Don’t Forget to wear your Masks

 

Tabhair feirin dom no buailfidh me bob ort – Give Me a Treat or I will Play a trick on you!

 Oiche Shamhna shona duit

 Happy HaLLoWeeN

High Hopes

Atypical Post?Take a break on my stuffs,so let’s speak about Female gorgeosity … She’s a  beautiful woman,model,24 years old; (Bulgarian Italian mother Greek father Origin)Nov. 2003 Penthouse pet,unfortunately(it depends by POV)became actress for the dark side of Hollywood,adult enterteniment XXX,what a Hot Lovely Falling Angel.

She Said at the beginning:

Penthouse pet of the Month  Anais Alexander isn’t sorry to be leaving her Pismo Beach, California, home for the excitement of Los Angeles. “I grew up in a very small town,” she says. “Except for going to the beach, there was absolutely nothing to do. Now I’m ready to break out and explore the world. I want to do a lot of modeling and traveling and learn all about photography, writing, and directing. This is my first time posing nude, but it was an incredible experience. I was ready to go out and greet the world, and now, thanks to  Penthouse the world has an opportunity to meet me!”

Ok,I “Meet” her probably after the point of no return straight to tricky paying bills matters,so at least I would heartfelt say,referring to some  photos of her ,I absolutely love when she smile, everything turn better.

Addicted Soundtrack

The Insider (Earned 7 Nomination at Academy Awards 2000)came our on Movie Theaters 5 November 1999,9 years ago telling us Warning: Exposing the Truth May Be Hazardous.
Apparently an awkward film, it is not a sheer coincidence if Touchstone home video has been supplying it erratically in Italy for several years, both in DVD and in VHS version, by labelling that as commercial strategy, it deserves, however, a careful analysys as far as the extraordinary music component is concerned.
At first, Graeme Revell (The Crow) should have been the only composer for the film but Michael Mann, because of the good relationship set up while working for Heat, asked Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke (both exes of the group Dead Can Dance) their collaboration for The Insider by asking,at first,their permission to use two tracks from their album Duality(Tempest and Sacrifice).
Only after having listened to a demo DAT with some inspired music tracks(in addition to having been composed not specifically targetd to the film core and situation), he decided to assign them the bulk of the music composition, having them working directly on some shots.
It has also been essential the contribution of the music supervisor and composer Curt Sobel (already collaborator for Heat as musical advisor and, previously, of the Tangerine Dream), a habitué in improving the “sound visibility” of a feature film and it is not a coincidence that a couple of unpublished pieces of him have been used to emphasise some part of The Insider.
Bourke and Gerrard decided to mix their initial demo tracks as if they were the final finished composition; this kind of choice seems to have remarkably affected Michael Mann’s eventual decision.
Production Featurette itself, included in the DVD, has unpublished pieces expressly composed by Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke but not used in the film(Example see the “ escort to the Court ‘s” scene)
Among the tracks omitted in the official score CD there is one called Meltdown Precursor; this deep and touching piece begins when Jeffrey Wigand is having lunch and understands from TV that a slanderous campaign against him is going on; the piece ends while the already known moving and hypnotic Meltdown starts.
As far as other pieces omitted from the official score are concerned I quote below a short list. Unfortunately, the very difficult availability of some piece hinders me from matching them with the related scenes, but for the three last mentioned:

–Uotaaref Men Elihabek Cashbah Orchestra
–Smokey Mountain Waltz Richard Gilks
–Suffocate & Night Stop Curt Sobel
–Hot Shots Curt Sobel
–Armenia by Einstűrzende Neubauten
(Jeffrey gets home and finds out he has bodyguards)
–Two or Three Things by David Darling (Jeffrey is abandoned by his wife)
taken from the album Cello
–Litany by Arvo Part (Jeffrey at the golf course)
taken from the album Litany
*The pieces Tempest (Opening Sequence)and Sacrifice composed by Lisa Gerrard and Peiter Bourke are included in the album Duality(4ad)

