Rainy December

We've finished the 1st shooting day. It was very difficult to work because it was raining all the time but we still managed to shoot everything we planned for that day. The actors and the crew were wonderful. I'm very tired, so for the moment just three pictures.



J.J.B.

Elections for Movie

We are a week in front of the shoot. For the film we have to create a pre-election time so one of the biggest steps was to make posters. Here are some of them.

These are main actors: Valter Dragan, Polona Juh and in the role of daughter Pina Bitenc. This will be jumbo size poster.

This is the variation for the end of the film. His party is Slovenian Democratic Union.

This is 1st a.d. Goran Vojnovic together with me. We represent extreme right nationalists with a punch line: Let's stop the corruption.

J.J.B.

Back to the Countryside

I became Boris Petkovic again. For a while. Or a little bit longer. Who knows?
I've got two projects with government money involved so I moved back to Ljubljana - Slovenia (I hope everyone knows where is that:).
We started the shooting of the documentary with working title 100% Luksuz (100% Luxury) in July this year. We had spent almost three weeks on Trska gora (hill above Krsko) shooting two international workshops. One morning, when we tried to get people coming out from their tents, Vava Stojadinovic, one of the tutors, made this picture.

Karim Raoul was D.O.P., Cecile Horreau was in charge of sound and me directing. Because I preferred that we work as a small crew, I was also camera assistant and boom operator:). More pictures you can see here.
The film is for the moment in post-production, it's coming close to the end of editing, I plan to make a first cut in a week or so. I have a lot of fun with archive rushes. They go back to mid 90's when the association started to work.

The other project is a short film with a working title Just One Step. It's a story about violence in the family wrapped in Slovenian political milieu.
Here is a crew meeting, from the left 1st a.d. Goran Vojnovic, production designer Ursa Loboda and costume designer Jelena Prokovic.

And here, as a bonus:), you can see producer Danijel Hocevar, production manager Matija Kozamernik and production assistant Jana Flego.

We are two months in front of the shooting so more about the pre-production is still to come.

J.J.B.

Chez Raphael

I'm back I guess.
For the moment just two fragments from life in Paris.
Raphael moved to a new apartment, the neighbourhood is quite interesting, as you will see in the clip.

His restaurant Cheri Bibi is doing very well. One night he tried to make a new record in carying glasses around.

That's it for the moment. In next post I will explain how I became Boris Petkovic again.

J.J.B.

I don't

do this normaly but this is fucking great.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

J.J.B.

New York...

...New York, big city of dreams,
But everything in New York ain’t always what it seems.
photo by Karim Raoul

J.J.B.

Honoring The Man

Exactly 37 years ago, on this day, Viktor Gotovic, one of the most famous Slovenian actors was born. His peak in Slovenian filmmaking was in '99 and 2000 when he appeared in several movies. Me and him were quite a friends but one day he's just disappeared. There are roumors saying that he is in California surfing the waves, the others say that he grows popcorn in Asia, the darkest forecasts are that he died from overdose in Columbia. I don't really believe to any of those. Still, I would like to know what has happened to him. If anyone has any news, please let me know.

J.J.B.

Sacred Objects

Last week I was on the opening of the photo exhibition Sarajevo dans le coeur de Paris of Milomir Kovacevic - Strasni. He took the pictures of the objects which were taken by the people when they had left Sarajevo during the war. Among them there were some really intersting things; one guy took with him the key of his car - golf:)
Those people were leaving their homes not knowing if they will ever be able to go back. My story is not that hard but I also left Slovenia with just two suitcases (of course, I was not forced and I was able to go back anytime).
However, "the special" thing that I took with me is this:

This is a comic that Darko Perovic draw for me for the premiere of Straight Ahead. The guy in a wheelchair says: "Watch out to frame Boris running over the street for that red hair girl!". Blind guy: "How does she look like, bro?".
For those of you who left their countries, what were the things which you took with you?

J.J.B.

