Via Eightlinks and Wired magazine:

“Tarnation may be the first feature-length film edited entirely on iMovie, and it cost $218.32 in videotape and materials.”

To me, this redefines the expression shoe-string.

“The film also includes more than 200 photos culled from [Jonathan] Caouette's huge archive. Unable to afford to scan the photos, Caouette tacked the images to a white wall and filmed them.”

So much can be created with so little. All it took Caouette was a Macintosh, the freebie editing software – iMovie and videotapes. And yeah, a whole lot of inspiration and motivation, too.

But, not everyone has to or can work in the same manner as Jonathan Caouette. If you dig hard enough in your own backyard, I am sure there are all sorts of funding opportunities.

Painful as Tarnation may be to watch (I haven't seen it yet), Caouette's resolve to get this film done has landed him at Sundance this year.

If you have $ 220 chilling in your pocket, what do you intend doing with it? Top 5 creative responses will be published here on Tiffinbox. Email me at: tiffinbox{at}pipalproductions{dot}com.

There is good reason why I haven't posted anything for a week. It has taken me that long to shake jet-lag. I am visiting Chennai for a couple of weeks.

Notice anything different about the site? In the right hand column you'll find the new FEATURES section. I have Gerik Parmele at Photocolumn.org and the kind folks at Badmash.org to thank for the links they have provided. I hope you'll visit both sites, and often.

Gerik's site showcases some fine photographers who have also taken the time to pen a few personal thoughts. If you visit Tiffinbox on a regular basis you'll now notice that the image changes on a weekly basis. Click it to be taken to a larger version of the image and an extended caption.

Badmash.org is a fun site – worthy of a weekly laugh. I highly recommend it. It is, to my knowledge, the first site of its kind to address the South Asian lifestyle in the West.

Blogging by journalists has had its share of recent controversies. At least one journalist has been fired for blogging. If you are writing for publication, it might be a good idea to find out what the policy is before launching into this highly addictive habit of [gasp] reading and writing. I feel sharing opinions is a good thing as long as they are factually based and fair to all parties concerned. I don't entirely agree that journalists have to be objective. Or, that they can be. Whether we like it or not, we do tend to take sides. We might as well accept that inevitability and move forward. Look at it this way – if it wasn't you expressing your opinions, it will be the company that owns your words at the end of the day. Which would you it rather be? I think the answer is quite simple.

For those of you who want to know more about what a blog is, this blogging phenomenon or are considering life as a blogger, click here and here. The writing by Diego Doval is lucid and it will have you at least intrigued.

Rachna Contractor writes that Kala Magazine, a volunteer-run quarterly based in Toronto, Canada which features South Asian art and culture is looking for stories, art, fiction etc. for their January issue.

The theme is Re-defining Our Culture: Youth South Asians in the Diaspora (young refers to 1st/2nd generation, not necessarily a particular age group)

Stories, artist features, art, show previews etc from across North America and further are welcome. Please submit work to rachna.contractor@utoronto.ca by November 20th 2003. For more information about Kala check out their wesbite.

[Read more…]

I ran into this excellent web site resource for all your NPR needs. It beats trying to figure out when and where your favorite program will air. It even allows you to configure the show timings based on your geographic location.

Via Spongy Smorgasbord