Inglourious Basterds: Now That's a Movie!

Okay, I'm no film critic, I just love movies. I mean, I really love movies. I could live in my own private film festival (and have for specific stretches of time). I'll see anything from an arthouse indie specialty film to the tentpole CG blitzkreig popcorn movie event, and I'll enjoy it. Even if it's not perfect. But when I feel the hand of a master filmmaker in every nuance, I enjoy it even more.

This weekend, thanks to a lovely and talented thespian friend of mine, I got to see an advance screening of Quentin Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. I was eager to go, since I'm a fan of his work and - I'll admit it - I was intrigued by the mixed reviews he got in Cannes. But within the first few seconds I felt the unmistakable deft skills of a master filmmaker. And that was something that continued throughout the entire movie. Every spot-on performance, every gorgeous shot, every moment telling a story (and the story-within-the-story). In its essence, this film is made by someone who loves movies for other people who love movies.

And it seems like only yesterday Quentin broke out as a writer with TRUE ROMANCE, or announced his presence on the director scene with RESERVOIR DOGS, or won an Oscar for PULP FICTION. Okay, he's no newbie, but still, his craft feels ripe now. It's pretty cool actually. And it's nice we have a real American Auteur in our times!

So forget the haters and run out to get some cinema when Inglourious Basterds comes out.


:: bogna ::

Word of the Day: Costa Rica-itis

"Costa Rica-itis," from the words 'Costa Rica' plus the suffix '-itis,' is the condition in which all you can think about is your upcoming trip to Costa Rica. Kind of like "senioritis," but specific to travel in Costa Rica.

:: bogna ::

Word of the Day: Faux-portunity

I think I coined a new term: "faux-portunity."

It's the word 'faux' plus the word 'opportunity.' It's something frequently presented to emerging writers / artists / filmmakers. It's presented kinda like an opportunity, but there's always a catch, which is usually a demand for something you're not really comfortable doing, which would usually require great effort and commitment on your part, and would really only serve to make the other person look good (and probably momentarily at that). Oh, and you can't get the opportunity part unless you agree to the catch, so it's basically a hustle. Usually a faux-portunity is followed by a hyped-up promise that can never be delivered. In other words, it's a complete waste of your time, and time is the most valuable thing you have as an artist. My theory is that a real opportunity will not have a catch. And of course there are great opportunities out there that are disguised as modest, under-hyped experiences that yield great rewards. And you may have to work really really hard for them. But just keep your eyes open for the real, and for the faux.

That's it, I'm calling Merriam-Webster, or at least Urban Dictionary.

UPDATE: I did it! Check out faux-portunity in the Urban Dictionary!

:: bogna ::

"Beauty World" - the TV version

It's here! The television version of "Beauty World" is now airing nationwide on Current TV.

And if you are near a TV today (Saturday, May 30th), you can catch it @ 10:05 am, 12:52 pm, and 8:15 pm PST (I think) on Current TV. (I posted more info here, including credits and channels)

Thanks for taking a look!

:: bogna ::

Keeping up with Kathryn Jaroneski: New Work, New Studio

Kathryn Jaroneski is an abstract painter who lives in Los Angeles. I really enjoyed her solo show "Looking for something and maybe almost finding it" in Silverlake. Since then she's shown some more, and she was accepted into Roland Reiss' Painting's Edge, the advanced painting residency in Idyllwild, California.


Now she's got a new studio, and she's doing new things. Her sharp instinct for color and composition threads through her work as she explores brighter shades and experiments with technique.


:: bogna ::

"Beauty World" to air on television

I am very excited to say that "Beauty World" was selected by Almay Pure Blends to air on Current TV! We were #1 with the popular vote, and we are absolutely THRILLED Almay Pure Blends chose our work. And because so many talented peeps worked so hard on this, I am glad it will have a new audience now that it's going national.
Beauty World
:30 commercial for Almay Pure Blends
Directed by Arlene Bogna
Written and Produced by Arlene Bogna & Tony Ferranti
Starring Karyn Nesbit, Jason Fedusenko, & Grant Tanguma
Cinematography by Nathan Levine-Heaney
Production Design by Jem Elsner
Key Makeup and Hair by Meredith Scott
Camera: Nick Militello
Boom Op: Ben Hunter
Edited by Michael Thibault
Music Supervision by Brian Saur
Sound Design by Brett Coleman
Sound Engineering by Mike Boeltl
GFX & VFX: Vista Point Pictures

And a big thanks to everyone who supported this project, and thank you Current for this wonderful opportunity!

