Splendid or To Good To Be True

Of course we can look forward to what we all should look forward to but when coming across this trailer of 'Where The Wild Things Are' based on Maurice Sendak's book with the same title I recall not only my childhood but the imagionation I once possessed. A splendid and fantastic story in the hands of the visionary film maker Spike Jonze.

Art of Telling Stories or The Day Mr. Keeshen Remembered my Name.

When I, If I ever become somewhat a filmmaker, my storyboarding teacher made it clear that he demands 10%, not only from me but all of his students. His name is Mr. Keeshen and he is somewhat someone you either love or not, his humor is not always understood and that doesn't make him stop, he can be rather sadistic and really put students into a bad position that they dislike, but he is probably the most important teacher 

'Trip To The Moon' (1902) A Perfect Example of Great Storytelling.

I have always meet and this Thursday, he finally remembered my name, after eight months. He has already given me an 'A' in one of the most important classes of my career that's why he deserves those 10%. Not because of the 'A' but the simplicities and the realization he put me through in order to fully understand that concept of film and motion pictures that I have always witnessed but never believed in.

In my opinion, Keeshen is a brilliant teacher and a really cool guy. A guy at my class told me: 'Some people may say bad stuff about Keeshen, but they're all wrong, he's one of the best'. I totally agree, he knows storytelling and in that first class called 'Storytelling' and those cozy Monday night with Mr. Keeshen and 45 eagerly storytellers of tomorrow we all got know the basics in which I possess the power to write any story I possess. 

'Casablanca' (1942) also a terrific story told.

It's easy, it's 'Establishment', 'Conflict' and 'Resolution', broken down in '12 Steps Of the Main Character's Journey'. It's basic, its simplicity but most of all it taught me to get out! Get out of that pattern of believing that storytelling, as well as movies is art, art where rules are broken and yes they are. Sometimes, but in order to break rules, the content needs to follow a pattern understood by the writer or artist in order break it and make sense out of that art. 

Mr. Keeshen also told me this, that movies often get to long which I disagreed with in the beginning. And sometimes I still do it. But to shorten down and give a story quality rather that quantity is the power few posses and that counts in with some of the greatest directors, writers and producers on this earth. Stories are not made to be created for the purpose of entertaining to long, directors fall in love with their work so badly that they don't no when to cut, some stories demand the width but most don't. 

'La Maison En Petits Cubes' (2008), one of few Oscar nominated films this 

year where the story was told with greatness.

That's why we so often fast forward the dvd or the downloaded avi file, cause that's what we do. We download it, like it or dislike it, the we throw it away or keep it. Most stories are unfortunately thrown away and we only keep few and that's where storytelling in movies has gone wrong and someone finally made me understand that.

On the other hand I have serious problems with my 'Act II' for Mert Meneri, the beginning of my conflict or middle or what ever we choose call it, has so much importance and demand width. But I don't want to lose the reader on the 10th page, seems so frustrating. 

Good Night and Good Luck!

Revised Storyboard and Finding My Story

It seems to as I have either grown up or lost confidence in art, but as argued in every single class I've taken since I started at Santa Monica College, the screenwriting segment every teacher expresses him or herself in is about storystructure, especially in my Digital Media classes, and yes when reading 'Inglorious Bastards' last week, I see, that even Quentin Tarantino uses rules, even though if he brakes them. Syd Fields book 'A Screenwriters Workshop' is actuallt pretty legit, he goes into the process and that book, my neighbor who is taught by Syd Field and Eli Roth's 'The Curios Case of Benjamin Button' is currently helping me with the structure of writing my first Feature Film screenplay. 

The Story is simple, it's about a guy called Mert, coming to the US, succeeding in selling a screenplay and reaches maximum fame. Conflict, he's held back by his father and Death's friends and in order to process his career he demands full creation freedom, and yes it sounds cheesy, but I haven't presented the narration yet or the climax of the story which has somewhat a powerful approach in this screenplay. Of course 'Story' is king, and I respect that.

