gooollysandra

Thoughts on thoughts and images of beautiful things

Tag Archives: film

10:44 pm - January 21, 2014 -

“To sustain ardor, one must be in love not only with the thing itself, but also with the idea of the thing itself.”

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“Moral: To sustain ardor, one must be in love not only with the thing itself, but also with the idea of the thing itself.”

I recently read this quote by Stephen Dankner in a newspaper article in The Advocate, which is based in New England, and I read it at just the perfect moment as I am trying to decide what I want to do with my future; more precisely, what I want to pursue graduate studies in and this quote sums it all up. So what do I love in essence and in thought? At the moment I am trying to make up my mind between Art History and Film. Submitting applications for both is a bit confusing and it’s hard to imagine which I would enjoy more. But reading this quote brought up a very basic, fundamental notion that I hadn’t thought of but makes all the sense in the world. Do most people have the luxury of loving what they do as well as the idea of it? Probably not. I think it’s a hard to achieve because it’s hard to even figure out what you love in essence AND in thought.

Categories: Art, Film, Philosophy Tags: , , , , ,
11:00 am - July 22, 2013 -

Fantasies

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We all have fantasies about what we want to do in life. But the question is, how do we decipher a fantasy from what we want to turn into reality? I’ve often thought about different things that I would like to do, like teach English abroad, make movies, be an interior designer…but I can’t tell if these are things I would actually do, or if I just like to think about them. What propels one to actually carry out an idea rather than just think of it as a fantasy? I think it takes a great deal of perseverance to carry out what you actually want to do. Sometimes it’s easier to settle for something that you might not like quite as much, but is still somewhat enjoyable.

Categories: Film, Foreign, Philosophy, Travel Tags: , , , , ,
11:58 am - December 4, 2012 -

What is in the minds of others?

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Lincoln_2-001_s640x427

Do you ever wonder what is inside other peoples’ heads? And what you would learn if you could have access to their thoughts – not only their thoughts, but also their perceptions and feelings of things? This seems like a rather obvious thought, but it occurred to me when I saw the new movie, Lincoln. Firstly, Daniel Day Lewis’ performance in the film is extraordinary, which is perhaps why this notion dawned on me during the movie. But what if we could gain insight into what others were thinking? Our lives and our thoughts seem to be so self-centered that sometimes we forget that other people have thoughts, perceptions, and feelings different from our own. And I just think it would be so interesting if we could get a little peek at what those thoughts are…

Categories: Film, Philosophy Tags: , ,
4:50 pm - February 16, 2012 -

My obsession with all things Scandinavian

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As of late, or actually for about a year now, I’ve had this fascination with anything having to do with Scandinavia. I suppose it started when I saw the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy and fell in love with the scenes of Sweden, the Swedish language, and the overall feeling of the films (setting aside the plot). For the record, I fall in love with a lot of things, least of all people. My interest in Sweden continued when I saw a Swedish band perform at an international music festival this past fall in Bloomington, IN called Movits! Once again, I loved the Swedish language, and their energy and style was amazing. Later in the fall I attended a lecture by a Swedish woman who spoke about women’s suffrage in Sweden. The content of the lecture was interesting, but most of all her personality was fun, which leads me to believe that perhaps the Swedish people as a whole possess good characters. I hope anyway, so as not to be disappointed when I visit one day!

I became further intrigued by Scandinavia when my family and I were talking about taking a trip to Belgium, Denmark, and Holland this summer. I’m not sure whether it will really materialize, but the thought of it certainly evoked excitement in my interest of Scandinavia.

I can only imagine how beautiful the landscape and wilderness is in Scandinavia – I picture forests and hills, and beautiful snowy plains, accompanied of course with animals that remind us how to be graceful in their promenade. What I’ve seen in pictures and movies of the architecture is stunning and certainly unique to the area. How nice it would be to live on a canal…

Perhaps the final thing, for now at least, that inspires my interest in all things Scandinavian is the style, that of interior spaces and furniture. My grandparents have a house full of Scandinavian furniture, which I adore! It’s such a nice quality of wood and the simple, modern, and elegant style is nice to look at, comfortable, and inviting. I’ve also been to a Scandinavian furniture store in Bloomington, IN, once again, and I wish I could buy the whole store! Or at least live in the store…I can’t forget IKEA, while cheap, mass produced furniture, elegant and most importantly, Scandinavian! I also love Scandinavian textiles, the patterns…! Well, I could go on, but I’ll refrain.