Pieter Bourke- Lisa Gerrad- Michael Mann

THE INSIDER Columbia Sony Catalog#: 496458 2

1 Tempest Lisa Gerrard 2:52
2 Dawn of the Truth 2:00
3 Sacrifice 7:42
4 The Subordinate 1:17
5 Exile 1:40
6 The Silencer 1:39
7 Broken 2:04
8 Faith 3:02
9 I’m Alone on This Graeme Revell 2:02
10 LB in Montana Graeme Revell 0:51
11 Palladino Montage Graeme Revell 0:45
12 Iguazu – Gustavo Santolalla 3:12
13 Liquid Moon 4:06
14 Rites [Special Edit for the Film] – Jan Garbarek 5:34
15 Safe from Harm [Perfecto Mix] – Massive Attack 8:14
16 Meltdown 5:41

The pieces 1-8/ 13,16 have been composed, arranged and directed by Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke

Dreading Simulacrum

In the middle of 80’s,starting his early career as Freelance in RAI Italian Public Tv  ,Dante Spinotti  (born in Tolmezzo, Udine, August 1943),flyed in to Carolina U.S. where the producer Dino De Laurentiis had the pleasure to present him to Michael Mann.

The Producer whom bought the rights about the Thomas Harris Book Red Dragon show his intention to produce a feature with the Italian DOP and the young Chicago native Director (born on Feb 1943).

After a short technical meeting where Dante Spinotti showed any of his works to Michael Mann obtained from the Director a safe “green light” and any week later the Manhunter’s preproduction started.

Michael Mann’s carefulness lay one of its roots in to a previous deep search into criminology world ,this kind of preparation is reflected very in to pre-production works and settings , works that required many weeks of tests and started from lightings to equipment choices.

Dante praising Michael’s discipline , know how and competence, put his choices over Eastman film stock, processed later by Technicolor labs using Zeiss camera Lenses 18mm,25mm,35mm,50mm,85mm,135mm T 1.4 (transmission factor),going with Super 35 to 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio , the first feature on Super 35 shot  with Joe Dunton Camera BL III’s(modified Arriflex BLIII), and some of the cinematography seem inspired at the “Year of the Dragon’s” Look shot by Alex Thomson BSC , British cinematographer whom worked with Michael Mann on THE KEEP(1983).

Super 35 use spherical lenses, this kind of lenses have a better reaction in low lights levels, so are faster smaller and lighter if compared to anamorphic lenses, either Super 35 negative can be use for produce high quality release in any aspect ratio, as the final frame will be extracted and converted from the lager full frame negative, in this case Anamorphic format 2.35:1

The higher depth of field by night and the lighter weigh of spherical lenses permitted a better handling  on Steadycam shoot  and this was not a secondary factor to Manhunter’slook

Every aspect of Red Dragon isn’t casual ,every thing got a design that define a sense of noxious ,distorted and madness ,every colours from the romantic blue showed in to the real house of the artist Robert Rauschenberg(October 22, 1925 – May 12, 2008) ,from the violet light coming to sink and melting to the neutral white of the bricks take up with  the symmetry of the bars in Lector’s cell passing by through Richard Meier ‘s High Museum of Atlanta used for Graham’s Panic scene; to the green ‘s madness of Dolarhide ;every camera’s angles and every locations are built for create a sense of terror , meanwhile everything is connected with the story and its dynamics ,included  thoughts , interiors ,moments and emotions.

With these concepts ,been made many original solution takes as shot from car’s trunk for give a certain stylistic cut during a car chase . Michael Mann gave to the Production Designer Mel Bourne(multi nominated by Academy  and Thief’s Production Designer) the hard task to make real his ideas .

This work been easy because Mel has the pleasure to work with a Director with a great sense aesthetic as good eye and eager to take his chances, factors that ,at the end ,make things better never addicted to banality  and ever well congenial and exciting.

