taken last spring in Belgrade, Serbia. It was a hard rainy day and i had to shelter under some bridge whereof i could contemplate on how the city was breathing. I like this shot a lot, for some reason i associate it with Belgrade and the memories i have from that place. any comments would be highly apprichiated, regards, v.
No nonsense at all, but rather one of the most interesting messages I had, and for which I thank you a bunch! Messages on similar subjects that I read from many other people often tend to degenerate to irrelevance as the number of lines read is growing. But your message was uniformly substantial, both as a very interesting story as also as a small windows that allowed me to see behind the scenes of such projects, like this where you participated.
Atelier Varan Paris!!! I just dropped dead, so I'll have a big scotch to help my ressurection! ;-) First of all, congratulations and celebrations! That could have been a very important first step, do you know that? Considering this for itself, it doesn't really matter how the story worked and what it developed to. It matters only that you kept your own character/ways/attitudes instead of blindly adopting those of others just because they were "the jury", or "the teachers" or anything. You did the right thing, even if it was not easy to do. And know this, Visar: The fact that they called you to appear on stage though they removed your movie from the omnibus, is not revenge. It was a sign of respect for your integrity written between the lines, as they have their limitations of what they are "allowed" to say or do. And your reaction to that was also the right one, and they know that exactly. So, just keep an eye on what happens next, and don't be too surprised when they offer you the next possibility. ;-)
I can only imagine the atmosphere under that kind of excited, busy, moves! It must have been like surfing on chaos and watching things evolving out of that mixture of ideas, comments, and thoughts. It can be the hardest drug that exists, but it is surely a very healthy one! More of that!!
And do you have some copy of your movie on some CD or film or anything? I'd be only delighted to watch it. Perhaps the arts & design school of Lucerne would be interested too!
Just as a thought, in such cases of disagreement about the subject, one can also do something that fulfills their needs but only in disguise. That is, find a way to put your subject in their packaging. And then it is great to smile with their raised eyebrow, since you can say that you complied but they know you didn't. ;-) Much like the old song "Beat it" - it's Michael Jackson, yes, but it sounds Eddie Van Halen.
Cheers, and..
You go back Visar do it again Film role turnin round and round You go back Visar do it again!
... but, from that moment, considering, all that great wish i had to do something good, turned otherwise- and, for every single second i shot i began asking questions 'what do i do now!?' and again, what do i do now, and again... until, they were really tired of that and got supposedly annoyed with it and said 'well, it is your movie so you have to do it your way'!!! zeng- HYPOCRISY at its best!! ;) so, my relpy to it was, well you may guess ;).
But, i never went back to the previous idea of shooting graffiti and stancils artists, with whom i had already established excellent contacts and to tell you the truth, they were amongst the greatest people i met during my stay there, apart for a few colleagues that we attended the course.
when i mentioned above that i would treasure that time for the rest of my life, i really meant it; never fall prey of the aesthetics of producers and production companies. even though, i know fairly well that i could have done it my way, and do the film i initially intended to, with some stubborness, i thought OK let me tell them what their ideas could bring them.
and on the day of the premiere, they showed the film which i produced as part of the omnibus. i was surprised for good to see the reaction of people. but i am not the least satisfied with it, it is a joke, as most of them are- we (students) all agreed on that. then, the second premiere, there came a laughable revange from the producers!! guess what, they removed my film from omnibus and yet they called me on the red carpet and to appear on the stage! after i refused, they said 'but why didn't you appear?!'- on such occasions, you love to answer these questions ;)
so, yeah-- that's about the course and 'my film' in bg; on the other hand i am longing for a camera that works (i have one but it broke) so that i could shoot those topics around taht are screaming to be shot!
ups, i just realised it must be exhausting for you to read all this nonsense!
Yes, i was addmitted to that course. cannot describe the joy i experienced! it came to me like a Jesus from the sky for believers, as i really was in some state of boredom and action paralyses- and when i received the news that i am admitted, i just could not wait to get started. Even more knowing the fact that it was one of the most prestigeous docu schools of the world- Atelier Varan Paris, where one may firstly dream to get the admittion- and then, it also costs dearly and not that i did not have to pay but i also received additional grants! ;)
I went to Belgrade, in the hottest summer of my life- and i hate summers in the city! there were 11 other students, all so enthusiastic for the research they had to do and the films they were about to shoot. For six weeks, on a temperate constantly over 40, i had to run from one side of the city to the other, and back again, to the studio, doing discussion, brainstorming, then editing, and again discussing the result- see what piece misses, go get it, come back, again discussion, then again--- and so on. and on the succesful days, when we all were partly satisfied (you know, none of us were satisfied with the produced results, only that that experience/ hell we went through i would treasure it for the rest of my days) we would end up somewhere in the bars, mostly at my apartment drinking to oblivion- then again, the morning would come with all its assignments waiting, and the sun on zenith, and- we had to run run run to locate the subjects, do something, then go back to studio again- and again the same discussions.....
