The Rentz doc is FINALLY FINISHED!

Will wonders never cease?! After (mumbled number) years, the documentary I made about Canadian folk artist Ewald Rentz is finally shot, edited, and available on DVD. The film is titled The "Completed" Art of Ewald Rentz. This is a major accomplishment for me, and one of the reasons I haven't updated my blog in many a months.

You can learn more about the film at the NEW Rentz movie website. This site replaces my old website, which told people to watch for the film's release in "Fall 2004" - a deadline I seem to have missed. In my own defense, we did film two additional (and very valuable) interviews, and I had to cat sit for a neighbour at least twice during the extra four years it took to complete. There's only so much you can do in a day.

Looking back at the long process of making this short film, I can at least take solace in the fact that I learned a lot along the way. The premise was simple; to interview collectors, dealers and acquaintances of Ewald Rentz and to intersect those interviews with detailed footage of his work. It wasn't like I was going all Herzog and running up an active volcano or anything. My interview subjects were extremely gracious and generous with their time and expertise. My producer Phillip Ross is also my dad so I didn't have any surly teamsters to befriend. It was in many ways an easy project, yet the journey from research to completion was surprisingly complex.

Am I happy with the finished film? BIG YES. There is a lot of great information in it about Rentz, his backgroud and inspirations, and his unique artistic style. The interviews vary from informational to personal. There's a bit of humour and a touch of drama. There are many good, detailed shots on the artwork, and family photos that put the artwork in context with Rentz's life. I am proud of the film and the response by others has been very positive.

Interview subject and major Canadian folk art collector Susan Murray
However, this is a blog where I criticize other documentaries, so in that spirit let me also tell you about the difficulties I experienced. My cinematography is pretty solid, although in editing I did find a need for more cut away shots. I started shooting the first interview straight out of film school, and I was so aware of how my little DV camera was not professional that I compensated by practically gluing it to a tripod. It makes some of the shots stable but a bit boring. We made good use of available light, save one interview that had the subject in a slightly darkened room with GIANT SUNNY WINDOWS on either side of his head. It sort of looked like we were in a bunker with an atomic explosion happening right outside the window. Luckily for me there are many decent exposure fixes built right into Final Cut Pro. The friendly experts at Trinity Square Video also helped me "turn down" the contrast. Most importantly, next time I'm shooting I'll ask myself "will this look like a bomb scene?" and change the lighting before I start rolling.

Checking out a small Rentz sculpture in detail
The sound quality is 80% good, with 20% "I wish I had a better directional mic so I didn't hear that lady sneezing off camera". I got pretty obsessive about the sound in post, often going frame by frame to cut out or diminish the worst offenders. It's amazing how much you do in post production with sound, image and even colour changes that you know the audience will never, ever appreciate. I guess it's an appreciation of omission. You just have to take the editor's word for it that the hours spent in a dark editing room makes a better final product.

Sculpture by Ewald Rentz
The film was so low budget, I believe it qualifies as "no budget plus gas money". I used my own camera, my own light set, and my own computer (mainly) to edit. Producer Phil secured the interviews, drove us around, asked the questions and became an interview subject himself. We both wore many hats to finish our little film. Next time out I may want to have a three or four person crew (a boom mic would be a lovely thing) but I have no regrets about the method or final product we produced. In a way, the honesty and joy of folk art is mimicked in our ragtag shooting style. Everyone involved with this film wanted to share something about the art they love, and that appreciation shines though any technical shortcomings.

Look at that terrific DVD. Would you like to own a copy? YOU CAN!
So here's the thing, if you're a fan of Ewald Rentz, Canadian folk art, or supporting struggling filmmakers, you can buy a copy of the DVD for only $20 Canadian. That's $20 - taxes included! The DVD comes with an image slideshow, full colour trapsheet, and shrink wrapping. We spent the money on professional DVD duplication and it shows (don't forget to be impressed by the bar code).Check out www.rentzmovie.com to order. It makes a great holiday gift! Order your copy today!

...I guess my critique turned into a bit of a sales pitch but seriously, I have multiple boxes of DVDs in the corner of my office that I would just love to wrap up and mail to warm loving homes. All major credit cards are accepted! SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED! ORDER NOW!!!

Special Self-Congratulatory Post!

I'm dedicating this blog post to some stuff I've done recently. I've managed to accomplish a few creative things in spite of the daily grind, the plumbers invading my apartment, and the subsequent waterfall spewing forth from behind my kitchen cupboards (pipes can explode, apparently). I'm going to take a moment to relax with a cup of tea and congratulate myself. I'm going to, as the kids say, celebrate like it's my birthday. But not my real birthdays. Because those depress me.

