Kassandra Goes to India

Kassandra was selected to participate in the Whata Short - India International Online Film Festival. 

It's our 26th festival participation. Know more here.

Watch Kassandra online

Kassandra is finally available on Youtube! You can watch the award-winner horror short film with english, spanish, french or portuguese subtitles. 

What are you waiting for?

Fantaspoa Official Selection

Porto Alegre, Brazil, is the scene of one of the biggest fantastic film festivals in Latin America, the Fantaspoa. And Kassandra will attend the next edition of the event, which takes place in May in several cinemas in the city. The film will be exhibit at the National Short Section. Know more here.

Kassandra will have the honor of being alongside award-winning productions in and outside Brazil, such as Pray (by Claudio Ellovitch), Nua por dentro do couro (by Lucas Sá), Judas (by Joel Caetano) and Huntsman, the new venture of our friends Rafael Duarte and Taísa Ennes Marques.

Currently, Kassandra is waiting  response of international film festivals to end its cycle, which sum up to date 25 participations in exhibitions and festivals, 12 official selections and eight awards. Besides the XI Fantaspoa, the film has confirmed participation in the 3rd Ver Cine, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and in the Three Cities Festival, held in New York City, Los Angeles e Santo Domingo. 

Three Cities Film Festival selection

Kassandra still on the road! The film was selected for the Three Cities Film Festival, an online event that also promote a conference and screenings in New York City, Los Angeles and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Official site: http://www.threecitiesfest.com

Go, go, Kassandra!

Best film at the Mostra Monstro!

Kassandra is honored to receive the great award at Mostra Monstro Film Festival, in Jacareí, State of São Paulo. Know more here (in portuguese). 

Also called Troféu Monstro ("Monster Award"), the award was given by the official jury last sunday, March 15th. This is the second award of Best Film for Kassandra, and it's eighth award in total. 

Thanks to the official jury and to the Mostra Monstro Film Festival!

See all our awards bellow:

Gramado Film Festival (Mostra Gaucha):

• Best Cinematography 

Santo Angelo Film Festival:

• Best Director 
• (Plus 3 nominations: Best Film, Best Actress for Renata Stein, Best Screenplay)

CineSerra Film Festival:

• Best Cinematography 
• Best Art Direction
• Best Music

Brasilia Online Film Festival:

• Best Film
• Best Director
• (Plus 6 nominations: Best Film by the Popular Jury, Best Actress for Renata Stein, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Original Score)

Mostra Monstro Film Festival:

• Troféu Monstro ("Monster Award", Best Film)

Kassandra at Ver Cine Film Festival, in Rio de Janeiro

Good news in the last Friday 13th! Kassandra was selected in the 3rd Ver Cine - Baixada Fluminense Brazilian Film Festival. 

The festival is held in Duque de Caxias, State of Rio de Janeiro. The screenings will occur in june. Know more here (in portuguese).

Kassandra at Mostra Monstro Film Festival

Kassandra was also selected for the first edition of the Mostra Monstro Film Festival, held in the city of Jacareí, São Paulo, Brazil. Know more here (in portuguese).

The selected short films will dispute the Troféu Monstro ("Monster Award") in the next March 14. 

This is our 22nd participation in festivals and cultural events in Brazil and Latin America. And we want more!

Kassandra at Grotesc-O-Vision Festival

Kassandra was selected for the second edition of the Grotesc-O-Vision Festival, held in Curitiba, Brazil, during the Carnival. Know more here.

The movie will be screened with other brazilians films, both features and shorts, along with international productions, such as Judas Ghost. 

Best Film at the Brasilia Online Festival

This weekend, in Brasilia, Kassandra received the top prize of Online Film Festival: Best Picture by the Official Jury! In addition, our director Ulisses da Motta Costa, present at the event, also received the award for Best Director - the second he won for Kassandra.

The award ceremony took place on November 14 in the Auditorium of the University Center of Brasilia (UniCEUB). Kassandra was nominated for eight categories.

Thus, our short film arrives at seven awards mark! Remember here:

Gramado Film Festival (Mostra Gaucha):

• Best Cinematography

Santo Angelo Film Festival:

• Best Director 

CineSerra Film Festival:

• Best Cinematography 
• Best Art Direction
• Best Music

Brasilia Online Film Festival:

• Best Film
• Best Director

Three Awards at CineSerra Film Festival

From left to right: winners Pablo Chasseraux, Chico Pereira and Ana Gusson

Kassandra did well at the awards of the second edition of CineSerra Film Festival. The film received three awards at last Sunday, October 26, at SESC Theatre in Caxias do Sul, Brazil. 

