"Mechanical Figures - twentythousandcycles.NET"
Experimental interactive movie inspired by
Nikola Tesla
- News -
- The project continues: New York, Colorado Springs, Niagara Falls...
The filming for the "Tesla" project will continue in New York, Colorado Springs and Niagara Falls (early 2009). We also plan to film several more interviews of artists and other creative individuals inspired by Tesla. Meanwhile, the team in Zagreb and all around the world is working on post production, animation, editing, compositing...
Everything should be finished by mid 2009. The result will be available in several different media - as a linear film suitable for big screen, a collection of short films suitable for handheld and mobile devices, a Web page, books... More information about everything we plan to make and this unique creative adventure is available here...
If you want to join in, send an email to Helena (helena@bulaja.com)!" The project is still open for new collaborators, first of all animators, programmers...
- New full-time team member: Blaz Habus
Blaž Habuš, aka Blashko, is our new full time creative assistant. Blashko is very successful and famous as composer, producer and DJ of electronic music, but it is less known that he is also a graphic designer. Our collaboration started in 2007 when he made a beautiful electronic remix of Christian Biegai's music from the cartoon "Regoch" ("Croatian Tales of Long Ago" project). CD with the music will be included in deluxe edition of "Regoch" (book, DVD... package) that will be published soon. Blaz will mostly work on "Mechanical Figures" project, on design, editing... and of course, on sound & music design and production.
Since Blaz is generously publishing it under Creative Commons license, you can freely listen, download, copy, burn... his music. It is available on last.fm (click here...)
- New team member: Norwegian animator Øivind Hovland
Øivind Hovland, a Norwegian illustrator and animator living in Bristol, UK, is a new member of our "Tesla team". More about his recognized and award winning illustrations and animations on www.oivindhovland.co.uk.
- New Zealand (2)
In the beginning of July 2008 Alistair Keddie and Stuart Page did some extra filming - in sharp winter conditions - of the world biggest Tesla coil located at Alan Gibbs' farm near Auckland, New Zealand. They made really spectacular shots of this impressive fusion of art and technology.
photo: Alistair Keddie
- Japan, energy from space
In April 2008 in Kyoto we filmed an interview with professor Hiroshi Matsumoto, Executive Vice President for Research and Finance of the famous Kyoto University. Prof. Matsumoto, so far the only scientist interviewed for this project, is one of the leading world experts in the field of wireless transfer of energy, and also a great connoisseur and admirer of Nikola Tesla. His project of orbiting solar power plants, to some extent based on Tesla's ideas, consists in launching of gigantic solar panels in the Earth orbit and wireless transfer of the collected energy through microwaves. Energy from the Sun can be collected in space much more efficiently than on Earth, and it is believed that the development of this technology could permanently solve energy problem on our planet, as prof. Matsumoto believes - before the year 2050!
photo: Alistair Keddie
Prof. Matsumoto so far is the only scientist in the project, but he is in fact much more than that - a visionary, passionate creative and philanthropist, just like Tesla.
In Japan - a techno-country that resembles Tesla's dream - we also filmed a lot of beautiful materials.
photo: Alistair Keddie
- Team in Zagreb
Postproduction work on "Mechanical Figures" speeded up from the beginning of 2008, after almost 4 years since the first ideas, shootings and material gathering... the project finally entered its final phase!
International team of authors gathers in Zagreb - Edgar Beals, Alistair Keddie, Christian Biegai... names well known from "Croatian Tales" project, spend a lot of time with us here. Work continues on stop-motion animation, compositing, editing, special effects, music, sound, and the first clips and stories are getting their final shape. When the authors are not here, the work is coordinated online...
photo: Edgar Beals
We did shooting in nature, on locations in and around Zagreb, and our new studio in Dezeliceva is full of creative energy coming from different corners of the world, which often leads to positively unexpected results.
Also, New Zealander Stuart Page should join the team in Zagreb in late 2008.
photo: Edgar Beals
- "Adris" Foundation
Foundation "Adris" recognized the value of our project and in early 2008 decided to support it! We are very grateful because they made it possible for us to finish the project in full scale.
