Down and out in Athens

One of the books I have enjoyed is George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris". It is his account of his time in Paris. He went there for the experience of French culture and had arranged to have a job as an English teacher, but soon he lost the job. Then he ran out of money and experienced the descent from safe middle class and into the nether worlds, also known as poverty. He describes how the never-ending quest the next meal becomes an overwhelming obsession. At first he still tries to cling on to his middle class sensibilities. Keep up appearances, but when poverty strikes you can't do it. For a while he still tried to keep his clothes nice and presentable. Somehow in all this Orwell managed to keep a clear eye for the persons and situations. His account is populated with colorful characters and anecdotes from the nether-world, as well as descriptions of the logic behind that world.

The book reminded me of one of my favorite Danish films. "Hunger" based on Knut Hamsun's novel and directed by Henning Carlsen. This beautiful existential comedy is like a combination of Charlie Chaplin and Beckett. An aspiring writer has recently arrived in the capital of Norway, Oslo. He is obviously talented, but perhaps out of feeling inferior, he keeps tripping him self up constantly throughout the film. He is plagued by both a physical hunger (because he has no money) and an existential hunger (because he has no self-esteem?). He gets an article accepted at the news paper and only has to do a rewrite, but never gets around to it. He gives away money to beggars because he doesn't want to seem poor. He even pawns some of his belongings so he can do it. When the clerk at a grocery store by accident gives him to much change back, he can't accept his luck, but gives away the money. Then he returns to the clerk and fuming wih indignation tells him off for being a lousy clerk. He even sabotages his most incredible luck. The woman of his dreams, an attractive upper class woman, takes him home and initiates a relationship, but he can't have it. He feels it's too good to be true and ends up harassing her. Perhaps in your ears this doesn't sound like a comedy? Believe me, it is. The film ends in harmony, when he finally leaves Oslo on a ship with an unknown destination.

These days this is kind of like my own life. Money is running out. Chances escape me. I fuck up relationships. I think it is time for me to either embrace my impending deroute and go with Orwell, or to find a ship an sail away like Hamsun. Read more!

Obsessions

Tonight, feeling a tad lonely after a long day's work, I sit outside enjoying the view from my balcony. The moon hangs low, coloured golden by the bend of the atmosphere.
Just had an email exchange with my ex. She told she was tired from writing and doing some workshops. I replied that I hoped she was also enjoying herself (meaning writing and workshopping), and she answered back that she had a some extra time to entertain herself (meaning outside the work). Which just showed one of the fundamental differences between us. I enjoy to work, even when its not exactly enjoyable. She has a very sharp division between work and pleasure. And when we were together I would try and make her
see the fun in working, and she would try to make me stop working to have fun. Wonderful.
After a lot of border skirmishes over this issue, I came to realize that I am really obsessed with my work, and more importantly that I like this obsession. To me it still feels a lot like when you were playing as kids - and naturally I have found my work path within drama, the most playful and collective art form. Of course there is the whole added layer of professionalism, and if you are not careful this might end up becoming the dominant part.
Mmm, somebody is grilling fish on a nearby balcony. Smells delicious.
My new project with director Thomas Bjerregaard, now titled Entanglement, is progressing well. Apart from my fascination with quantum mechanics, it also allows me to explore two of my other favourites: The question of love and the complementarity of comedy and tragedy. I have begun to write a synopsis, and have mailed the first draft of it to Thomas, and I awaiting his response. It is really looking exciting and very do-able in terms of a small cast, few locations all in the same area and with a high concept that should be able to attract investors. When the synopsis is ready we will begin to look for a Danish producer and Greek co-producers. I really want to nail this one and see it get produced as soon as possible. I hate the often loooong financing process. This one we need to push aggressively. If we can get it produced next year I will be very proud of myself and Thomas. Read more!

Sunday in summer-Athens

So, getting ready to head into a new week. Athens is slowly, but steadily becoming depopulated as more and more people go off on vacation, most of them to the islands. I'm still here and working. Apart from my new script, I'm going to talk to both director and producer about The Mountain, the script I recently finished 1. draft of. Its always a bit nerve-wrecking to wait for the response, and well, of course even more so to get it. The big irrational fear is that I have fucked up somehow, and the script is not good at all. The more rational fear is that they won't understand what I'm trying to do in the script, and we won't be able to reach an understanding of the premise and the logic I have applied to fulfill it. So tomorrow morning.. I'll meet the director. Then I'll know his response. Tuesday the producer is back in Athens, and has hopefully read the script (he promised - and I promised to lock him inside the toilet with the script if he hadn't). What I hope to hear from him is that he thinks it's good enough for him to go out and start financing the project, getting some money for development - so I can get paid. Being in a financial tight spot myself, I don't really want to spend to much more time on The Mountain without some money coming my way. My time will be better spent getting other ships into the sea, as well as working as a paid script consultant for financed project. From now and throughout August I will work with another Greek director on his up-coming film, which is to start shooting this year. His script has a strong story, but has a few weaknesses in 1st and 2nd act, and then some real problems in 3rd and 4th act. We have had an initial meeting and he agrees with my diagnosis and approach to solve the problems. The next days I will go over the 1st and 2nd act making extensive comments and suggestions for changes, while he thinks about the problems of 3rd and 4th. We will see how it goes. Read more!

