Aftermath
By now you should know that it is finally over. Yes, this semester has finally ended. I think that I can now look back on the adventure and comment that this was the most difficult and challenging semester I’ve had to endure yet. That might not be saying very much; many people the world over endure much greater challenges academically then I’ve had to endure, but for my faculties, it was tasking.
But it was interesting too, especially the final days leading up to the end of the semester. If you’ll indulge me for a minute, I’d like to recount those days, simply because the people involved and the events that transpired meant very much to me.
Starting off, I need to recount the tale of the end of my film class, Post-Production. This was especially meaningful because it was not only the end of that class, but also the end of several classes and a journey I began in late August. Through this class I had my very first experience with film. And because of the teachers involved, I was able to learn a great deal about the industry I one-day hope to work in, or at least aspire to. Yes, even though they called it “Boot Camp” it was a great experience for me. Let me take you back two weeks ago before I tell you about the end though, and then I will recount the last day of class to you.
Yes, two weeks ago I suffered a reality check. In fact, this entire series of classes has been one big reality check. But perhaps the biggest lesion I had to learn was the one about my limits. As you can probably guess, we were expected to edit our films and present them on the final day of class. Myself and another student neglected to do this over the last few weeks because we were trying to get access to Final Cut as well as a person who could help us edit our pieces on Final Cut.
After spending several weeks going through numerous channels, both professional and personal, I settled upon asking Alex to show me how to use Final Cut. Cocksure arrogance and a healthy dose of ignorance told me that I didn’t have to settle on using iMovie like the other students to edit my film. I was wrong.
After spending several hours plodding around in Final Cut, my fellow classmate and I decided to bail on Alex and retreat to my house to edit our films on iMovie.
We churned out rough cuts of our films in a matter of 4 hours. It was tremendously stressful, both a mental challenge and a test of patience, which was heightened by the reality that our films were due in less then one week. I can’t help but think matters were worsened by the fact that we had spent so long waiting to get access to a program that neither one of us knew how to use. That was time we should have spent editing our films, time that I should have spent realizing I just couldn’t do that much so soon.
Thankfully, we finished our films on time and came out of the ordeal with a healthy dose of humble pie to placate our experiences.
I think the best experience came the following week however, when I screened my films along with my fellow classmates on the final night of class. That screening felt like the fruition of all my hard work during the semester:
Screening 1 – Production Classroom – Tuesday, Dec 8th:
I screened my two student films, Pantomiming and Outside In, along with my commercial for Bic Pens, for the very first time on December 8th. The films went over well with the class, and I get the feeling that everyone felt satisfied for all of the hard work they put into these projects. My initial support in the school (and my first teacher), Dr. Price, seemed pleased by Pantomiming. I was glad to see it, especially since her and I had our fair share of differences at the beginning of the semester.
As for my other film, Outside In, I was very pleased with the results. I was also happy to have both Gabe and Alex attend the screening. During my introduction to the film I put Gabe on the spot by shouting out, “hey look, there’s an actor from the film!” to which the entire class turned on Gabe (who was huddled in the back corner of the room) and applauded.
Many people were impressed by his performance, myself included. Gabe has a unique style that I think is starting to emerge. I was glad to have him in my second student film, and I’ll go on record as saying that I doubt I’d like it nearly as much if he weren’t in it. And I’m not just kissing up here; I really mean it. He made that screening great.
Screening 2 (Surprise Screening) – Turquoise Room – Thursday, December 10th:
After my first screening the teacher asked a few of her students to stay behind and chat with her for a few minutes after class. The way she played it up, I assumed I was going to get some heavy criticism that she didn’t want the other students to witness.
But, it turned out to be quite the opposite. In fact, she asked several students to join her on December 10th in the Turquoise Room (The theater/entertainment room at the school where I saw Noi Albinoi) to screen our films. Apparently, there was some kind of arts festival that takes place every year at the school. Being included in it was an honor. When I got to the screening room that Thursday however, I had no idea as to what film the teacher wanted me to play for the audience: Pantomiming, or Outside In?
When she got there she gave me copies of both films and told me to choose.
I had overheard during the festival that time was running dry and that some pieces were going on too long, so, I decided to screen Outside In since it is the shorter of the two. Also, I backed up my decision by picking Outside In through a game of eanie meanie minie moe. Outside In was moe - it caught a tiger by its toe.
Once again, we were asked to give a short introduction to our films before screening. Now, I’m not fond of doing that, especially since I have nothing prepared to say about my films. So I figured I’d just say whatever.
Thankfully, I got an idea of what I would say by listening to the other student’s in their introductory speeches. You see, each time someone would get up to screen their film, they would apologize for it and ask that the audience not be offended at what they were about to see. Honestly, I didn’t think we were required to say, “Hello, my name is blah blah and I hope you are not offended by my film”.
Dr. Price agreed with this sentiment. During the presentations she turned to me and said, “It’s our job to offend people Brock”. I couldn’t help but smile. When I got up to the mic, chuckles emerged within the audience. The microphone stand had been adjusted for a much taller person, you see. Watching me crane my head upward to talk into the mic must have been quite funny, so I took advantage of it.
“Hello, hello” I said.
“Hello!” the audience enthusiastically replied back.
“My name is Brock. Brock H. Brown. And I’m told that it’s my job to offend you.”
The audience erupted in laughter.
“That being said, here’s my film”.
