Lisa Franek
  • Home
  • Books
  • My Films
  • Contact
  • Imagination Blog
  • SignUp

Nice Work if You Can Get It

7/12/2013

0 Comments

 
PictureTrue dat.
Here's an interesting story. The other day I happened to mention to someone that I curate a cinema. Their response? "Where do I sign up?"

It made me laugh, and I had to resist the urge that I always seem to have where I give all sorts of reasons why it's not as cool as you think it is. But then I stopped myself for a moment of reflection.

It is cool. I get to watch movies. A lot of movies. Some are definitely better than others, but there are definitely a lot of them. Movies about everything you can imagine, in every language there is. In a strange way, movies have provided me an education I would never have gotten otherwise. I've learned a lot about a variety of historical events (particularly revolutions of Latin American and Spain), about a variety of cultures, and even about filmmaking. I see a variety of styles and strategies filmmakers use to tell their stories, and I even get to see careers of filmmakers and actors as they develop and grow. It's pretty fantastic.

But the truth is, the movie business is like the Mississippi: It runs far and wide, can be incredibly shallow, and always seems to be kind of muddy. What I do is just a teensy-weensy part of the industry. If it were on a pie chart of the whole business, it would be the half of a half sliver that annoying girl on a diet always asks for. There are so many components of the movie industry (many of them for accountants and lawyers, naturally), that it seems impossible to fathom how people find their way into it. I actually got in by accident. And truth be told, I only have the tip of my toe in the industry.

Sometimes I wonder what diving in would look like. What kid of jobs in the industry would be the coolest?

Well, of course I'd love to be a director. That would be pretty sweet, foisting my opinions on everyone. Being the boss (if only for a little while). I'd also love to be a screenwriter. Obviously, I enjoy writing. I also like to think I have a talent for it. Also, working on sets is pretty freaking cool. It's like a magician telling you the secret to all the tricks, then doing them right before your eyes, and it's still magical. Plus, there's some kind of collective agreement within crews to generally not be jerks to each other and help each other with whatever needs to be done. It's an atmosphere of teamwork that is often a missing in the world these days.

If you get into the more business-y side of things, I think it would be awesome to work in acquisitions or development. One of them is finding awesome movies and buying them for distribution, and the other is working with screenwriters and producers and so forth to help them make the best movie possible. In a way, they're very similar, since they both involve being able to recognize talent.

Don't get me wrong. I love what I do. I don't plan on making a leap to another tributary anytime soon. But really, can't we just dream about stuff sometimes? What would you do if you worked in the movie biz?

0 Comments

Do-Gooding and Art for Art's Sake

6/9/2013

0 Comments

 
PictureNight of the Hunter.
Today I participated in a fundraiser for a great non-profit in San Diego called San Diego Writers, Ink. It's peopled with writers who help other writers become better writers, and whenever I participate in something they put on, I'm not disappointed.

But somewhere, deep down, is a nagging little voice asking me why I'm working to raise money for another non-profit besides my own. But that voice really needs to pipe down. Why? Because I'm working to raise money for the non-profit I work for every day. Yes, EVERY day. In case you didn't know, Media Arts Center San Diego has been around for quite a while, spreading the gospel of digital media and storytelling since its inception. That gospel has grown to include camps for kids, documentary classes for teenagers, partner programs with California libraries, and workshops for adults. Everything from how to take pictures with your fancy new DSLR to how to build your own steadicam.

Oh, and we also show movies.

That's my job. I often get an odd reaction from people when they find out what I do. "You mean you get to watch movies? All the time?"

Yes, all the time. I'm lucky enough to have a job that includes something most people (including myself) enjoy. I get to watch movies, meet filmmakers, and sometimes visit film festivals. I'm not going to tell you that it's not as glamorous as it sounds, because you wouldn't believe me anyway, and that's like complaining that your Maserati doesn't purr at 20 mph like it does at 80. Small potatoes.

So yes, I do love what I do. I love watching movies. But I also feel like I'm participating in something that matters. Yes, the education programs that are provided by Media Arts Center are wonderful. There is a wonderful staff of people that attend to all the details and ensure that they are enriching for kids young and old. The video production programs are also wonderful. Media Arts has managed to help a plethora of organizations that don't have access to the digital media tools and knowledge that we have in order to help them send their message around the internet and back again. Because that's what we do: provide access.

