New vault of Heaven 2004 Burning Man documentary

shamanfilms · Post by **shamanfilms** » Mon May 24, 2004 8:53 am

Greetings,

My name is Guillermo Alarcon i am the Director/Producer of a new Documentary on Burning Man 2004, a documentary about the real essence and the motive behind the experience..
We will show you the true philosophy and the spirtual meaning of the festival..

For more info log on to
http://www.vaultofheaven2004.com

For company info visit
http://www.egnogra.com

We are currently looking for Production Assistants in the Bay Area, please contact our corporate office in Houston at
Office 281-596-9958
[email protected]

Thank You
Guillermo Alarcon
Director

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Mon May 24, 2004 9:40 am

We will show you the true philosophy and the spirtual meaning of the festival..

Why do I find this quote profoundly troubling?

Perhaps it's because more and more in my experiences it seems people that I meet who're coming to the event for the first time are basing their expectations and experiences from documentaries, reports, articles, etc. in which the the author/director/producer set out to explain and define the event for others rather than just show the event as it is.

I wish that whoever is responsible for providing permissions for documentaries within the project would, as part of the condition for allowing such reportage, stree that such attempts at defining the event for other is as close as a cardinal sin as one can make.

In short, I'd ask Shaman Films to not be so arrogant as to try to define, explain, interpret or pigeonhole the event for me. I'm perfectly capable of assigning whatever personal meaning I need to the event. I'd like to hope that the other 30 thousand plus people attending the event feel the same way.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Mon May 24, 2004 9:49 am

BTW, I'm hoping that all of the other spammed topics touting this movie will be removed.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Mon May 24, 2004 9:50 am

I know this is'nt going to make you feel any better Badger but I agree.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Mon May 24, 2004 10:00 am

You know, after checking out thier website I'm gonna take that back.

Alpha · Post by **Alpha** » Mon May 24, 2004 10:01 am

Yeah, now that one topic has replies, I'll ask TP if she could remove the others (what, SIX others?) so as to minimize clutter.

shamanfilms · Post by **shamanfilms** » Mon May 24, 2004 10:02 am

I see that the people who have replied are the most frequent and active, board members and as allways in all types of Message boards they allways have smething to say, but anyhow this is a message board..

Everybody interprets Burning Man as an individual and personal response to the event..
What we are doing is to create a record of experiences for many burners to take home and for many of those who haven't experienced what Burning Man is all about, they can have a chance to at least see a small picture of what the festival is all about..
There will never be anything that will explain what the festival is..
and for those offended of thinking this post is SPAM, the message want intended for you, but only to let people aware of our cultural art project..

Thank You
Guillermo Alarcon

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Mon May 24, 2004 10:30 am

What we are doing is to create a record of experiences for many burners to take home and for many of those who haven't experienced what Burning Man is all about, they can have a chance to at least see a small picture of what the festival is all about..

I think the record shows that there are indeed concerted efforts to record and document the event. Some have been amateurish and others have been stellar. My concern regarding the post remains.

ANYTIME that ANYONE makes ANY attempt to suggest that they are privy to what the event is about or what it means immediately pops up on my personal radar as a worthy target for scrutiny, ridicule with a big ass dose of scorn heaped on top. I offer you nor anyone else an apology for that sentiment.

We will show you the true philosophy and the spirtual meaning of the festival..

Maybe you just didn't parse your words as well as you might have when you wrote this. Maybe not. I'll wait for others to weigh in here on the issue as I expect a good number of them harbor sentiments similar to mine.

There will never be anything that will explain what the festival is..
and for those offended of thinking this post is SPAM, the message want intended for you, but only to let people aware of our cultural art project..

The SPAM comment comes from the community standards which should be read by all persons posting here for the first time. If you take the time to do it you'll note that multiple posts to various threads has traditionally been highly discouraged. At a minimum it's considered bad form.

[/quote]

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Mon May 24, 2004 10:36 am

Badger wrote:The SPAM comment comes from the community standards which should be read by all persons posting here for the first time. If you take the time to do it you'll note that multiple posts to various threads has traditionally been highly discouraged. At a minimum it's considered bad form.

As long as the TOS/CG is set up the way that it is instead of some kind of popup this problem will always occur.

Alpha · Post by **Alpha** » Mon May 24, 2004 12:17 pm

Joel said something in another thread that reminded me of a point I wanted to make here. It seems to me that the practice of burning our art is a nod to the Buddhist notion that all things are temporary, including the way that we attempt to capture beauty. Why, then, should anyone try to capture the event itself onto a linear, two-dimensional record?

