Genesis Forum Italia
Il ritrovo semi-ufficiale degli ammiratori italiani dei Genesis.
GURUDEV
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GURUDEV
by theknife » 13 Oct 2008, 06:06
rovistando qua e là ho ritrovato "Gurudev", un cortometraggio in b/n del 2004 interpretato da Paul Whitehead, il disegnatore delle copertine di Trespass Nursery Cryme e Foxtrot, nei panni di una specie di Aqualung indiano con musiche di Peter Gabriel, tra cui "Low Light" interpretata da Iarla O' Lionaird...davvero carino
Tell me my life is about to begin, tell me that I am a hero, promise me all of your violent dreams light up your body with anger
- theknife
- Lamb
- Posts: 2470
- Joined: 14 Feb 2008, 11:08
- Location: Italy
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GURUDEV
by Rael Matrix » 13 Oct 2008, 07:00
Dalla cartella stampa:
GURUDEV
A Short Film by: Bart Ezra Plaskoff
Starring: Paul Whitehead
Music by: Peter Gabriel
FACTS
Title: Gurudev
Genre: Short Film
Runtime: 8 Minutes 22 Seconds (including Titles & Credits)
Format: Available in DVD, S-VHS, DV, 16mm, 35mm
Year: 2004
Location: Venice Beach, California – U.S.A
CONTACT INFORMATION
Bart Ezra Plaskoff
2537 Cortina Ave.
Henderson, Nevada 89074
Phone/Fax: 702.294.0363
Cell: 775.720.0232
Email: sales@websiteservice.com
Website: http://www.gurudev.us
SYNOPSIS
Over many centuries, the ideas and teachings of Kriya Yoga and meditation have been passed down through a long lineage of great Gurus such as Sri Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteshwar and two of the great Swamis who brought these teachings to “The West” (Yogananda and Hariharananda).
“Gurudev” is a short independent film, which allows the audience to engage in what is called Maha Samadhi (the state in which a formally God-Realized Guru leaves his mortal being for the spiritual realm) and see the spiritual world though the eyes of one who has mastered these very secretive and ancient yogic techniques.
At dawn, when all is silent, “Gurudev” lays peacefully in alley just adjacent a familiar boardwalk along the seashore. After encountering some teens that assume Gurudev is simply another homeless transient to be “reckoned” with, Gurudev collects his meager belongings and walks intently towards the shoreline; in an act of spiritual cleansing, he leaves his final possessions along the way. After a process of energizing his body through the use of yogic techniques, Gurudev positions himself in meditative posture on his favorite rock.
By looking at Gurudev, one may not think him to be spiritually bound, but as the meditation progresses the viewer is drawn into the deep meditative process and obtains a glimpse of the inner peace and love of this great spiritual master. Coupled with the awe inspiring music of Peter Gabriel, “Gurudev” teaches the viewer about life, love, death, spirituality and the human condition.
ABOUT THE FILM
It was Paul Whitehead who reintroduced me to spiritualism, which I had lost many years: The study of Kriya Yoga and Meditation. The “Gurudev” project came to me during one of my meditative sessions. A message had been conveyed to me that I must share with others what it feels like to meditate, and to teach the audience about the love, the human condition and our very short existence in the material world. As the idea of Kriya Yoga is to seek union with God through yoga and meditation, what better way to covey this message than to physically engage an audience with the marriage between imagery and sound. The “Gurudev” project had been born.
In order to convey the “purity” of the subject matter, “Gurudev” was produced using a very unique, underground technique. The PXL 2000 (a camera invented by Fisher Price in the 1980s) was originally introduced as a children’s toy. It uses regular audiotape to capture very profound black and white pixilated images with stark contrasts and shadows, which are somewhat gothic in nature. The camera has been modified to convert these unique images to digital form, thus making the editing process more accessible. The camera only has two apertures, so production was weighted highly upon natural light and perhaps a filter. Most of the footage is shot handheld with the exception of a few that were filmed with the help of a custom fabricated tripod mount. It is really cinematographic technique in its purest form!
