- The Social Network, dir. David Fincher
- Toy Story 3, dir. Lee Unkrich
- The Tillman Story, dir. Amir Bar-Lev
- Splice, dir. Vincenzo Natali
- The Town, dir. Ben Affleck
- Inception, Christopher Nolan
- Shutter Island, dir. Martin Scorsese
- The Art of the Steal, dir. Don Argott
- Cyrus, dir. Jay & Mark Duplass
- Edge of Darkness, dir. Martin Campbell
Friday, October 8, 2010
Top Ten
Oh, and since a whole movie season has past, I think it's safe to rank some of the movies I've seen this year.
Detours
I'm surprised by how long it's been since I wrote something. Six months? Really?
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. When I last wrote I was dating Liz and we kind of lived life in a bubble it seems. In terms of progress, things were in suspended animation for a while. I suppose the one productive thing that happened over the summer was getting a half way decent job at Apple.
In August, Liz and I had a messy break-up. It was mutual, but I think I came out of it more hurt than she. Anyway, we've since exchanged belongings, and I don't think I'll be seeing her again. It was probably a love affair that lasted too long.
But a lot of progress has been made in the last month and a half. I've been skyping with buddies down in San Francisco about getting my movie made. I've done so much writing on it in the last 9 months, that it's turning into something I'm excited about. I'm in the highest level screenwriting course at my school, and my teacher is somewhat of a celebrity among the Motion Pictures & Television department. He wrote what was to be Brad Bird's live action debut, 1906. Anyway, he's been providing me feedback on my outlines and treatments that's been incredibly helpful. He also loves my concept which is encouraging. By November, I'll have my third draft. After that I'll receive feedback from a Hollywood script reader. By December, I should have a final draft that's registered with the WGA.
I'm looking to transfer my job to San Francisco in January, and from there Taylor and I will continue to produce this flick. I'm going to storyboard every shot of the movie in detail. I'm going to pass those on to Taylor who will storyboard coverage shots. He has proposed that we shoot in color 16mm and although I've been kind of hesitant about it--I'm setting out to make a no-budget flick--he's talked about taking out his 401k to finance it. That's kind of where storyboarding comes in. I want the movie pre-visualized completely and I want a month or two to rehearse the actors. When that happens, I'll select the final shots before we even begin filming, and I'll shoot little to no coverage to save on footage. Also, I want to put a lot of thought into the color psychology of the film. I want the palette to be deliberate in the emotions it tries to evoke, same goes for the shot compositions and the lighting. I want to make something that's unique, but I also think that if I go through the long, tedious process, I'll turn out something to be proud of.
It's looking like I'm closer to being back home. I was talking to a friend about what I'd think when I looked back on this detour in Washington state over the last year. It's kind of surreal: working on a movie, briefly moving to Los Angeles, a serious relationship, a new job, etc. But all in all, it'll still be a detour in my life. Kind of like how the year and a half between graduating high school and leaving for school in SF was a detour. I've come to realize that I hate the feeling of being tethered to anyone or anything. My experiences have really taught me what kind of filmmaker I don't want to be, and I've had the time to sort of re-evaluate the reasons for all my life's pursuits, whether it's school, my career, or getting laid. Sometimes detours can be a therapeutic excursion. I just hope they don't always have to happen in Washington.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. When I last wrote I was dating Liz and we kind of lived life in a bubble it seems. In terms of progress, things were in suspended animation for a while. I suppose the one productive thing that happened over the summer was getting a half way decent job at Apple.
In August, Liz and I had a messy break-up. It was mutual, but I think I came out of it more hurt than she. Anyway, we've since exchanged belongings, and I don't think I'll be seeing her again. It was probably a love affair that lasted too long.
But a lot of progress has been made in the last month and a half. I've been skyping with buddies down in San Francisco about getting my movie made. I've done so much writing on it in the last 9 months, that it's turning into something I'm excited about. I'm in the highest level screenwriting course at my school, and my teacher is somewhat of a celebrity among the Motion Pictures & Television department. He wrote what was to be Brad Bird's live action debut, 1906. Anyway, he's been providing me feedback on my outlines and treatments that's been incredibly helpful. He also loves my concept which is encouraging. By November, I'll have my third draft. After that I'll receive feedback from a Hollywood script reader. By December, I should have a final draft that's registered with the WGA.
I'm looking to transfer my job to San Francisco in January, and from there Taylor and I will continue to produce this flick. I'm going to storyboard every shot of the movie in detail. I'm going to pass those on to Taylor who will storyboard coverage shots. He has proposed that we shoot in color 16mm and although I've been kind of hesitant about it--I'm setting out to make a no-budget flick--he's talked about taking out his 401k to finance it. That's kind of where storyboarding comes in. I want the movie pre-visualized completely and I want a month or two to rehearse the actors. When that happens, I'll select the final shots before we even begin filming, and I'll shoot little to no coverage to save on footage. Also, I want to put a lot of thought into the color psychology of the film. I want the palette to be deliberate in the emotions it tries to evoke, same goes for the shot compositions and the lighting. I want to make something that's unique, but I also think that if I go through the long, tedious process, I'll turn out something to be proud of.
It's looking like I'm closer to being back home. I was talking to a friend about what I'd think when I looked back on this detour in Washington state over the last year. It's kind of surreal: working on a movie, briefly moving to Los Angeles, a serious relationship, a new job, etc. But all in all, it'll still be a detour in my life. Kind of like how the year and a half between graduating high school and leaving for school in SF was a detour. I've come to realize that I hate the feeling of being tethered to anyone or anything. My experiences have really taught me what kind of filmmaker I don't want to be, and I've had the time to sort of re-evaluate the reasons for all my life's pursuits, whether it's school, my career, or getting laid. Sometimes detours can be a therapeutic excursion. I just hope they don't always have to happen in Washington.
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