Identity Functions

[gfish]

With a working camera, we were able to return to work on Identity Functions late in 2002. The original inspiration was a documentary spinnerin_ftw and I watched on the history of film noir, followed by several weeks of binging on the classics of the genre. I was particularly interested in the shooting techniques which helped define the look. There was a combination of smaller, more portable cameras, film crews who had learned making fast turnaround war-time era news reels, and low budgets which encouraged some very iconic framing. (Such as both actors facing the camera, yet talking to each other. Single take == cheaper!) Unfortunately, while this all looks super classy on b/w film, it just looks kind of cheap on color video. Because, well, it is cheap. It's just a form of cheap we aren't nostalgic for yet.

Staring tithonium as Quine, vixyish as Eve and cow as Pascal. Music by spinnerin_ftw again, and it also features the most radical set dressing we ever attempted. One of the walls in Quine's office is entirely fake. I originally wanted an establishing shot with a flashing neon sign outside his window, and was ready to hook up a slowly flashing light on the other side of the fake window to replicate it in the office scenes. But I couldn't find a flashing neon sign of that kind anywhere in Seattle! I drove around for hours looking for one. Must be a city ordinance or something. The only thing close is the giant Bardahl oil sign in Ballard, and that's way too big and not next to a scuzzy looking office building. Oh well.

It is also, arguably, the only time tithonium is featured in a Midgard Studios movie where we didn't kill him one way or another. (For the record: antimatter blast, universe segfault, ice age exposure/saber tooth tiger, math torture.)

Re-watching it recently, I was amused at how dated the techy jargon I threw in already sounds. "Play me for a newbie", really? That sounds about as natural as "smoke some mary jane" does.

(Sorry for not calling out usernames before. I've been writing these at work on my phone on break.)

Comments

[tithonium.livejournal.com]

I still prefer to think of it as Death by Dinosaurs. 65 million years /is/ more than 10,000 years.

[tithonium.livejournal.com]

Also, this is the worst acting of my life. It's embarrassingly bad.

[gfish.livejournal.com]

Hey, blame me for letting it pass. Something about this project just never gelled. It's very... mechanical.

[tithonium.livejournal.com]

There's an obvious solution to this problem.

And I have a much better coat now.

[gfish.livejournal.com]

Oh gods, no. Not this year. Sorry.

[solarbird]

This is where Livejournal needs a "Like" button.

[cow.livejournal.com]

I can fly in for this! And still fail at throwing a punch! }:D

[bigbumble.livejournal.com]

It is no worse than the acting in "Dragnet". Come to think of it, that's part of its appeal.

[cow.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure I did even worse.

(Unrelated: I liked that apartment! Even if it made a better movie set than living space.)

[niac.livejournal.com]

I liked it. It was a well told story. :)

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

Again, a nice little short.

[maribou]

I think this is my nostalgic favorite of them all.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

This is awesome! Nice story. Which movie had a universe segfault? Some sort of Tron-like story?

[gfish.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :)

The universe segfault was at the end of Solemn Words (http://gfish.livejournal.com/342873.html).