This unique and intriguing medium acts much like an impressionist painting on screen…if viewed too closely the viewer is removed from the clarity of the scene, as many of us tend to do in our normal everyday lives by over analyzing. The viewer who sits in front of the theater is sure to see a somewhat distorted view, but when the viewer backs up and looks at the “whole picture” the image becomes clearer and more detailed. This physically engages the audience and sends a message that is indirectly conveyed though the storyline. The audience is invited to step back, as Gurudev does from his everyday life, reevaluate, and look at life as a whole. It is only when one seeks the “bigger picture” that he/she may realize spiritual truth.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
BART EZRA PLASKOFF (Writer/Producer/Director) was born and raised in Malibu, California and had always been exposed to various aspects of the entertainment industry. He began his professional journey as a singer/songwriter, and went on to produce an independent record album with his band Schneebezen called, “Take Those Shades Off”. The album produced two top-ten hits on various dance charts. In 1990, Plaskoff was approached by world famous record producer, Shel Talmy (The Who/The Kinks) to assist on a project called Cast In Cement, which also included Nicky Hopkins (John Lennon/The Who).
Plaskoff obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from California State University at Northridge in 1991, and although he had made various short films as a young boy with his father’s camera, it was at Northridge where his interest in filmmaking grew. Each night after studying great works of literature, he immersed himself in Twilight Zone reruns and movies by Pinter, Kubrick, Scorsese and Allen; by day he worked on a book of poetry and short stories, which he would later publish in 2003 as “The Amoeba”.
After years of freelance computer work, Plaskoff went on to open a multimedia production agency called Jolt! Computers and Internet. Plaskoff was soon asked by friend, confident and artist Paul Whitehead (Genesis), whether he would consider becoming Paul’s agent. Plaskoff went on to produce and finance a complete line of products for Whitehead based upon the album covers he painted for the band Genesis. From limited edition watches to signed and numbered lithographs and even bookings at International venues, “The Art of Paul Whitehead” campaign was a huge success!
As time progressed, Plaskoff found himself indulging in newer, bigger and more cutting edge projects. In 2002, he founded Loos Grippe Press and began to develop such projects as The Adapt-A-Book Children’s SeriesTM, which was created and designed to combine various artistic talents from within the entertainment community to help educate our young people by incorporating written word, music, visuals and auditory talents to address the many learning styles that exist. He would also begin his career in filmmaking…a dream he had always had since college.
Bart Ezra Plaskoff currently resides in Henderson/Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife and twin girls. He teaches Computers, English and acts as an Educational Computing Strategist at one of the top high schools in the State of Nevada. He continues to run his Production Agency and is currently working on many meaningful and educational projects!
PAUL WHITEHEAD was born at the end of World War 2 in Dartford, Kent at that time a severely bombed out suburb of S.E. London. By the time he started school at five I knew how to draw and paint.
After a disastrous yet very informative "art school" phase at Oxford, which was just a continuation of the schools he had already been through, he designed his first record cover in 1967 for Fats Domino and became a kind of in-house designer for Liberty Records in London. Shortly after that he became the original Art Director for the magazine Time Out in London, an entertainment guide to everything going on in London, Whitehead went on to meet Genesis through their producer, and hit it off instantly. Thanks to the visionary approach of the record company -Charisma – he was given creative control. The results were Trespass, Nursery Cryme & Foxtrot, some of the most successful collaborations he had ever had working with musicians. Other bands that Whitehead worked with during the mid-1970’s included Van der Graaf Generator, Peter Hammill on his solo projects, Lindisfarne & Trevor Bilmus. He quickly became known as the painter and designer who worked with rock bands, which led collaborations with Renaissance, IF, High Tide, Mott the Hoople, Matthews Southern Comfort, Colin Scott & Steamhammer.
He immigrated to the United States and finally settled in Los Angeles. Whitehead continued to create paintings for record covers and immediately worked with Tom Fogarty and Le Orme who came to L.A. to make Smogmagica.
