"Conventional filmmaking is morally bankrupt. Even the indie scene is money crazed these days," says Levi Asher about why he created Notes From Underground, his movie adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's angst-lit classic. While Hollywood makes expensive but mediocre films, Asher shot his movie with a camcorder - and published it on CD-ROM.
There's nothing much new about the technology; Apple's QuickTime, the file format used on the CD-ROM, has been around for years. In retrospect, the idea seems obvious - but it's Asher who made it, with a soundtrack by the Leningrad State Orchestra and a minimal cast.
The film traces the Underground Man's journey through New York. As I watched a snowy Manhattan scene on my computer, music playing in the background, I felt like I was witnessing a first - like seeing an early silent film at the turn of the century.
Notes From Underground: $12. Asher: www.litkicks.com.
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