HalfManHalfMachine is a celluloid channel that will run live with abstract content of experimentation. This film shows the “series arcs” that wraps up chunks in the show. The first series is themed around Death + Time. However, the overall aesthetics is wrapped around a different titles for the art that reflects its creative approach. This first series is an almost archive of things that have happened and created in the last four years. Much of this mix has never properly been released as the concept has evolved and has waited, that is the sort of internal subtext that the time component of the series is actually created by the time it has taken to launch it.
In addition to being a broadcast entity, HalfmanHalfmachine is a creative agency, providing visual representation and strategy for artists, companies and individuals. The idea is to take a therapeutic approach – to find the nuances that define a person’s true spirit and uniqueness and develop a visual platform around them. The two sides of the business operate together and separately as needed but they are both rooted in the same emotional core. It is an independent broadcasting studio with a self defined aesthetic with a focus on emotional truth.
Apocalisse is an experimental film that examines the time between life and death — the uncertain period where the body is failing but the state of ones mind is unclear. I witnessed this moment watching my Mom go through this moment that was extremely difficult for me to understand. Knowing that her and I had similar thought processes, I was curious just what was happening in her thoughts – what she was thinking about – what she was exploring – what regret she might have. Since she couldn’t speak or communicate with her body at this point, I was left to wonder. I still don’t know and never will. I knew that I didn’t want to rob her of those thoughts at a point where we had to decide whether or not this was the right thing to do.
The film itself is not meant to be grim and none of it takes place in a hospital. The entire story takes place in a mind, open to interpretation. It’s an adventure in death. My curiosity about the power of the mind and the dire nature of what comes beyond life, a question that cannot be conclusively answered, but one that I find room for interpretation in. This is the story, and it is definitely an evolution. I’m grappling with it as it comes as are the actors and performers who have been incredible
This film is experimental in that its structure is atypical – the vignettes have evolved over time and I’m making changes to it as it goes. Instead of being a locked format that is scripted and shot, I’m working with the emotions of the actors and feeling of each scene and making adjustments. Since each vignette is self contained – it allows me to be flexible and adapt when revelations come in one sequence, I can push that into the next. I’m learning about the subtext as we go, and the piece relies heavily on the actors. Its definitely designed to be a set piece for performances. The framing is small and contained.
The creator is influenced by Michelangelo Antonioni. “What I love about Antonioni’s films is the emotions that happen in silence” In order for us to be productive we have to be aware of all these emotions and celebrate, explore them in new ways. I understand and appreciate aesthetics as well but what lays underneath is also so critical.”
Apteka is a show that is shot with a mind toward exploring an actor or non-actors sense of interpreting a constant set of goals. The process is directed and is designed to be open to serendipity and to allow for unexpected results to happen both in front of and behind the camera. The show is a sort of psychedelic science fiction but will ultimately be phrased in a similar manner to a typical short film or show. The Apteka is the “maguffin” of the show – the mystery that ties it together. Apteka is a polish drug store. A framing element for a show that is actor focused based show that could be done lightly. The idea is to provide a sheet of goals to the performer in the piece and let them interpret it as they wish- the final product is this mix between performance and some emotional reality driven out of the circumstances of the shoot. The experiment is the foundation of this approach. Experiment with the arts and skills and way people create in a way that is accessible but also does not have to be ruled by the reality of high production costs or other structures that can limit experimentally. The person in each episode is drawn to the Apteka after watching a “remixed” version of the events they just lived [and we just watched].
The approach is that of maximalism at times on the outside but here, emotions should be defined.