The record cover work is, however, only a part of Paul’s creative outlet. He is in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest mural in the world, and he conceived and organized the Eyes & Ears Billboard Art Sho, the first "Drive Though Art Gallery" in Los Angeles. He has designed many corporate logos, and for three years he was the creative services director at The Universal Studios Theme Park in L.A. His stint at Universal got him interested in writing screenplays, and he completed half a dozen scripts on many subjects including, stealing the Mona Lisa, the martyrdom of Savonarola and the Christmas Truce in the first year of The First World War. Most recently, his interest in science fiction, performance art, acting and classical and progressive music has led to the composition, recording and performance of The Borg Symphony.
CREDITS
Written, Produced & Directed By Bart E. Plaskoff
Music By Peter Gabriel
Director Of Photography
Production Management Ben R. Hammack
Wardrobe & Makeup Bart E. Plaskoff
Production Assistants Keith Martin
Lauren Marty
CAST
GURUDEV Paul Whitehead
HOOLIGAN #1 Samantha Hinton
HOOLIGAN #2 Megan Marty
HOMELESS #1 Ronald Brace
HOMELESS #2 Lauren Marty
DISCIPLES Keith Martin
David Frazer
Amy Jenkins
Debra Brace
Linda Martin
Lauren Marty
Samantha Hinton
D' Anthony Cummings
"Low Light"
Written and Produced By Peter Gabriel.
Vocals: Iarla Ó'Lionáird
(P) 2000 Peter Gabriel, Ltd.
Published By Real World Music, Ltd.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Peter Gabriel
Paul Whitehead
Annie Parsons
Personal Assistant to Peter Gabriel
Rob Bozas
Real World Music, Ltd.
Jeff Bierly
Pinnacle Systems
Farley Performance & Engineering
Heather's Flowers
Blake Dollens
Jack, Esther & LJ
Cyndee, Alyssa & Olivia
"WITH ALL MY HEART"
WITNESS
Using Video Technology To Fight For Human Rights
WWW.WITNESS.ORG
CRYSTAL CLARITY PUBLISHERS
Publisher for the Ananda Church of Self-Realization
WWW.CRYSTALCLARITY.COM
Paramhansa Prajnanananda
...and to
The Long Lineage Of Great Kriya Masters
For Showing Us The Way! Namaste.
WWW.GURUDEV.US
Copyright ©2004 - Bart Ezra Plaskoff
All Rights Reserved.
GURUDEV
A Short Film by: Bart Ezra Plaskoff
Starring: Paul Whitehead
Music by: Peter Gabriel
FACTS
Title: Gurudev
Genre: Short Film
Runtime: 8 Minutes 22 Seconds (including Titles & Credits)
Format: Available in DVD, S-VHS, DV, 16mm, 35mm
Year: 2004
Location: Venice Beach, California – U.S.A
CONTACT INFORMATION
Bart Ezra Plaskoff
2537 Cortina Ave.
Henderson, Nevada 89074
Phone/Fax: 702.294.0363
Cell: 775.720.0232
Email: sales@websiteservice.com
Website: http://www.gurudev.us
SYNOPSIS
Over many centuries, the ideas and teachings of Kriya Yoga and meditation have been passed down through a long lineage of great Gurus such as Sri Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteshwar and two of the great Swamis who brought these teachings to “The West” (Yogananda and Hariharananda).
“Gurudev” is a short independent film, which allows the audience to engage in what is called Maha Samadhi (the state in which a formally God-Realized Guru leaves his mortal being for the spiritual realm) and see the spiritual world though the eyes of one who has mastered these very secretive and ancient yogic techniques.
At dawn, when all is silent, “Gurudev” lays peacefully in alley just adjacent a familiar boardwalk along the seashore. After encountering some teens that assume Gurudev is simply another homeless transient to be “reckoned” with, Gurudev collects his meager belongings and walks intently towards the shoreline; in an act of spiritual cleansing, he leaves his final possessions along the way. After a process of energizing his body through the use of yogic techniques, Gurudev positions himself in meditative posture on his favorite rock.