We won the following categories:

• Best Cinematography for Pablo Chasseraux: This is his second award for the black-and-white photography in the movie.
• Best Art Direction for Ana Gusson: Kassandra is only hes second short at the function. The first, the beautiful Princess and the Pea, can be see here.
• Best Music Score for Chico Pereira: He who works with director Ulisses Costa da Motta from the first short of both, O Gritador (2006). This is the first award received by the composer for his work with movies.

Eight nominations at Brasilia Online Film Festival

Kassandra is the film with most nominations at the 1st Brasilia Online Film Festival. Last week were released the finalists in twelve categories and our film was nominated to eight of them. Know more here (in portuguese).

Previously, Kassandra had received eleven pre-nominations in the first phase of the festival. The selection committee made a new sorting and decreases to just five the number of nominees for each award.

One of the nominations was obtained via Internet voting. We got the second place with 562 votes in the Popular Jury category.

The awards will be held in Brasilia on 15 November.

Below, all categories in which Kassandra competes:

• Best Picture
• Best Film by the Popular Jury
• Best Director (Ulisses Costa da Motta)
• Best Actress (Renata Stein)
• Best Cinematography (Pablo Chasseraux)
• Best Sound (Roberto Coutinho and Leandro Lefa)
• Best Editing (Alfredo Barros)
• Best Original Score (Chico Pereira)

Kassandra at the Três Passos Film Festival

Kassandra was selected for the Três Passos Film Festival (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Our movie competes with other 31 short films produced in Brazil.

The 1st Três Passos Film Festival takes place between 13 and 15 November at Cine Teatro Globe, the town's traditional cinema.

Kassandra goes to Colombia

Another Latin American country will meet Kassandra.

Our film will be screened in the 4th Festival de Cine y Video Comuna 13, held in Medellín, Colombia, between September 29 and October 4. It will be part of a non-competitive exhibition of movies from Rio Grande do Sul. The movies were selected by the festival curators from indications of the Cinema State Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (Iecine).

Best Director at the Santo Angelo Film Festival

On 22 August, we were awarded the 3rd St. Angelo Film Festival - Short Film. Kassandra won the Golden Swan trophy for Best Director! The film's director, Ulysses da Motta Costa, was at the time representing cast and crew - and, coincidentally, was also his birthday.

In addition to directing award, Kassandra received nominations in three categories: Best Film, Best Screenplay (Roger Monteiro) and Best Actress (for Renata Stein).

Kassandra is back to Sao Paulo

Kassandra returns to the largest city in Brazil. The film was selected to the Terror no Olido Film Festival, in São Paulo. The screening will happen in July 21 at the Galeria Olido, along with other seven short films. 

Kassandra, a graphic novel

Soon, we will release the Kassandra graphic novel version! Yes, our heroine will star a graphic novel with art and story signed by the writer of the film, Roger Monteiro.

The idea has been developed since last year. Roger (who is also a visual artist) did the project autonomously. He even admits that it was a way to keep connected to the character for some time more. "It's easy to become attached to her, especially when you have a predisposition to be interested in crazy and mean girls in black and white," he says.

The graphic novel is called Kassandra, Verses of Silence and Madness and attempts to retell the story from the point of view of the character. The distinction begins with the visual: the short is in black and white, but the comic book will be colorized. "No realistic colors, but something of dream, almost lysergic" says Roger. Furthermore, Kassandra also now expresses herself orally, at least in text. "We actually have access to character thoughts, which are presented in verse, rhyming, which cause them to generate a stream of consciousness."

Wanna see some? Here it goes (in portuguese):

Kassandra goes to Uruguay

Kassandra will once again abroad! The film will be part of the Sur-Sul Festival in Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital, along with other films produced in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

In the official program, the "horror with brasileño rythm" will be screened on May 4th, Sunday. It will be the first of three sessions in the Cinemateca Uruguaya.

Kassandra mentioned in italian book

Kassandra is mentioned in La Notte Più Longa Del Mondo - Evil Dolls Movies, written by Samuelle Zàccaro and published bu UliversItalia. It's a complete guide for all films in wich a evil doll or puppet appears. 