My New Thing

This is the first time I have headed directly from one script and to the next - without being forced to it by necessity. But I had entered the vacuum of having-just-finished-a-big-thing and was going a little bananas, and so my cure was to readily throw myself into the next big thing. In this thing, which I will only speak in the most broad terms so far, I at last embrace my interest in quantum physics and pair it with my passion for drama. I see some overlapping ideas between the principles of drama and some of the theories of quantum physics - and this is exactly what I am going to explore in this new thing.
Quantum physics are mind-winningly fascinating and completely spins your world around - as Niels Bohr said: "If quantum mechanics hasn't profoundly shocked you, you haven't understood it yet." And some of the basic concepts are not that difficult to get understand for a layman - apart from them contradicting fundamental stuff we assume in ordinary reality. In my next life I want to be a scientist!
So right now I am both researching a lot of stuff about quantum physics and fleshing out the basic idea of the drama - the main characters, their basic conflict, the structure of the script and of course fumbling around in the dark to get a grasp of the hidden meaning of it all.
In all this it is also a joy to gang up with an old friend to explore this world. Danish film director Thomas Bjerregaard has some of the same fascinations as I do with the whole quantum-thing, and he is reading as I write, and will look into the best ways to get this produced as a film. Maybe as a Danish-Greek co-production, which would be really great for a lot of reasons. Read more!

FIRST DRAFT OF "THE MOUNTAIN"

Friday I finished the first draft of The Mountain, a supernatural political thriller hopefully to be directed within a foreseeable future by Yorgos Siougas a.k.a as my good friend George, director of short films and TV-series. Based on an idea of his I wrote a short film for him, Is love a Tender Thing, which he directed and shot in early june. It's soon out of post-production and it's first public appearance will be at the Drama International Short Film Festival in september.

So first draft is finished. Which means it has gone to George, the director, and George, the producer. Who happens to be two different persons. I have begun to call the latter by a short form of his last name, Lykairdopoulos, pronounced in a French fashion Luc or if you will Danish fashion Lyk. The two Georges will read (eventually - they are busy people. and yes, I have threatened to lock them inside a toilet until they finish). Then when they come out of the toilet we will meet to discuss what the next steps are. Is the draft good enough to send out as is? If not, what kind of improvement is needed. When it gets send out, to who? The Greek Film Center? Star-actors we want on board from this early stage? Potential co-producers? All-in-all in boils down to this: This script that I have been living in an intense relationship with for the last many days will suddenly not be a part of my daily life. And so what do you do? My theory is all about moving on as quickly as possible. Pick up another project you left behind earlier, throw yourself into a crazy new idea - anything - because even though the finished first draft will come back to you and demand your attention it will never be that intense again - if you have done your work well. You will make some cuts, perhaps re-arrange some scenes, maybe even add a little stuff to clarify certain aspects, but you will not be as deeply immersed in its world again - hopefully. The next guy who will be that is the director. Not you. So move on.

And I believe I have found the next thing. More about that later. Have fun... Read more!

OMG - An Ode to Jesper

I miss my friend Jesper, who used to work at the Danish Cultural Institute here in Athens, but stopped by New Year and returned to the old mother country, Denmark.

We used to hang out whenever - discussing everything from food, TV-series, art, archeology, comic books, the roots of drama and not entirely unimportant - women. He is fun and easy-going company and it would fool a lot of people into thinking he didn't have depth or intellectual prowess.

And so, he has gone away from dirty, lively, ever-unexpected Athens to live in Copenhagen, paragon of order, cleanliness and the expected - and I really miss him. Most of my friends here has kids, wives, girl-friends, super-busy jobs or even all those together - and it can at times be difficult to hunt down anyone ready to grab a coffee and solve the world situation in an hour or so. Jesper was - despite having a busy job and in no short supply of friends - almost always ready to that.

So, that's my Ode to Jesper. And even though we keep in touch through that internet-thing-y, it's just not the same as a kafedaki or a cold drink at Booze. Read more!

OVERDUE UPDATE

I am in Athens all summer. Working.

Don't really have the money to go on a vacation. Or the time.

