The Last Cigarette in the Parisian Bar

Here is how I smoked the last cigarette in the Parisian bar on 31st of December 2007.

J.J.B.

Vavaland

I've just got home from short trip to Amsterdam. I've been there for 4 days and I stayed at Vava's place. Vava is a friend of mine that I met during the workshop in Krsko. He was a great host during my staying and since I'm not in the mood for writing a reportage, here are just some impressions.

It was very cold, even canals were wearing winter clothes.

In China's part of the town the streets names are written in Chinese. I wonder what would happen if in some parts of Paris the streets names would be also written in Arabic.

But London syndrome is also present: cameras are on several streets around Red Lights District.

You can buy bear in the cinema. But you can also drink bear in cinema.

This windmill is still a brewery.

Kaas means cheese, Zatte is a great bear with 8% of alcohol.

Vava's girlfriend Janneke took this picture. She put the camera down before the actual shot. Still, I like the picture a lot:)

On my last evening, Vava and Janneke in action.

J.J.B.

Casablanca

It's been 2 months since we started with classes at Eicar. This year I teach production for bachelor 1st year and master 1st year. Those are mainly theoretical courses 2 hours a week.
"My class", where I teach directing, is 2nd year bachelor program. We have almost 40 students so we divided them into two groups and the other teacher is Adriano Valerio. We alternate classes so that both group can have lectures from both of us.
There are two premises in 2nd year program. First, how to tell a story in realistic way, stressing also the film structure, dramaturgy... Second, it's working with actors.
Last week we started with exercises with actors. The students get the given scene from films and then they have to direct with actors. Each year I choose the scene from Casablanca, where Ingrid Bergman comes to ask for transit letters from Humphrey Bogart, to be the first one because it's very easy to break it down into units and to find objectives and obstacles. In one class three students work with actors on the scene and then we analyse their work together, then the following week one of them shoot the scene.
So here is the picture from shooting, where actors Jon Russo and Heike try to do their best of Bogart-Bergman.

At one moment my student Madison took my photo and made some pictures. After, I found this one that I like a lot. D.O.P. August at work (not to forget, director was Brandon).

J.J.B.

La Cuisine Libanaise

Few days ago Mirella and I invited Vinciane and Guissepe for a dinner. I was very glad because Mirella promised that she will cook Libanese food which I adore.
So, here how it was.
The starter was of course houmus (made from chickpea's, garlic and lemon - at the end, you put olive oil on top of it) and lebanese bread. Of course, you can eat houmus with the main course also, which was specialy marinated chicken with rice, almonds, rasins and pinuts.
And of course salad, tabbule, made from tomato, parsley and onions.
Hera are the happy eaters (I am not among them because I took the picture but I can assure you, I was the most satisfied one:)). Vine was French and for apettizer we drank viliamovka, which is Slovenian brandy made from pears.

Oh, I almost forgot: for dessert, chockolate, that Guissepe and Vinciane brought from Belgia.

After the dinner we were having a good time listening to music, esspecialy Mika, new Libanese star. I said that it reminds me of Walk like an Egyptian, the old hit from 80's. Because the girls are young, we had to demonstrate thew how we danced at the time.

J.J.B.