Note: To skip the philosophy behind Cineapolis and go straight to the position descriptions, turn to page 7.

CineapHLiS

Cinema is one of the last remaining communal activities.

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Somewhere in the world right now a small number of people are sitting seats apart from each other looking up at the same screen. Their recent past may have been filled with joy, sorrow, or ordinariness, but here they are, audience to the same work of art, and if the movie is strong enough, they will all leave the theater with their spirits and minds replenished, ready to face whatever struggles lie ahead as they go about the business of life.

Cinema is church without superstition; live comedy that can willingly displease; theater with more penetration and permanence. It is democratic and universal. A projector and a set of speakers can be found in most slums and all cities are expected to have at least one grand screen. It is all encompassingthe Seventh Art that combines architecture, sculpture, painting, dance, music, and poetry. It is versatile, as demonstrated by the sheer variety of cinema made in the past hundred years. Cinema can take us anywhere, focus our attention on anything, and redefine reality for us, at least for the span of its running time.

Coypel's Fury of Achilles (1737)Even the staunchest opponent of fascism felt a small admiration after watching Leni Riefenstahls Triumph of the Will. Sleazy mobsters started wearing sharp suits and speaking philosophically the day after watching Coppolas Godfather. Young men try to speak like Clooney, move like Gosling, and carry an expression like Bogart. Films are modern-day epics, and a Western child today wants to be Tony Stark as much as one raised in Ancient Athens wanted to be Achilles.

Malicks Tree of Life (2011)

Stories are a defining characteristic of our species. Our thoughts are essentially connections of causes and effects, and stories excel at elucidating the connection between the two. Storytelling has been empirically demonstrated to communicate information far more effectively than any rival method because it engages so much of the receivers mind. Psychological phenomena like neural coupling only strengthen the case that storytelling is the dominant way for us to transfer our knowledge and opinions to one another.

Storytelling is ancient but cinema is not. Were only about a hundred years into this great experiment and, I think, we are on the cusp of something wonderful. The Master, Birdman, Tree of Life, Mud, Foxcatcher, Beasts of the Southern Wild, all these veritable masterpieces were made in the past five years, and here are you and I, young and capable, who have a chance to help build this grand structure already under construction. Cinemas relative newness is an advantage to those who want to shape an art form for centuries to come.

Advantages of Cinema Over Other MediumsCinema is the best at engaging all our senses,because it synthesizes the other arts,and is played in a setting specifically geared to immerse.

Cinema is excellent at reaching a large number of people.because, again, theaters are made for large numbers,and films are surprisingly popular,both in the developed world,and the crucial, populous developing world.

Filmmaking is now accessible,because all necessary production equipment is now affordable,or can be acquired through financing if one has reasonably healthy credit.

Filmmaking is flexible.It has as much breadth as any artistic field, and can have as much depth if created by the right people.

Filmmaking is by its very nature meritocratic.because people will always want to pay to see a great story,and because its accessibility makes it hard to monopolize.

Filmmaking is an effort-rewarding field,because so much of it is learned through practice that one is bound to get better if they are honest with themselves.and because audiences grow exponentially.

Why not strive to cure cancer instead?It is a legitimate question and we should never ignore legitimate questions. Cinema demands tremendous energywhy not apply that energy to medicine, physics, technology or the like?

Stanley Kubrick and Orson Welles could have dedicated their creativity and intellect to any other field and been useful to mankind. They most likely chose filmmaking because of a combination of their artistic inclinations, their circumstances in life, and their recognition of storytelling as a fundamental human need.

A matured perspective of the world recognizes humanitys various requirements. Food is important, but certain things trump even food supply. Who would sell their freedom of speech for the wealth of the average Singaporean? Medical research is unquestionably essential, but so is beauty and narrative.

Consider this: prisoners have starved themselves to death to protest their captivity. To those prisoners, dignity was worth more than food. The image of a man standing with his head held high was more valuable than that of a well-fed slave. This image is so vivid that it takes on the characteristics of a narrative: the characters of the rebel and the master, the plot that one demands liberty and the other demands obedience, the climax in which the rebel must demonstrate the conviction of her beliefs so that the master will be forced to a fight.

A Bengali Freedom Fighter Carrying Another (1971)

The strongest motives arise from self-perception, which is determined above all by the stories we put ourselves in.

It is my belief that all substantial human acts in the entirety of history are driven by a belief in some powerful narrative. The martyr facing death in the Roman arena found strength in the Epic of Christ. Bengali freedom fighters hiding in the jungle perhaps drew courage from the Saga of themselves as they saw itrugged jungle-warriors on a task to free their cities from enemy occupiers. To even a kind-hearted plantation heiress the idea of freedom for her familys slaves was nonsensical, because there was no room in the narrative for it. Likewise, criminals are generally convinced that they were doing the right thing, per their story. I am just a person, doing what I need to survive. That is a beautiful story, and has been at the core of some of the worst perversions people are capable of.

