Chicken or the egg? Cinema or architecture?
Now that I'm well into my architecture courses and have been through the ups and downs, I can't help but think whether I should continue architecture or not. I'm pursuing architecture because I thought my type of creative and crafting abilities would work well in the field. What I thought directly correlated with the study of architecture, however, is obviously my model-making interest. Where'd I get my modeling skills from? What initiated my model-making hobby? Here's a story some of you have probably never heard of or have forgotten...
It was sometime between seventh and eighth grade when I was still in Japan, and my uncle's burned me a copy of Star Wars Episode I the game, a RPG game based on the movie. I've never played RPG games and was never into them, but I had the game, and one day I eventually began playing it. At one point I got stuck in a particular segment for too long and didn't bother continuing it. My friend Michael, however, of which some of you have met, came over to my house and played the game for me. He got passed that segment(he was big on gaming, btw, and still is), and that gave me enough reason to continue playing the game. I burned him a copy, and soon we were both playing the same game. We were almost competing against each other on progress. I'm not sure about him, but by the time I finished the game I was so into it that I got addicted to the Star Wars universe. I rented all the episodes afterwards and watched them all. They didn't have the DVD versions for Episodes IV~VI back then, so I went through the trouble looking for the VHS tapes and watched them on a half-broken player from a neighbor. And then one day at a department store I saw the awesome X-Wing model kits. I asked my dad for permission and bought it. Prior to that model I was already into a lot of construction toys: Lego, Gundams, papercrafts -you name it - but me buying that X-Wing as a result of my SW obsession was what really got me into advanced modeling. I knew that the kit wasn't as easy as the Gundam models, and I wanted my X-Wing to look as cool as the ones in the movie, and thus I began my quest to complete my first successfully painted, glue-required model. I did a pretty good job, and with the success I guess I was encouraged to make more. Having just finished the game, I wanted to build all the ships and vehicles from the movie.
This became the time when building models wasn't just a result of deriving fun, but as a result of wanting to be in the SW universe, to own a piece of it. That was the power of an imaginative, compelling sci-fi story on a 13, 14-year old kid. That game, that universe so captured my adventurous, reality-escaping self I wished such a world exists.
I remembered the Episode I model kits when the movie came out a few years ago, and with that memory I searched online for the kits. Michael, under my influence in addition to being captured by the game himself, also began buildings the models. We then became two SW and model-addicted people. We took the subway afterschool on Fridays to a somewhat distant store we knew that sold SW merchandise just to see if new models came out. He then began buying the soundtracks, more models, posters, etc while I continued buying the kits. I'd search online looking for all the old SW models and ordering them online from the United States (and the shipping definitely wasn't cheap). Understand that those models were out of production back then (until the release of Episode II, when all the models were released again after a decade or more), so you didn't just see them lying around on the shelves. Wherever I go I'd go to all the model stores I see, especially if they look old 'cause that's where the vintage models would be. In time I collected every model kit from Episode I. The process took time, money, and persistence. In the movie, the Gungan Sub was my absolute favorite vehicle and I desperately hoped that there exists a model of that sub. I found out that there was such a kit, yet it was rare or perhaps under much demand. It took me about half a year or more of searching and contacting the dealers before I finally got it. Pretty soon I had the Episode I collection complete and many other kits from the classics (Episodes IV~VI). At that point all the kits I've amassed would take me years to complete under student status. Those kits are all currently under storage and would probably last me a lifetime... I feel rather guilty for having spent so much money, so I haven't bought any models in years since then. My obsession with SW was completely irresistable. In fact, I had some minor obsessions with other movies as well. With each movie obsession, I'd always plan to build a model of something from the movie, because I wanted to, in a sense, own a part of it. With every increase in will to replicate ships and scenes from the movies, I bought more equipment and advanced my skills.
I'm still a SW fan, and for those of you who've seen my models probably remember that most of 'em are SW models. Now here's the thing I was thinking of - modeling got me thinking of pursuing architecture, yet me getting into modeling was a film. So am I actually truly interested in film or architecture? I don't know if I believe in architecture no matter how much I enjoy the process. I did have a great time being part of the team making the senior prom video; I enjoy filming everyday anecdotes, collaborating with Putzer in making our photocomic projects and final Yearbook Project (all these projects involved us creating a storyboard and using cinematography techniques). So what is it? Cinema or architecture? Dratted.