PictureAudiences engaging with films.
So now we have this Digital Gym, where you can get training on all things digital, like the YMCA, but for your brain and creativity instead of your body. And we also have a movie theater, which is where I come in.


But how does that fit in? Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough, not contributing enough, or not do-gooding enough. And then I reflect.

I've been at the organization for six years, programming films for the San Diego Latino Film Festival, Que Viva! Cine Latino, Cinema en tu Idioma, and a number of other community screenings. We've partnered with the SD Asian Film Festival, the Jewish Film Festival, Horrible Imaginings Film Festival, and countless other community groups to get messages out and spur cross-cultural dialogue within the San Diego community. Now I program the Digital Gym Cinema, and I'm constantly asking myself, what is this film for?

It's simple, really. Film is for people. It's for ideas. It's for creativity and sharing. There is not one single filmmaker on the planet who makes a film to watch alone in their own living room. Films are made to be seen, by groups of people, to share something that filmmaker thinks is important. It's just up to me, as the curator of the Digital Gym Cinema, to try to figure out what the community most wants, or what the community most needs.

So if I may, I'd like to reflect on what's come along so far. A film about the danger of greed (The Brass Teapot). A film about a family dealing with the separation of living on both sides of the border (Aqui y Alla). A film about zero-emissions motorcycle racing (Charge). A film about French capitulation to the Nazis during WWII (La Rafle). A film about women in India as the country develops (The World Before Her). A film about the pollution of our land and oceans (Trashed). These aren't all of them, but they all have a story to tell that I think is worth telling. Some films were more well attended than others. I take no offense.

What I am always looking for is the movie that is simply a beautiful work of art. Something about it reaches down deep and pulls at you, whether it's the music, the visuals, the story, or a combination of all of those that keeps you in your seat for a couple of hours (or longer!) because you can't take your eyes and ears away from the screen. And sometimes I hear, "How is that helping people?"

I despise that kind of response. Movies are art. They contain art. They blend art. And I still believe in art for art's sake. Many years ago, I found myself in Paris at the Louvre. I went through the galleries and found myself in front of the Mona Lisa. I didn't stand there and wonder how that was helping people. I admired it, and the other works, as something that makes our lives a little less dull. An expression of something someone wanted to share.

Let me be clear: artists (and filmmakers) are not required to change the world. If Iron Man has taught us anything, it's that audiences don't expect movies to change the world. They expect something to be shared. A story, an idea, a thought. Some artists are activists, and I think that's great. Some are not, and that's great, too. But what all of them are doing is engaging. 

This is what I strive to program at the Digital Gym Cinema. So as we look forward, I'm excited about the variety of shares coming our way. A film about the coming-of-age of a teenager from the Dagreb tribe (The Lesser Blessed). A transgender story of impossible, unextinguishable love and romance (Laurence Anyways). A film about the complicated world of Somali pirates (Stolen Seas). A poetic journey from schoolbus to public transportation in Guatemala (La Camioneta). A film about two musicians who tragically died before their time, but not before their genius rooted (Greetings From Tim Buckley).

I sincerely hope to create engagement. What engages you?

0 Comments

Actor profile: Lizet Benrey

7/13/2011

1 Comment

 
Since we've started the casting process for the film, I thought I would take some time to introduce them and show you just how awesome they are. I'm going to start with one of my lead actresses in the film: Lizet Benrey. She plays the mother in the magician family, and I think she's going to blow everyone away with the transformation into this character.

But a little background:
Lizet is actually from Mexico City, and is the daughter of painter Shirley Chernitsky. As a result, Lizet started her artistic career early in life, and was surrounded by artists that became a strong influence in her artistic life, and helped her develop her skills. She studied at the Universidad Iberamericana and Boston University, and got her BA in Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego.