We are, as game theorists say, often illogical but seldom irrational, because we look out for our own interests. When a person puts himself into the narrative of a thiefor, as he would describe it, an enlightened non-conformist under financial stressthey adjust their behavior per their story. If that same person saw themselves as an impoverished Socratic protestor against materialistic society, then their story would not permit them to steal, because the narrative does not flow in that directionhis character would be too incoherent and the moral of the story would be lost.

Cinema doesnt tell us how to act, but at its best creates narratives to put ourselves in. Take Office Space, which I have turned to for solace whenever I find myself depressed in a corporate setting. I am the three workers, I am the quiet rebel, I am the intelligent, funny, frustrated hostage of my financial needs. Examine yourself, and witness the stories that have molded you.From a distance, we must appear to be an intelligent species in a rather empty universe, obsessed with our infighting and immediate needs. We are ugly when we are in a crowd but cant stand to be alone. Cinema provides us a medium through which to maintain our beautiful individuality while learning from the experiences of others. (That is, after all, the job of the actor: to truly live through an experience on behalf of the audience.)

It is through these case-studies of human experience that cinema makes us feel united with all of humanity, with the actress playing her role, with the wrinkled old man a few seats down watching the same screen. And when you leave this dark sanctuary back out onto the cold sidewalk and into the drone of uncaring traffic and the penetrating boredom of everyday life, you feel disoriented and curiously uplifted. It is how Plato describes leaving the proverbial Cave:

Liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and look towards the light ... the glare distresses him

but the distress is a side-effect of a thorough spiritual replenishment. We now wonder why that streetlight must be so bright, or why humans must be so cruel to one another, or why the father in the story couldnt have simply loved his child without bringing so much anger into all of it.

The ambition of all art is to remind us that there is beauty in our world and that there are things worth living and striving for. Stories lead us to hope, to feel, to provide context for our own lives and not feel terribly alone. Curing cancer is important. So is solving the economic inequalities of the Third World. And so is shaping the narratives that drive our society. In a world of seven billion, there are enough brilliant minds for every important field.

Cineapolis is the concept of a vibrant cinematic community based in the Twin Cities that makes and screens its films here. It is built on a network of resident filmmakers, designers, performers, distributors, businesses and audience members.

The model has been applied elsewhere. Essentially, filmmakers with local roots develop smaller-sized crews consisting of likeminded natives who are usually more artistically talented than technically proficient. They generally cast native actors, collaborate with local businesses on location usage and sponsorship, arrange screenings with independent theaters in the city and build an audience base in their area. Cineapolis aims to achieve much the same pattern as its counterparts in Austin and Atlanta.

Zucchis Virgil Reading the Aeneid to the Emperor Augustus (1767)

The distinctive feature of Cineapolis is its minimalist, ultra-efficient five-person crew. It is this crew that will make some of the greatest gems of independent cinema. It consists of a Director, a Composer, a Stylist, an Art Director, and a Strategist.

The DirectorDirecting Cinematography Casting Editing

The Director lives and breathes cinema. They see reality as a collection of camera angles and well-timed cuts. Conversation is a high art, because it is screenwriting in real time. If the Director is lacking in either discipline or vision, then the project is as good as dead. They must be on top of everything at all times, which is usually not possible for humans, but the Director is a different creature altogether.

A trait in particularthis cannot be overemphasizedis that the Director must be decisive. Much of polite society revolves around not being authoritative but the Director must be comfortable commanding. The Cineapolis format is incompatible with lax directing. Any question from any crewmember or cast member must be responded to right away, and umms and uhs are to be avoided completely. In a Cineapolis film, the Directors instructions are absolute, so they must be clear and direct.

Though the direction itself is not shared, the Director must be intelligent enough to understand the collaborative nature of cinema overall. They shall follow the military maxim of

In planning, manyin execution, one,

meaning the Director should take advice from everyone, thoroughly and sincerely, before production begins; then they must arrive on set with the confidence and vision of a true commandant.

The Director should strive to emulate Fincher and know everyones job on set better than they do. If the audio gear goes awry, the Director should have good ideas on how to fix it. If the lights arent right, the Cineapolis Art Director isnt ultimately to blamethe Director should know better. To reach this level of technical proficiency, the Director must surround themselves with as much literature and instruction as possible, and make it a point to learn from all experiences on set.

The Composer Music composition Audio Recording Casting assistance

The Composer walks into a room and immediately feels its acoustics. They have a tough time casually listening to music because they cant help but criticize it. They write musicthough they are rarely, if ever, satisfied with their own creation. They feel sound, whereas the rest of us only hear it. The Composer is a maestro in front of an orchestra, able to pick out the one trumpet playing off-key.

To begin, the Composer must have as well an understanding of the screenplay as the Director or the lead actor. This is necessary for fulfilling their on-set duty effectively and they will achieve this thorough, semi-memorized understanding by being on book all casting sessions and rehearsals.

