Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

John Waters at DV Expo East!?

By Jacob Mason
posted Jul 17, 2004, 11:49


Keynote John Waters at DVEXPO

Immediately after retreating from my discussions with Andrew Laszlo/ASC on the Expo floor, I hurried through the halls of the J.K. Javitz Center to attend John Waters' keynote address for my first official studentfilmmakers.com presscapade.

Arriving early, I thought to myself that it really shouldn't be necessary for Waters, a radically renowned artist within the filmmaking community to have an intense digital production history to earn the respect of the attendees at the Expo. But, if for any reason the others in attendance disagreed, I strongly sensed that Waters would step right up, shoot the elephant in the room, and have his way with us anyhow.

The award winning filmmaker incited a wave of laughter over the attendees after admitting to his limited experience in digital productions, and recognizing the simplicity of utilizing resources from the past and present to create a new genre, regardless of format. Continuing to express his interests in DV, Waters suggested some very interesting, and inspiring ideas for those willing to break the rules and experiment with the DV format in a way that may not have been originally intended, foreseeing vintage DV festivals and pixilated masterpieces for a digitally nostalgic era.

Acknowledging the significance of DV as an evolving art form that has the potential to ultimately bring about a new appreciation for original content, Waters strongly insists that it is up to us to figure out a way to use the immediacy of the technology to create a significant change in the way DV is typically viewed.

Waters' films certainly do not cater to typical views, and have always drawn critical interest as a result. His latest film; "A Dirty Shame", starring Johnny Knoxville, Tracey Ullman, Chris Isaac, and Selma Blair will be no exception to the claim; incorporating some interesting digital effects spawned from Waters' imagination, this film is likely to take many by surprise.

Unafraid to support the cyber cinema movement, Waters agreed that the next big filmmaker is likely to come from an online and/or mobile source. His optimistic outlook for net artists reaffirms that there is a genuine interest in student filmmakers' pursuits to claim our 15 megabytes of fame. All you have to do is put it out there.