In her acting life, Lizet worked as a hostess and actress in television programs produced by Televisa Mexico, and acted in theater with Julio Castillo. She even appeared in several commercials, including one for Coca-Cola. More recently, she acted in a film titled Tea in a Thunder Cup, directed by Alison Williams. She has also performed in several art videos, including Secret Place, a collaboration with Michael Douglas Hawk, which has been shown in several countries as part of the Human Emotion Project.

Her artwork has bee exhibited in museums, cultural institutions, and art galleries across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia, and Europe, and has been awarded numerous art prizes in the process.

Always the creator, Lizet even makes films of her own, most recently a short film featuring surrealist painter Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) and Gabriel Weisz Carrington, as well as the documentary Shirley Chernitsky: El estallido de la imaginacion, which has been shown at various festivals and museums. She has also collaborated, directed, or performed in several art videos that are being shown in several countries as part of the Human Emotion Project.

Seriously, this woman is amazing. She even shot and edited our teaser for our Kickstarter campaign. Go check it out. Didn't she do a great job? I'd also highly recommend that you check out her website (www.lizetbenrey.com). She's got images of some of her paintings up there, and believe me, you want to see these.

I can't wait to capture her talents on film. Like all great artists, Lizet doesn't just do things halfway. She jumps in with both feet, heart and soul, and gives it everything she's got and doesn't rest until it's perfect. And I have to say, with that kind of passion, I don't have to be worried that she'll pull off a performance that none of you will ever forget. In our rehearsals so far, she's managed to give me goose bumps bringing this character to life. I just can't wait to share it with all of you.
1 Comment
    Follow @lisafranek

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    January 2014
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2012
    November 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011

    Categories

    All
    Acting
    Actors
    Advice
    Americans For The Arts
    Anthony Sartino
    Architecture
    Art
    Art Benefits
    Artist
    Arts
    Arts Education
    Asian Film
    Auditions
    Award
    Birch North Park Theater
    Bullet Catch
    California
    Cannes Film Festival
    Casting
    Chung Ling Soo
    Cinematography
    Cinephile
    Colorado
    Comic-con
    Community
    Competition
    Costumes
    Craft Beer
    Creativity
    Crew
    Critique
    Culture
    Curating
    Day 1
    Donating
    Downtown
    Education
    Encinitas
    Exhibition
    Facebook
    Fake Fur
    Feedback
    Festival
    Film
    Film Geeks
    Filming
    Filmmaker
    Film Shoot
    Fiscal Sponsorship
    Friends
    Funding
    Fundraising
    Georges Melies
    Goals
    Grants
    Habits
    Hats
    History
    Houdini
    Howard Thurston
    Improv
    Installation
    Jerry Sanders
    Jim Steinmeyer
    Jose Yenque
    Kickstarter
    La Film Fest
    La Paloma
    Larissa Garcia
    Lizet Benrey
    Location
    Location Scouting
    Los Angeles
    Magic
    Magic Castle
    Magician
    Magicians
    Magic Store
    Marketing
    Media Arts Center San Diego
    Mfa
    Middle East
    Millinery
    Movie Palace
    Museum Of Jurassic Technology
    Music
    North Carolina
    Once Upon A Rooftop
    Opinions
    Oscar
    Outliers
    Painting
    Persia
    Photography
    Posters
    Post-production
    Pr
    Pre-production
    Press Kit
    Producer
    Progress
    Promotion
    Rehearsal
    Rehearsals
    Research
    Rob Marshall
    San Diego
    Script
    Sergio Ulloa
    Sewing
    Sharing
    Shooting
    Skirball Community Center
    Sony
    Sports
    Studio
    Sybil Wendler
    Synopsis
    Talent
    Tax-deduction
    Tenacious
    Theater
    The Magicians
    Tv
    Twitter
    U2
    Veronica Mars
    Visuals
    Writing
    Youth
    Youtube
    Zach Braff

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from GotCredit, Thomas Leth-Olsen, Celestine Chua, Found Animals, procsilas, numberstumper, George Vnoucek, Leyram Odacrem, One Way Stock, hardi_wb, Rennett Stowe, quinet, rashanahb, rich701, mayrpamintuan, Gavin St. Ours, Aimee Custis, ilovememphis, ikewinski, Môsieur J. [version 8.0], Darwin Bell, Ack Ook