It was sometime between seventh and eighth grade when I was still in Japan, and my uncle's burned me a copy of Star Wars Episode I the game, a RPG game based on the movie. I've never played RPG games and was never into them, but I had the game, and one day I eventually began playing it. At one point I got stuck in a particular segment for too long and didn't bother continuing it. My friend Michael, however, of which some of you have met, came over to my house and played the game for me. He got passed that segment(he was big on gaming, btw, and still is), and that gave me enough reason to continue playing the game. I burned him a copy, and soon we were both playing the same game. We were almost competing against each other on progress. I'm not sure about him, but by the time I finished the game I was so into it that I got addicted to the Star Wars universe. I rented all the episodes afterwards and watched them all. They didn't have the DVD versions for Episodes IV~VI back then, so I went through the trouble looking for the VHS tapes and watched them on a half-broken player from a neighbor. And then one day at a department store I saw the awesome X-Wing model kits. I asked my dad for permission and bought it. Prior to that model I was already into a lot of construction toys: Lego, Gundams, papercrafts -you name it - but me buying that X-Wing as a result of my SW obsession was what really got me into advanced modeling. I knew that the kit wasn't as easy as the Gundam models, and I wanted my X-Wing to look as cool as the ones in the movie, and thus I began my quest to complete my first successfully painted, glue-required model. I did a pretty good job, and with the success I guess I was encouraged to make more. Having just finished the game, I wanted to build all the ships and vehicles from the movie.
This became the time when building models wasn't just a result of deriving fun, but as a result of wanting to be in the SW universe, to own a piece of it. That was the power of an imaginative, compelling sci-fi story on a 13, 14-year old kid. That game, that universe so captured my adventurous, reality-escaping self I wished such a world exists.
I remembered the Episode I model kits when the movie came out a few years ago, and with that memory I searched online for the kits. Michael, under my influence in addition to being captured by the game himself, also began buildings the models. We then became two SW and model-addicted people. We took the subway afterschool on Fridays to a somewhat distant store we knew that sold SW merchandise just to see if new models came out. He then began buying the soundtracks, more models, posters, etc while I continued buying the kits. I'd search online looking for all the old SW models and ordering them online from the United States (and the shipping definitely wasn't cheap). Understand that those models were out of production back then (until the release of Episode II, when all the models were released again after a decade or more), so you didn't just see them lying around on the shelves. Wherever I go I'd go to all the model stores I see, especially if they look old 'cause that's where the vintage models would be. In time I collected every model kit from Episode I. The process took time, money, and persistence. In the movie, the Gungan Sub was my absolute favorite vehicle and I desperately hoped that there exists a model of that sub. I found out that there was such a kit, yet it was rare or perhaps under much demand. It took me about half a year or more of searching and contacting the dealers before I finally got it. Pretty soon I had the Episode I collection complete and many other kits from the classics (Episodes IV~VI). At that point all the kits I've amassed would take me years to complete under student status. Those kits are all currently under storage and would probably last me a lifetime... I feel rather guilty for having spent so much money, so I haven't bought any models in years since then. My obsession with SW was completely irresistable. In fact, I had some minor obsessions with other movies as well. With each movie obsession, I'd always plan to build a model of something from the movie, because I wanted to, in a sense, own a part of it. With every increase in will to replicate ships and scenes from the movies, I bought more equipment and advanced my skills.
I'm still a SW fan, and for those of you who've seen my models probably remember that most of 'em are SW models. Now here's the thing I was thinking of - modeling got me thinking of pursuing architecture, yet me getting into modeling was a film. So am I actually truly interested in film or architecture? I don't know if I believe in architecture no matter how much I enjoy the process. I did have a great time being part of the team making the senior prom video; I enjoy filming everyday anecdotes, collaborating with Putzer in making our photocomic projects and final Yearbook Project (all these projects involved us creating a storyboard and using cinematography techniques). So what is it? Cinema or architecture? Dratted.