Last Real Burner · Post by **Last Real Burner** » Mon May 24, 2004 12:25 pm

Here's a line of dancing bananas for you're effort, Guillermo.

"It's the stupid shit that you do, that'll get you killed."

you're bestest friend,
mr smith

technopatra · Post by **technopatra** » Mon May 24, 2004 12:26 pm

Ok I've removed the duplicate threads and emailed Guillermo about the CG. As you were.

Last Real Burner · Post by **Last Real Burner** » Mon May 24, 2004 12:30 pm

Ok here the bananas dancing the opposite way.

"Many receive advice, only the wise profit by it."

you're bestest friend,
mr smith[/quote]

technopatra · Post by **technopatra** » Mon May 24, 2004 12:55 pm

Alpha wrote:Joel said something in another thread that reminded me of a point I wanted to make here. It seems to me that the practice of burning our art is a nod to the Buddhist notion that all things are temporary, including the way that we attempt to capture beauty. Why, then, should anyone try to capture the event itself onto a linear, two-dimensional record?

I image few would argue that burning of the Man has many nods and interpretations, the Buddhist bent being only one of them. There is the pagan idea of releasing the energy of the Man into the universe as an inertial booster shot. There is the primal human idea that things on fire give us a thrill. There is the dada idea that purple crocuses in the milliner's shop unwind slowly.

Then there is the documentarian's idea that something so amazing should be shared with folks who would not have access to it otherwise.

I will ask you guys to give Guillermo just a wee bit of compassion here. Let go of the crossposting gaff and the provocative wording of the project. Everyone who has ever made a video or film about Burning Man has felt the same way - that they were going to show the "real' Burning Man, whether they said it out loud or not. That's why they did it. They saw a gap in the historical record where their personal experience - their reality of the event - should be. So they fill it.

That is the nature of documentarians. They don't pick projects out of a hat. They choose something they feel is important enough to spend the kind of time, money, and energy it takes to make a movie. Which, as some of you might know first-hand, is not a trivial endeavor one does on a whim because they think it'd be cool.

Will this film capture your real experience of the event. Probably not, since it is not about your experience, it's about the filmmaker's. And while I agree there is a grating pomposity in declaring one's point of the view as the One True Word...so what? You do not have to feel misrepresented.

Alpha · Post by **Alpha** » Mon May 24, 2004 1:06 pm

Thanks for the balance, TP. As far as interpretation of the burn, I was thinking less about the man himself (so many interpretations) and more about the ancillary art. And I'd be lying if I didn't say that I enjoyed reviewing photos and video of past festivals, though of course they don't begin to capture what it's like to be there. I have a picture book of BM but I rarely show it to people because the images, though physically accurate, seem to misrepresent my experience as a whole. For example, in the book nudity jumps off the pages at every turn, whereas it pretty much just seems normal when walking those dusty streets.

I think part of my negativity is stemming from the increasing homogenization of the event due to its tremendous size and use of federal land. Maybe I'll organize those thoughts and post them in a more appropriate thread.

shamanfilms · Post by **shamanfilms** » Mon May 24, 2004 1:23 pm

Thanks for your comments and support, we have put a lot of effort and money into this project, that we want to share with the proper community, now it all goes back to the principles of religion
when you fill a fulfilling satisfaction about something you want to share it with all the world and you want those people to feel what you felt at that specific moment..

They will be some that will connect and some dont, what we want is to connect our ideas and beliefs into a box of beautiful thoughts and emotions..

This is a basic 1 in the way i have worked during my years as a Filmmaker, all of my stuff has been trying to expose the individual mind, into a state of full emotions and beliefs..

We understand your comments and concerns and we welcome all types of support, we are a group of filmmakers from all over the world producing this, from Mexico City, France, Spain, Argentina, USA San Francisco, Canada etc etc..

We are looking forward to work with you and thanks for your comments, to watch some of my work and my company i recomend you to visit
www.egnogra.com

Thank You very much
Guillermo Alarcon

samtzu · Post by **samtzu** » Mon May 24, 2004 6:23 pm

In Roger Zelazny's Creatures of Light and Darkness there is a 'mad' poet named Vramin. He would write these incredible poems and inscribe them on stones which he then dropped to uninhabited planets and forgot about them. Maybe they were read, but probably not. Maybe they sunk into the primordial ooze of the planet.

I like this idea; the idea being (for me), the highest art is the art of genius that is neither acknowledged nor preserved. The perfect example? A sunrise on the crest of the Sierra; a sunset sinking into the Pacific. Works of art, hundreds of miles long that last for an instant and are gone forever.