Beethoven at HeilegenstadtOn set, the Composer has the technical responsibility of capturing sound. This begins with a thorough understanding of the particular recording device and the shotgun microphone. They must be agile, aware, and have a spatial mind, knowing where everyone and everything is at any given time. They must constantly assess how the space is reacting with the sound and ensure that their gear is working properly.

In post-production, the Composer creates any and all music requested by the Director, along with creating proposals of their own.

Ideally, the Director will give the Composer only surface suggestions, indicating the general mood they want and recommending specific instruments. Then the Composer would create to their hearts content, finally allowing the Director to listen from a selection and choose what to put into the film.

The StylistCostume Design Make-up Artistry Hair Styling Script supervision

The Stylist is first and foremost a student of the human face. They know its intricacies and how it responds to light and color. The Stylist can bring out the beauty in the ugly, and the ugly in the beautiful. The Stylist is a fine artist through and through.

The Stylist must be skilled with a brush. Cineapolis projects tend to go light on hair and makeup artistry, but if there is something to be done, the Stylist is the one to do it. It is not uncommon for the Stylist to step in in between takes of a scene and make a minute adjustment to an actors appearance.

The Stylist designs costumes, which is unique to Cineapolis. It is part of an overarching philosophy that wishes to see one artist in control of all related aspects of the production. Since the Stylist commands the actors appearance, it is only natural that they design their costumes as well. On set, the Stylist is also responsible for continuity and script supervision, acting as a sort of whip to ensure the Director is not losing discipline.

OKeeffes Black Place II (1944)

The Art DirectorSet Design Lightist Propsmaster Location Scout

The Art Director is a master of shadow and light, much like the Stylist, but they are more students of architecture and sculpture than anatomy or dance. They walk into a room and immediately gain an understanding of its layout, type and quantity of lighting fixtures, and the shadows they cast. The Art Director responds well to depth, and appreciates an accent light on a wall where there really is no functional need for one. They prefer the actor stay still, so they sink into the scenery rather than dominate it (though they will not always have their way.) In pre-production, they gather the locations, though they can delegate certain needs to any other willing crewmember. Once a location is chosen, they are chiefly responsibly for what goes into it, in accordance with the wishes of the Director.

Architect Louis Kahn (c. 1971)

Thus, they become responsible for the list of items that are in a shot, and ensuring that there is object-placement continuity between shooting days. As experts in light, they are tasked with maintaining the lighting on set, and adjusting them as per the instruction from the Director.

The StrategistScheduling Set Management (Food/Transport/Equipment) Second Camera Location Management Publicist

The Strategist is a veritable general. By far the most disciplined and intentional of the members involved. From the beginning, they are thinking of ways to frame the project for publicity and eventual screening.

They work with the Director and ensure that everyone and all equipment has a way to get to set and a way to get home afterwards.

They ensure that all equipment is accounted for at the end of the night. They keep track of any expenses involved in the movie. They arrange food when appropriate. Naturally, they must be excellent at geometry and abstract thinking. As if all this wasnt enough, they man Second Camera whenever the Director has need for it.

Think this is asking too much? You are right. There are only a handful with the level of discipline and organizational talent needed to be the Strategist for a Cineapolis crew.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (c. 1930)The Ambition of cineapolis

At some point in the future, a person will be sent off into space, destine to spend a large part of their natural lives away from Earth. When they feel tremendously lonely, experiencing all those difficulties that go along with being human, they will watch a film, and the Cineapolitan wants to have made that film.That is what is described by the word ambition. It transcends the desire to be better than ones competitors. It is aspiration elevated to the level of the divine.

Cineapolis Matured

When will we know we have made it? On what day can we finally sit back and allow ourselves to say that we did a good job? It will be the day when all these statements are fact:

First, all Cineapolis memberscrew and cast alikeare making a livable income from cinema alone.

Second, at least one Cineapolis film is playing at a Twin Cities theater, and this has been true for every day in the past month.

Third, at least one Cineapolis film is in production or less than two weeks away from entering production.

Fourth, at least two fully manned Cineapolis squads are active and ready to film.

Fifth, Cineapolis owns all its own production equipment.

When these five conditions are wholly met, then we can say Cineapolis has reached maturity andfingers crossedperpetuity.

At the core of it all is audience. Audience is what will sustain Cineapolis and guide its creative progress.

The zenith of all of Cineapolis efforts will be when a regular Minneapolitan or St. Paulite comes home from a tiring day at work, unwinds, then feels the need for some human replenishment. So she walks or take the short drive to her nearest theater, pay for a cheap ticket to the latest Cineapolis piece. She hasnt heard of this particular film before but its a Cineapolis film, and Cineapolis has always given her something worth watching. She takes a seat and there we show her a story, something really powerful, something honest and human, and she leaves the theater and through the rest of the night and for a few days or weeks or maybe even years afterwards, she can return to this experience at the movie theater and find solace.

This is an end worth struggling for, it is an ambition worthy of our sincerest efforts, and I for one am willing to sacrifice much to get there. If you are of the same conviction, then we must work together.

Sincerely,Aswar RahmanApril 2015

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