Current TV can be found on:

USA
+ DirecTV 358
+ Comcast Nationwide 107
+ Dish Network 196
+ Time Warner
New York 103
Los Angeles 142
Nationwide Check your local listings
+ Verizon FiOS 192
+ AT&T U-verse 189

UK & IRELAND
+ Sky 193
+ Virgin Media 155

ITALY
+ Sky Italia 130

:: bogna ::

Yay! We won a Telly Award!

More info on this soon, but I just found out we won a Telly Award! Vista Point Pictures has done some cool projects for some fun clients (or is that the other way around?), and it looks like we've been rewarded. I'm ready to celebrate. Just in time for the weekend...
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

"Beauty World" is online

I got to work with some very talented people on a fun project. Enjoy "Beauty World" (my take on a cosmetics ad)

"Beauty World" on current

What is Beauty World? Ladies, if you think it's a magical place where we look fantastic, feel great, have the wind in our hair, you're right. But if you think it's free of Dudes and Chili-Dogs, well, maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Almay has launched an exciting new natural product line. Here is our take at what it means to be beautiful without compromise. I give you "Beauty World."

:: bogna ::

"A Really Fun Ride" is up!

Here is the ad that Vista Point Pictures wrote, produced, designed, and edited for the Nissan Cube. We had a lot of fun doing this one. It is in competition on the CurrentTV website, so please visit it and vote for it!



A Really Fun Ride (Nissan VCAM)

Did you know the CUBE was "perfect for hormone-crazed teens?" Yeah, I didn't either, but according to CAR AND DRIVER, it is. Irresponsible car journalism, or just good clean fun? You decide. Check this out.


:: bogna ::

Sneak Peek at "Beauty World"

Here's a little sneak peak about a project I'm very excited about. A 30 second commercial called "Beauty World."

Part narrative, part beauty ad, with a touch of humor, it's my take on cosmetics and, well, life.

I got to work with some very talented people, and I've already learned a lot (like about the precarious relationship between electric fans and hair).

I can't wait until it's finished. I will post a link soon! (update: you can check it out here)

Meanwhile, here is a look at the wonderful and talented actress Karyn Nesbit on set.


:: bogna ::

The World Is Now Ready For Strong Heroines

One of my favorite directors/visionaries Chris Cunningham has directed a beautiful commercial for Gucci's Flora with Australian model Abbey Lee.

I'm totally inspired by this, and coincidentally since I just shot a Beauty Ad (more on that later) I've definitely been thinking about the notions of capturing the beauty and the power of the feminine on camera.

I love this quote from Riccardo Ruini, who developed the concept with Frida Giannini and Chris Cunningham:

“Foremost in our minds was a desire to avoid the heroine being perceived as passive or dreamy. We wanted to portray the female as an active character who brings to life in an active way the Flora personality by controlling the nature around her. We also felt it was important to demonstrate a movement of the female from mademoiselle to empowered woman; a woman initially delicate and feminine transforming into someone stronger and more powerful. “

See? It's time. Gucci is never wrong.



More on this at Dazed Digital.

:: bogna ::

Who is turning off on Earth Hour?

Later today is EARTH HOUR
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Time to Turn Off at 8:30 pm

And here is PSA starring Alanis Morissette. It's quite funny, for anyone who was wondering what a universal turn-off would be.
Earth Hour: The Huge Turn Off- Alanis Morissette PSA


:: bogna ::

Is something hitting the fan?