***
i had chosen the topic of 'grafitti and stancils- and their scale of representation of the spirit of the city culture'. and here comes the part which drove me mad and sad, as the teachers insisted in changing that topic as 'it was not decent enough and rather cliche, so try to find something that involves people'- and you know what, 'involving people' they meant politics!! i was at the verge of breaking down, and saying go to hell- to all of them, and quit- and i still do not know why i did not do it.
so, i took a little walk and thought about it- it was so hard, to decide either way; and it hurts me to say, that i complied to their request. i went back there, told them, ok from now on i will do as you please!! that 'timber' as they labeled me in the beginning was standing alone on a tempest now!! ...................................................................
And what a great thing to know about your documentary, Visar! Go for it and my best best wishes!!! Boy, am I glad to know that!!!
Indeed, it is exactly all that, which you described about the city, that seems to be forgotten more and more, as the "hyper-creative-flower-nature-romance-spirits-fantasy-blah-blah" front grows over all bounds. ;-) But seriously, those guys talk and talk and talk about their "romantic views" of some imaginary "garden eden" where "ooohh such a harmony exists", and then... then they are not able to see what a warm thing it can be to simply walk down the streets and recognize so much of the own being on the faces of the running people that try to just stay alive. I am perhaps a bit too angry about this forgotten world, but what "harmonies" are they talking about, when at the same time overlook anything that could create a more human atmosphere here on the real world? So, sure I am glad for your course and I can only say, I wish I could work with you for that!
Looking ahead, perhaps too ahead ;-), I could only wish to make a series about such typical urban life in many cities, working together with you and also other guys. We could pretty much find out that in all those towns we are more the same than we are different, and exactly this is to me a very good thing to deal with. I can identify more with any guy that has to go to work, or to go pay some bill, or go for a whisky in the bar, than with any softie around that won't get it how irrelevant it can get to come out and speak about "angels on sky" ;-) Not to speak about real intercultural communication, which definitely won't take place at and "imaginary" location, if and only if we *would* really like this planet to get a bit better.
Oh well, I see now that I have to stop here, or else I could fume forever! ;-)
Cheers, and have all possible success - and even more! Go for it! And don't forget to tell us about and also post some images of that. As we say in mathematics... there exists at least one member of the set of photographers, such that its impatience for the images of the member Visar approaches infinity with time. ;-)
hey Nick, i am thrilled to hear you like this shot that much. that just an honour for me. personlly, as i mentioned in the about part, like it a lot- especially when i think of that day and what i observed from under the bridge- how the city was breathing; cars splashing the rainstreetwater onto the face of buildings, people coming out of the buses, rushing, coming under the bridge where i was and rain being a topic of some lovely talks and connection between us- the constant rain threatening grey sky, and..... and me being stuck there, despite a load of things i had to do and all this rain and the happenings with it being my alibi for being late in the most important meeting of last year! ;) that was the interview for a documentary filmmaking course. so when i got there, they asked me what would you shoot for a documentary if you were to stay in bg? guess what, the answer i lived under the bridge! ;)
hey Rog, i have to admitt i never thought about desaturation the green from the tram. in fact, most of the times i am very much attracted by the vivid colours this nikon gives me. thanks for the note, i have to consider that. regards, v.
Funny,I was there this morning :)) Great shot,You caught spirit of this city...I just can feel it...... Glad you like this city with big heart :)) big hug my friend biljana
A real, real, real moment of a town, and such a great atmosphere that you captured here, under that rather dark mood of the buildings and of the street. It is that that made the background sky seem so different - almosst unnatural though it is so real. I guess that such shots of streets represent the soul of a city, be it Belgrade or any other, in a very direct, sincere way. There is no wish to beatify anything - just the street and that's it! And that's why I find such a photography to be the perfect mixture of mood capturing and documentary. Alone for the crispy details of the house behind the trolley would be for me more than enough to place the image right on the frontpage of some newspaper, or also on the front page of some magazine about a photo exhibition.
To me the quintessence of photography - don't teach the spectator about this and that, don't want to "show" him/her something you think has any "higher meaning". Just show reality and let him/her decide. And you did that thoroughly - very very thoroughly Visar!
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{K:127263} 5/1/2008
