INSTANT MESSAGE:

An INTERVIEW WITH ANTONIOS PAPANTONIOU (Director, NIGHTLAB)

With TROMADANCE PROGRAMMER, JONATHAN LEES

START

metaphisto74
12:30 PM Hi Antonios… It’s Jonathan from TromaDance…perfect timing
12:30 PM so it works?!

zachant
12:30 PM it seems so!

metaphisto74
12:31 PM what are you up to now?

zachant
12:31 PM I was listening to an audio commentary by Cronenberg

metaphisto74
12:32 PM nice…for what film

zachant
12:32 PM Videodrome

metaphisto74
12:32 PM inspiring?

zachant
12:33 PM Yes, I am very much intrigued by his intellectualism

metaphisto74
12:34 PM Well If you ever want to drop him back down to human level just remember that he was in Jason X (Friday The 13th)

zachant
12:35 PM Well I didn’t know about that! I will have that in mind.

12:37 PM it’s a new form…an electric conversation transcribed
zachant
12:38 PM It is very interesting.

metaphisto74
12:38 PM rather than an old analogue tape recorder and me reinterpreting your words

zachant
12:38 PM Well, it has a strange quality about it.

metaphisto74
12:38 PM speaking of an electric conversation…this is seemingly what Nightlab has with an audience

zachant
12:39 PM This sounds like a positive thing.

metaphisto74
12:39 PM it traps them in an unfamiliar environment and though strobes, flickers and slowdowns paints the image on your eyeball…what came first to you as an idea…the idea behind the film or the execution?
12:40 PM the technique?

zachant
12:41 PM I believe it was both. I was interested in the technical aspect of it, as well as the idea of constructing certain images I had in my mind.

metaphisto74
12:42 PM before we continue on that note…tell our readers in one line what NIGHTLAB explores

zachant
12:44 PM I like to believe it explores the idea of Film as a form in general. But the exploration of a main theme was never in my mind in the first place, particularly for this type of exercise as I would like to call it.

metaphisto74
12:46 PM interesting…were you concerned about a mood or emotion you wanted to generate when starting this project?

zachant
12:48 PM Yes, I was. The feeling of kinetic images and sequences following one another and perhaps the generation of an abstract, kind of surreal dream-like world, where the main hero is never able to explain.

metaphisto74
12:49 PM I’m glad you said that since the structure is very disorienting for the audience as well as the hero…were you ever worried that audiences wouldn’t understand your intentions?

zachant
12:52 PM To be quite honest I was worried about that aspect. The pure narrative part, while it evolves in a certain way and sort of speaking going from point A to point B, nevertheless it does not become very clear to the average viewer for its intentions. Although, I think there is still an idea of a story behind it.

metaphisto74
12:53 PM absolutely…and a dark, dangerous story you have led us into. What’s great about NIGHTLAB is that as it distorts and plays with filmic structure, it’s environment and sense of danger are very real
12:54 PM does any of this "dangerous environment" come from your background as a Political Science major? lol

zachant
12:56 PM lol Perhaps it was my discontent about a direction I didn’t really want to pursue in my life. I never felt I was influenced by majoring in Political Science.

metaphisto74
12:58 PM…I was speaking more from the dangerous situation our world is in…the environment on display seems to involve a world of governmental hunts, science gone wrong and mind control…
12:58 PM even the nature of the woods seems toxic

zachant
1:03 PM It’s very interesting you point in that direction. I believe there are viewers who find this kind of political connection. That was never my intention though. Surely, not governmental hunts. Science is there as a strong concept. Mind control more from an esoteric point of view, perhaps. I believe my main drive came from the exploration of the last scene, where the concept of Science makes its point in a detached and cold kind of way.

metaphisto74
1:06 PM what’s interesting here is that it can be interpreted in many different ways…which the best experimental films achieve. However, unlike many other experimental movies, yours goes beyond structural warping and exhibits a strong sense of story through atmosphere and pacing. Let’s talk about the pacing…was this something you outlined ahead of time or did the slowdown, strobing and flickering come to you in post…and please explain your interest in working with infrared video…

zachant
1:15 PM The exploration of the narrative device as a vehicle was always in my mind from the beginning. I was interested in telling a "story" in moving images. I wanted to do that as a test for my filmmaking abilities. Could I narrate something as a "storyteller". But then of course, the mechanisms of the story itself were not very important for me. So the roots of the pacing were born out of that need. Then the aesthetics factor was a puzzling one for me to choose, because I was not sure of the kind of photographic quality I was going to have. Even though I outlined as much as I could ahead of time with storyboards and overall views, the initial shooting was going to take place during the day. The texture of the video form was proven to be a growingly negative factor for the main idea, since it..

