I agree with crabalocker!  In LYNCH we trust and HOPE it will live up to all our expectations!  Maybe I'm in the minority, but I can't say I love Eraserhead or any of the shorts.  But everything that came after is wonderful! 

So click your ruby slippers together 3 times, and say, "There's no one like LYNCH, there's no one like LYNCH, there's no one like LYNCH!!!"

Keep your eye on the doughnut, not on the hole -- DL

And I STILL don't believe that clip is from the movie!

QUOTE: And I STILL don't believe that clip is from the movie!

Hear hear! :)

I'm definitely not going to reserve judgment. I saw snippets of his films before I ever saw them in their entirety and at no time did I go "Oh my god, Lynch is a clown." With this snippet I think I uttered that phrase at least ten times. I definitely am not part of the "Lynch is wonderful and I love everything he does" camp. I think he's just as flawed as the next artist and I've had huge doubts about Inland Empire from the beginning. I had desperately hoped that this little sneak peek would change that, but all it did was intensify those doubts.

Zach and I certainly aren't the only ones questioning the quality of this film. I've talked to a lot of people who are also wondering what the hell is going on. We're just the only ones who have the sack to actually say something about it and not cowtow to the majority.

~ Amanda

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave..."

I'm a formalist, Mr. Neff. The point is you absolutely can't ignore the delivery medium.

I'm sorry about that, but If David Lynch thinks that a twisted and intriguing plot can be enough for the audience he is over with me. I think it will be good and interesting anyway, but if he finds out that DV is not that special and that it doesn't appeal the audiences so much, I hope he goes back to film because he's always been great at it. I know... I know it's very expensive, but Art is sacrifice.

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

Some further musings....

I kinda regret watching the clip, I like to see things fresh and in there completed form, damn my curiosity!

I think it is jumping the gun somewhat to write of a feature film film based on one scene, context is very important. Also allowing complete artistic freedom at the expense of perceived quality of image is for some artists a risk worth taking. I am no fan boy and will judge the final offering on it's merits and demerits alone.

One thing I am sure about though is DV is new medium and will improve quickly over time. There will always be a place for film but it will become a 'niche' market for people who specifically want the look of film. At some point the optical quality will actually be 'better' than film, look at what is happening to still photography. I feel both mediums have strenghs and weaknesses, it is now down to the artist to exploit these to there maximum advantage. It's never going to be possible to please everyone...

Finally, a failed experiment is way better than no experiment at all, we all learn from our mistakes and sometimes those 'mistakes' alctual lead to something unexpected and beautiful. I guess my glass is half full!!!

Yes, it is unfair to judge a feature based on a clip but then you have to ask yourself, 'WHY THAT CLIP?" It's not like it's a Colin Farrell sex tape that was mysteriously released into cyberspace by who-knows-who. This was selected presumably by David Lynch and distributed both on the internet and in free DVDs. (mine still hasn't arrived, btw)

There's so much these days that has me asking myself, , that I'm more likely surprised when I grasp the intentions than the other way around. Maybe this six-minute clip is designed to lower expectations? Maybe the rest will leap out from the silver screen and engulf the audience with delight at the Return of Lynch? Maybe this scene will be mercifully deleted...or maybe it will be the perfect foil to some other part of the whole.

Hey, I've got room to dream, you know.

In a way it reminds me of the time I saw John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival -- 1969, I think. John left Yoko alone on stage in this huge outdoor arena packed to the gills with fans. She started to bellow out what I believe were human squeals developed during their Arthur Janov Primal Scream stage. The audience was still at first. Stunned, I think. But, you know, they were giving her a brief benefit of a doubt. Before long, the boos were so loud they were almost drowning out Yoko's screeching. I was in a frame of mind sufficiently removed from sober reality to process the whole lot of it as intriquing. I may have been alone with that reaction and I doubt I could ever hear it the same again. (would be fun to see footage of it if it exists somewhere) In fact, I'm sure it was awful, but at the time, it was the musical score for a real live moment and it actually seemed fresh, weird and oddly stirring. A combination of the voices of the mob comingled with the amplified Yoko and it went right through my body.

Who knows? All I'm saying is some art is more ephemeral. Other art is more enduring.