By looking at Gurudev, one may not think him to be spiritually bound, but as the meditation progresses the viewer is drawn into the deep meditative process and obtains a glimpse of the inner peace and love of this great spiritual master. Coupled with the awe inspiring music of Peter Gabriel, “Gurudev” teaches the viewer about life, love, death, spirituality and the human condition.
ABOUT THE FILM
It was Paul Whitehead who reintroduced me to spiritualism, which I had lost many years: The study of Kriya Yoga and Meditation. The “Gurudev” project came to me during one of my meditative sessions. A message had been conveyed to me that I must share with others what it feels like to meditate, and to teach the audience about the love, the human condition and our very short existence in the material world. As the idea of Kriya Yoga is to seek union with God through yoga and meditation, what better way to covey this message than to physically engage an audience with the marriage between imagery and sound. The “Gurudev” project had been born.
In order to convey the “purity” of the subject matter, “Gurudev” was produced using a very unique, underground technique. The PXL 2000 (a camera invented by Fisher Price in the 1980s) was originally introduced as a children’s toy. It uses regular audiotape to capture very profound black and white pixilated images with stark contrasts and shadows, which are somewhat gothic in nature. The camera has been modified to convert these unique images to digital form, thus making the editing process more accessible. The camera only has two apertures, so production was weighted highly upon natural light and perhaps a filter. Most of the footage is shot handheld with the exception of a few that were filmed with the help of a custom fabricated tripod mount. It is really cinematographic technique in its purest form!
This unique and intriguing medium acts much like an impressionist painting on screen…if viewed too closely the viewer is removed from the clarity of the scene, as many of us tend to do in our normal everyday lives by over analyzing. The viewer who sits in front of the theater is sure to see a somewhat distorted view, but when the viewer backs up and looks at the “whole picture” the image becomes clearer and more detailed. This physically engages the audience and sends a message that is indirectly conveyed though the storyline. The audience is invited to step back, as Gurudev does from his everyday life, reevaluate, and look at life as a whole. It is only when one seeks the “bigger picture” that he/she may realize spiritual truth.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
BART EZRA PLASKOFF (Writer/Producer/Director) was born and raised in Malibu, California and had always been exposed to various aspects of the entertainment industry. He began his professional journey as a singer/songwriter, and went on to produce an independent record album with his band Schneebezen called, “Take Those Shades Off”. The album produced two top-ten hits on various dance charts. In 1990, Plaskoff was approached by world famous record producer, Shel Talmy (The Who/The Kinks) to assist on a project called Cast In Cement, which also included Nicky Hopkins (John Lennon/The Who).
Plaskoff obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from California State University at Northridge in 1991, and although he had made various short films as a young boy with his father’s camera, it was at Northridge where his interest in filmmaking grew. Each night after studying great works of literature, he immersed himself in Twilight Zone reruns and movies by Pinter, Kubrick, Scorsese and Allen; by day he worked on a book of poetry and short stories, which he would later publish in 2003 as “The Amoeba”.
After years of freelance computer work, Plaskoff went on to open a multimedia production agency called Jolt! Computers and Internet. Plaskoff was soon asked by friend, confident and artist Paul Whitehead (Genesis), whether he would consider becoming Paul’s agent. Plaskoff went on to produce and finance a complete line of products for Whitehead based upon the album covers he painted for the band Genesis. From limited edition watches to signed and numbered lithographs and even bookings at International venues, “The Art of Paul Whitehead” campaign was a huge success!
As time progressed, Plaskoff found himself indulging in newer, bigger and more cutting edge projects. In 2002, he founded Loos Grippe Press and began to develop such projects as The Adapt-A-Book Children’s SeriesTM, which was created and designed to combine various artistic talents from within the entertainment community to help educate our young people by incorporating written word, music, visuals and auditory talents to address the many learning styles that exist. He would also begin his career in filmmaking…a dream he had always had since college.
Bart Ezra Plaskoff currently resides in Henderson/Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife and twin girls. He teaches Computers, English and acts as an Educational Computing Strategist at one of the top high schools in the State of Nevada. He continues to run his Production Agency and is currently working on many meaningful and educational projects!