Things have been going very well with my co-operation with Yorgos Siougas. Right after meeting him in April he got a short film financed, but he only had the basic idea, and not really a script ready. And he had to start shooting in 3 weeks. So I discussed the scenario with him and then I wrote the script. The short-film has now been shot, is in post and is titled in English: "Is love a tender thing?". Is has been chosen for the main competition at the big Greek short film festival in Drama.

And after that I went on to write a feature film script for Siougas, The Mountain, which I have just finished the 3rd act of. So I have the last act remaining and then we have a full first draft. Its a supernatural political thriller and so far I quite happy with it. Not the worst I have written.

A script I was coaching the writer/director on is almost finished shooting these days. I think the final shootings take place in the up-coming week. It is "Black Field" and there are some nice photos coming from the shoot - the one at the top is one of them. You can find more through my Facebook entry here. I'm really curious to see the film.

The other 'big' project I have been involved with, Constantine Giannaris' "Overboard" seems close to a final draft now. Its becoming a really good script. Most of financing is in place, but to really make the film as it should be, we still need to find further financing. Maybe also with the hope of attracting one or two well-known international actors to take the lead parts.

Then I have a couple of new projects coming up as soon as I'm finished with the mountain. But most of them are long term projects. And my biggest worry right now is that I don't see any money coming in until maybe december or something like that. So I'm really looking for here-and-now jobs at the time being. Read more!

Too perfect

Well, I'm back in Denmark where I am born and lived the first half of my life (given I will live up until around 70). Here is a small snippet of conversation from the train platform of the airport, that I picked up:

Her: Great, the train is here 17.04
Him: Yes.
Her: How long for us to get to the central station?
Him: Hmm, I'm not sure, but I think we can catch the 17.25 from the central to Roskilde
Her: Then call your mother and tell her we will be in Roskilde 17.54

My greek friends wouldn't believe this. They would find it laughable, admirable or just plain weird, but they would have a really hard time believing it. The small conversation reflects some things about the DK.
1. The use of precise time measurements show a deep trust in the train systems ability to operate on time.
2. There are people who know the train schedule by heart.
3. They are going to announce to the mother the exact minute of their arrival. Every minute counts. Time must be precious.

This thing reminded me a little of why I'm certainly not moving back to the DK ever. I live very badly with this design of a country to attain operational perfection. It just doesn't sit well with my private psych system. I do like an amount of chaos and unpredictability. Denmark is just too perfect for me.

Disclaimer: Don't use the train times specified above, as they are quoted from my memory and almost certainly wrong. Read more!

Creating drama

My workshop continues. This time I began by talking principles again. How principles comes before the forms. And never to trust any rules or models or such stuff as the golden standard, but only use such as the simple tools they are - and then know your principles of Drama. Yes, I say drama and I don't mean the same as in the video store, where everything serious and with emotions as centerpiece is filed under that definition. Drama is the definition
for the whole mega-genre, as opposed to the mega-genres of poetry, music, dance and epos (the novel&short-story). And the founding principle of drama is simply that drama deals with conflicts. This is the raison d'etre of the genre. Yes, all the other mega-genres also has some elements of conflict and deal with them. But for drama this is our main issue - and this is so because in our form we have characters acting in the here and now - which is the recipe for conflicts. The novel in comparison has the basic form (writing) where thoughts and reflections can be presented in its natural form (without necessarily being boring) and this gives us, the audience, a perspective outside the here and now. But in our genre, Drama, we deal in the moment, of what is happening right now in front of us. This is our main strength and this is why in film scripts or theatre plays using flashbacks can be very tricky - because the moment you loose the moment you loose the audience. After talking about the very basic principle for our genre I introduced the 4 act structure I mainly use, but I kept stressing that this is just one of many forms. One that I find useful, but one that I by no means swear to as the only one. I told the workshop participants that its useful to get acquainted with as many models as possible, to better understand that none of them is the only one, and to be able to pick and mix depending upon your needs for a specific project.
Then it was time to talk about the participants own projects. And this part of the workshop I can't really refer to in any level of detail, because what is being discussed is confidential and stays between me and the participants. But each participant tells the rest of us about their project, what's its about, where they are, what problems they experience and then I try and deal with it, give the best questions and suggestions I can come up with - and also very important are the questions from the other participants - as a part of the workshop experience is to become better at working in a group dynamic. Read more!

