Shoot Films By Cell Phones?

     I just can not think about it.You know we have to use the high quality cameras to make a film.So it seems that it is impossible with the cell phones.Because the pictures or the videos made by the cell phones are not very clear.But this happend in Africa……

     Siku affixed his cell phone to a small Siku, tied the car to a string, turned the phone to the film setting, and handed the leash to a small girl to pull along behind her as she strolled through the city streets. The resulting film, only 7 minutes long, gives viewers a secret look at the real-life goings on of the country’s capital. Siku says that using a mobile phone gives him the chance to film regular people in situations where he would ordinarily not be able to film. Because mobile phones are small, affordable, and easy to work with, he is able to film more closely and discreetly than he would be able to with a regular camera.

     The government of DR Congo tries to stifle reports about the corruption and poverty in the country, and as a result, filming permits are almost never granted to Congolese filmmakers. By refusing to give locals permission to film locally, the government can officially weed out anyone who might want to be critical of the government through showing the real country in a film. Anyone who tries to controvert authorities by filming without permission, whether or not their mission is to show the real DR Congo, is subject to being arrested, heavily fined, or worse.

     French filmmaker Marie-Dominique Dhelsing held a workshop last year about making films with mobile phones, and that workshop is where Siku learned about the technique. Dhelsing conducts such workshops in several areas around the world to help people discover ways to tell the stories of their deprived regions and government oppression. Her workshops were designed for students at Kinshasa’s only arts school, the Académie des Beaux Arts, but Dhelsing encourages underprivileged kids from slums nearby to attend.

     Siku still shoots movies using his cell phone. He and several of his colleagues at Dhelsing’s workshop have founded an official group of video artists, YEBELA, who show the films they have created on Kinshasa’s streets. Siku’s debut film has served as a vehicle to show the world his talents, thereby opening the door to a future for him as a filmmaker. “Cardboard Car” has been submitted to 5th Pocket Films Festival, a celebration of cell phone film accomplishments that is scheduled to be held in Paris this summer.

July 10, 2009  Author:   Posted in: View

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.