Zàccaro got in touch with our director, Ullisses da Motta Costa, a few months ago to learn more about Blá-Blá, the main character's favorite dreadful toy. Now, he kindly send us his review for the film: 

KASSANDRA ***

2013, directed by Ulisses da Motta Costa. Starring Luis Franke, Leandro Lefa, Maico Silveira, Renata Stein. BRAZIL, 24min. B&W.

Young and beautiful Kassandra (Renata Stein) suffers from hallucinations. She is a recluse in her own home and refuses to speak. She is paranoid, claustrophobic and scared of crowds. She is afraid of her neighbour who is spying on her and her mind is obsessed with an ageing giant man and an evil doll. 

Psychological thriller with a good tension, the film adages to show the ghosts and fears crowding the mind of the complex main character. The film centres around psychological sufferings and symbolisms and it can be remembered for its conclusion and for the choice of filming everything in black and white thus placing the story in a sort of temporal limbo. Originality is not its main strength but the director demonstrates to have a good and assured hand. the film has been completed thanks to the funds of the Fundo municipal de Cultura and has won some awards in its country of production. 

Trivia: the doll used in the film (one of the numerous obsessions and fears of the protagonist) was owned by a woman working with the film's crew. She had had the doll since childhood but always found her to be somewhat creepy. The doll's model, called Blà-Blà, was very popular in Brasil in the 1950s and 1960s.

Interview: Ulisses da Motta Costa, director

Kassandra's director Ulisses da Motta Costa gave this interview for the italian horror site Darkveins. He talks about his career and, of course, about the making of Kassandra. 

He also explains his refined experiences with italian cinema (in the image, some examples of his favorite local productions) and refers to the importance of José Mojica Marins, the creator of Coffin Joe, in brazilian cinema.  Read the interview here. 

Darkveins also published this nice review of Kassandra.

Kassandra at Mostra do Filme Livre

Time for Kassandra to visit the biggest cities in Brazil! To be more exact: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasilia, the federal capital. Know more here.

This is because the short film was selected for the 13th Mostra do Filme Livre (Free Film Festival), which will take place between March and June this year. The sessions will take place at the Cultural Center Bank of Brazil in these three capitals.

Kassandra is among the 195 films chosen this year, over a thousand subscribers. 

Kassandra at Havana Film Festival

Our girl is crossing the borders of Brazil! Kassandra will participate of the 35th International Festival del Nuevo Cine Latino-American, held in Havana, Cuba. The session will happen at December 8th, 2013. Know more here. 

Kassandra will participate in parallel exhibition along with the other winners of the 41st Gramado Film Festival Festival. The partnership between the two festivals began in 2012 and provides that the short films awarded in one to appear in the other.

It will be our international première. 

Kassandra premieres at Halloween

Kassandra will premiere in the city where it was produced at Halloween. It will be an open session for the general public in São Leopoldo, during the Curta São Léo Film Festival.

WHERE: Municipal Theatre of São Leopoldo
Cultural Center José Pedro Boessio - Osvaldo Aranha, 934
When: October 31, 8:00 pm, Halloween evening!
FREE ADMISSION

[Update]: We would like to thank the nearly 140 people who honor us with their presence! Thank you, guys!

Best Cinematography at the Gramado Film Festival

That's a good start! Today we won the Best Cinematography Award (above) in the "Mostra Gaucha" at the Gramado Film Festival.

The trophy was awarded to the film crew that was present - Pablo Chasseraux, the cinematographer of Kassandra (photo below on the set), could not be present in the occasion. But the recognition is a great start to the film: it is our first festival and our first prize.

Pablo is a requested director of photography for commercials and TV series. More about his work can be seen here.

Pablo Chasseraux, Cinematographer

Congratulations to Pablo for the award! And also to all those involved in the cinematography: Marcelo Santos (camera assistant), Victor Fiuza (additional cinematography), Jô Fontana (chief electrician) and Ligia Tiemi Sumi (image and color correction).

Kassandra Official Trailer

Check our official trailer (in portuguese):

Listen to Kassandra's soundtrack

Wanna listen our soundtrack? These are some of the musical themes composed by Chico Pereira for Kassandra, including the character's main theme.

1. Kassandra's Theme - "Apresentação"

2. Big Man's Theme - "Presença"

3. Kassandra's Main Theme

4. Kassandra's Theme - "Lembranças"

5. Big Man's Theme - "Revelação"

6. Kassandra's Theme - "Nêmesis"

7. Kassandra's Theme - "Conflito"

Personnel:

Chico Pereira - Arrangement, synths, percussion, music sound design.