The forge is glowing hot

And tonight it began. My workshop on scriptwriting. And - wow - it's good to be doing this again. It is for me the perfect combo of teaching, telling anecdotes, sharing stories (both fictional and personal) and a solid basis of hands on problem solving. Basically I'm trying to put all the elements inside that has been most beneficial in my own development as a writer - both in form and in material.
Teaching: For me teaching and learning should come in high intensity. It should be highly distilled insights into what make things work, how and why. I'm not a fan of lengthy discourse with a lot of theory and reference and so on. Let me get to core of things - both when I'm a student and a teacher. So I'm trying to get to the point and not talk about it for hours.
Anecdotes: because they can tell you so much about the real world. They are small condensed stories that convey moments of experience. And as a form they are great to digress into from the more abstract kind of teaching. They tell you not only about how to do things, but how to do things in the real world. Or: "what can happen to you in the industry and how to deal or how you shouldn't deal with it". Some of my best anecdotes are about times I have fucked up.
Sharing stories: Because this the fundamental passion if you are a writer. In the workshop you have a immediate outlet for that passion. Tell your stories and hear some stories. And I like to throw in the occasional personal story because I believe we have to remain anchored in the personal. To draw upon it - and being honest and direct about it, not hiding it - even for those script that are not evidently personal.
Hands-on: Yes, I'm a great believer in learning by doing. So much time in school was wasted on just listening, being a good student, while all the real lessons were picked up by actually doing things, writing stuff that had to be produced - and often failing but taking your lesson. So in the workshop the core activity is getting the stories on the table and regard them as projects destined for production. What are the problems, how to go about solving them and then back home and come with solutions for the next session of the workshop.
So right now I can't wait until next wednesday night and another session of the workshop. I always get curious about the participants and their stories. How will things develop. Lets see. I'm tuned in. Read more!

Is this the time to free Tibet?

It seems like the run with Olympic torch, is going to be a gauntlet run for the Chinese government. The scenario could well see pressure building along the route, as the torch passes through the capitals of the world. This is maybe the right symbolic event in which to apply decisive pressure for real changes to Chinese politics. The most obvious case that the international society has, is the case of Tibet. Obvious because Tibet can not be claimed as a solely internal affair for China. They are evidently suppressing a non-chinese people. They have clearly occupied a foreign country, which now yearn to become free and democratic. There is an international famous and respected leader of the Tibetan movement.

The populations of all democratic countries should now call out to their leaders for action. We want our governments to boycott the Chinese rulers and their use of the Olympics as propaganda and make-up for their suppressing regime. We should demand of China that they roll back their occupation of Tibet, allow Dalai Lama and other political refugees to return, free all Tibetan political prisoners and invite the UN to govern the transitional period until a Tibetan democracy can be established. This should be our demands for participating in the Chinese Olympics. No less.


The Tibetan liberation could be an symbolic event that opens the way for the Chinese people to realize that they can also become free. That the Chinese rulers are not so all-powerful and that there is hope.

The french president has already announced that he demands that the Chinese government begins talks with the Dalai Lama and that they free political prisoners. This is a good first step, and he should be encouraged to take further steps. As reported here by Danish newspaper Politiken.

Now the torch is approaching London and its time for the Brits to step up to the plate and show their character. What do they value? Freedom in Tibet or good financial relations with China? The leader of the Liberal Democrats has called on PM Brown to abandon plans to greet the torch. That would only be the first symbolic step. As reported here in The Guardian.

Americans should ask their presidential candidates, what they think of the matter. Here is an obvious possibility of using diplomacy to help a suppressed people. The liberation would come much cheaper for USA than their current liberation of the Iragi people.

Be sure that most of our democratic governments will not be quick to take this action. They need to be pressured by us, the population. The main forum for building this pressure is obviously the net. Please join me in this effort. Link to others writing about it. Write your own comments and articles. Do what ever you can find time for to build this pressure.. Read more!

From the Highway - Casting

Friday was a double script meeting day. That's a little hardcore for me because I spend a lot of energy in a meeting. Each of them runs 2-4 hours. And I'm totally invested at every moment. Last meeting was with Yorgos Siougas about the "Mountain"-project. We had a good start. Some obvious chemistry and shared references. I'm curious to see where it leads. The first meeting was with Giannaris and we concluded the character-phase, where we have been going over all the characters again, this time making sure that they all reflect our basic conflict and theme. Looking at how they mirror our main character. The work has produced a lot of great details and small corrections/clarifications. And has been fun, too. Our next phase is to go scene by scene from the top. We will check each scene for a) the sharpness of the characters' objectives b) connection to central conflict/theme c) montage-value.
By montage-value I refer to the value you accumulate in the way you set the scenes up against each, the connections of relevance you make when you cut from one scene to the next. In this respect we are trying to establish some basic montage rules for the film. We are still debating them. Guess it will be our first subject for the next meeting. And then we are trying to seriously discuss potential actors, especially for the two main parts, Jason and Kate. After this cycle of improvements the script should be ready to convince top-tier actors of the projects attractiveness. And we really need to find 1 or 2 names to carry the film into the international market. Maybe you have some casting ideas? The two characters are:
Jason is his early 40s, a man with a strong body, a face that tells you of experience after 20 years sailing all over the world on the oil-tankers his adoptive family owns. He is a captain and 'a good man'. Giannaris sees Jason as a mediterranean type (dark hair, dark skin - some passion under a civilized exterior).
Kate is his wife, just a little younger than him, she is a grounded woman, who has known loss and difficulties without losing her faith in life. She can at times be cynical, but her objective is always aimed directly at enhancing life. She is trained as a medical doctor, she has good instincts and a quick mind. Guts. Physically Giannaris sees her as a more north european type.
Suggestions and comments are more than welcome. Oh, and the title is now not going to be Welcome Aboard. New title suggestion is Overboard. See the new poll. Read more!

