“The purpose of life is not to be happy—but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you lived at all.”
― Leo Rosten
Super dry doc but Muller's work is so great its worth watching
By far my worst experience in film school happened in a very small way, it wasn't any of the normal issues such as being on the crew from hell or having pages of notes given on your film, from a lecturer who has never made a film. It was way smaller but in some way made a much bigger impression.
It went down like this, in a class on illustrating Ethnic identity within American society through film (another case of academics writing for other academics) we sat to watch Moonstruck (1987) so when its all over the lights come up and the lecturer asks what are the opinions (having already shared theirs for 30min preceding the movie thus ruining any unbiased views) most people just plain hated the move.
The session then turned to the performance of Nicolas Cage and not only in this film but in everything! it was a free for all with the entire class and lecturer agreeing that he is just awful and how is he even acting or getting roles? I knew at this point that (1.) the class knew nothing about cinema or acting (2.) the lecturer loved to play to the gallows and knew even less about cinema or performance (3.) that I most definitely picked the wrong film school.
Nicolas Cage is an innovator! a man who redefines performance in some interesting way. A step away from the overindulgent and self-analytical (read self-obsessed) actor to a newer interpretation of performance. He is free in way that many are not, sure he can be way over the top but that's the point while others hide behind the curtain of 'inner' depth and feeling he lets it all out. From the great nuanced Oscar worthy and winning performances to the wacky Bad lieutenant stuff and everything in between. He doesn't hold back or dial it in even in the most ridiculous projects and roles he is always reaching a level of authenticity that demands to be admired.
The great movie critic Ebert came out in swinging in his praise for Cage sating that "There are often lists of the great living male movie stars: De Niro, Nicholson and Pacino, usually. How often do you see the name of Nicolas Cage? He should always be up there. He's daring and fearless in his choice of roles, and unafraid to crawl out on a limb, saw it off and remain suspended in air" or as Ethan Hawke commented "He's the only actor since Marlon Brando that's actually done anything new with the art of acting" my feeling is that both Ebert and Hawke may know a little more than a bunch of film school post grads.
Lets finish & celebrate the shamanic Nicolas Cage with a small clip of Cage from the great David Lynch movie Wild at Heart
Stephen @Lost
With only 23% of Irish business engaged in e-commerce sales, while over 70% of online purchases in Ireland are from overseas markets.
With changing technology, shopping habits and trends its important for all businesses and in particular small business to stay affront and on top of consumer trends and keep their business relevant and profitable.
In comes the trading online voucher a National Digital strategy scheme to get a further 2,000 businesses trading online.
Its a matching fund voucher to the tune of €2,500 or 50% of the costs of getting your business in the game.
There are some stipulations,
Must have limited online trading at the moment.
Less than 10 employees
Turnover less than €2Million (I don't think you would need it if it was much more!)
Trading for at least 12 Months (Important one)
Can be used for lots of fun stuff.
Development or upgrade of e-commerce site
Online payment or booking system
Purchase of internet software
Upgrade your current site to mobile friendly version (super important with the mass migration to mobile)
Purchase of online advertising (30% cost of adverts, rest to company)
Developing an App
Developing digital marketing strategy, photography etc..
Training and things like that.
There are a few steps in the process they can be found here: www.localenterprise.ie
Get in touch with Lost and we can help you through the process and get the best bang for your voucher.
The end date is soon so if you don't want to miss out better get on it.
"As an artist, I feel that we must try many things-but above all we must dare to fail"
John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes filmmaker, director, actor, writer and iconoclast was a true original, a man who stood for what he believed in who fought with passion for his art.
Born in 1929 to Greek parents in New York City, he went on to study dramatic arts at American Academy. He auditioned for the actors studio but was rejected. He then started to teach his own alternative to the method in NY and through this class came the concept for his first feature Shadows(1957/59) a piece of celluloid jazz about love, people and the human condition. As he told radio host Jean Shepard he wanted to make films about little people different from the Hollywood fare. The '59 version is considered a watershed moment in independent American cinema.
He shot the '57 version first put it out there and when it was rejected, not liked or just didn't get the response he wanted he didn't crawl into his shell and hide. He went back and reshot half the film, that's a lesson for all of us, sometimes its better just get your 1.0 product out in the world let it be misunderstood or disliked, just iterate make it better and it could be that watershed moment in your industry.
Cassavetes also gained some crowd-funding by announcing on Manhattan radio show that if every listenser just sent in a dollar he could make a movie, John was surprised a few days later that he had received thousands of dollars from willing listeners.
A little antidote serves to understand him as a person. On the set of the troubled, A child is waiting (1963) Cassavetes saw a young kid lurking around the set watching he asked him what he was doing, when he found out the young man wanted to be a director. Cassavetes allowed him to direct him for the day, that young man was a very young Steven Spielberg.
There is so much in Cassavetes I recommend grabbing a good book like Cassavetes on Cassavetes, or checking out A Constant Forge a great documentary made a few years ago.
To finish with a quote from John
"you must be willing to risk everything to really express it all"
Robert Noyce the mayor of silicon valley, one of our heroes and inspirations here @loststudios,
“An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young” Oscar Wilde
Tony Alva started skating at 11, four short years later he joined the infamous Z-boys. He is a genuine innovator first 'frontside air' first in Guinness World Records, first Skateboarder poll No.1, World champion. A superstar while still in his teens. Alva had the style and charisma to crossover into new worlds.