An article just came out called "Cracking Hollywood's celluloid ceiling" in which Charlize Theron is interviewed as a female filmmaker. I found out about it on a message board from the Alliance of Women Directors, and the timing is perfect, because the industry stats for 2008 are coming out. It seems like no one really wants to address this issue or even knows how to talk about it yet without yelling or whispering. Everything is still so reactionary. You're either a hardcore scary feminist if you find those statistics even a little disappointing, or you are automatically an Uncle Tom if you don't want to rock the boat, bite the hand that feeds you, or if you just choose not to focus on stats. In other words, you can't win, can you?
But I do think it's actually a fascinating aspect of our modern culture. Storytelling itself is a universal impulse, free of gender or race considerations. In other words, it is a totally human impulse. Translating that into a profession is another thing entirely of course, but the impulse itself is pure and available to everybody. Staying connected to that I think is the most important thing in modern times, especially as the coming tech boom engulfs us. And the more screens we have, the more good stories we are going to need in order to feel human.


:: bogna ::

An Actress Walks Into An Audition...

But not just any actress. Giselle Tongi.
Recently I was interviewed for a piece about Giselle. I met her when she came to an audition with her baby. Here is the link to the article in BACKSTAGE.



:: bogna ::

I have officially been podcast'd...

How cool! It's an audio version of the ArtScene review of my solo show Safari Americana: Scenes of Delight. Here is a link to the whole podcast on ArtScene:

:: bogna ::

What's up @ Holy Land (and by 'Holy Land' I mean Panavision)

I could have looked at the camera tests at Panavision all night. Yes, show me desert badlands on 2-perf 35 mm film. Go ahead, show me the Genesis Test of cars on windy road, I can take it. I can't get enough.

I love how Panavision embraces both worlds of digital and film, making the artistic process a priority. Thanks to the Alliance of Women Directors for making an evening @ Panavision happen!

:: bogna ::

Having fun with vinyl

Lately I've been working with vinyl. Yes, vinyl. The stuff of non-plasma billboards, outdoor signage, and rockstar underpants. I've been working with it, and I have to say there is something special about it. It is, in essence, an exhibitionist, intended for public consumption, yet it seems to yearn for meaning or relevance, beyond what an ad campaign could ever give it. Thank goodness I'm working with vinyl, otherwise vinyl would be depressed, or just go crazy and tear up our landfills in a fit of rage.

A fun thing I got to do recently was create an individual cover for Crystal Allen Cook's forthcoming book Bombardirovka. And since anything went, it went vinyl. In working with it I found it to be pliable, vibrant, and amiable. So a little collage was born. Oh, and I added a small giraffe using a silver sharpie - as an ode to that crazy SNL video that has been making me laugh for a week.

So why would Crystal encourage me to deface one of her book covers? It's all part of her Art Knows No Borders event in downtown LA next week, an "art, literary, and music event to have fun and raise awareness of the work of Doctors Without Borders." Personally, I am a fan of the charity and am very happy to participate. I've got a couple of small pieces in the auction as well. It should be a good event.

And again, how great is Downtown LA getting? Even Urth Cafe will be setting up shop in the art district soon.

:: bogna ::

Bailout THIS! Gamers Celebrate Doomsday

Last week I went to the best office party ever. It was on a crisp clear evening in Downtown LA, with geeks, rockers, and beauties all together in one big kumbaya. There was a nuclear wasteland, an open bar, and a game lounge. It could only mean one thing: the Fallout 3 launch party.

As I walked through a field of oil drums peppered with empty martini glasses, the smell of clove cigarettes in the air, I remember thinking that this is proof that we can heal from any terror. I mean, does anyone even remember when the thought of nuclear annihilation was actually terrifying, and not just a gaming environment? One of the reasons all this fascinates me is because one of my favorite directors did a movie called eXistenZ (totally ahead of its time) in which our emotional attachment to a synthesized world was explored. And now, with 3d animation technology where it is today, the synthetic worlds are getting more complex, therefore more beautiful, as more and more nuances are artfully rendered. I can definitely appreciate the level of production and concept design of the Fallout world. All I can say is: zeitgest. Plus, Fallout pokes fun at the ridiculous mentality of the 1950's - so what's not to love?

And to the people who are against video games because they are too violent, think about why we need them. In fact, our need is so great that video gaming formed a huge entertainment industry of its own, rivaling and surpassing hollywood blockbusters while possibly being recession-proof. Video games quench our society's thirst for gladiator tournaments in a virtual coliseum. The technology may be new, but the collective need is as old as a dusty fossil.

