First Reel: So... Yo Everybody
"What you're going to see on the screen, are the designs and pictures and stories, that music inspired in the minds and imaginations, of a group of artists. In other words these are not going to be the interpretations of trained musicians, which I think is all for the good."
- Deems Taylor, Fantasia (James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ford Beebe, Norman Ferguson, Jim Handley, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, and Ben Sharpsteen, 1940)
No, I didn't expect to be posting again so soon, or at all for that matter.
But a certain friend of mine (I won't give any names, but seeing as I only have two friends on LJ it shouldn't be too hard for anyone to figure out) has requested/insisted I start journaling, I figured now that I'm less occupied with uni work and a Reading Week's on the way... sure, why not?
So congratulations everybody, you get to see me ramble more. Particularly about films, 'cause if you aren't already aware I'm a film student aspiring to be a filmmaker.
And my current obsession is Fantasia. Dude, I did NOT know nine different people directed this damn thing! Granted, it's essentially eight short films in one, but still, didn't anyone edit it all together in the end? Didn't anyone determine how the film was going to be presented? Maybe that's what the ninth dude did. Anyway, so I've been spending my entire week listening to the music from both the original and the sequel and constantly quoting Deems Taylor and the various other hosts to anyone who cares to listen.
Now what I thought I'd do with these journals was maybe inform on the weekly screenings presented by the grad students who have sort of given me a social uni life, but fortunately for you, there is no screening this week or next week 'cause we're taking a break next week. And 'cause Fernando Solanas is in the building!
Who's Fernando Solanas? In all honesty... I have no idea. *goes to check on Wikipedia* Well, he's an Argentine political director who was exiled for a while until 1983, apparently. ... Sounds fascinating. Well, I guess I'll have a film to blabber on about after tomorrow after all ^^
Not much else is interesting to discuss except my previous midterms for European Cinema and Film Directors. The former was a little terrifying. Ever had that moment where you have a set of questions in front of you and you realise that half of them are centred on readings you DIDN'T reread before the exam? Well that was what happened to yours truly, and that is horrifying for me considering that this was a film course that I'm supposed to know like the back of my freaking hand. So what did I do? Picked the topic I actually knew something about and ran with it (I noticed that the word architectonic has the root word "architect" so pertaining to construction and immediately thought, "Of course, Pudovkin! Which means that dialectical MUST be Eisenstein!" And Eisenstein I know about). The other midterm? Pft, easy. The sad thing is is that the Directors course has been focusing on *drum roll* Michael Haneke, and although the guy is interesting, his films are not easy to watch. At all. Some of them I don't wish to ever see again. Yet because we were made to write journal entries on every film of his we watch in the course, his filmography is practically drilled into my brain. It's bothersome, but at least it probably gave me a high mark for the midterm.
Seriously, though, I'm sick of having to read about torture and pig slaughter and self-mutilation. IT ISN'T GOOD FOR MY BRAIN.
You'd think I'd be free from it now, 'cause we're done seeing Haneke films, but no 'cause I've been given the honour to write an essay about them. So he's STILL going to be on my mind for the next two weeks! GARRRR
I'll leave you all to your peaceful lives before I go beastly on you. I hope this is as pleasing as these intend to be, and that everyone will get some benefit out of reading these in the future. But for now, I've got some Respighi to listen to.
(FLYING WHALES FTW)
- Deems Taylor, Fantasia (James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ford Beebe, Norman Ferguson, Jim Handley, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, and Ben Sharpsteen, 1940)
No, I didn't expect to be posting again so soon, or at all for that matter.
But a certain friend of mine (I won't give any names, but seeing as I only have two friends on LJ it shouldn't be too hard for anyone to figure out) has requested/insisted I start journaling, I figured now that I'm less occupied with uni work and a Reading Week's on the way... sure, why not?
So congratulations everybody, you get to see me ramble more. Particularly about films, 'cause if you aren't already aware I'm a film student aspiring to be a filmmaker.
And my current obsession is Fantasia. Dude, I did NOT know nine different people directed this damn thing! Granted, it's essentially eight short films in one, but still, didn't anyone edit it all together in the end? Didn't anyone determine how the film was going to be presented? Maybe that's what the ninth dude did. Anyway, so I've been spending my entire week listening to the music from both the original and the sequel and constantly quoting Deems Taylor and the various other hosts to anyone who cares to listen.
Now what I thought I'd do with these journals was maybe inform on the weekly screenings presented by the grad students who have sort of given me a social uni life, but fortunately for you, there is no screening this week or next week 'cause we're taking a break next week. And 'cause Fernando Solanas is in the building!
Who's Fernando Solanas? In all honesty... I have no idea. *goes to check on Wikipedia* Well, he's an Argentine political director who was exiled for a while until 1983, apparently. ... Sounds fascinating. Well, I guess I'll have a film to blabber on about after tomorrow after all ^^
Not much else is interesting to discuss except my previous midterms for European Cinema and Film Directors. The former was a little terrifying. Ever had that moment where you have a set of questions in front of you and you realise that half of them are centred on readings you DIDN'T reread before the exam? Well that was what happened to yours truly, and that is horrifying for me considering that this was a film course that I'm supposed to know like the back of my freaking hand. So what did I do? Picked the topic I actually knew something about and ran with it (I noticed that the word architectonic has the root word "architect" so pertaining to construction and immediately thought, "Of course, Pudovkin! Which means that dialectical MUST be Eisenstein!" And Eisenstein I know about). The other midterm? Pft, easy. The sad thing is is that the Directors course has been focusing on *drum roll* Michael Haneke, and although the guy is interesting, his films are not easy to watch. At all. Some of them I don't wish to ever see again. Yet because we were made to write journal entries on every film of his we watch in the course, his filmography is practically drilled into my brain. It's bothersome, but at least it probably gave me a high mark for the midterm.
Seriously, though, I'm sick of having to read about torture and pig slaughter and self-mutilation. IT ISN'T GOOD FOR MY BRAIN.
You'd think I'd be free from it now, 'cause we're done seeing Haneke films, but no 'cause I've been given the honour to write an essay about them. So he's STILL going to be on my mind for the next two weeks! GARRRR
I'll leave you all to your peaceful lives before I go beastly on you. I hope this is as pleasing as these intend to be, and that everyone will get some benefit out of reading these in the future. But for now, I've got some Respighi to listen to.
(FLYING WHALES FTW)