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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.

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)

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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
characteristic
thoughts
connections
effects, and
elucidating

are a defining
of our species. Our
are
essentially
of causes and
stories excel at
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 Mediums
Cinema 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 energy
why 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.

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 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.
A Bengali Freedom Fighter Carrying Another
(1971)

The strongest motives arise from

self-perception,
determined

which

above

all

by

is
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 it
rugged jungle-warriors on a task
to free their cities from enemy
occupiers. To even a kindhearted 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,

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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 casestudies 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 sideeffect 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

fi lms

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, ultraefficient 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 Director
Directing

Cinematography

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

Casting

Editing

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

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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, many
in 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

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 music
though they are rarely, if ever,

Casting assistance

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.

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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 Heilegenstadt

On 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 Stylist
Costume Design

Make-up Artistry

The Stylist is first and

foremost a student of the human
face. They know its intricacies
and how it responds to light and

Hair Styling

Script supervision

color. The Stylist can bring out

the beauty in the ugly, and the
ugly in the beautiful. The Stylist

11
is a fine
through.

artist

through

and

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.

12

OKeeffes Black Place II (1944)

The Art Director

Set Design

Lightist

Propsmaster

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

Location Scout

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

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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 Strategist
Scheduling

Set Management

Second Camera

(Food/Transport/Equipment)

Location Management

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.

Publicist

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

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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

15
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 members
crew
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
perpetuity.

crossed

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.

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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 Rahman
April 2015

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