10 Reasons for the Danish Film Miracle OR How Europe Can Beat Hollywood

During the 90s Danish film underwent a small revolution. From being a small nation that occasionally would get a film into the international market, as well as seeing it run away with the box office at national cinemas, the Danish film industry now has record setting statistics in all areas. Of all European countries Danish films does the best in their national market, often beating the more glamorous American productions at the box office. Every year several Danish films sell well in the international market. Almost every year there is a serious contender for the foreign film Oscar nomination. And all this in a very small country (5 mio+ population). It really shouldn't be possible. Its a case of the bumblebee that shouldn't be able to fly. Here is a look at some of the reason and circumstances that have made it possible.

1. Script is the foundation
By the late 80s or early 90s it became clear to both producers and the National Danish Film Institute that the script is the all-imporant foundation for a good movie. This should be self-evident, but in many countries the script is the weakest link. And also so in Denmark before early 90s. And not just realizing it, but acting upon it, the early 90s saw the establishment of two new national educations for writing - the script line at the National film school and the National Playwright Education (which also dedicate periods of its 3 years to film, TV and radio scripts), as well as a dramatic increase in the Film Institutes support for development of scripts. The institute changed its strategy on scripts - from selecting a few that they would eventually also support the production for - to supporting the development of too many scripts. The wisdom being that you have to get too many scripts to choose the best. This also meant more professional scriptwriters, as even the ones who didn't make it into production got paid (to some extent) for their hard work. It also became the standard that the consultants at the institute (who are the ones that single-handlely choose which scripts and film to support) would act as proper consultants, giving advice and know-how support to projects in development. Meanwhile the production companies also got the idea and began to develop more scripts.

2. Actors are real stars
The 90s also saw a new generation of actors entering the screens and stages. This was a generation who played more 'natural', meaning they would speak lines more organic and less artificially - but most of all they understood to reflect modern society in their acting. They became stars in a new way. They didn't become Hollywood glamour stars, but real stars, in the sense of remaining to be real people that the audiences could relate to in a more real way. The producers of both films and theatre understood to take advantage of this new generation, and make them stars - and thereby help to attract audiences.

3. Education is vital
Denmark has had a good National Film School since the 60s, but by the 90s it became upgraded with the new scriptline, and this also lead to the students learning to work in the all-important triangle of director-producer-writer. The scriptline excelled at teaching the students to work with 'the natural story', the concept of its scriptwriting-guru Mogens Rukow, who insisted on using natural stories - the family party, the dinner, the business meeting - whatever social structure who already has it's own fundamental natural story as a framework for all situations in a script - or even as the basic framework for a whole movie (like his own small masterpiece - Festen (The Celebration) which uses the celebration of big family birthday as its framework). The other areas of the Film School managed to attract the best Danish and international talent as teachers, as well as setting very high standards for the admittance of new students. In the same period Denmark also saw the opening of other schools around the country, which would teach film making at a lower lever, the entry level. They became the standard road to eventually being admitted to the National School.

4. Teamwork over auteur
Denmark has always been torn between the continental idea of the inspired genius and the auteur versus the anglo-saxon idea of solid work creates success. The anglo-saxon idea incorporates the concept that art can be taught, while obviously a genius can't be taught, but is something almost god-given. In the 90s there was a shift towards the Anglo-Saxon view, that manifested itself in a belief in teamwork - the institute stressed the need of a collaboration between the trio of producer-director-writer, and it more or less became a requisite for financial support. The production companies were quick to adapt to it, as well as most directors and writers. It became about teamwork - and this also went hand-in-hand with the new generation of actors, who were not prima-donnas, but mainly relied a lot on teamwork, playing with the other actors.

5. Companies help out new talent
A tradition already existed in Denmark for established companies to give a helping hand to young talents no-budget productions big lending or renting out equipment for free or at a very low cost. This tradition became all the more important as the 90s saw a steady growth in the amount of young people seeking a life in film-making. By staying in touch with the new talent the companies were able to both stimulate them and harvest the best of them. The Lars von Trier company, Zentropa, is especially famous for this, as well for employing a huge number of volunteers, often working 1-2 years without pay for the company. At the same time Zentropa and other companies were often quick to take a chance on new talent.