Under a congenial purple’s Sky at the first light of Dawn started the shoots for the final confrontation in Dolarhide’s house ,this build been inspired to a certain American’s Modernism of 40’s/50’s and was built close the Cape Fear river,where  certain climactic condition (mist) create a unique atmosphere .This scene involved many cameras settings with different speeds,24 Fps,36 Fps,72 Fps,90 Fps, either involved hardly stunts and special effect crew but at the end in post production earned an amazing editing.

On A real Flight during a troupe’s transfer from Chicago to Captiva Florida , the crew grab cameras sound and lighting equipment on hand baggage and this situation allowed to made the shoot of the scene where Will Graham is sleeping ,dreaming about his wife while unwary he is leaving free to view some photos about the transformation in to artistic products ,cruel homicides  by Tooth Fairy(Tom Noonan),upsetting a little girl sit close him,  during all this mess  the camera linger, contrasting the mad contents of the sequence, over a wonderful sky kissing the airplane’s wing. This scene were set while the steward served the dinner .

The continuous search of realism and details are also vivid on the scenes set in to Washington D.C.,on the background the Edgar Hoover Building and his Arcs(But Could be The Smithsonian American Art Museum) , Spinotti catch one of most beautiful sequence of the film; Michael Mann wanted real Swat Agent for the scene set into a Car Park named THE JOGGER, scene that had his real moments of tension and postponed on next night due a real gunfight happened between police and robbers one block next.

Stronghold of the contemporary Cinema that with is formula has influenced all the recent productions of genre, productions more and more convicted that our monsters our fear have human’s faces,one thing is certain Manhunter is the exception that confirm the rule that for obtain certain results the monstrosity (citing the authors) can have a meaning not nearly negative.

My HandPaints

SOLITUDE(1991) She’s My best company,at the begin ,watercolour on paper

NOVEMBRE 97

ALIEN(1997) My homage to HR Giger,watercolour on paper
THIS IS MY TORINO 1997

The K-night This was made on 1998 Deeply Inspired by THE KEEP,WaterColour on Paper

ORCA (1999) my favourite creature on my favourite light,watercolour on paper

(1999)DEFINITELY NEW YORK for my cousin living in Manhattan

FOR DEBBIE(2001) For My friend singer living in L.A. Debbie Diamond of the Januaries,watercolour on paper

ALBA 2002 Admitted at Italian Navy Contest,I’m a Navy’s Painter

BERTONE(2003) ,this was my way to say THANK YOU the Bertone After Sale Manager for help to fix my new car (on warranty) made by Bertone Factory,skipping dealer red tape,then I visited all the factory and all the production process,October 2003,was really a great experience,watercolour on paper.

Genova Christ(2006-08),was made for a friend of mine into his house in Genova,he had this door on yard free and ask me to free my mind and my hand…was an hard job,expecially drawing the “hands”,reviewed and completed on August 2k8,Acrylic Colour on wall

Renè Magritte

He is my favourite , I really love his works , his “eye”,his hand, I knew few things about him but I just start to read a good book about Magritte written by Marcel Paquet (published by Taschen ISBN 3-8228-0916-0),really a great , enjoyable book!
GOD’S SALON(1948)
“I can imagine a sunny landscape under a night sky;
only a god is capable of visualizing it and conveying it through the medium of paint, however.
In the expectation that I will become one, I am dropping the project..”

PANDORA’s VASE (1951)

Battle of the Aragonne 1958

JULY SKIES

I had the pleasure to listen July Skies on Myspace,their oustandig song WAITING TO LAND from The English Cold Album was played in the background of a friend of mine page(Stefano),was love at first “sight”.
This track really loose us in to synth loop…amazing

Directly from their management in to UK (West Midlands) Make Mine Music I had the lucky to grab 2 of the 3 albums that I own.
I felt to wrote also some mails with leader “brain”of the Group Antony Harding starting great correspondence, trying to explane ,with success,my emotions about what I’m hearing , rare emotions and thougts,Music that is the rendering of certain kind of vison,made of light colours and shadows;That’s was Enough for linked my experience with Mogwai,is not a case but the real link with that thought go to John Peel, he was a great Talent Scout ,Rest in Peace.
The outstanding albums that I own are Dreaming of Spires(RocketGirl32)special mentions to The Night Sky-Garden Constellation-To Love You Blossom- Corinivm-East Kenneth Skies-Southern Orchards;The English Cold(MakeMineMusic009) East Anglian Skies-Waiting to Land-August Country Fires-Faded Generation;The Weather Clock (MakeMineMusic027) The Weater Clock EP VERSION(with Unreleased tracks)with any special mentions to See Britain by Train both also the EP VERSION-Wating to the test card-Skies For Nash-To My Love

