For details go to:
> www.bettingonshorts.com

Short clips of the films can be found at:
> http://www.bettingonshorts.com/trailers/trailers.html

Excerpts from "Even if she had been a criminal" can be found here:
> http://www.framepool.com/newsflash/even

Deutscher Kamerapreis 2004

Der Anfang der Dinge liegt nicht in der Vergangenheit,
sondern im HIER und JETZT, in jedem Augenblick...
Drupka Rinpoche/ZEN


P A R A I S O - Synopsis (Debütfilm)

Es reichen ihnen ein paar Stücke Holz, vom Meer an den Strand gespült. Einige ausgebleichte Flaschen aus Plastik. Und schon entsteht Musik, kraftvoll und vibrierend vor Lust, eine Explosion, der Rhythmus des jungen Cuba.

Rafael tuckert mit seinem gelben Chevrolet, Baujahr '57, mit zerbrochener Windschutzscheibe durch die Straßen Guantanamos, bleibt an jedem Hügel hängen und versucht mit wenig Erfolg seinen Lebensunterhalt zu verdienen. Auf seiner ständigen Suche nach Benzin, lernt er die Musiker von Madera Limpia (dt. "Reines Holz") kennen. In Guantanamo, wo die Enkel der alten Herren von "Buena Vista Social Club" auftreten, gibt es keine Clubs, keine Studios und schon gar keinen Ry Cooder. Nichts als Armut, Regen und Sex. Die junge Band im tropischen Osten der Insel spielt die Musik der Straße. Schnell, heiß und aggressiv. Den pulsierenden Changúi vermengt mit Rap und HipHop auf Holzinstrumenten. "Unsere Musik", sagt Puro, der Mann an der Trés-Gitarre, "musst du tanzen, singen und spüren, um sie zu hören". Diese Musik entspringt dem Überlebenskampf der Straße und erzählt von alltäglichen Momenten, von Liebe, Untreue, Sehnsucht, Frustration, Langeweile. "Mein größtes Problem? Zu leben. Während ich lebe, merke ich, was mir fehlt. Ich kann davon träumen und es suchen. Und was mir fehlt, ist alles", sagt Yasel, die Hauptfigur des Films.

Paraiso nähert sich dem Alltag im Osten Kubas, wo das Leben dahin fließt, obwohl die Zeit stehengeblieben zu sein scheint. Ein Film voller Poesie, abseits eingetretener Pfade.

The drop, which floats above water...

Eisbach Studios in Munich, brooding heat generated by 85 kW, it's 4 o'clock in the morning. Somebody is opening the gate to the studio, searching for fresh air. Outside, the first blackbirds chirping into the end of the night. Even nature's enthusiasts seem to be awakening now. Inside, film freaks at the edge of a nervous breakdown. A DOP, who, at this time of the day, forgot all about his pride over his awarded Lions from Cannes; a cameraman, who had no sleep for two nights in a row; a producer, who has lots of questions left. Then, there comes the drop, which seems to be floating above the water for an unending moment. Suddenly, all tension and exhaustion are clean gone. The shoot is in process since yesterday morning and hundreds of gigabyte data in form of splendid HighSpeed HD shots have been produced. This is a first experience with innovative technology, which will make production better, some day down the road.

The adventure to shoot HighSpeed on 35mm film is known to those, who had the stamina to endure those shots. Reels of film are quickly running through the camera without coming to an end, or tearing, or the hurtful surprise at the lab: what happened to the exposure, why is everything out of focus, and where is the object itself? Sky rising expenses, the money is running down the drain. Those who hold film material like this, would never let it go again. Usually it is too valuable and far too customized for the clients need, or all rights are in the customers possession. 35mm HighSpeed stock footage for composition or low-priced commercials? Almost impossible to get in a world as we know it.

A new way to get HighSpeed footage is HD video:
there is this small blue case which is still called a camera, but it looks more like a tiny transformer with an oddly screwed on lens. In the back you find a computer designed by Siemens for control and data processing, a mess of cables, monitors, and the operator, who is in despair of rendering the immense amount of data. The whole setup appears to be more industrial and inventive technique, not meant for a regular crowd, but that's what pioneer time is all about.

Then there are the first results:
You are able to view what has been done within just a couple of minutes of rendering. The coffee bean is off to the left, or the ice cube plops too far on the right into the water. So, just erase it and shoot again. Shooting with 1000 fps (frames per second), in 1536 x 1024 pixels, progressive scan. The inside life of this camera is one of a kind: 32 chips, otherwise this amount of data could not be read, are continuously recording all image information and placing the data to an interim storage. Within 2 seconds, the event is over and stored. The operator of the camera only has to trigger at the right moment.

Lighting is everything. Technically spoken this sounds easy, but in reality, this calls for high demands on the lighting engineer. We are talking 85 kW, a battalion of 2,5er with no space around, all shining onto a small spot with gleaming light beams, redirected through mirrors and reflective foils, divided by "?" and again being focused onto the falling objects. All this, just to give the entirety the necessary contrast and depth.



The results are impressive: magical shining silvery ice cubes gliding gentle through water, by themselves or with lemons, symbolizing savory longdrinks. A drop, plunging into the water surface, perishing, but then, returning suddenly as if thrown back by a trampoline, again floating above the water level, eventually just to relapse into the pale blue wet underneath. Streams of melting chocolate, rivers of white cream, milk shakes. Whiskeys, Cognacs, Camparies, cocktails, drinks on the rock. Beer, poured in a gush, foaming into glasses or steins.



Framepool makes this material now available to stock footage users for any intended use. You can view and get those never before seen shots at www.framepool.com for a comparable low price. But there is no halt - the Framepool team is eager to extend it's special collection within the next month.