Roberto Coutinho - Additional arrangements, synths, music sound design.

Mariele Giovanaz - Vocals.

Isadora Raymundo - Violin.

Composed by Chico Pereira

Sound Engineering and Mix: Roberto Coutinho

Recorded at Ampli Studio - São Leopoldo, Brazil - January and february 2013.

Kassandra's images - 4

And there it is: new pictures from Kassandra's set.

You can also see more images here, here and here.

Actor Leandro Lefa and director Ulisses Costa in the set

Renata Stein and Blá-Blá, the doll

Improvising a curtain for a point of view shot

A ghostly image

Leandro Lefa geting into the character

Kassandra's Images - 3

New photos from Kassandra's set.

See more pictures here and here.

Shooting Renata Stein

Leandro Lefa (right) ready for action

Cinematographer Pablo Chaseraux and director Ulisses da Motta Costa

Watching the "film inside the film"

"And... Cut! More blood!"

Our thanks!

It's time to thank the people responsible for the success of our crowdfunding campaign.

More than 130 people contributed to Kassandra  through the site Catarse.me. The number of supporters who believed in our work is more important than the amount collected, because it shows that there are people who believe in the project and in us.

As the director Ulisses Costa Motta said: "IWe are men of little faith. Our friends, however, are not. They believed in us. Now, the only purpose of my life is not to disappoint them. Let's finish this stuff! "

First, a very special "thank you" to the supporters who donated the maximum value and became Kassandra's Associate Producers!

Camila Barcelos

Fábio Guizzardi

Luciane da Motta Costa

Márcia Bohn Gusson

To all who believed in us and donated to our movie - yes, "our movie"! We are eternally grateful to each one of you. :)

Score composer Chico Pereira

Adriana Ferraz

Adriana Renata Barcelos

Alexandre Selliach

Aline Geib

Amelize Mattos

Ana Carolina Kanitz

Ana Paula Lopes

Angela Lawisch Dorfey

André Conti Silva

Andrea Vanessa Jungbluth

Andy Renmei

Bárbara Swarowsky

Bruna Klassmann

Bruna Köche

Bruno Steffen

Camila Kunkel

Caren Suzana

Carmen Pereira

Carolina Wingert

Caroline Conter

Carlos Porto

Cássio Vargas 

Catarina Corbellini Gusson

Chaiane Bitelo

Cibele Berghahn

Claudino José Etges

Clovis Oyarzabal

Cristina Salib

Producer Ramona Barcellos

Daniel Machado Pereira

Daniela Danieli

Deb Xavier

Denise Thomas

Douglas Michaelsen

Eduardo Conter

Eduardo Ferreira

Eduarda Schuastcer

Fabrizio Ridel

Farlei Heinen

Felipe Fito

Fernando De Cesero

Fernando Nabinger

Flávia Falcão

Gabriel Ferreira

Gabriel Klaser

Gerusa Wasun

Gibran Sirena

Gloria Pinto

Guilherme Benvegnu

Guilherme Cunha

Guilherme Portella

Gustavo Moreira

Henrique Abel

Henrique Scherer

Hilton Junior

Actress Suzana Witt

Iara Ungarelli  
Irení Pulla

Jamile Hallan

Janaína Ferreira

Jean Schmith e Tiago Silveira

Jéssica Pulla 

João Felício Gusson

João Ricardo Bittencourt

Jorge Feldens

Juliana Bock

Juliana Wingert

Kat Draugelis

Kátia Salib

Léia Stein 

Liege Ávila

Lili Amaral

Liziane e Vinícius Barros

Loraci Maria Wathier Kich

Luana Flôres

Lucas Bertolini Pizzo

Lucas Finkler

Lucas Luz

Lucia e Décio Berghahn

Luciano Bargmann

Luciano Lamb

Luciano Marquetto

Luciano Martins

Lucinara Linck

Sound Engeneer and Producer Roberto Coutinho

Maria Cristina Franck

Maria Toaldo Machado

Mary Sandra Carlotto

Méle Dornelas

Miguel Presser da Silva

Mônica Marques
 Neori José Gusson

Nicole Kleemann

Nilva Terezinha Gusson Etges

Oliver Reinis

Ory Laux

Priscila Mendes

Rafael Ribs

Raquel Peruzzo e Robson Barcarolo

Rica Retamal

Rogério Rodrigues

Rogério Theisen

Ronaldo Schirmer 

Art Director Ana Gusson

Sheila e Gus Antonello

Thais Fernandes

Thaís Lima e Rafael Klaser

Thiago Maciel e Jordão Maciel

Uri Blankfeld

Valmor Burdzinski

Valquíria Ritter

Vandré Brancão

Vânia Medianeira Flores Costa

Veronica Born

Verônica Ribeiro

Verônica Stein

Xaiane Pires

Xixa Kayser

And to the students from the Cinema Workshop at Sinodal High School:

