So I've been trying to think of a new story idea but nothing has been coming to me recently and I believe it's because of school.
School is almost over, and again, I'm not sure whether to be excited or stressed. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait for this semester to be over with, but the short amount of time doesn't seem like enough with all of the things I still have to do in my classes. I love how big projects and finals all happen at the exact same time. It's like a massive education conspiracy designed to make me explode.
It's working.
Up until now, I have enjoyed making movies because it is fun. I have found, however, that I find the greatest feelings of fulfillment and satisfaction from the stories which have meaning. I like a story that makes you think. It makes you reconsider. It makes you change perspectives. Those are the stories I want to tell, not just strange short films that make you laugh.
So I have a few ideas actually. I've been playing around with them, and trying to figure out the best 3-5 minute short we can work on. It's been difficult, but I think the key to all of it is going to be the talent we use. We want to try using trained actors or student actors instead of ourselves. I'm sure that will make our films more entertaining. And again, I want to make more stories with real messages.
Okay bye.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Lernink Ixpireensis.
I enjoy some learning experiences more than others. I think that's pretty true for most people. We don't necessarily like to learn about driving the speed limit by paying hefty fines and attending traffic school. We don't like to learn about food poisoning by surviving it.
We recently had our film, 'Blood and Cupcakes', reviewed by my film professor, Paul Nibley. He was able to identify exactly what our film was missing and where we made amateur mistakes. I learned a ton from what he had to say and it really motivated me to get back out there and try it again.
I felt very vulnerable having put myself out there as a writer, director, and actor, but that kind of vulnerability yielded the greatest rewards, I believe.
I got a lot of constructive criticism that only made me want to improve and perfect the craft.
So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to keep writing and keep working. Booyah.
We recently had our film, 'Blood and Cupcakes', reviewed by my film professor, Paul Nibley. He was able to identify exactly what our film was missing and where we made amateur mistakes. I learned a ton from what he had to say and it really motivated me to get back out there and try it again.
I felt very vulnerable having put myself out there as a writer, director, and actor, but that kind of vulnerability yielded the greatest rewards, I believe.
I got a lot of constructive criticism that only made me want to improve and perfect the craft.
So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to keep writing and keep working. Booyah.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
We will fall. We will rise.
My writing class has introduced me to something new but exciting: play writing. I never thought it would be as enjoyable as it has been. I am able to take these ideas that sit in my brain and put them onto a stage, which seems so much more attainable (although much less profitable) than the screen. Really though, it would just be fantastic for me to see one of my productions happening in a downtown theater.
It's something that has pushed my writing. I find myself being much more contemplative about the stories I write and the reasons for writing them. What do I want to say? How do I want to say it? I am being very careful because there are specific messages I want to share and I want to share them in a unique way.
I just got back a review from an assignment in my writing class. It was a 10-page drama play. I had written it previously as a short screenplay but thought it would make an interesting stage adaptation. In transferring it over to stage, I tried to sift out some things I felt were questionable in the story and still make it clear enough to be not only readable, but entertaining. I also just found a bug bite on my right forearm, which is odd to me. I haven't had a bug bite in ages.
Anyways, I had this review, and it went much better than I had anticipated. Actually, I guess I didn't really know what to expect. I liked the story, but I wasn't sure how others would respond to it. It turned out well, and I need to make some clarifications for sure, but I really enjoy being critiqued because it makes me a better writer.
It's been the same in my film class. We are split into groups of five for our final project, which is to make a 6-8 minute film that one of us has written. My script was the one chosen out of the five, and I find it to be quite nerve-wracking. I want it to be good and I think it's complete enough. In fact, our professor has to greenlight anything before we can shoot and he greenlighted ours, so that makes me feel better. But still, there's always something sitting at the back of my throat and at the bottom of my stomach that hopes this won't be a disaster. It's tough to throw yourself out there in front of an audience, but I have found it to be like life: Falling is inevitable; Getting back up is optional. Falling is a consequence of making life an action word. Once we live, we fall. Once we fall, it's up to us. Once we hear that sharp criticism that pierces our very core, we change, we adapt, we evolve, or we die.
And I'm not ready to die.
It's something that has pushed my writing. I find myself being much more contemplative about the stories I write and the reasons for writing them. What do I want to say? How do I want to say it? I am being very careful because there are specific messages I want to share and I want to share them in a unique way.
I just got back a review from an assignment in my writing class. It was a 10-page drama play. I had written it previously as a short screenplay but thought it would make an interesting stage adaptation. In transferring it over to stage, I tried to sift out some things I felt were questionable in the story and still make it clear enough to be not only readable, but entertaining. I also just found a bug bite on my right forearm, which is odd to me. I haven't had a bug bite in ages.
Anyways, I had this review, and it went much better than I had anticipated. Actually, I guess I didn't really know what to expect. I liked the story, but I wasn't sure how others would respond to it. It turned out well, and I need to make some clarifications for sure, but I really enjoy being critiqued because it makes me a better writer.
It's been the same in my film class. We are split into groups of five for our final project, which is to make a 6-8 minute film that one of us has written. My script was the one chosen out of the five, and I find it to be quite nerve-wracking. I want it to be good and I think it's complete enough. In fact, our professor has to greenlight anything before we can shoot and he greenlighted ours, so that makes me feel better. But still, there's always something sitting at the back of my throat and at the bottom of my stomach that hopes this won't be a disaster. It's tough to throw yourself out there in front of an audience, but I have found it to be like life: Falling is inevitable; Getting back up is optional. Falling is a consequence of making life an action word. Once we live, we fall. Once we fall, it's up to us. Once we hear that sharp criticism that pierces our very core, we change, we adapt, we evolve, or we die.
And I'm not ready to die.
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