6. Critical mass
In the 70s and 80s most directors would go years between making a feature film. This is not good for developing your art and skills. During the 90s the Film institute and the companies managed to increase the number of yearly productions dramatically, due to their success - as they made more money and also managed to pressure the politicians into increasing the budget for the Film institute - to support the Danish Film Miracle. And it is necessary in the small country to have a substantial state support to carry the burden of risk, as a small country can't have major studios big money that allows for risk taking. Also the critical mass applies to the number of production companies, which increased throughout the 90s, both in numbers and in the number of 'continually producing companies'. The critical mass also has an impact on the audiences as they get used to going to the cinema to see a Danish film, they come to expect it, even to expect that a new Danish film has always just opened its run.

7. Mainstream and art
The famous division between art and mainstream is not so divisive in Denmark. Many films which could be considered art house material are just about mainstream enough to do well in box office. Also the institute support both types of films, as the philosophy is that the two oft-estranged cousins of cinema actually help each other out. Its all one big pot - if the companies make money on mainstream they are better situated to take a chance on art.

8. Dogma
There's no way around mentioning the event of Dogma-films. The stunt played a major role in re-inventing Danish cinema. It brought everything down to earth, back to basic, and maybe most importantly it made it possible to produce more films, as they were quite cheap, because the rules of the Dogma-manifesto decreed the absence of all the superfluous, expensive stuff like effects, lighting and so on. It became all about the story and the actors. The fundamentals. The general lesson here is to focus for a while on some core values of filmmaking that can inspire and propel forward a new generation of filmmakers.

9. Film, TV and theatre are connected.
In Denmark there is not a great division between the three, which means a lot of the same talent, especially actors, work in all three fields, but also to a great degree this goes for some directors and writers. This means several things. The talent are able to earn a living, because they have more options. They are more well-rounded in skills. And they can bring the experience in one field to enhance the others.

10. Lars von Trier
As with Dogma, its impossible not to mention Lars von Trier as a major influence for the blossoming of Danish Film. By his personal example, by his Dogma-initiative and by the activities of his hugely successful renegade company, Zentropa, led by famous pretend-maverick Peter Ålbæk (always sporting a big cigar) he has brought inspiration and helped open doors for other Danish filmmakers. No matter how you rate his films, there is no discussion that he has made a huge impact on the Danish film industry and his fellow filmmakers. And unlike Sweden, were Bergmann was a huge national symbol that almost blocked out anybody else (not intentionally of course) Lars von Triers personal success seems more generous for others, more like a catalyst, than an unreachable standard.

There are of course other reasons and circumstances. But these are the 10 most important in my opinion. Some of these are easily copied by other (small) nations, who wish to stimulate their film industry. And they should do so - because the smaller countries of Europe and around the world need to step up and challenge the hegemony of Hollywood. Smaller countries can't beat Hollywood at it's own game. The country and the film studios are just too big. The money too big. We can't compete with that. This is why they most look at different strategies. There should be a healthy competition. And USA and Hollywood became big by rigging the playing field in the post WW2 situation, where USA took its payment for the famous Marshall-help by forcing European countries to embrace the american industry. Pre-WW2 European films were dominant in europe. This all changed after the Marshall-plan had helped the war-torn countries back on their feet by force-feeding the American products. Read more!

Sunday recap: The End of Love

OK, so it's Sunday. And I'll begin a habit of recapping the week. Work, love-life and all the rest in between.

This week has been about my web presence. Getting the blog up and running. Tuning my applications for optimal browsing and stuff like that. Getting into the habit. And then it has been work. I'm reading two projects at the time being.

Constantine Giannaris' new film, which is so far titled "Welcome Aboard". I do a little experiment of surveying how that title sits with people by using a poll on this blog. Giannaris and I have been working on and off with the script since august 07. Before that he has worked with it for, what? 2-3 years I think. It's becoming more and more tight and it's a really good process. My role is as a collaborative consultant. It means I'm not really a writer, but also that I'm not 'just' a consultant. It's in between, with a lot of hands on and concrete, detailed suggestions to Giannaris, it's on all level of the process - discussing the major idea(s) propelling the story, incorporating the fruit of those discussion in detail - it's editing, trying to cut not-so-necessary stuff, re-arranging material for greater effect and so on.

And then a new project has landed on my desk. "The Mountain", which I have been invited to write for a Greek director, whose name I don't really remember yet - George or Yorgos something. The boss of Highway Filmproductions, Yorgos Lykardopoulos, tells me he is talented and has made a very good short film. They've had other scriptwriters on the project, but none of them have been satisfactory for the director. He is clear about the fact, that he doesn't want to write himself - which is good because it makes the rules of collaboration well defined. The idea is his and according to Lykardopoulos he is very flexible about it - maybe this is a problem. Sometimes, although its very rare, people are too flexible, which means it's very hard to find out what satisfy them, and so you can continue doing rewrites. Anyway, it's too soon to pass any judgments on this project. All I want to say now is: It's a kind of supernatural psychological thriller. I'm meeting the director in the coming week to find out what the core of his mountain-idea is. And if we can develop a working chemistry.