Elvis Jackson - Market Sweets

One more for the archive: I think we shot this video in 2001. DOP was Radovan Cok for the "story" part and concert's shots have been made by me and Janez Stucin. We shot the concert with two 16mm bolex cameras. The guys who were preparing the concert were loughing at us because those cameras work on spring. We looked really old school but the images are great.

J.J.B.

I Like Paris

I like Paris because of many things. One of them is that you can meet girls wearing shoes like this.

J.J.B.

paris.love - Reviews

It was very nice, to be in Slovenia for a while. Reviews of paris.love are very positive. For Slovenian readers, here are two: Marcel Stefancic wrote one for Mladina, another one is for Radio Student.
Here is also interview that I gave for Polet, weekly addition of daily newspaper Delo.

J.J.B.

Karim is in da House

Karim finally found him self.

J.J.B.

paris.love Starts Slovenian Distribution

I've been in Slovenia since Thursday, 28th March. Just yesterday I finished the documentary portrait of Brina Svit. Here is a picture that I took just after sound mix. Sound designer was Matej Perih.

Next week, on Wednesday, 12th March we start with the distribution of paris.love in art house cinema Kinodvor. We will be actually opening the week of French cinema in Ljubljana. Before that, on Saturday, 8th March, we will have avant-premiere in Čajarna (tea bar) in Novo mesto.
My dear friend Borut Peterlin made a Striptiz portrait of me for Slovenian magazine Mladina. It was great seeing him again and, of course, I think he made a great job. Thanks again Borut.

J.J.B.

Lady Svit Dances in Buenos Aires

The editing of documentary portrait of French-Slovenian writter Brina Svit is coming to the end. Here is an extract from the film. Location: parc in Buenos Aires. Still not color corrected and sound edited.
Brina and Sergio. And Tango. Beautiful.


J.J.B.

Straight Ahead

You never forget the first one. This is Slovenian (or maybe from some other countries also?) saying and it refers to one's first relationship. Well, in this case is a bit different.
I started my filmmaking career on local TV, doing everything: being journalist, shooting, editing... And during and after that time I shot several short films on video, being also awarded for some of them on festivals of amateur film. Straight Ahead was my first real film, shot on 16 mm with a crew and actors and everything else.
So, Matjaz Javsnik and Drago Milinovic as main characters. DOP was Jure Cernec, sound Urska Kos, editing Varja Mocnik, sound mix Hanna Preuss and Borut Berden, make up Klaudia Kolaric, I wrote it, directed and produced it.
The screenplay was wrote upon a comic story from Darko Perovic and Enrique Sanchez Abuli.
The film got two international awards and I traveled quite a lot around with it.


Trivia:
- This was a first film appearance of Matjaz Javsnik. Today, he is quite big star in Slovenia
- Femme fatale in the film is Vesna Milek. Today, she is famous Slovenian writter and journalist
- Just before we shot the scene where the kids throw the water bombs on Matjaz and Drago, Natasa Bertalanic (a.d.) and I stoped in the shop to buy preservatives needed for that scene. I demanded 30 preservatives and Natasa, with an innocent smile, explained to the lady that we are shooting the film:)
- during a year after releasing the film we traveled around Slovenia with a 16mm projector doing the inside and outside screenings. That was acctually inspiration for my story in Desperado Tonic.

J.J.B.

Balkan Gypsy Evening

Yesterday I went with Khaled to a concert of Taraf de Haidouks, the Romanian Gypsy band.The concert was at Elysees-Montmartre, just two steps from my place.

They play traditional Romanian music and they are really exceptional musicians. Apart from "the wedding and funeral" songs they also played some music from classical composers. I recognised the piece from Bartok (you can see and hear it here) and Khaled recognised Khachaturian's one.
Anyhow, the concert was great and since it was quite early, we went after for a dinner. Being in the Balkan Gypsy mood, we ordered a kilo of meat, we ate it in half hour and we didn't look like French people at all.

J.J.B.

Eicar - new website

I'm receiving through this blog more and more questions about Eicar - International Film School. We have a new webiste, here is a link, check it out.

J.J.B.