Can’t wait to visit all of Scandinavia someday…adventures! Also, I want to see the Northern Lights…what a spectacular show that must be.

Category: Foreign Tags: , ,
4:42 pm - December 13, 2011 -

Movie Script

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Something I wrote for a film class this past summer…hopefully I can shoot it sometime.

INT. LIVING/DINING ROOM, KITCHEN – NIGHT.

MICHAEL walks in as MARIANNE is sitting at a table reading the newspaper. He sits down and they start talking.

MICHAEL

You’ve never thought about it?

MARIANNE

Thought about what?

MICHAEL

Whether our actions really have any effect on the outcome. Whether choosing one thing rather than another leads us down one path rather than another. We think our decisions and actions affect our future, but is this just an illusion? Maybe things happen regardless of our intentions. Things are what they are, and our decisions don’t make any difference. You know the philosopher, Wittgenstein…well he argues that, “the world is all that is the case.” That things just happen and our actions don’t make any difference at all.

MARIANNE

Of course I’ve thought about it. I just don’t know exactly what to think of it. I don’t think we can know whether our actions affect the future or not. Because if we act in a certain way and a certain outcome is achieved, how are we to know that the outcome would have been different if we acted in a different way? We can’t really, which is why we just need to act and see what comes of it.

MICHAEL and MARIANNE sip on coffee.

MICHAEL

Sometimes I don’t know what to think at all. Sometimes I feel totally thoughtless. I just can’t think of anything. I want to, but I can’t. What happens when I stop myself from thinking, or something stops me. I wish I could keep thinking but it’s like there is something blocking me from thinking and I don’t know how to overcome it. I feel I am so close to having a really good thought, but the moment passes before I am allowed to have that thought. Does that ever happen to you?

MARIANNE

Yes. I long to capture things. Capture anything. And everything. But is it ever really possible to capture anything before we lose it. But the moment passes, and I wonder if I could ever again have that feeling or have that thought. It saddens me because I wish to recapture it and hold on to it. But it is also reassuring because I know I can have many more of those unique moments where everything is so clear, and each new thought or feeling can be better than the last.

MICHAEL gets up to grab a newspaper and goes back to the table.

MICHAEL

Not all thoughts or feelings are so clear and enlightening. Sometimes I feel so disconnected from my feelings. It’s like I’m not really the one feeling them, but rather I’m watching them being felt from afar. This is very disconcerting. I want to feel my own feelings entirely. Not just halfway, or not at all, but completely. This is actually harder to do than you’d think. Because if you are immersed in yourself, rather than just a bystander, there’s no way out. You are responsible and held accountable for your thoughts, feelings, and actions. If you just watch yourself from afar, you don’t have to worry about being a certain way. But at the same time, you can’t be free either, because you can only be free if you are being yourself entirely.

MARIANNE gets up and sits on couch.

MARIANNE

What about love? If you have such difficulty feeling anything, can you feel love? I mean, what sets love apart? You can love someone, but what if someone else comes along that you may love just as much or more? Is there any difference between them? Or is love love regardless of who it’s for? Or is love for one person different from love for another based on their differences? Is love about you or them? If it’s about you, I suppose love would be the same no matter with who. But if it is about them, I suppose it would be different based on the person you love.

MICHAEL

I don’t want to talk about love. I mean, if I love someone, I want them to be all for me. In general, connecting with people is so hard. I want to connect with them fully or not at all. But only halfway doesn’t seem worth it, it’s so disappointing. To ever connect or love someone fully would be the greatest success. But I don’t think it’s possible.