Susan

PS I just found two sound files from this Yoko perf. I know it's way off topic but give a listen to #7 and 8 on this Amazon link. It will give a true taste of the sounds from the stage. Wow, what a flashback THAT was! I'm horrified at the memory.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002UT9/102-2484504-9834547?v=glance&n=5174 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

And, I completely believe that Digital is the future. Film is not being planned for in any new facilities. Eastman Kodak has stopped all R&D on new film technologies. The documentary I am shooting is on HDV, and though it is not film, it is far superior to other sorts of Video I have worked with and seen. Hi-Def video is the vehicle that will finally edge film out. Whether that's good or not, who knows?

Additional:

All this talk of 'delivery mediums' reminds me of a wise saying from my tutor (photography). He has always been asked 'what camera do you use?', and his responce is always 'the right camera for the job'. Each idea or story requires a certain approach e.g. Large format is great for landscapes but useless for covering sports. Now, perhaps Inland Empire (for Lynch anyway) benifits the freedoms of DV. His next project may benifit from the use of the film. The medium choosen, the equipment used should be right for that particular project. It's not a question of what the best medium is, rather 'what is the best medium for the job'.

The content of the clip is another question entirly....but I'll save that for another day!

I don't get the whole "I hope he goes back to film" thing in this thread. The image quality in that clip is great...it's the zooms and shakey camera movements that make it look awful, so lets not blame the camera for something that's not it's fault.

I think if someone edited the zooms, the shakey cam and that awful special effect at the end the footage would look great and everyone would be hyped for IE....but it looks like that will be the finished product.

Ok, I'll wait until I have seen the DVD before I judge the image quality (I've already made up my mind on the cinematography), maybe that's why they are taking so long to send it.

But I have watched episode of Twin Peaks season 2 and Star Wars fanfilms, both if which had been badly compressed for the web and then played back on my HD TV, and within a minute I had adjusted to the quality. But the zooms, how could anyone adjust to that. I heard somewhere (might have been the LOTR DVD) that film with a moving camera is 1 megapixel and DV is 1/2 a megapixel.

For DV done right, download The Formula (google "The Formula theforce.net", the enhanced version is better), it was made by a non-professional crew on a low buget and it looks so much better than IE, it's not even funny.

I suggest everyone to go over at this link and download this 1 hour interview with Lynch at the Iowa Lynch Weekend:

http://streaming.globalcountry.net/lynchweekend/sat_am_q&a_256.wmv 

If you click on this link, you can find other interviews. One is still with the man talking about Consciousness:

http://lynchweekend.org/replays.html

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

My copy arrived Saturday.  Yup.  Sure did. 

Played it on the TV.  It was larger than it was on my laptop computer screen.  Yup.  Sure was.

I enjoyed the interview behind the scenes stuff though.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

I don't even remember when I did order it. I'm losing hope!

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

I finally got my Room to Dream DVD in the mail yesterday.  Here are my updated thoughts on that supposed clip from INLAND EMPIRE:

I now believe that the clip is indeed from INLAND EMPIRE and not some other project.  At first, after watching the clip on the web, I didn't believe it was done by Lynch because of the horrible lip synch (during the singing) and all the cheesy closeups.  But to my dismay it was him who was filming the scene and doing the music.  But what really makes me think it is a scene from IE is, and I believe someone mentioned this, but you can see Laura Dern on what appears to be the same set as the "singing" scene.  It's during the dark scene with the flashing light.  If your DVD player has the ability to zoom in go to the second clip of that "flashing light" scene and zoom in on the woman and move frame by frame.  There will be a transition that goes back to Lynch speaking and during the transition you can tell that it's her.

I'm still psyched to see IE and I'm sure it will be good but when that "singing" scene comes up I won't be able to help cringing.  I just hope that scene doesn't speak for the rest of the movie.

And to those who haven't received their DVD yet:  It will eventually get there it just takes a long time. 

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

Oooh, I haven't posted here in a while :)

Wow, I watched that clip on YouTube.com. Very peculiar, I thought the same thing that it was a student trying to mimic Lynch. Still interesting though. I've ordered that DVD now, look forward to watching it.

How are things going on the board generally?