Refferning to any tracks the use classic instruments as organ,cello,piano,clarinet melt perfect with any of moderns as guitar and Keyboards/synths,both immerse in to reverbs that really turn in to a musical lifeform or better waveform.
Skipping comparison or similarity with any 4AD past productions,obvius but deeply far to be, I would try to found the right words for describe this kind of subliminal,healing music ,that keeping a sort symbiosis between tracks as for a perfect mechanism of a clock,music that evolves or better improve album after albums ,a sort of post rock melts with ambient and electronic sounds,giving unique results unique sensations.
I loved so much the English Cold but I would Highly recommended all the albums mentioned for understand the grown and expecially whom lost hope in musics.

 

Waiting To Land – Live (Birmingham, UK – 09.04.05) by July Skies

collateral Images

Windy Nite Collateral Moon from my balcony July 10 2007 01.27AM F 2.8 13″ 100 ISO

Olympic Pass Lingotto Torino 3 March 2006 8 PM F 2.8 1/10 Flash On 100 ISO Handheld

BudHouse USA XX Winter Olympics C.so Moncalieri 22 Torino 16 Feb.2006 1:54AM F 3.2 0.5″ 200 ISO

Corso Vercelli Torino Blue Building f.3.2 0.6″ ISO 100 12 OCtober 2k8 2 AM

Manhunter Feeling on Piazza San Carlo Torino Film Festival 26 Nov 2007 2.33AM f 2.8 0.5″ 100 ISO

Collateral feeling at Lingotto Via Nizza 13 Oct 2008 00.55 AM f 5.6 2.5″ ISO 100

Fabio Hops Train,Corso Giulio Cesare Torino 1″ F 3.6 ISO 50 kodak P880

Graffiti in Torino corso Vittorio Emanuele 19 Oct 2008 00.20 AM F 2.8 1/15 ISO 400

Torino Via Volturno,Best Western Hotel 19 Oct 2008 2.00 AM F 2.8 1/15 ISO 200

Metrò Genova P.za De Ferrari 4 Apil 2006 3.41PM f 3.2 1/13 100 ISO

Torino Night Skyline from Parco Rimembranza 100 ISO f 3.5 6″

Lucca Walls,Porta San Pietro 13 Aug 2006 11.44PM f 2.8 4″ 100 ISO

Here some inspired locations taken with my “poor” CANON A620 on Manual Mode,unforunately I have not time for photographic courses but I’m a littel bit skeptical because I think that could standarized our talents or cage in to rudiments…I’m very lazy in reading of manuals and instructions,really “orgasmic” in use of hardwares,really leave my eye matching with emotions,I love learn to weight what I’m observing,probably I’m totally wrong but I really like what I shoot,any comments are welcome,thanks

COLLATERAL music

 

C O L L A T E R A L

Three years after the biopic “ALI”, Michael Mann, “brandishing” Cruise, goes back to direction and hits the target, considering the good response both from the critics and returns ( $100 million in the USA and almost € 7 million  in Italy) coming from Collateral.

While the eye is totally satisfied by high definition (HD) Viper Thomson/Grass Valley and Sony HDWf 900 mdp, where the outstanding depth of fields by night plunges the audience into an emotional perspective never experienced before, the use of  music-soundtrack-“collateral” in addition to giving, as usual, lessons of emphasis and know how, evolves in its non conventionality (like the shooting technique used) by estranging itself from the director modus operandi and proving itself different from all Mann’s scores heard up till now, as if the experimental, visual revolution, made while shooting, kept up with the music one.

