a couple of "bike film" premieres in the coming months (S.F. MASH in Hannover and Fast Friday in Seattle) which I hope will prove to be informative for my thesis.
Anyway, back to the task at hand. I am thinking of the argument that Lola Rennt could have taken place in any city, as it does not give a "touristic" view of Berlin which would enable the spectator to identify the specificity of the place. Yet this is revealed to be a short-sighted argument when Berlin's recent history is considered. Lola is able to run across whole segments of the city, with the help of the cinematic medium, that used to be separated. I do a similar thing with my bike, albeit much faster. We filmed today at the East Side Gallery, the remaining segment of the original wall, which provided an attractive backdrop for the bike cam footage. But it is not merely a backdrop; it is not just any wall of graffiti. It signifies stagnation and division, not movement and connectivity. Placing the movement of the bicycle alongside its arguable antithesis (the wall) is an interesting juxtaposition, but when one considers the fact that the wall does not function now as it once did, but rather as a tourist attraction, the juxtaposition is complicated. It comes down to the same complicated issue in our footage of riding through the Brandenburg Tor. Our film is, in fact, somewhat of a touristic view of Berlin. We are foreigners, after all. I'm not exactly sure how to theorize this now, but I will let it ruminate a bit and get back to you. Tschess!!

More to come.

That last post was not all. There will be more to come later, after I get this tattoo finished...

Weeks 7 und 8

The past couple of weeks have been dedicated to accumulating footage for the film. We realized just how important coming up with a detailed, comprehensive shooting schedule is. The coming weeks before the big premiere will be dedicated to editing primarily. For our first big (planned) shooting day, we decided to shoot at the Lustgarten, the deconstructed Palace of the Republic, and on Unter den Linden. My role in the group is mostly one of the actress, so I have not had too much experience on the technical, camera work side of things. This I do not mind though, as I am not exactly technologically inclined. The Chrises are doing most of the directing and setting up shots, and they are both very good at it. I especially enjoy when Chris M wears his LA director glasses and big scarf and barks orders at me. It makes me feel like I am in a real movie. Another thing I realized was just how long it takes to set up choreographed shots and how many takes we must get in order to have the optimal amount of footage to bring to the editing table.
I think our film, once we start editing, will take shape as planned--really well. The editing will be completely collaborative, and we have blocked a few hours each night for the next couple weeks to edit. Working collaboratively has been, I think, the biggest challenge as well as the most rewarding part of the shooting experience. It is difficult sometimes to coordinate shot ideas and trajectories for the film, let alone scheduling. However, I think our individual visions regarding the film's aesthetic are very much aligned. We are all pretty excited about the soundtrack idea. I think some others might know what I am talking about, but please, keep it a surprise for those who do not. We thought it would be too easy/obvious to just go pure camp and perhaps too heavy-handed/amateur to go for full-on-serious. So we decided to do something else. All I can call it at this point is "different" or "quite interesting." Stay tuned.
Our group, for the most part, has been driven and proactive in regards to keeping on schedule. I don't know what we would do without Chris M's facilitating skills. However, the fam is in town, so Chris has been unavailable for the last two days, and the rest of the group has been miraculously able to keep it together! Chris H. and I shot at different locations yesterday and today and got some amazing footage. Yesterday we went to Lichtenberg, way east on Frankfurter Allee. One gets the feel of Moscow or something similar in Lichtenberg. We found an interesting (precisely for its perceived homogeneity) location between loads of Soviet-style high rise apartment houses that signifies disorientation quite well, and we were able to acquire some good panning and tilting shots there. The light was also optimal--just before dusk--which added to the eeriness of the place. Yesterday was also groundbreaking--we had our first real success with the bike cam. We wedge the tripod between materials stuffed in the camera backpack, put the camera on the tripod, adjust it to whatever angle works, and I get on my bike and ride. What a great way to film, I mean, I get to ride while filming?! Genius!
Chris and I also had a blast with the bike cam today at the Oberbaumbrücke (think Lola Rennt) and the East Side Gallery. We had a little help from my Freund Felix so that we could get some shots that mimic dolly/tracking shots. The cool thing is that we both get to ride our bikes, and we don't have to spend a bunch of money renting a truck and a dolly and the whole apparatus. I think some of the shots that we got today and more recently look much more professional, or at least aesthetically pleasing, than those of a month or so ago. Maybe this film won't be totally amateur...