WERNER HERZOG'S "ROGUE FILM SCHOOL"

You may or may not have heard that Werner Herzog is going to have a film school. More accurately, it's a weekend seminar about, among other things, 'the art of lockpicking.'

Also, it requires an application from which Herzog himself will select the participants. The seminar is around $1500 and probably out of range for most college students, but it almost seems worth the $25 fee to see if he likes you.

Not to mention that he has a reading list that is worth self-imposing regardless of participation in the seminar. More info here.

"BATHTUB DREAM" BY ETHAN FELDBAU

A man falls asleep in a bathtub and dreams of a king's coronation.

The incredibly talented and outrageously friendly Ethan Feldbau made this little short as part of TIWWI's 4th Weekend of Wonderment. Ethan continues to amaze me with his unique style and knack for old school mattes and superimpositions. It's only a matter of time before a producer sees his work and picks him up to direct some crazy film.

CRITERION'S ERIC SKILLMAN

The looming digital age has come to threaten all things classic and impermanent, and I am terrified for the future of books. What will we put on our shelves? They smell terrific, and they are so damn nice to look at.

I am always reassured by the Criterion Collection of DVDs not (only) because of their taste in films, but because of the way they present them. This is the way that films ought to be presented more often. If we are entering the digital age without looking back, we ought to do it gracefully and tastefully, giving future generations something they can put on their shelves and hold as "classics".

So I thought I would share the blog of one of Criterion's graphic designers, Eric Skillman, who keeps an ongoing discussion of his work and processes online. Notice the above compilation of his various approaches to the cover art for "Pigs, Pimps, and Prostitutes!", a film I had not heard of until tonight, but am intrigued by based on the cover design/artwork alone. Very interesting to read about in his own words. And inspiring for the age of the digital bookshelf too.