This is the first donation we received from "private" sector, from a foundation or company. "Adris" is the biggest corporative foundation in Croatia, founded in 2007, and this was their first tender. Together with arts and culture, they financially support projects in the fields of science, environment, heritage and charity.
- Support from the Ministry of Culture
At the end of 2007 our project was finally supported from the film fund of Croatian Ministry of Culture, in the category of alternative film. The Ministry supported this and other our project before, but mostly from the funding provided for new media projects and international cultural collaboration. This is the first grant we received from the more abundant fund for film.
- Performance in Budapest
In March 2007 Helena Bulaja was in Budapest with the performing artist Petar Grimani and the photographer Boris Cvjetanović. On different location in the city related to Nikola Tesla they filmed Grimani's performance.
photo: Boris Cvjetanović
- Filming in New Zealand
The "Mechanical Figures" project team was in New Zealand in February 2007. The reason for traveling so far was an extraordinary story: the biggest existing Tesla Coil in the world. The coil is actually a piece of art, a sculpture made by the late American sculptor Eric Orr and physicist and inventor Greg Leyh, and commissioned by Alan Gibbs, New Zealand businessman and inventor, well known patron of arts.
photo: Alistair Keddie
Indeed it is very unusual that the biggest existing Tesla Coil (Tesla at his time did some experiments with bigger coils in Colorado Springs...), a 130,000 Watt power unit, was built as a work of art on such a remote place, as a part of Gibbs' sculpture park on his farm near Auckland, together with other works of the world most famous contemporary artists.
We also shot an interview with Alan Gibbs, and Peter Roche, conceptual artist from Auckland who uses neon, light and electricity. For the feature and animated part of the film we shot many other attractive materials in this beautiful country.
photo: Alistair Keddie
Another new thing is that Alistair Keddie, the Scottish landscape photographer and animator, author of the cartoon "Stribor's Forest" from our project "Croatian Tales of Long Ago" also joined the team! The new member of the crew is also Stuart Page, New Zealand director, cinematographer, photographer and video artist.
- The first presentation of "Tesla" project
On Interliber, Zagreb major book fair, on Friday November 10th, we presented our project inspired by the scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla. The presentation was a part of the program of national quiz for the promotion of reading, organized by Zagreb Public Libraries and Croatian Center for Children Books. We presented what was done so far, together with some thoughts about Tesla by famous artists that we interviewed for our interactive film. This was the first public presentation of the project in Croatia.
- Island of Pag
In October 2006 Mare Milin and Helena Bulaja were on the island of Pag, Croatia - photographing and filming the materials for feature and animated part of the film. Very unusual location - because of strong winds the island is as bare as the moon surface...
photo: Mare Milin
- Interviews with Terry Gilliam, Andy Serkis and Christopher Priest!
The team of the interactive film inspired by Nikola Tesla was in Frankfurt at the end of September 2006, to film interviews with Terry Gilliam and Andy Serkis. A week before the team was in London to film an interview with the British writer Christopher Priest.
The interviews with Gilliam and Serkis were filmed at eDIT festival in Frankfurt. The festival is intended for film professionals, primarily in the field of special visual effects, and for the 9th time it united the VE elite from Europe and America. eDIT is famous for its relaxed and intimate atmosphere, where the attendants really get a chance to meet and communicate with the stars and famous masters. Both Gilliam and Serkis were honored with Special Achievement Award at this year's eDIT festival, together with the legendary Ray Harryhausen, who is one of the greatest masters of special film effects of all times, and who did the VE in spectacles such as "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad", "Jason and the Argonauts" and "Clash of the Titans".
Three years ago, at eDIT 2003 festival "Bulaja Publishing" presented its award-winning international project "Croatian Tales of Long Ago"!
[Here you can see the trailer of the 2003. festival with Helena's interview...]
photo: Mare Milin
On September 16th 2006 at Tate Modern Gallery in London we filmed an interview with Christopher Priest, author of the novel "The Prestige" in which Tesla is a key episode character. The newest Christopher Nolan's film with David Bowie as Tesla is based on the book (coming out in October 2006).