After the screening on Thursday, I got the bright idea to walk all the way from Scottsdale Community College to Fashion Square Mall. (I don’t have a car, so I decided to walk all the day down to the mall) I was worn out after I got there, but I got there all right. Instead of hanging out at the school all day, I spent my time waltzing around the mall; quite a nice way to cap off the festival I must say!
As for my other two classes, Biology and English, they ended in a similarly pleasant manner. English as you know ended with me being exempt from the final exam. Biology closed with me giving yet another presentation, but it was one I was glad to give. This presentation, on Progeria Syndrome, was the final thing I would do for the entire semester. After that I had a nice and unexpected lunch with Josh.
Now that it is finally over I can’t help but look back, weary and amused, and appreciate the free time I have. I must recuperate however. Make no doubt about it, this winter vacation is going to be much needed, especially after my last few months of Mimes, mailboxes and deadlines. I can finally devote time to some of my personal pursuits…like writing my screenplay.
Yes, I must shamefully admit that I had to shelve my screenplay in order to finish the semester on time. That means that I won’t be entering a screenplay in this year’s Phoenix Film Festival. It feels like I’m betraying something grand when I say that, and believe me, making that decision was incredibly difficult. But when I reviewed all of the other things that were going on at the time, I realize that I had no time to spare. Every waking moment I had (save for a few rest moments to preserve sanity) was filtered off to some important and time-consuming task. Placing a screenplay on my plate meant that something else would have escaped my attention. And that wasn’t something I was prepared to do.
Have I betrayed Johnny Boscow? Yes, he would have been ashamed at me. I never had the time to realize my next character, the Opium Eater. But now that my schooling is over for the semester, I’ll get a chance to begin and complete my second full-length screenplay.
Another thing I’ll finally have time for is blogging. Yes, more blogging. I’m sorry to say that my blogging activity has gone down recently. Well, some people wouldn’t be ashamed, they’d say, “Hurrah, I’m free!” so maybe I should say that I’m mildly annoyed.
Either way, I’ll try and finish that film character list I started (which was ironically created to spike blog activity) as well as attempt to post more often.
Hopefully, you’ll read along with me as I lay down my thoughts here on Eyes Like Static. Maybe the other guys will be able to stumble in and post too. I think most everyone I know is busy with something very important right now, so chances are you’ll have to stick out the rest of the year with me. But that’s fine, right? At any rate, it’s inevitable.
You know him as the crazy man in the top hat. Rogue candy-maker, Willy Wonka, was a notable children’s literary figure before he was ever a film character. But it was with this movie in 1971 that the character earned widespread recognition. Willy Wonka from that point on was a memorable character to nearly anyone to place his or her glance on his visage. Many people have suggested that it was his colorful attire that prompted this recognition, and still others suggest that it was the bizarre nature of the movie itself that cemented him in viewer’s minds. But recently, most attribute his iconic nature to Gene Wilder’s uncanny performance.
James Bond almost didn’t make the cut. This is mostly because of the atrociously bad presence his films have had on the industry lately. Sure, they make a plethora of money, but they’re just terrible films. But, I had to give the character sway, especially since I considered his truest incarnation to be in the form of Sean Connery.
I considered replacing this character with a “better performer” when I first put together my list. I mean, come on, let’s face it; Milla Jovovich isn’t an actress. She may appear in numerous movies and grace the covers of film periodicals the world over, but by no means can she be counted among the host of serious actresses that populate the silver screen. However, I decided against replacing her character. In fact, I think she earned her nomination on my list fair and square. The role she played in The 5th Element certainly has all the trappings of an iconic film character: a memorable disposition, popularity among those who viewed the film, and a hint of the cinematically visceral. Spending most of the film performing ridiculously unbelievable stunts, or shamelessly uttering globs of slurred, broken English, one can’t help but be enamored by her caricature. Milla Jovovich may be a laughable actress, but herein lays a character that seems cast explicitly for her unabashedness.
People who worked closely with Stanley Kubrick before his death often spoke of Gigolo Joe as being a particularly harsh character…that is he was harsh before Spielberg got a hold of him. Stanley Kubrick originally had a much more volatile persona in mind for Gigolo Joe. Wither this meant a character who was embittered by the shackles of humanity, or one who had advanced beyond trivial matters and transcended a world of petty pursuits is beyond you or I. Kubrick never got the chance to realize the character. He left that to the man who had directed films like E.T.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events came out today. Will I see it? Oh sure. In fact, there is plenty of good buzz about the cinematography.
Last night Gabe and I took in Bob Nanna’s solo project, City on Film at Modified Arts. The show was great, although Nanna only played 8 songs or so. However, I didn’t expect him to bust out a lengthy set, as it was only Nanna, an amp and an acoustic guitar. If you’ve gotten the chance to see Nanna perform live (minus Hey Mercedes or Braid) then you probably know what he tends to play: Hey Mercedes and Braid songs, a few originals and some covers. He started the set off with "Boy Destroyers" from the Hey Mercedes “Looses Control” LP and ended it with "A Dozen Roses" from Braid’s Frame and Canvas. He did take one request (grudgingly) from a fan, but I wasn’t familiar with the song. Surprisingly, he delivered a nice cover of Lifter-Puller’s "Secret Santa Cruz" in between the set, which was an unexpected choice. (But, a nicely done, unexpected choice.) I think I was slightly disappointed that he didn’t play “I’d Rather Be Wine Drunk” though. Yeah…I know; that was his secret, exclusive song on his 2004 mix tape. But still I was hopping he’d perform it live. (It's on his new EP after all)
So 
