videowilliams

Making It Happen: Onan - Sneek Peek #1

DawnAkemi — Sun, 04 May 2008 08:11:29 +0000

WE HAVE A SEEK PREVIEW TO ONAN!!

This is a a trailer.

I won't give away the story except to say that my character makes an important discovery!!!

Hope you enjoy it!

Eating and Drinking Indian Style in Kerala

DawnAkemi — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:44:27 +0000

After most of the principal photography was finished for Onan,
our Director, Shyam Madhaven Sarada, treated Dave Williams and myself
to a short trip to the Indian State of Kerala, located on the other
side of the Indian subcontinent from Chennai. Here is some video of
Kallanchery Island, where we stayed.

Also in India, we learned
to eat with our hands, which is done very sophisticatedly by the
Indians, and to drink properly from shared water bottles, by pouring
the water into the mouth without touching the lips, so as not to spread
our germs.

Direction and Camera by videowilliams.
Editing by reincarnut.

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What an adventure!

Submitted by cpparker on May 3, 2008 - 7:13pm.

I
watched all your movies on YouTube the other day, I felt like I was
there. Was this your first time overseas? I can't wait to see the movie
when it comes out.

new
It was an adventure!

Submitted by DawnAkemi on May 3, 2008 - 7:38pm.

Thank you for watching and for the high complement, Christine!

This was not my first time overseas as I have been to Europe. But this
was certainly my first time to Asia and my first time for such a long
journey. The most time I spent in Europe was several days. I spent
over a month travelling to and from India... plus immersing myself into
their lifestyle and working world. It was an unbelievably eye-opening
experience to say the least. I will do it again in a heartbeat!

I can't wait til it comes out too...

Driving Through India at Night!

DawnAkemi — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:42:17 +0000

The hectic traffic patterns, street views, and crowds of people
continue to amaze me! Here is a view from a taxi at night... Shyam
offers his brilliant perspective here...

Note: Indians drive on the left side of the road and the driver is on the right side of the car.

Direction and Camera by videowilliams.
Editing by reincarnut.

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India Tour: Film Locations

DawnAkemi — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:40:38 +0000

Early in the trip, Dave and I took a tour of some of the film locations... we included three of them here:

Marina Beach: At 12 kilometers, Marina Beach is one of the longest beaches in the world.

St. Thomas Church: One of only three churches in the world with an apostle buried beneath.

Chennai
Mofussil Bus Station: Spread over 37 acres, it is the largest bus
station in Asia. There I shared chai tea with the director, Shyam
Madhaven Sarada, writer/actor, Ra Ramamoorthy, sound and camera, Sony
Bhaskaran, and David Williams (who is behind the camera in this vlog).

Direction and Camera by videowilliams.
Editing by reincarnut.

Palavakkam Beach

DawnAkemi — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:39:20 +0000

Dave and I were eventually given a beautiful apartment near the beach
for our month long stay in India. It was huge and, most importantly,
air conditioned... ;-)

We immediately checkout out the beach which yielded some surprises...

Direction and Camera by videowilliams.

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Indian Traffic

DawnAkemi — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:36:30 +0000

On our first day in India, Dave and I made this little film from the
balconey at our first place of stay. It encapsulates our initial
observations. This will eventually be a part of the "Postcards from
India" playlist at Youtube.

Direction and Camera by videowilliams.

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What?

Submitted by Turzman on May 3, 2008 - 6:28pm.

No mention of Indian steakhouses?

I hear they have the best barbeques in the world!

"Baffling the critics since 1971."

Yummy Food

Submitted by DawnAkemi on May 3, 2008 - 7:06pm.

We didn't eat much BBQ. But we did eat very, very well. Indian food
is a gustatory delight!!! Spicy and yummy. In fact, I think I put on
a pound or two that I am now working off on my Griffith Park hikes. Oh
well, gotta live life!!!

Hi Dawn!

Submitted by John Meredith on May 3, 2008 - 6:57pm.

Looks like a fun trip :)

Amazing Trip

Submitted by DawnAkemi on May 3, 2008 - 7:10pm.

Hiya John!

The trip was so much more than just fun... I am still trying to find
simple ways to describe it. Stuff like "life-changing" come to mind.
We were so immersed in a different world... it was like education and
experience and enjoyment (and then some) all rolled into one.

The Movie

Submitted by John Meredith on May 3, 2008 - 7:57pm.

What is the movie you made there about?

Movie Synopsis

Submitted by DawnAkemi on May 3, 2008 - 8:10pm.