Alex Souza

Amanda Garcias

Ana Copetti

Henrique Souza

Higor Rodrigues
João Pedro Boufleur

Júlio Schröder

Paulo Mezzomo

Victória Freire

Actress Renata Stein

To conclude, the words of the assistant director Victor Fiúza summarize the importance of the support from all of you:

"When Kassandra reaches it's crowdfunding goal, it is not only an alternative financial achievement  in order to make a film. It also means a shared appreciation of cinema: it's not just the film itself that becomes self-supporting, but it is a whole social and cultural environment. Basically, it's not just the team of Kassandra to win the chance to complete a job (working vital, by the way), but also gain all those who supported or even not, because there is a collective effort for the existence of a relevant movie.

"Making the movie or not, everyone is in".

You can help Kassandra!

That's it, folks! We are starting our crowdfunding campaign to complete Kassandra!

This is a cultural project conducted by a team of artists dedicated to making the best film possible. As our actress Susana Witt says: "Now is the time when we need help from friends and cinema fans."

Want to help us? It's simple: enter the site Catarse.me and choose an amount between BR $ 10,00 and BR $ 30,00 (or more). If you are from Europe or United States and to know how much it is in your currency, let me tell you: is very cheap:

 € 1,00 = R$ 2,40

US$ 1,00 = R$ 1,75

You can pay with your credit card and the system os 100% secure.

Each value means a reward: could be thanks in the credits of the film, could be DVDs, t-shirts and even some cards form Kassandra’s Tarot (see below all of them). And so you become part of this project too!

Check out our promotional video (in portuguese) and spread the project!

Thanks for everything guys! See the rewards:

- $ 10.00 or more - thanks in the credits of the movie, here on the blog and social networks.

- $ 30.00 or more - Thanks + official poster.

- $ 50.00 or more - Thanks + Poster + official DVD with extras and subtitles in English.

- $ 80.00 or more - Thanks + DVD + Poster + official set of five cards form the Kassandra’s Tarot.

- $ 120.00 or more - Thanks + DVD + Poster + Set + tarot cards movie + Official T-shirt

- $ 150.00 or more - Thanks official DVD + Poster + Set + tarot cards of the film Call + T-shirt + invitation for the premiere (only for Brazil).

- $ 300.00 or more - Credit as Associate Producer + DVD + Poster + official set of tarot cards movie + T-shirt.

Kassandra's Feelings - III - the shooting

Renata Stein's impressions during the filming of Kassandra. Her impressions about the rehearsels can be read here and here.

Day One:

It was a hard day, actually, I've got a little "soft" on the set. It seems that it took all day to get used to working with so many people in the room of Kassandra’a home. Nevertheless, I believe that I did reach the mood of the life of Kassandra quickly. But it made ​​me quiet throughout the day, which left me a little "down".

The focus helped me in the most difficult scene of the day, Scene 5, when I needed to cry, and even then it was complicated. I felt sensitive to every situation, I got involved, but the tears did not come so easy. I also know that much of this difficulty is because of the many cuts that have between one and take another. The few tears came after a look from director Ulisses. It helped me think I might be disappointing him.

The presence of my colleague Maico made ​​me feel better since he was one of the few people I knew and felt comfortable as Kassandra. I arrived on set already preparing myself for Kassandra, most of the people I knew right there and I had no opportunity to mingle with them. So it seemed that only Maico and Ulisses believed in my work, and it made ​​me more reclusive.

Talking with the director, we realize that this is one of the differences between theater and cinema. There are many people working on the set, each with a function and concentrated entirely on it, lots of breaks to change the camera and light and I, in this case, alone without other actors, trying to concentrate. In the theater we got months of preparation and testing, always with the same actors, creating a confidence relationship.

I came home exhausted and extremely sensitive.

Day Two:

Today it was lighter, in terms of concentration and sensitivity. I got more comfortable on the set and Maico came early, and Susana Witt and Leandro Lefa were there too. So I laughed and I relax more, but I did find it harder to concentrate in certain scenes later. I realized that no matter how hard it is to be Kassandra, you need a lot of concentration to be her. So I went back a little to a self seclusion.