It is representative as its approach the opening piece “Briefcase” played by Tom Rothrock (producer of Beck) that takes back to Dr Destructo by Tangerine Dream (in Thief soundtrack) and introduces a narrative language in which music and images have a shared and synchronous soul like in the beautiful piece “Air” (taken from Johan Sebastian Bach air BWV 991 in C Minor), the very famous “Air on the fourth chord “ arranged for the piano with astonishing results by Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion and that fascinates the audience by taking it away on these charming notes and on the intense aerial shots of Max’s taxi (Jamie Foxx), only to traumatize it through images that become, all of a sudden, shocking for the implicit following crudity, result of the first homicide perpetrated by Vincent’s gun (Tom Cruise).

This music becomes the symphony of a big city, with pieces like “Hands of Time” by the Groove Armada that opens with synth sonorities able to communicate strength and that feeling of belonging to Los Angeles images, as did in the past another director (John Carpenter) to describe a crime story (Precinct 13) set in Anderson Los Angeles “ghetto”.

There is no lack of pieces used in other scores, like “Moxica & His Horse” composed by Vangelis for 1492, an electronic hollow piece which in the film underline Pedrosa (Bruce Mc Gill) and his collaborators conjecture, future witnesses of Vincent determination, which will result in the main scene at FEVER where Paul Oakenfold with his beautiful and rousing “Ready Steady Go” (Remix Korean Style), gives an impressive performance, recalling us who this great dj/producer is, born from “Madchester” movement  in the late ‘80s.

Quotation and self celebrations,. Like the homage to The Insider with “Iguazu” by Gustavo Santaolalla (played here by Antonio Pinto) and to “Exile” by Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke passing through HEAT with “Steel Cello Lament” by Elliot Goldenthal, used in the scene in which Vincent kills one of the witnesses, a jazz player who loves Miles Davis, this latter recalled by the piece “Spanish Key” in the 1969 version with John Mc Laughlin at the guitars, taken from “Jazz Bitches Brew”, album that affected mainly the rock and funk culture and evolution.

But there is more, “COLLATERAL” is a mental and real representation of the situation experienced by the two main characters and the music magnifies both the different introspective peculiarities and the context in which actions occur, plunged as it is in Los Angeles sub culture; a 360° album that ranges over different musical genres with originality  and coherence, including ambient, lounge, jazz without forgetting rap and R&B by The Roots and Cody Chesnutt with the astonishing ballad “The Seed (2.0) (Extended Radio Edit) last success that Mann revives to give voice to the black LA night; but it is the hard and melodious rock of the Audioslave e of Chris Cornell soft voice (sublime ex voice of  Soundgarden, whom Mann showed great admiration for during the press conference of the film at the 61^st Venice Festival) to touch the most extreme and collateral emotions with “Shadow on the Sun”, perfect and boundless in its integrity just like perfect and boundless is the scene of the coyotes, masters of LA streets, almost indifferent to civilization as if it were only a fleeting phenomenon. This piece must be listened to carefully starting from 3’ and 11” of the CD track to understand how much this music piece has been instrumental to emphasize Max’s irreversible exasperation and the consequent accident.

“COLLATERAL” is also a stepping stone for the Green Car Motel, also known with the name of Act of Faith through the beautiful and forceful “Destino de Abril” that undeline the talk between Max and Felix (Javie Bardem) at the Spanish place; they are a Los Angeles group composed by eccentric prodigy like the singer, leader and composer of the group, Rick Garcia, Joan Avila (ex bass player of Oingo Bongo), Mike Malinin (percussionist of Goo Goo Dolls) and the guitar player Rene Reyes.