You will be able to hear some of the inspiring and - as expected - witty thoughts about Tesla that Gilliam, Serkis and Priest shared with us by mid 2007, when this complex film product with the working title "Mechanical Figures - 20.000 Cycles.Net" should be ready.
If you wonder what's the connection between Gilliam, Serkis and Tesla, click here...
Christopher Priest and the film crew, Tate Modern, London
photo: Mare Milin
- Tesla's birthday - filming in Belgrade
On the 150th birth anniversary of Nikola Tesla (June 9-10, 2006) we were again filming in Belgrade.
photo: Mare Milin
The reasons were the performance by conceptual artist Petar Grimani in Tesla's Museum, in hotel "Moskva" and on the streets of Belgrade, and meeting Laurie Anderson, who gave a concert dedicated to Tesla in Belgrade, as well as Terry O'Reilly, the director of the opera Violet Fire that premiered at the National Theatre. We also filmed an interview with Dana Budisavljević, Croatian filmmaker and Nikola Tesla's grandniece.
- Belgrade - Budapest - Zagreb
The team of the interactive film about the scientist Nikola Tesla was in Belgrade and Budapest on May 18-26. Among other things, in Belgrade we interviewed Terry O'Reilly, the director of a multimedia opera Violet Fire inspired by Tesla's life. The opera will premiere in Belgrade at the National Theater in July 2006, as a part of the celebration of Tesla's 150th birth anniversary.
In Budapest we were shooting in the famous City Park (Varosliget) - the place where Tesla came to the idea of rotating magnetic field while he was watching the sunset and saying verses from Goethe's "Faust".
photos: Mare Milin
After we were filming in Zagreb - we interviewed the famous Croatian actor Rade Šerbedžija and the magician M. G. Taylor.
- More filming in New York, March 2006
On March 22nd the team of the interactive film about Nikola Tesla was in New York again, where we filmed an interview with the famous performance artist Marina Abramović. In 2004 Marina Abramović made a performance Tesla's Urn in Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade.
photo: Mare Milin
- Filming in New York, January 2006
On January 11-26th, 2006 a small team of our Nikola Tesla project was in New York City.
In the two weeks of intensive shooting we filmed about 10 interviews with acclaimed artists and creative people whom Tesla inspired (Laurie Anderson, Eric Orr, Douglas Rushkoff, Samantha Hunt, Matt Dilling, Craig Marin & Olga Felgemacher, Jamie Mereness, Joseph Kinney, Stephen Whitty), and most of the fictional materials for the film, with Josipa and Marijana Bronić, Sabina Hahn and Christian Biegai.
photos: Mare Milin
- The Media
Our project got some media coverage, and some of the stuff is available online. It's mostly in Croatian or Serbian, and here are some links:
- Radio New Zealand National, "Ideas" on Sunday Morning with Chris Laidlaw, interview with Helena Bulaja and Dr. Stevan Berber from Auckland University (4.3.2007.)
Helena explained some of her ideas about the project, the concept of interactive film, and revealed some bits about connections of Tesla and this project with New Zealand.
The interview is available here...
- Metro, Zagreb: "Multimedijska počast Nikoli Tesli", by Barbara Govorčin (2.5.2008.)
- Jutarnji list, Zagreb: "Teslina ekipa", by Pavica Knezović Belan (24.2.2008.)
- Jutarnji list, Zagreb: "Film Helene Bulaje: Inspirirani Teslom", by Pavica Knezović (15.2.2006.)
- Feral: "Ni Tesla ne bi prosvijetlio naše političare", by Darko Vukorepa (8.11.2006.)
- Radio Slobodna Evropa, Beograd: Na granici između svetova fizike i umetnosti (interview with Helenom Bulaja), by Branka Mihailović i Nadežda Gaće (16.7.2006.)
- Filmski.net: Nikola Tesla - nova energija za filmske potke, by Miranda Novak (24.4.2006.)
- SKD Prosvjeta: Interaktivni film o Tesli
- Deutsche Welle - World: Teslina godina (by Vid Mesarić, 7.3.2006.)
- Nikolatesla.hr: Tri priče o Tesli iz "Bulaja naklade" (02.10.2006)
English translation at Culturenet.hr - Three stories on Tesla by 'Bulaja naklada'
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