What were heavy today were the attack scenes, escapes and other disaster. It means a lot of beating and as a result, many wounds. There were some complicated scenes with birds, after all, it seems that they all had a problem similar to that of Kassandra...

Day Three:

Behold the Great Man. Today he decided to appear. We recorded the scenes with him, ande the ones with blood.

What a strange and awkward day. I do not know, or better, we can not say why, but it was weird. I also thought the director was more impatient today (will he allow me to post this?).

Today I thought I didn’t give everything. I think it was exhaustion. Being Kassandra is not easy. And despite all the tiredness, at the end of the recordings I stayed there on set. Laziness? Farewell? Or is it just Ramona’s wonderful snacks and Maico’s massage that holded me there?

Kassandra now only in the coming months with more blood and color.

I am very grateful to all staff that is giving life to this Ulisses’ dream that now is also mine.

Music on the set

There was solid certainly even about Kassandra’s shooting even before Roger Monteiro presented the first draft of the script, and that is we would make the scenes with music.

The film has little dialogue and most of its sound will be recorded in post-production, which allowed the presence of music on the set. The idea was well received by the crew as a whole, especially by composer Chico Pereira (pic), who made a playlist to run not only as the scenes while shooting, but also in the intervals. Renata Stein also enjoyed the idea: she could choose her own music for the emotional scenes, helping her performance.

Below are two examples of the songs played during Kassandra’s filming. The first is a piece of Phillip Glass, one of the references collected by Chico, and the second is the theme from Requiem For A Dream, composed by Clint Mansell, chose by Renata to play in a few moments of the film:

Metamorphosis - Phillip Glass

Lux Aeterna - Clint Mansell

The Artist and the New Silent Films

By Ulisses da Motta Costa, Kassandra’s director, on the current trend of silent films:

It may seem somewhat surprising that this year Academy Awards decided to consecrate a black-and-white silent movie. The Artist, a Belgian-French production that pays homage to the American cinema of the early decades of the twentieth century, won five statuettes: best picture, director (Michel Hazanavicius), actor (Jean Dujardin), original score (Ludovic Bource) and costume design ( Mark Bridges). However, it is not an isolated case.

The film looks back at the cinema history to find a new benchmark, in a time of creative crisis in American cinema. To search in other times a new foundation to rebuild or renovate the arts is something that happens frequently in human culture. Thus, the apparent aesthetic audacity in The Artist is actually part of a "movement" (in the lack of a better term) to seek for visual narratives.

Or perhaps this “better term” I'm missing is "trend". In the last half decade we have seen popping examples of films based less on dialogue and more on the visual.

It is easy to remember recent examples in Hollywood: the Pixar animation Wall-E , the first 15 minutes of P.T. Anderson’s There Will Be Blood, or even crucial scenes from Rise of the Planet of the Apes. In the same France that has produced The Artist we have Sylvain Chomet, who directed two feature animation films, The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist. In the 2009 Gramado Film Festival, I saw this uruguayan comedy, Gigante, who badly needed dialogue or music to tell its story.

We can ask why the makers of these films have toke this decision. But most important is the fact that films form diverse genres, origins and intentions have worked so well with the proposal of not using dialogues to drive the narrative. The Artist, of course, go further: don’t even have noise or sound effects of any kind (except for two scenes). All you hear is the music. After all, the intention was to recreate a cinema of the past and so the process had to be more intense, including a characteristic black-and-white cinematography.

The film caught my attention when we were in preproduction of Kassandra. Our little film is also in black-and-white, virtually dispenses the dialogues and has a mute protagonist. Of course, these choices do not intend to recreate the past, but are based on what we believe that work’s for the story.  But the "blame" for a lack of creativity never hit me. On the contrary: it made me feel inside and "belonging" to something bigger and more powerful.

It’s a feeling that the path we choose seems to be more certain than we might suppose.

Making of Kassandra - 7 - The Slider Saga

Do you remember the Jackson Ritter’s Production Lists? One of his tasks was to elaborate a slider, equipment used to make small camera movements. According to him, the task was accomplished. Is it?

Jackson and Roberto Coutinho (producer and sound engineer) united forces to this job, using some wood, a bit of rubber, a plenty of junk and a lot of cluelessness.

The result of this amazing saga can be seen in the video below (in portuguse), from it’s conception to the climax, where the slider is tested by cinematographer Pablo Chasseraux.