Today I saw the most films I’ve ever seen in one day: eight. Admittedly 7/8 of them were "shorts" — what used to be called "short films," but are not anymore, because all of them (I suspect) are videos. These "shorts" often look videoish — TV soap opera glossy. Others resemble impressionist paintings. (I’m thinking particularly of "New Skin" by Vladimir de Fontenay. Vladimir is French and an NYU student. Afterwards, I saw him talking to a guy with a beard about cameras: "The H320 looks like crap when you shoot indoors," "I like a V-62 for handheld." Clearly, making movies requires educated thought about machinery.
I told Vladimir: "The most disturbing part of your film, for me, was when the woman drinks a beer at her job." (The character is working in a convenience store on New Year’s Eve; she takes a beer from the cooler and drinks it.)
"A lot of people say the way she scratches her head all the time bothers them," he answered.
"Where did you get that idea?"
"Actually, I do it myself, when I’m nervous," Vladimir admitted. He demonstrated, lightly. "It’s good to put that in a movie, to be vulnerable."
"But you’re vulnerable and hidden," I observed.
Vladimir smiled.)