"The truly ‘mysterious' object is beyond our apprehension... not only because our knowledge has certain irremovable limits, but because in it we come upon something inherently ‘wholly other'... and before which we therefore recoil in a wonder that strikes us chill and numb." - Rudolph Otto

 

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Shorts
Wondering about Capitalism: The Story of Stuff PDF Print E-mail
Short
Written by Bob Davidson   
Tuesday, 08 April 2008
Short Film
Short Title: The Story of Stuff
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Shopping. What image is forefront when you contemplate the act of shopping? For me, it's the Galleria in Dallas, TX - a large 4 story, glass laden shopping center in the heart of downtown Dallas. I did not grow up in Dallas, but my family regularly vacationed there at summer's end - during those dreadful "back to school" weeks.

Well, I found myself back in the Galleria this past week with my own kids. (My parents now live there and we took our girls ice skating... and yes, the Galleria has an ice skating rink.) And though the mall scene seems to be dying in much of the country, the Galleria was for the most part the same. Still 4 stories. Still lots of glass. Still buy this, buy that.

Having been doing a little "wondering about consumerism" recently - my entrance into the Galleria was unique this go around. My ears had perked when I witnessed a seemingly normal interaction between a seemingly normal mother and daughter. As the two passed, the young girl tugged at her mom's shirt while pleading to go ice skating instead of the Macy's threshold the two were about to encounter.

The mom's response?

 
Chronological Snobbery and a Passing Afternoon PDF Print E-mail
Short
Written by Matt Browning   
Wednesday, 05 March 2008
Short Film
Short Title: Passing Afternoon
Director: Glenn Harris
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Welcome to the advancements of the modern world: the internet, ipods, cell phones and all your favorite TV shows on DVD. So much has changed since our parents were kids. With so much information at my fingertips it's hard for me not to think that I am better educated and have a better understanding of my world than my parents ever had of theirs. However, Solomon's famous saying, "there is nothing new under the sun," just doesn't seem to match up with this sentiment of superiority I feel because of my contemporary experience of all our modern advancements. Aren't there new things under the sun everyday? It often feels like so many things are new that our world is advancing at an exponential rate. The more discoveries and advancements we make, the more discoveries and advancements we are able to make and at a much more rapid pace.

 
Questions and Experiences: The Select Fit PDF Print E-mail
Short
Written by Bob Davidson   
Tuesday, 04 March 2008
Short Film
Short Title: The Select Fit
Director: Daniel Roemer
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One of the primary interests of rednoW are the questions in which a particular piece of art asks of us - asks of humanity. Though it is a reasonable argument that art does not always exist for these purposes (to ask questions), it is often a starting point.

If you take on the view that the "questions" we ask tend to shape or greatly impact our expierences - shape the way in which we interact with the world, then their role within any creative process seems feasible.

There is something both freeing and frustrating by the fact that we can choose how/if we interact with a particular something. For example: Yesterday, I spent nine hours driving through what is arguably the worst stretch of interstate in America (I-57)... no landscape... no surprises... no Chipotles. If there was a question posed that framed my driving experience - say "Is this in fact the arm pit of our nation?" - then, it is not difficult for me to look for data that supports this claim... or of course - data that refutes it. This reality might be most visible today in our political world... how do we see our potential Presidential candidates? Corrupt? Hopeful? Human? What distinguishes between "actual" and "possible"?

 
Are You Really Happy in the Season of Happiness? PDF Print E-mail
Short
Written by Matt Browning   
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
Short Film
Short Title: Are You Really Happy
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Jason McCoy's short "Are You Happy" asks questions about desires and what we as humans "are for." McCoy uses contridiction between the images and the audio to create a jarring effect that might just open our eyes to questions like: are we really happy? why or why not? what makes us happy in the first place? what affect do we have on our own happiness? how do we define and rate happiness? I can't promise that the asking of these questions will be pleasent, but I can promise that it will be useful, especially during the holiday season when happiness seems to be the theme, but also seems to be strangely elusive at points.
 
Everyday Creativity: How We Met PDF Print E-mail
Short
Written by Matt Browning   
Sunday, 11 November 2007
Short Film
Short Title: How We Met
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This short (and sweet) little piece, titled "How We Met," is a testament to everyday creativity. Shot and uploaded entirely with a Samsung G800 cell phone/PDA/digital camera, the production equipment used to make this piece is accessible to most anyone (at least anyone who is able to be reading this post right now), and that's the brilliance of it.

With more and more mega-budget films coming out that attempt to woo the viewer with effects and production that few are capable of, the creators of this piece have taken a very different route. Here the viewer is instead woo by the very fact that this is something that he or she has the capacity to create. What sets this piece apart from the mega-budget films is that as the viewer I am not separated by my financial capital, which I may not have that much control over, but rather by my creative capital, which I am more readily able to control. 

 
Revolutions, Not Country Clubs Hot PDF Print E-mail
Short
Written by Eric Kuiper   
Thursday, 12 July 2007
Short Film
Short Title: This American Life: Kid Logic
Director: Ira Glass
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It should be no surprise that this kind of wisdom comes from a child.

With between 5 & 6 billion copies of the Bible floating around out there, it is hard to find anyone in America who hasn’t heard of Jesus. Even if you haven’t picked up one of those copies, you probably know how Jesus died (Mel Gibson did everything in his power to tell you.)

But do you know why people wanted to kill him?

In this brief clip from This American Life, taken from a show focused on kid logic, a four-year-old makes a connection that brings beautiful insight to this question. Only people who feel like they have something to lose stand opposed to the ideas of others.

People aren’t killed for starting country clubs; people are killed for starting revolutions.

What have you joined?

 
Are You the Favorite Person of Anyone? PDF Print E-mail
Short
Written by Bob Davidson   
Tuesday, 06 March 2007
Short Film
Short Title: Are You the Favorite Person of Anyone?
Director: Miguel Arteta
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This is a profoundly simple short that revolves around a particular question: "Are you the favorite person of anyone?" It was written by Miranda July, directed by Miguel Arteta (Six Feed Under), and featured at Sundance a couple of years ago. First, watch the short (only 4 minutes), then check out the director's reasoning behind the film below.

The following is taken from the liner notes at Wholphin DVD as a Q&A with director Miguel Arteta:

Q: Why did you want to make this film?


MA: "I love Miranda's writing. She told me that as a girl, when strangers passed her by in the street, she would picture herself as that person and then ask herself, in that stranger's voice, "Am I someone's favorite person?" This script is gorgeous because it makes you wonder, what is your story? What is the quality of the relationships that define you? After years of having my head up my ass, due to living and working in LA these questions were a welcome gift."
 
The Ballad of Gabrielle Hot PDF Print E-mail
Short
Written by Bob Davidson   
Monday, 05 March 2007
Short Film
Short Title: The Ballad of Gabrielle
Director: Eric Tu
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This simple short embodies the story of name. It is directed by Eric Tu and is entitled "The Ballad of Gabrielle". It won the Director's Bureau 60 Second Film Competition this past year.

 

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