PAUL WHITEHEAD was born at the end of World War 2 in Dartford, Kent at that time a severely bombed out suburb of S.E. London. By the time he started school at five I knew how to draw and paint.
After a disastrous yet very informative "art school" phase at Oxford, which was just a continuation of the schools he had already been through, he designed his first record cover in 1967 for Fats Domino and became a kind of in-house designer for Liberty Records in London. Shortly after that he became the original Art Director for the magazine Time Out in London, an entertainment guide to everything going on in London, Whitehead went on to meet Genesis through their producer, and hit it off instantly. Thanks to the visionary approach of the record company -Charisma – he was given creative control. The results were Trespass, Nursery Cryme & Foxtrot, some of the most successful collaborations he had ever had working with musicians. Other bands that Whitehead worked with during the mid-1970’s included Van der Graaf Generator, Peter Hammill on his solo projects, Lindisfarne & Trevor Bilmus. He quickly became known as the painter and designer who worked with rock bands, which led collaborations with Renaissance, IF, High Tide, Mott the Hoople, Matthews Southern Comfort, Colin Scott & Steamhammer.
He immigrated to the United States and finally settled in Los Angeles. Whitehead continued to create paintings for record covers and immediately worked with Tom Fogarty and Le Orme who came to L.A. to make Smogmagica.
The record cover work is, however, only a part of Paul’s creative outlet. He is in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest mural in the world, and he conceived and organized the Eyes & Ears Billboard Art Sho, the first "Drive Though Art Gallery" in Los Angeles. He has designed many corporate logos, and for three years he was the creative services director at The Universal Studios Theme Park in L.A. His stint at Universal got him interested in writing screenplays, and he completed half a dozen scripts on many subjects including, stealing the Mona Lisa, the martyrdom of Savonarola and the Christmas Truce in the first year of The First World War. Most recently, his interest in science fiction, performance art, acting and classical and progressive music has led to the composition, recording and performance of The Borg Symphony.
CREDITS
Written, Produced & Directed By Bart E. Plaskoff
Music By Peter Gabriel
Director Of Photography
Production Management Ben R. Hammack
Wardrobe & Makeup Bart E. Plaskoff
Production Assistants Keith Martin
Lauren Marty
CAST
GURUDEV Paul Whitehead
HOOLIGAN #1 Samantha Hinton
HOOLIGAN #2 Megan Marty
HOMELESS #1 Ronald Brace
HOMELESS #2 Lauren Marty
DISCIPLES Keith Martin
David Frazer
Amy Jenkins
Debra Brace
Linda Martin
Lauren Marty
Samantha Hinton
D' Anthony Cummings
"Low Light"
Written and Produced By Peter Gabriel.
Vocals: Iarla Ó'Lionáird
(P) 2000 Peter Gabriel, Ltd.
Published By Real World Music, Ltd.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Peter Gabriel
Paul Whitehead
Annie Parsons
Personal Assistant to Peter Gabriel
Rob Bozas
Real World Music, Ltd.
Jeff Bierly
Pinnacle Systems
Farley Performance & Engineering
Heather's Flowers
Blake Dollens
Jack, Esther & LJ
Cyndee, Alyssa & Olivia
"WITH ALL MY HEART"
WITNESS
Using Video Technology To Fight For Human Rights
WWW.WITNESS.ORG
CRYSTAL CLARITY PUBLISHERS
Publisher for the Ananda Church of Self-Realization
WWW.CRYSTALCLARITY.COM
Paramhansa Prajnanananda
...and to
The Long Lineage Of Great Kriya Masters
For Showing Us The Way! Namaste.
WWW.GURUDEV.US
Copyright ©2004 - Bart Ezra Plaskoff
All Rights Reserved.
Last edited by Rael Matrix on 13 Oct 2008, 07:01, edited 1 time in total.
- Rael Matrix
- Lamb
- Posts: 3197
- Joined: 22 Mar 2007, 05:36
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