Beasons CIFF

Talk about CIFF

[stevenbeason]

"Elemental table of contents" Yeah Right

Elemental is one of the few environmental films that do not give you an education in the way of drawling voices and sorry dialog. This film approaches environmental issues from the aspect of three environmental revolutionaries. The call to action is not very clear in this film, as the most likely case is that there is not a call to action. This film leaves you with a sense of how are the three characters doing and ends quite abruptly.

  I felt that this film though has no direct call to action it does make you feel as if you knew the characters by the end of the film.  I for one felt as if the films three characters were very close friends at the end of the film and I wanted to join them on their crusade or being there to help with their inventions or goals.

[stevenbeason]

OMG NO NOT GMO

This film was well crafting, however the transitions and storyline are not the best and the tone is not that effective also many of the decisions are made poorly, an example is the director being in the film this takes away from the story but it was a creative idea.

The subject is a hot topic and very Controversial and the film did show the controversy in the topic and was well designed on that front. i did enjoy this film but it could have been so much better then what it turned out to be. The lighting in some scenes was not efficient so that also took away from the film.

[stevenbeason]

Camden International Film Festival Media Hub

One of the new additions to CIff is the media hub with high speed internet and computers. Here is where many of us at Unity College spent working on these posts and here is where we spent a good deal of time in between films. With free water and nice comfy chairs and couches this was perhaps the best place of the festival.

[stevenbeason]

Remote family medical

This is a film about a town where the nearest doctor is an hour and half away. The people here have many medical problems.  The film also discusses the volunteer doctors in varying fields who come to help with all the medical problems that the people need.

The cinematography is sepctacular and the interviews very well done.  The only problem I see with this film is that in some areas, lighting is poor and some scenes should have gotten more attention than others should.  The call to action for this film was to get you to volunteer to help the people who struggle with medical issues.

[stevenbeason]

Pandora’s promise

This has to be the best film I have seen overall, this film discusses the potential in nuclear as a clean sources of energy, though the views on that are debatable in many aspects.  The film was well developed and the choice of interviews make in highly obvious that the film is pronuclear as the interviewees are environmentalist who went pro-nuclear. 

The film overall really makes you want to be pro-nuclear, though very informative it seemed to be more promotional than educational.  The interviews were well conducted and the lighting as well as the cinematography were well done as well.  This film is one film that rather disappoints high expectations, but I would still consider watching this film as it can easily be four stars.

[stevenbeason]

A will for the woods

This film documents the story of a man you develops cancer but does not want to go through normal burial and he wanted a green burial.  The film is both emotional and educational.  You can cry during this film it is ok the emotions you take away from this film can be staggering.  The information about green burial is overwhelming.

The cinematography is quite good, and the filmmakers really make you feel connected to this person named Clark Wang.  This was one film where you can image the dying process, connect with those on their dying bed s, and connect with them in a personal way. Only the lighting and transitions got in the way.

[stevenbeason]

Harlan County

Though this is, an older film that came out in 1976 was shown at CIFF, this film documents wives fighting for better working conditions for their husbands and the massive amounts of protests to get those working conditions.

This film gives a view in to the hardships faced by the people who suffer from environmental injustice.  Considering the times the cinematography was spectacular.  In addition, the challenges facing the director of the film was a hardship in of its self for the times being that the director was female. 

The film I found was well developed and gave an acute view into people’s lives, and those hardships.  At times, however the poor lighting gets in the way of the film and the transitions are shaky.

[stevenbeason]

Expedition to the end of the world

This was an environmental film where a verity of different scientists and artists go and explore a world off the coast of Greenland.  The cinematography in this film was mind blowing the use of landscape filming was extremely well designed.

On top of the cinematography being fantastic, the landscape footage with use of rock music gave the impression that the landscape was alive as one being.  Those two combinations create a powerful emotional response in the audience, however I felt as if some of the music did not sync well with the landscape some of the movements of the clouds did not match rhythm of the music.

Overall this is perhaps one my favorite films at the festival

[stevenbeason]

Big Men

Is a story about an oil drilling company who discover a drillings site off the coast and the local government was originally form this project but when the government goes through a shift the oil company is denied access to this site.

The interviews were well conducted and the cinematography was well done, the storyboard however could have had a little more humor and less leaving the watching with a sense of that this film is not interesting.  This film however was very enjoyable, and extremely well done.

Once again, the transitions could have been better, and more efficient.  The filmmaker also used very good ethics when working with some many interviewees.

[stevenbeason]

TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY

This film was spectacularly well made, the cinematography and the in depth research the filmmakers conducted was well thought out, the film goes in-depth about the different parts of a terms and conditions legal document, which is a document we see frequently but no one reads.

This film uses it storyboard to help explain these documents, the film applies a quite a bit of humor and with that the attention to the film increases.  The humor and the in-depth research with spectacular cinematography makes this film a force to be reckoned with.  I for one felt the film was quite enjoyable.

However some of the transitions could do with some modification and the filmmaker could have allowed a little more time for the reading of some of the documents as the film felt a little too fast pace.

[stevenbeason]

Points North Pitch

The two young filmmakers who gave their pitch first seem to have a grasp on the film that is necessary for filmmakers.  The film called Ocean does not care is about tourism from the view of the people in Mexico, which seems to be an approach that is rarely taken as most filmmakers approach this type of film from the tourist point of view.

The filmmaker’s delivery was effective in the way that they explained things flawlessly.  These young filmmakers came with what they wanted to say and they set the bar high for the other filmmakers at this points north pitch.

[stevenbeason]

These Birds Walk

Spectacular film, in the emotion and content of the film. this film directed by a young director who has huge potential, this film left you with a sense of how the children of Pakistan live and how people here have emotions. the film brought to the table the emotional feelings of the children...

[stevenbeason]

William and the Windwill

the film maker made a spectacle that is rarely seen, the approach used by the filmmaker is unique in the story of a young man who built windmills to save his town from famine.  the approach toward this young man the filmmaker showed the film from Williams point of view and Williams feelings toward the world.

the film made the audience feel as if William was a good friend and the love and passion and perseverance in this film is phenomenal.

[stevenbeason]

Pablo's Winter review

This film had great cinematography by the simple visional, some of the finer views are the transition which effectively move from scene to scene.  The black and white approach added to the film with a more historic view which is rare today, most films are in color but color would have taken away from this film.

this film brings you to a personal level in that it makes you feel his strangle.

[stevenbeason]

Here we are at Bay view Cinema in Camden

[stevenbeason]

Here we Go

here we are second day of CIFF and we at unity college are eager to see some awesome films our first film is Pablo's Winter.  I will be keeping up to date this blog as the film Festival Continues.