At 19 during the height of his fame, he shunned the offers and promises by the large skate companies to break more new ground, the first skateboarder to own his own company to be in charge of his own destiny.
Alva launched Alva Skates in 77' innovating by being the first to company to use layered maple plywood for the decks, now a staple. He also launched two retail locations in SoCal with one in S.D and one in L.A. All this at 19 and with the guts to 'live his brand'. He knew who he was and wasn't afraid to live life his way.
“The possession of a perfect knowledge of your business is an absolute necessity in order to insure success.”
P.T Barnum
Alva lived skating and thus knew what skaters wanted, from strong and flexible decks to underside grip tape. Many entrepreneurs not only don't know their industry but worse they don't even like their product. Many franchise owners fall in here but sadly so do some start-ups. If you just creating a paycheck for yourself then your buying yourself a job you don't like.
Alva and the other skateboarders being featured here, have something in common they have practiced the same tricks over and over thousands of times until they hit them. They are used to failing, falling, bailing and getting smashed, getting up, dusting off and going after it again. Realizing that a slight change in direction, motion or pressure will eventually mean success. There is a lesson for every entrepreneur out there, just a slight change, a brush off of past failures and the will, never to give up, can yield landing that thing you only imagined possible.
Alva still rocking it at 55, still in business, skating and a committed philanthropist. photo Sean Kelly
“You have to risk going too far to discover just how far you can really go.”
T.S. Eliot
Christian Hosoi rocking the Christ Air
Here @ Lost we love to look to people who inspire us and who pave the way for a new path. Breaking new ground in a world set in one grove, skipping that needle and starting a new movement.
Skateboarding of the early 70s was drab, silly tricks, staid rules and just not cool. But a set of guys broke those rules and broke though to the public. Influencing not just popular culture in a major way, but business innovation also.
Over the next few articles we will be profiling some of the greatest names in skateboarding and entrepreneurship, exploring the links between what they do and how they think. It is not uncommon for many of the greats of Skateboarding to also be truly self-made millionaires and innovative Business people.
One of the reasons for this is the obvious need to make a living at a time when the sport didn't provide one. But the sheer innovation, risk taking and persistence is ingrained into the individual through the sport and the crossover to entrepreneur is not the leap it first appears.
From Tony Alva and the Zephyr Crew, Stacey Peralta and Bones Brigade through Lance Mountain and the finger board. All the way to Rob Derek's Fantasy Factory serial entrepreneurship and philanthropy.
From the new entrepreneur, to that kid or adult in love with a sport, an idea, a hobby that everyone around says their is no way to make a living, grow up, get real. These skateboarders showed that not only is there a living in your passion but much, much more. For each person, dreaming their own dream, living their own life they can learn a lot from these innovators.
Let's leave it to the great Rodney Mullen to highlight some really great ideas on innovation and growth. (and check out that dark-slide)
"If names are not correct, language will not be in accordance with the truth of things." ~Confucius
Why Lost Studios? this is mostly the second question we get here at lost. First being what do you do? (for those who are still wondering we bring big agency ideas and production to small companies).
In the first round of names we had a lot going around. From first name combos to esoteric sounding initials. It just wasn't there, so back to the proverbial drawing board and looking to what influenced me to live a creative life.
The idea came while reading something Dr Daniel Levitin said regarding music and the link to the brain and creativity. The first album I bought was The Lost Boys Soundtrack on cassette and it made a undoubted impression upon me. Played till death, back and forward in my Walkman, many frustrated moments forwarding the large gap at the end of side B to get back to that Jimmy Barnes & INXS headliner on side A.
The Lost Boys film itself is one of the great pop culture moments, one that cost countless late rental fees for me. It was something within the story, the outlaws, the struggles of the modern family unit, that great Granpa, those cool kids. The urge to be what others wanted you to be 'join us Michael'. But like many of the lessons shown to you in life, its not until years later do you understand the message. The need to stand for what you believe in and who you are, regardless of the crowd.
So when the name Lost appeared, not only was it fun, meaningful and personal but it also held itself up to the scope of where we want to grow as a company. Allowing for Multi-branding options, from the current Lost Studios, to our future projects under Lost Productions, Lost Magazine, and our creative representation agency Lost Girls & Boys. The limits and opportunities are endless. On that lets have a classic track from that album.
“It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.”
― W.C. Fields
Van Damme the resurgence
Here @Lost we are fans of Jean-Claude. A man who came to Hollywood from Brussels, with only a few words of English, a BB in Karate and some epic splits. He is a self made man. Working as a carpet layer, while showing off his Martial arts skills to a producers on the streets of LA. But It was with his performance in No Retreat No surrender that we started to take notice and with Bloodsport he burnt into our childhood memories. In Kickboxer he showed a generation of men how to dance.
Living in the public sphere, Van Damme's many challenges and choices pushed his career towards the Z list. It was with his performance in JCVD (much admired by Nicolas Cage) that he showed some heavy acting chops to go along with the high kicks. It renewed integrity in his image and allowed some true moments of catharsis.
It wasn't much of surprise to us when agencies around the world saw this and promoted the Muscles from Brussels into campaigns from Coors Light to Volvo Trucks. The later being a favorite of ours and 76 million others. JCVD we salute you, comment below and let us know your favorite Van Damme moment!