First of all, a new issue of filmCAN is out and three of my Hot Docs reviews are included. FilmCAN keeps getting better with each new issue. Great interviews with intriguing film makers, reviews, and essays from knowledgeable fans who really know and love the movies. Check out their pod casts and exclusive digital downloads. There's a lot of great stuff on the site and I'm proud to be part of their team.

Secondly, a few months ago I finished a large web project for a client. The site is for an illustrator, calligrapher, and visual artist named Michele Nidenoff. Michele's work has appeared in numerous magazines and children's books (as well as on my office wall). Together we came up with a layout that would showcase her artwork in a clean, intuitive and simple design. I'm particularly proud of the "thumbnail / large image with caption" function that I implemented. It had me stumped at first but through a whole lotta CSS wrangling I figured out how to make this deceptively "easy" function work perfectly. I am very happy with the final site as well as the chance to help this wonderful artist and her growing business.


So I guess I should stop patting myself on the back now (it makes it really hard to type). I'll be posting a new review soon and, as always, I value your comments. If you need a website designer / media critic / person with an unusually damp kitchen you know who to call.

Spiffy New Look

Hi there. Welcome to Midnight Herring.net - version 2.0!

Super heartfelt thanks goes to Anson for helping integrate this blogger template with my new site design. Look ma! I've got labels! Also, thanks to some nerds for writing the code that makes the image at the top randomise every time the page loads. I didn't want to switch over to php and I appreciate this fix. There is still lots of content to add but the design is pretty solid. Please let me know if something looks really wonky on your system.

I know this site looks good on most versions of Safari & Foxfire on Macs, as well as Explorer, Netscape and Firefox on PCs. However, if you try to look at it on the now defunct Explorer for Macs browser it goes crazy and explodes across the screen in all-centred and all-green ugliness. I'll try to fix that but it's mostly blogger not talking to stupid old Mac Explorer so we'll see. Why are you using Explorer anyway? I'm afraid I have to pull out the patented eye roll and snort nerd combo if you think browser choice isn't, you know, really important.

So aside from an obvious lack of content on the "Documentary" section of the site we are up and running! I have big plans for the site and I look forward to giving it as much time and effort as my other labour of love, Folk Art Canada. In the coming days and weeks I will undoubtedly change a few things around so please bear with me. Reload reload reload and empty your cache if you want to keep up with the blazing speed of our improvements. Plus, when you reload the page you get a new photo! What will it be? Paris? My cat? Me in a sombrero? All excellent and exciting options!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you like the new and constantly improving MHP site!

Hey, I'm checking out this whole "comments on my blog" thing. Posts should have a comments section and SOON (bonus) a label so that you can search my blog posts for just film reviews or documentary news or (and I know I'm just flattering myself Mr. Smarty Pants), posts about me and my life.

I hope this works. For all three of my readers this should mark a better and more enjoyable reading experience. Make sure you comment! I want to hear what you have to say... person I probably know anyway... Sigh. Hi mom.

Happy New Year!

The holidays are winding down and so, as in past years, I'm feeling a mix of sadness, relief and satisfaction with putting the Christmas cheer aside and getting back to work. I love the holidays. I actually choose to listen to carols (Phil Spector anyone?). We fill the apartment with twinkling lights, various small decorated trees, and those gel things that stick to your windows. I discovered the gel things this year and went a bit nuts. Every year I make my family watch at least one of the holiday classics - A Charley Brown Christmas, White Christmas, and Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special ("That was really beautiful Charo!").

Anyway, that's all so 2006 and four days ago. Now I'm looking towards the future; towards Monday and the beginning of 2007. What will this year bring? More attempts at a career in documentary film making? Days spent answering the phone at Marty's optometrist office? Six more issues of that groovy BUST magazine? Yes, all these things and more. I'd like to make a difference this year. I'd like to make my site bigger and better and update my blog with at least twice weekly goodness. I'd like to go back to the indie film scene here in Toronto and reconnect with some folks. I'd like to finish the damn Rentz doc and see if I can actually make a second film.

What are you doing with the new year? Unless I totally bail on my resolutions (before it's actually the new year - a feat in itself) you will see me with more blog entries every couple of days. I'll even set up a comments section so you can leave me little messages and spam. I'll write reviews of documentary films and you can totally disagree with me and tell me why I suck. Honestly. I can take it. I just want to start 2007 off right with a positive and creative drive to expand my site and what I do with my space on the internet. Here's to a good new year for you and me and everyone else. Peace!