Being a Virgin, I hope that Burning Man is that for me... the perfect sunrise, the perfect sunset.

Sam

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Mon May 24, 2004 7:44 pm

I like it when people make videos and documentaries of BM. I search out as many as I can during the rest of the year and watch them when I'm "homesick" for the playa. I never seem to take the pictures I wish I had taken.
I want to see this guy's film when it's done. And anyone elses.

Sandwichman · Post by **Sandwichman** » Mon May 24, 2004 7:46 pm

I am making it a point to avoiding all movies involving the event. I am a first time burner and I really don't like th eidea of someone pushing their view of the event on me and expecting me to understand it. I love the idea that so many people can go to Burning Man and not say much more to people in the default world other than the fact that they have indeed been to the event itself. Everyone will have a different inerpetation of an event and this event seems unique in that for the most part people allow newcomers to have their own experience and interpetation. I appreciate that the filmakers want to share what they have seen but at some point don't people have enough respect for something to let people form their own opinions. Also during the time you are filming how are you contributing to the experience? If you are spending your time filming you are truly being a spectator in the most literal of ways. This really is not directed at anyone in particular it just kind of ended up here because this felt appropriate.

Jason

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Mon May 24, 2004 8:04 pm

O.K., I just have to argue with a lot of that.
No one is PUSHING their interpretation of the event on you! They're just showing you a bunch of really cool stuff. Lighten up!
And as far as what they're "contributing" during the time they're filming, I'd say more than most!! And are you going to be "contributing to the experience" 24 hours a day?
We have some people into filmmaking and panoramic photography in our camp. Of course, you wouldn't want to see any of our stuff... would you?

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Mon May 24, 2004 8:19 pm

God grant me the Serenity
To Groove to the beats I wish I could spin
The Courage to change the hearts and minds of all House lovers
And the Wisdom to know the difference

Kinda says it all huh?

Sandwichman · Post by **Sandwichman** » Mon May 24, 2004 8:35 pm

My name is Guillermo Alarcon i am the Director/Producer of a new Documentary on Burning Man 2004, a documentary about the real essence and the motive behind the experience..
We will show you the true philosophy and the spirtual meaning of the festival..

What we are doing is to create a record of experiences for many burners to take home and for many of those who haven't experienced what Burning Man is all about, they can have a chance to at least see a small picture of what the festival is all about..

Sorry if my thought of what movies and film crew does not sit with you. These are my beliefs and not necessarily directed at this crew but just my beliefs in general.

As for my signature please elaborate if you think you know me so well. I love haring interpetations it makes me smile and I am honest enough to let you know if you naailed my personality type.

Jason

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Mon May 24, 2004 8:39 pm

Sandwichman wrote: As for my signature please elaborate if you think you know me so well. I love haring interpetations it makes me smile and I am honest enough to let you know if you naailed my personality type.

Jason

Did'nt mean anything mean by posting it, Just thought it was really funny comming behind Captain Goddammit's and your postings.

Sandwichman · Post by **Sandwichman** » Mon May 24, 2004 8:44 pm

No worries just had to ask. I was not sure if I was implying alot about me through my signature.

Jason

Jim Graham · Post by **Jim Graham** » Mon May 24, 2004 8:48 pm

Hey all,
I asked Guillermo to pull down his website a little bit earlier today. I won't go into all the reasons, but the key ones were that he was using Burning Man imagery without having obtained permission from the photographers, he was offering to pre-sell a DVD of a documentary without having secured an OK to film at the event and he has given the Burning Man media team conflicting descriptions of what his film will be about.

Until we get things sorted out, I've asked him to stop promoting his project and to stop telling folks he's shooting a Burning Man documentary.

Approximately 80 media outlets have registered to attend the event (we had close to 300 last year), roughly half have been reviewed and most of them have been approved. We've turned down MTV Canada, a writer who wanted to photograph BM for a book on rave culture and a promoter who wanted Burning Man to be part of a multi-billion dollar global simulcast of music, art and celebration that would include ancilliary product markting, sponsorship and multiple movie deals.

Jim Graham
Media Team Operations Manager
Burning Man

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Mon May 24, 2004 9:12 pm

There've only been two Burning Man videos I've really enjoyed. One of them was shot mostly on the roof of an office building in Mexico City. Go figure.

New vault of Heaven 2004 Burning Man documentary

New vault of Heaven 2004 Burning Man documentary

Reponse

Remember to always pee on you're neighbor's fire...

If I ever need your opinion, I'll beat it out of you...

a little more compassion...

Problems

Update on Guillermo's documentary