"Onan"
interweaves the personal stories of several players in a drug deal,
which we discover as the drug deal unfolds. It's an action crime
drama. It was very well written... Shyam has a friend Ra Ramamoorthy,
who makes his living as an AD in Chennai, and is an excellent writer.

Sounds...

Submitted by John Meredith on May 3, 2008 - 8:26pm.

great Dawn.

I can't wait to see it.

Oh, since Dave is in Austrailia, cant he find Angus Young for us and ask him when he and his band are touring again? ;)

I'm Going to India!!!

DawnAkemi — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:33:15 +0000

Before going to India, I posted this little vlog announcing my trip to
the Youtube community: it talks about how "Onan" eventually came
together from that which was started on OTL. This film, along with
those created in India, will be made into a playlist called "Postcards
from India" on Youtube.

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Making It Happen: We Made a Movie in India!

DawnAkemi — Sat, 03 May 2008 22:05:59 +0000

Once upon a time, a great many of us were drawn to OTL to participate in a reality show. In the process, we discovered the possibility for creative collaboration with other like-minded artists, all finding each other through the magic of the internet. When it became clear that OTL was not the ideal playground for the necessary exchange of ideas, KarmaCritic was created to continue to nurture those collaborations born on OTL and to draw new artists. All of us desired to make movies.

I am lucky enough to see these desires bear fruit: I recently returned from India after just such a collaboration. Dave Williams (videowilliams) and myself were invited to India to work with Shyam Madhavan Sarada (reincarnut) on the production of his film, “Onan” (this is a temp-title… a new title is being registered at this moment), an action crime drama. Shyam even pulled together the financing to fly us out and put us up for over a month. The trip was extremely successful and a marvelous adventure… never had I traveled outside the U.S. for that long and never to such an exotic land. My goodness, I flew half the globe!

The story, interweaving the personal stories of players in the unfolding of a drug deal, was tightly written and compelling, while also designed for an improvisational acting approach: Shyam was the director, producer, DP, and actor; Dave Williams both worked the camera and acted; I was brought out to act, but also contributed story and production ideas, as did Dave. We had a delightful Indian cast and crew to work with. Shyam is a true collaborator.

I must say, too, that after all the talk I’ve seen on the internet, Shyam proved, with out a doubt, that he can walk his talk. He expressed a desire for this project, and then proceeded to make it happen. This is the first time I’ve seen a project of this scale, partially derived from internet networking, come together internationally. Shyam has my deep respect.

The film is in post now and planned to be completed by June. Shyam’s distribution plan is beautifully simple: in a country with a billion TV/film-mad viewers, hungry for content, he is already lining up interested buyers (their business model is different from the Hollywood corporate commercial based system). He plans to make enough profit (the word “profit” rarely being seen in the world of American independent filmmaking) to do this all over again, continuing our collaborations, and building a body of work. Dave and I may find our passports filled with Indian stamps… how awesome. He also wants to produce films in Sydney and Hollywood… or elsewhere.

I will be uploading some vlogs, created by Dave and myself, documenting our adventure, (before, during, and after the trip)… I hope everyone at KC can enjoy it as much as we did making it. The whole experience was amazing.

This is so tremendously exciting: not only do our initial dreams and intentions for internet relationships work, they come together to meaningfully create films anywhere in the world… not just in Hollywood or with people living within a few hour radius. All we have to do is believe and then just do it! Shyam has a favorite saying: Free. Your. Mind. I agree. Believe.

Later addition:

Shyam just sent the 1st teaser for Onan. I'm so excited!!!!

Please enjoy:

ONAN (Tamil/English) Sneak Peek #1

Speed Cameras Ahead

videowilliams — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:57:31 +0000

A rant about speed limits, the Holden Commodore (known in America as the Pontiac G8), and driving top speed at the Top End. My audition for a role in Top Gear Australia.

One for the car nuts!

Dawn Drives Hollywood

videowilliams — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:45:01 +0000

The day before I flew home to Australia, Dawn took me on a driving tour of her stomping grounds on Hollywood Boulevard. I photographed the passing parade while we reflected on its history, traded wisecracks and reminisced about the good times we'd enjoyed.

The glamour of those famous intersections may have faded somewhat since their golden days, becoming overgrown with shops and tourist traps, but you can still feel "the fever" if you try...

This is the penultimate section of my US travelogue, and runs directly into the LOOP After Party.

Filmmaker's Notes: Another edited home movie, in the "holiday videos shot out the side of a moving car" style.