One of my favorite highlights of the evening was seeing the Foo Fighters live. Dave Grohl is funny. In between rock anthems, he would say things like "We've never played an office party before. This is heaven: you get to play video games and drink beer. Kudos. It's the American Dream." and "See you at the next office party. Are you having a Christmas party? Cause we'll f*@#in' do that one too."

And by the way, how cool is downtown LA getting? No matter how many penthouse lofts go up, you can still quadron off a couple of city blocks, have a rock concert, and spray your logo in light all over the sides of the adjacent skyscrapers, which is exactly what the Fallout peeps did. That's why a video game launch party makes my blog, another moment that is rockstar friggin' awesome.



:: bogna ::

Pin Ups Revealed

I am a big fan of art photography which is as strong in concept as it is in execution. And I feel like I haven't been stumbling upon it that often in galleries lately. Mostly I've either seen technically well-executed photographs without a complex concept, or, I've seen complex concepts without a commitment to photographic execution. So I constantly yearn for the best of both worlds, where concept meets execution at a peak, elevating photography - and any aspect of it - to the higher art form that it can be.
Luckily, I recently saw an exhibit which was terribly satisfying. Currently at Regen Projects, you can catch Gillian Wearing's Pin Ups. And if there is anything worth catching, it's that exhibit. Gillian questions our need for transformation and artifice by offering exactly that to amateur models who want it very badly. She then shares the results with us; it's like a scientific experiment to expose a hunger in our modern psyche to be made over, airbrushed, and presented to the world as the sexiest beast alive. And it's not just the ladies who want to be objectified, "Pin Ups" is an equal opportunity exploiter, granting sexpot transformation to both men and women, making their Pin Up dreams come true.

Wearing presents her Pin Ups as gorgeous, colorful photo-realistic airbrushed paintings, based on photo shoots of the models in sexy attire and attitudes. But Wearing also anchors the eye candy with a strong narrative component. Behind each painted panel lie snapshots and written essays from each model, offering the viewer a healthy dose of reality behind the fantasy, quite literally. The subjects, often self-diagnosing their self-esteem issues in handwritten pleas to be photographed, are given life by their own words. And while their words express a desire to be presented in sexy perfection to the public at large, the casual snapshots reveal how far from that each model is in daily life. The viewer might feel a bevy of feelings - such as temptation, compassion, scorn, pity, admiration, intrigue - all at the same time. By showing us both the vulnerability and the magnificence of each model, Wearing continues her explorations of identity while sharing with us the manufacturing process of image, the way a magician might reveal a slight of hand. And at the end of the day, the The Pin Ups have been humanized. You might feel a little educated, a little human, maybe even a little dirty afterwards, but like most successful art viewings, it will linger long after you leave the gallery.

:: bogna ::

Rolling along with Bucky

I think we all know I have a soft spot for animals and road trips, (my recent solo show SAFARI AMERICANA: SCENES OF DELIGHT pretty much proves it), and I recently saw another artist's take on those two subjects that are close to my heart, so I'd like to introduce you to David Dechant's Bucky Rolls Like That (pictured below).


Bucky Rolls Like That is an ode to Rauschenburg, since there is the presence of taxidermy, there is a tire, and the lines between sculpture and painting are blurred (see Rauschenburg's "Monogram" pictured right). Dechant adds a playfulness to his subject. The vibrant pigments painted on the bear's fur, nose, and even tongue, give the beast a surreal beauty and humor. David also painted the tire treads white and repeated their geometry in three substantial panels mounted on the wall behind the piece, using that visual language to promise us a nice flowing ride. And by adding exaggerated, ornamental low-rider style handlebars, Dechant poses the question, is Bucky the bear simply roadkill? or is he actually in control of the ride?

And by using Rauschenberg's Combines as a point of departure, David is practicing his own manifesto he calls Varyism by arranging art objects spatially in order to construct intellectual, not physical, relationships. Bucky Rolls Like That is constructed as an interactive arrangement, where the visceral and the elegant can coexist.

:: bogna ::