The two music composers, Antonio Pinto (City of God) and James Newton Howard (Signs, The Village) with a lot of Academy nominations, give their best respectively in the beautiful “Requiem” & “A Roda“(track from Abril Despedacado used some seconds before Coyote’s Scene) , the first mentioned used at the film showdow and end sequence and then Howard’s compositions with “Max Steals Briefcase” and “Finale”, these latters are pieces that recall how much the Chicago director, while keeping up with time, is fond of  classic guitar, synt and the percussion.Percussions listen in Africa during ALI’s Shoots are musical key on Vincent Hops Train,in this cue James Newton Howard readapt it in a long suite not totally edit on the cd edition. Little is known about the  additional pieces of the unknown Zachary Koretz and the outstanding “Driften” by Thomas Schobel (European additional composer already listened to in Alien Vs.Predator)

 

Missing Tracks:
• “Debestar”Written by Rick Garcia, Rene Reyes & Cisco De LunaPerformed by The Green Car MotelCourtesy of FastKat Records
• “Love Me So Bad”Written by Tom Shimura, Joy Velarde-Malig & The Kingcannon FamilyPerformed by Lyrics BornCourtesy of Quannum Projects
• “Driften”Written & Performed by Thomas Schobel
• “En Mi Pueblo”Written by Josh CruzePerformed by Bandidos de AmorCourtesy of BDA Records
• “Iguazu”Written by Gustavo Santaolalla Performed by Antonio Pinto
• “Steel Cello Lament”from HeatWritten & Performed by Elliot Goldenthal Courtesy of Regency Enterprises
• “R. I. P.”Written by Jose Becerra, Armando Feria, Ernesto Molina, Joaquin Pacheco, Steven Pasillas, Ray Rivera & Luis VasquezPerformed by Inner City SoulCourtesy of East L.A. Sabor
• “Ven Aca Bonita” from California Rumba AlbumPerformed by Bandidos de Amor 
• Exilefrom The InsiderWritten by Pieter Bourke & Lisa GerrardCourtesy of Walt Disney Music
• “Moxica & His Horse”From 1492 The Conquest of ParadisePerformed by Vangelis 
• “A Roda” from Abril Despedacado performed by Antonio Pinto

Hip-O Records B0003259-02

1.	Briefcase – Tom Rothrock                                                       2:05
2.	The Seed – The Roots/Cody Chesnutt                           4:11
3.	Hands of Time – Groove Armada                                         4:17
4.	Guero Canelo – Calexico                                                          2:58
5.	Rollin’ Crumblin’ – Tom Rothrock                                          2:19
6.	Max Steals Briefcase                                                                 1:44
7.	Destino De Abril – Green Car Motel                                  5:13
8.	Shadow on the Sun – Audioslave                                       5:42
9.	Island Limos-James Newton Howard                              1:31
10.	Spanish Key – Miles Davis                                                         2:24
11.	Air – Cuba Percussion/Klazz Brothers                           5:44
12.	Ready Steady Go – Paul Oakenfold Korean Remix   4:47
13.	Car Crash – Antonio Pinto                                                        2:17
14.	Vincent Hops Train – James Newton Howard          2:00
15.	Finale-James Newton Howard                                             2:16
16.	Requiem – Antonio Pinto                                                            1:56

Executive Soundtrack Producer:Michael Mann

Fragment of Vacation Part 3

Portovenere’s Church,photo taken with Kodak P880 24mm F 5.6 200 Asa 8″

Promentory with candles,lighting by a metal halide lamp,photo taken with Kodak P880

I been lucky to stay in Portovenere (La Spezia Liguria)till after Midnite,when masses are far from the set,I was still lucky to grab with my camera (this last with Canon A620)the pure atmospehere of the Festival of the White virgin Mary, an event held since 1200 AD every 17 August: after sunset, in the light of torches, the statue of the white-dressed virgin Mary is carried along the San Pietro promontory.
All around comes alive in burning torches. The bay is filled with ships. Horns blare, music is everywhere and folks celebrate another wonderful day in this fairy tale like seaside village.

This picture(that with Canon A620) show myself or better my pointofview,I was walk on stairs for reach the top of the hill,where I parked my car,I was take a break on the deep dark of this sort of alley just lighting by a sodium light,look at the horizon I can’t notice a line of streetlamps,that’s Versilia Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio 20 miles of sodium streetlamps,the lighting ship in the middle of the sea made the rest.