1:21 PM trapped everything under the plastic surface of video, a thing I highly disliked. Choosing infrared nightshot was eventually born as a necessity on my part to shoot something which had the prospect of an exciting photographic quality. The strobing technique was generated during the actual shooting, from an inbred digital feature of my handheld camera. Thus the concept of day shooting changed to Night. But, as a general thought I am indeed very appealed by the whole notion of infrared cinematography, which I find extremely exciting and mesmerizing.

metaphisto74
1:27 PM me too! It’s amazing to me that infrared and nighttime setting came later in the development since they seem so natural to this movie’s existence…and this is one of the few projects that champions the use of video in order of progressing a medium. Do you feel this project exists due to the nature of handheld video technology or would you have preferred film? Personally, I feel the video adds to the nature of the surveillance style stalking and inherent creepiness of its "live capturing" feel…

zachant
1:35 PM Again, it is very interesting you’re referring to the connection between Film and Video. As a finished work - after the fact - its special aesthetic interest lies and is probably examined under that perspective, that you are referring to. I am very happy as it is, in that specific kind of form. As an exploration of the video form. As I would like to believe, there is a successful feeling in capturing infrared images with Video but transporting them to Film-like dimension.

metaphisto74
1:54 PM do you want to give us a teaser of what we can expect from your new movie

zachant
1:55 PM Yes I would like to very much.

metaphisto74
1:55 PM what’s the concept

zachant
1:58 PM I view it as a continuation of ideas already explored in Nightlab. The original cut has an approximate duration of 30min, one actor and complete lack of dialogue. I tend to believe that once again the form itself provides the concept.

metaphisto74
2:00 PM We’ll be looking forward to it

zachant
2:00 PM Thank you.

metaphisto74
2:01 PM I saw that you’re short NIGHTLAB has moved beyond TromaDance and into the ON THE LOT competition…how are the viewers reactions towards it (friends not included!)

zachant
2:07 PM This is a very interesting topic. Overall, there is a positive feedback. So far I have chosen not to tell any of my friends about it, because I was curious to witness a first-hand approach by the members being there. Some of them have already a genuine friendly attitude towards me, so it could be the case that those views are biased. But, again I don’t consider On The Lot the best possible platform for such a project, due to its immense obedience to the narrative form and storytelling in its commercial aspect of it. It was interesting for me to be there nevertheless. And to be quite honest, it is a free promotion of one’s work.

metaphisto74
2:10 PM I agree…it’s a very bizarre forum for your movie but I’m glad you explored the option. The concept of you entering this contest is the same approach I take in programming work such as yours in a festival like TromaDance…to expose people who may have never seen experimental work and educate them to the new forms and ideas emerging today
2:12 PM thanks a lot for doing this…is there anything you want to add about the festival experience or making films in a truly independent manner for our readers?

zachant
2:16 PM I have to thank you for this great opportunity. It was my pleasure talking to you. I’m still learning and really trying to overcome whatever day to day obstacles there are, which become a burden in giving you the freedom to explore your ideas and thrive in a filmmaking environment. I hope that all filmmakers and film lovers out there manage to have that kind of equilibrium which is so important for their Art to flourish.

END

FILMMAKER’S BIO (in his own words):

I am a graduate from the University of Athens with a B.A. in Political Science. I have attended courses on editing and have worked as assistant director in live-news, assistant editor in reality games, production assistant in documentary episodes and so on. These jobs were never artistically fruitful or emotionally satisfying. Although, my main cinematic inspiration comes from the visionary American filmmakers of the 70s, I am open to all kinds of films and forms as long as they share a strong directorial point of view. An alert eye to experimental work is also very important for my searches. NIGHTLAB is my first short film. It was shot with a handheld mini-DV camera with no crew.