[Jaanjaan]

leo, thanks for the kind words. i took a look at your site, and zoom or not, you’ve obviously been doing things right to have built such a successful company.

i think the real conceptual base of this whole arguement can be boiled down to this:
way back in the day, some artist/philosopher was trying to determine what it was about art that made it such a powerful phenomena. what he (forgot who it was) came up with was that if a person views a painting depicting a wolf in its natural setting, that person can then look at the wolf, studying any and all details of it, while being freed from the instinctual need to flee or kill the wolf– thus allowing that person to see a wolf in a way that would be impossible in real life.

i think some of us in this arguement want to show people the wolf as they could never see it, while others are more concerned with harnessing people’s innate fear of wolves and appropriating it as part of a larger story. i definitely would be of the former, and there’s nothing wrong with those who choose the latter. but they’re definitely different approaches, and the “awareness” that a zoom creates is a powerful tool for those who feel the same as i.

thanks,
jaan

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jaanshen.com

[Jaanjaan]

leo, i agree on your points about the generality of our red-headed stepchild, the zoom. and your point about the level of inexperience of many of the posters makes those points even more relevant… but in many ways, i think that makes it even more silly to automatically discount a particular technique. even a moderate beginner has seen a contrived zoom and experienced its “dramatic disruption” as a viewer. let them decide if they want to utilize it for that, or any other strength that particular technique holds. branding it as unprofessional by default is like reaching into a plumber’s toolbox and throwing away his 6-inch wrench and telling him “you’re never gonna work on a pipe that big anyway, so don’t even bother.”

and i have to play devil’s advocate on your point about zoom usage in a dramatic context by mentioning the shot where tom cruise’s character looks up and sees his doctor in mask in “eyes wide shut”– the most powerful shot in the whole film. whenever i think of kubrick, that is one of the handful of nuggets of cinema that immediately come to mind. i’m glad he had his 6-inch wrench with him that day.

respectfully,
jaan

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jaanshen.com

[Jaanjaan]

to say that any camera technique is bad or unprofessional is straight up retarded. i don’t care who you are, what you’ve done, or how much money your work has made. the correct thing to say would be that “dolly, crane and pan/tilt shots COST more than zoom shots to execute, which to some people automatically makes it a better shot.”

feel free to get in your time machine and tell truffaut that the running sequence in Jules et Jim is a bad idea.

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jaanshen.com

[Jaanjaan]

sorry, i meant to come across more in jest than offense. and seriously, everything you’ve described has no real “standard” way to deal with it.

again, finding a way to get it done legally, on schedule, and on budget is “producing”. i guess you could try calling a casting person who’s used to unconventional situations like this or who specializes in “real people” casting (though you’re gonna pay $$ for it). but really, it’s just a matter of legwork & a bazillion phone calls. want someone who carves wooden ducks? find a place that sells them, and ask them who they buy them from. get their number and call them. rinse and repeat. it’s really that simple and/or complicated.

unless complete authenticity/”real peopleness” is paramount, you may just wanna get the appropriate actors and have them do what they do best– pretend they’re someone else. because, chances are, when you finally do get a hold of someone that fits your search (duck carver, gardener, etc.) they may not have a look that you think fits or they may be really uncomfortable on camera.

oh yeah, and if you have a craiglist.org for your town, it might be worth a try. personally, i would just think of any personal contacts i know that would fit and ask them. ask your friends if they have a friend that would fit. or go to small businesses & shops that fit your ideas and look for employees.

best of luck,
jaan

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jaanshen.com

[Jaanjaan]

uh… not to sound like a jerk or anything, but… welcome to the world of producing.

solving your problem is really as simple as figuring out whatever is gonna make it work legally and within your budget. best of luck.

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jaanshen.com