MARIANNE

I don’t think it’s ever really possible to know what other people feel or think. We know how we feel and what we’re thinking, but that certainly doesn’t mean that’s what someone else is thinking, even though we may think we’re both feeling and thinking the same, and are therefore connected. But this is a false perception of connectedness. We choose how we feel, and not in relation to others because we don’t actually know how others are feeling or what they’re thinking. Therefore, we’re never really connected.

MICHAEL

I wish I cared more. About anything, everything. I think this proves how inherently selfish we are.

MICHAEL gets up and sits in chair next to couch.

MICHAEL

Enough about all this. Everything is so non-existent anyway. And me, being void of feeling, I don’t want to think about it anymore.

MARIANNE

Alright. Let’s talk about shadows.

MICHAEL

Every idea of yours is more bizarre than the last.

MARIANNE

That’s why you love me.

MICHAEL

I thought we already talked about how I can’t feel anything, especially not love.

MARIANNE gets up and walks around.

MARIANNE

Shadows. What are shadows, copies of what they represent, or a separate entity in themselves? They look just like what they represent, but only in form, not in content. They actually don’t really have any content, and they are just forms. So can they be the same? I mean, they can represent the same things, but are they the same?

MICHAEL

Honestly Marianne, what have you been drinking?

MARIANNE goes to kitchen.

MARIANNE

The same thing as you.

MARIANNE smiles.

MICHAEL

Do you ever realize how boring we’ve become? No one wants to spend time with us because we are so boring. People only want to be in your company if you entertain them. Clearly, we are not entertaining. That’s why we don’t have any friends left.

MARIANNE comes back and sits on couch.

MARIANNE

We have friends, and we’re not boring.

MICHAEL

I think it’s us that got bored with them. The problem with having superior interests is that you end up hating everything. And other people become boring.

MARIANNE

Have you ever noticed that thinking about our lives is much better than actually living them. When I think about things that I do, or things in my life, they seem so splendid. But then when I actually do them, or simply live my life, they’re not half as appealing as they were when I thought about them.

MICHAEL

Yes Marianne, you know I feel the same way. Maybe this is the root of our problem. Thinking about things is much better than actually doing things. That’s why we don’t do anything. In fear of acting outrageous, I’m scared to do anything. What does it take to ever just be real, and experience things?

MARIANNE

I think that is a conversation for another time. I’m going to bed, goodnight.

MARIANNE gets up and walks away

MICHAEL

You can’t go to bed until we’ve figured this all out.

MARIANNE looks back and smiles.

MARIANNE

We never will…

Category: Film Tags: ,
6:21 pm - November 3, 2011 -

Film

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Film is a passion of mine that inspires me to capture images in a way that gracefully represents the world and the lives in it. It allows us to manipulate time and the way in which things happen. This can be unsettling because it suggests that nothing is as it seems or appears, which is certainly true in some if not all instances. On the other hand, it allows for the possibility to create worlds that elude the restrictions of time and place. This is what makes film beautiful and renders it art in a way that no other expression of creativity can.

This past summer I took a film production class and made three short (very short) films. Although not the first time I attempted to create short films, it was the first time I had access to professional equipment and instruction. I had attempted to make a couple little films (music videos) some years back when I was younger and less experienced, and however amateur they were, they propelled my interest of film-making. Therefore I jumped on the opportunity to take a class in which I would learn more refined techniques and be able to use better equipment. The result were two literary and historically inspired silent pieces, which although not perfect by any means, I am quite proud of. As a group project I also made a dialogue scene, which I am less enthusiastic about. But overall, they were so fun to make and certainly would not have been the same without the people in them. I really hope to make some other films, as I enjoy the whole creative, filming, and editing process so much!

I also love watching films, which is perhaps why I became interested in making films. My favorite director is Jean-Luc Godard (set aside the cliche please!) because his dialogue and symbolism are unquestionably original and inspiring. The actors in his films are also the best, Jean-Paul Belmondo & Anna Karina in particular.

My short films can be seen at: Youtube/Eagermarionette (The Great Gatsby, Revisited & I’m Gonna Gitcha)

Category: Film Tags: ,