Ever
since people have had stories to tell, they have been developing and
discovering new ways to translate the stories from their minds and into
reality. From painting, to spoken word, to literature, and to any of the
creative mediums throughout history, we’ve grasped and struggled to effectively
show others what only we can truly see in our mind’s eye. For me, film is the
pinnacle of that struggle. Consider how we think of our memories: not in
letters or characters, not strictly in voices, but in a difficult to define
mixture of images and sounds. Film mirrors this natural storytelling – and that
is why it is so compelling.
No
other method has such a powerful grip on our feelings. No other method can
elicit such a visceral emotional response. No other method can convey a story
quite like film. Film has the power to instill disgust, euphoria, confusion,
and anything and everything in between. Why else would audiences feel so
compelled to look away from a screen during intense scenes of revulsion or
horror? Why else would moviegoers flock to theatres in order to see stories
that they already know a hundred times over come to life?
I
drone on and on about this power because this power is the basis of why I have pursued
film. When my imagination becomes the genesis of a story, I picture it in film.
When I read a book, I picture it in film. When I listen to a song, I wonder
where that’s on would fit into a film, and when I gaze upon visual art I
contemplate the ways its inspiration could be translated to the screen.
I
love to accomplish this by breaking down a scene into small pieces with my
shots, focusing my camera with care to give a greater sense of the scene as a
whole. I would rather present a subject in a way that mirrors that subject’s
meaning than simply film a subject. I want to use light to aid in that
presentation, rather than merely make the scene physically visible.
I
draw inspiration from many different mediums and time periods. I love watching
movies that I can get my grubby paws on, and my favorites are typically
starkly, brutally real or whimsical and separated from reality. These include The Life Aquatic, Up in the Air,
Band of Brothers (not technically a singular movie, but produced better than
most), Alien, The Triplets of Belleville… the list goes on and on. These movies
serve to give me examples of how a compelling story is told through my medium
of choice. Books are also a huge deal for me. Ever since I could purchase
paperbacks and flip through the pages of novels, I have almost always had a
book to read. I love imagining these disparate stories – Middlesex by Jeffrey
Eugenides, Game of Thrones by George Martin, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by
Ken Kesey, to name a few – as portrayed in film, whether or not they have been
adapted in truth. This mental workout is a huge source of inspiration for me,
and the inner storyboarding can grant me fresh ideas for both new stories and
new ways to shoot them. Music can give me the moods of a story, half-forgotten
memories the emotions… I like to think of inspiration as being the end of the
equation formed through my senses. Unfiltered, and in any form from the highest
art to the most mundane.
As
an artist dealing in film, I stand at the very beginning of my journey. I am
always surrounded in the hallways and offices of school with a quote from Ira
Glass that resonates with me. In it, he outlines how difficult it is to bridge
the gap in one’s work between what they see in their mind’s eye and what they
can produce. Right now, I can see as clearly as ever, yet I cannot recreate it
for others – yet. Not as I hope, at least. So, if you were to ask me: are you disappointed
in your reel? Are you disappointed in your work so far? I would answer yes.
Absolutely. And if that answer was different, then something must be wrong,
because I’ve only truly started a year ago. The gap is still wide open. And
that thought, while daunting, is exciting.
As I spoke of in the opening of my statement, film is so powerful because it
mirrors our minds. One day, I hope to have the expertise and capability to
translate these thoughts to that mirror. Until then, I must keep my head down
and my camera up.
No comments:
Post a Comment