On the personal level the week hasn't been too bad, relatively. It is the first week after me and my girlfriend broke up (again - but this time it seems final). I catch myself almost sending her a sms to share a feeling or experience or thought and then I realize that we have broken up. I feel awful lonely at moments and miss her intensely. And she is very adamant of cutting the connection completely. I'm more a softy, who wouldn't mind a little ongoing post-break-up contact. Well, I try not to think about it too much. Last time we had a serious break up I was really in the deep end, where I constantly felt and thought about it, and was sure I would never find love again. That this was it. The end of love. I still feel like that, but I don't obsess about it. If it is the end of love, then I will accept it.


Read more!

Vikings behind Scandinavian happiness

A team of scientists in my native town of Århus has concluded that the historical background for the famous Scandinavian trust (see also this post) has it's origin in the society of the Vikings. Because they didn't have a legal system (not really, unless you count blood-revenge as a legal system) and they had a small empire stretching from Scotland to Volga, they had to trust each other in dealings. Science has documented a link between trust and general happiness in a population. And again and again Scandinavian countries grab the top spots in international "how happy are the nations"-surveys. Personally I also believe the climate plays a role. Traditionally we say that the darker and wetter climate in Scandinavia breeds depression, which is true in many cases, while the sunny climate of the Mediterranean brings a more light mood. But if you consider that the Scandinavian people in the middle ages and before that had to struggle to survive the hardship of winter, to work constantly, this might have put their threshold for happiness quite low. They are in rough generalization a hardworking, realistic people, who don't expect a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (the Vikings knew well you had to fight for the gold;-)). So don't expect the Danes, Swedes, Norwegians or Finns to dance in streets to reggae (Although the Finns dance a lot of tango, it's their own version, mainly written in minor key - to give a taste of it here is a clip from Finnish tango competition:
)

In conclusion, the Scandinavians rate as a happy people, partly because trust is a historical tradition. Its worth also noting the absence of great violent revolutions in Scandinavian societies - mostly the transitions between different government forms has been reletively peaceful.

Again, if you read the exotic language, here is a newspaper report from JP. Read more!

David Mamet: I'm no longer a "brain-dead liberal"

I didn't even know he used to be a leftist. He reveals his new orientation in a Village Voice essay in his typical prose, digressions and anecdotes. I like his style.

It really surprises me that he has been a staunch leftist. All his writing seems beyond politics, focused on character. Everything he talks about in "True and False, Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor" seems so beyond the blind idealism of the left. The whole book's philosophy is based in pragmatism, in a no bullshit approach, think for yourself, do it yourself - don't trust prophets, demagogues, authority-figures.

Reading his new essay I'm a bit worried that he now embraces the right like the newly converted he is, instead of doing his own pragmatic thinking, which I believe he is better at. Why play this label game anymore. Liberals. Conservatives. To me it doesn't really make sense. The big ideologies are now only ghosts haunting us, infecting politics and society with a time-wasting name-calling. We most rid ourselves of them. This is one of the reasons I like Obama. He thinks beyond the divisions created by the ghosts. He is pragmatic and idealistic. As Mamet himself express the link between the two in this quote: "There’s nothing more pragmatic than idealism". The idealism of Mamet has always been pragmatic - focused on the matter, on creating good theater, films - pleasing the audience by challenging them to be their best.

Bottom-line: Even though I'm happy he is not a "brain-dead liberal" anymore, I fear he trying out for a new role as "seen-the-light-conservative", while I much would prefer him to be himself, which I find much more interesting. Read more!

David Mamet told me to make a workshop

Today I went to the office of Highway Filmproductions down in Psiri to finally set up and begin the workshop on scriptwriting. This has been in the pipeline for a long, long time. I really want to do it. As one of my old teachers said in a paraphrase of a Danish saying: "You learn as long as you have students". I like the interaction, the meeting of other writers, trying to focus and distillate my knowledge and experience in scriptwriting to help them overcome their challenges.
There are two long term ambitions of this project - to stimulate the Greek film industry, where the major weakness is the script - and to eventually write a book about scriptwriting. Personally I like only two of the many book I have read: Lajos Egri's "Dramatic Writing" and Syd Field's autobiography "Going to the movies" - no not really his books on scriptwriting - more this one, as it narrates his own experience of finding the building blocks of his 'system'. It is much more educational and exciting to read. Then I like the website called wordplay.
Essential is David Mamet. His book on acting is a must for any writer. The writer and the actor are intimately linked. Or, the better they are connected, the better for the drama (the film, the theater, the tv-series). The history of their relation goes all the way back to ancient Greek drama - which was a writer and a bunch of actors - no producers, no directors, no middlemen. And by the way, TV-series are gaining ground as the major format for contemporary drama, and I believe one of the reasons is exactly the intimate relation between writers and actors.
David Mamet also informed me of the fact that instead of keep looking for a mentor, we should become our own. And it was this which initially set me on to creating the workshop. Read more!