I am just so hard on myself, I just finished the first 13 pages and I erased them. My Professor in Storyboarding Jim Keeshen said to me that you should never under any circumstances fall in love with you're work and that is not the case with me. I think it through so much and criticise it to hard to ever reach a progress. As leaving from my class with Mr. Keeshen I find out that there is so little of my music library that suits the uncomfortability of riding the buses expect from one album, 'Skebokvarnsvagen 209' by Joakim Thastrom, that inspired this day so much that I wrote somewhat an article on him (Music, Truth & Tunes). 

So what did I learn today? Always something new and I'll share it with you. I learned that Animatics is king in Animation, that my story is not an animation but rather a story that need a lot of fixing and some kinds of motif's, just like Eli Roth, because he's wise and writes extremely well. Watching the Oscars this Sunday you should get inspired, but since this story of Mert Meneri is rather 'anti-Oscar' I don't really know. School takes up time and so does this and MT&T, but that is a funding source in order to live better, so would a sold screenplay for 40 000$ be, but in order to get there I need to learn how to sell.

My point and my purpose of my A.A Degree in Digital Media is to gain all knowledge required to be a project manager in film, a.k.a a Producer, and to be a producer you are to know every field. That's where I wanna get and this screenplay is just a dream thing, that helps me practise. But I will write it, and I'll make it unpredictable and good,

Enough with the nonsense/Becoming a Filmmaker

Forget about the nonsense, I won't post un personal posts again, it's out of my character to do so. What the underlined purpose of this blog was to tell you, who read this that it is a blog of my life 20 minutes away from the Hollywood Sign and my process of becoming a filmmaker of course with association to what happens in my life. Some people claim that un personal blogs are not of interest, but of course they are and if you don't agree, I've got that side covered with my second blog Music, Truth and Tunes which I hopefully will squeeze some living money out on. 

So let's get down to business, my path to 'becoming' a film maker.

- 'Well, aren't you a film maker when you say so?'.

- 'Well, no, not exactly. Some People may argue that, but I don't. I simply, 'Wants To Become' one.

- 'Ed Wood, was a filmmaker even if he didn't know anything.

- 'Yes, he was, but on the other hand he was also the worst film maker of all time and yes there's a difference, he actually made movies. I've only made a school project short film.

So that's what I am going to argue. Enough with 'YouTube' nonsense unless it doesn't really mean anything.

The Sense of Everything Coming Together

As I entered school for my first day I did it with somewhat hate and pain, towards the world as it is financially and especially with a look on what's happening to the Swedish economy, it not a downturn it is simply a disaster.

Entering my first class, Color Theory in Digital Entertainment I shortly started to see how everything I've been learning so far comes together. The creation of advertisments, how they appeal to us as learned in my Communication 1 classes. I leave the class in shock over the prices for supplies in the class, thinking about one thing; 'This class should be a 4 Unit Class for all the money I spend on it'. I start my second class and in Film Studies 1 we get to break down movies as how the appeal to us. In a historical sense and how the business model works like as well as the elements of story which contains three classes I have taken; Storytelling, Race and Gender History in the US and Communications 1. All these elements come hand in hand and also help in the process of knowing the basics in a production which was learned in Broadcasting Production. Non of these classes but Color Theory and Storytelling is included in my major, many of them just taught to me from personal interest and manditory 'G-E' requirements but I sense the inspiration of knowledge that has been given to me and I like the second day of school with Mr. Keeshen in Storyboarding, simply because its fun.

This is a strange event or feeling for me, for the first time in my life I really enjoy going to school.

It starts with an F and ends with a K.

I have no clue what will happen now.

The Swedish Krona has dropped down huge during the last 24 hours.

As it is right now the one American Dollar costs us, 8.7 Swedish Crowns.

When I moved here I payed 6.5 for it. Talking about losing the sense of touch.

Tomorrow I am paying my student tuition, it's going to cost me 400$ more than planned.

That's news that does not only sucks, they put me in a very difficult position for the upcoming 4 months.

What's up with Joaquin Phoenix?