Danish Beauty

During and just after the Easter in Denmark one of the Socialdemocrats young and promising politicians damaged his career seriously. How?

He slept with a 15-year old girl. After appearing as a guest lecturer at the Socialdemocrats youth organization's easter course, he attended the following party with all the young, eager Socialdemocrats. Oh, the allure of youth. Jeppe Kofoed himself is 34-year old, and even though he hasn't reached the midlife crisis Lester Burnham, the Kevin Spacey character of the film American Beauty, he fell victim to the same need for youth. And obviously he didn't have the character or the luck of Lester, who at the last moment, when he realizes the girl is still a kid, can't go through with it.

On Danish blogs some people are discussing to what degree his action should cost him. He has done nothing illegal as such. Some people find it worse than driving under influence. To me, this just show how taboo sex still is. Even in Denmark. And how much childhood still is romanticized as innocent. Yes, she was 15, and yes, he should not have done it - let alone for his own self-respect. But come on, to say it is worse than drunk people driving and perhaps killing people?

So far he has himself resigned from all political offices he held, and is said to consider even withdrawing from parliament. This before it became a news story. He has talked with the girl and her family to apologize. This either shows he has some character, or just that he is a clever politician, as it may be the only way to save the remains of his political career.

I became disillusioned with politics at a very young age. Stopped believing in any kind of ideology. Or party. To me it all boils down to character, and especially the non-narcissistic kind, which is sadly rare in politics, as it has become so much about the game and the power.

Maybe Jeppe Kofoed has character and a weakness in it, or maybe he has no character at all, and is just an inflated ego, who likes the adoration of young girls. This is what I would like to know, but the newspapers don't inform me.

For those who can read the exotic language, here is a link to one of the articles of the Danish newspaper Politiken. Read more!

Obama fever

These days I constantly check for news about Barack Obama. This is kind of weird for me. Not my usual behavior. I have never followed American elections closely before. I have caught the fever. In my recent period of depression, it was one of the few things I could mobilize myself to do. Because in that hopelessness of depression, as weird as it sounds, Obama was a person who gave me a little hope. This almost sounds sick. To project your own hope onto a person you don't know in real life. It isn't. It is natural psychology. And Obama does it so well. Being a symbol for the projection of hope. Don't misunderstand me. This is not in anyway to diminish Obama. I think it is an important aspect of the job description for the head of state. Kings, presidents and the like should in best case be symbols of inspiration and hope. And I think it is an ability and a question of character fortitude. Obama has the ability and it seems he has the character, which can take the massive projection from people without getting his ego inflated. Most modern day people suffer from a variety of narcissistic disturbances. To my observation it seems that Obama has his under control. Obviously the symbol-making is also an exchange between him and the crowd. Commentators say that Obama has developed through the campaign, become a better debater and talker. A part of this is the energy he receives from the crowd, that has been growing in number and enthusiasm.

So here I am. Watching Obama, reading what people say of him and hoping intensely that he will be elected not only as the Democratic nominee, but also president. He has the potential to become a true symbol of inspiration. He understands this part of the job description very well, as almost no one else I have seen. The powerless heads of state, like kings and queens of democracies, and in some cases also presidents, know it because it is their only job description, but Obama knows it even better because he found out for himself.

Here where I live, in Athens, Europe, there is a radical lack of hope in political figures, and that is demoralizing for a country. It breaks down the social fabric, as everyone more and more only look out for themselves. It is also happening in my home country of Denmark, though to a lesser extent, as a certain trust in the 'system' and the professionalism of the politicians remain. But there is no hope or inspiration from the politicians there anymore. And the funny thing is that it is eventually going to cost Denmark money. The social fabric of Denmark has been created throughout hundreds of years by a string of inspirational leaders, not true greats most of them, but still. This has created a strong economy in a country with almost no natural riches. Social scientist have described how the 'trust' of a population saves a lot of money. Compare fx. Denmark and USA, and you will find that Americans spend much more money on lawsuits, protection against lawsuits, security and so on - things that are not productive. If you look at the financial situation of Denmark, it is very, very good. Minimal unemployment, low debts, low poverty and so on. If America with Obama as president could begin the long journey of weaving the social trust, healing the racial divide, healing the divide between rich and poor and all the other divides, then they would not only be happier, but also financially richer for it. Read more!