“You know those people who hate Mondays. Stop hanging out with those people.”
mondays.
in Amir Motlagh, life, Thoughts, words
words
The Cosby's vs Tarkovsky
Does size and scale matter in how we perceive works of art?
How about in cinema?
It seems that a certain threshold is subjective, but that in the majority, a standard must be reached before subjects are comfortable enough to identify said object.
In the case of cinema, this is the budget threshold, which most often refers to production value.
Although we have seen a large influx and adherence to lo-fi in almost all areas of media (music, video, design) it seems that its consumption is temporary and best served on short segments.
The feature film is altogether a different animal. When we think of scale, does the medium of film in this day and age, have any rights to claim itself to art.
I'm sure this might get your blood boiling. but give it a good swirl in the noggin.
Movies are, and always will be a business masquerading as pop-art. Once this distinction is made, our reaction to it is clearer. After all, is Tarkovsky any more arty than The Cosby show?
The answer of course is yes, but it becomes incredibly difficult to define properly. And if so, to what degree and who gets the rights to final assessment?
Much Ado About Nothings
I spend the least amount of time I can these days going through feeds that refer to filmmaking.
Ironically (wrong word here), filmmaking is the thing I spend most of my time doing. I just try not to pay attention to the daily "news", since I think it's a destructive habit in the long run. Especially in a field that naturally cycles so slow. (this is obviously changing, like in every human endeavor)
The latest fad. The newest thing. Something happened in crowdfunding. Panasonic released a new 10k digital camera. So and so just released her 10th film.
All this constant noise. All this to do about nothings. I think it's better to focus on the task's at hand. In front of your face. Or, your family. Your world. Your puppy. Take care of that first. And when some time is left over, get better at other things.
The rest of it, what Ted Hope happened to say today, or what's in the latest post at Filmmaker Mag, or what gang sign Justin Bieber threw up today (see what I'm saying) probably doesn't matter in the big picture.
Now, I'm not saying that stuff isn't important. It is, it's domain knowledge. You might benefit from it. But, not everything second. Probably not everyday. And, if you're trying to make a mark, like a real lasting one, why thread in the water with all the other fish?
A little bit of Charlie Munger, Charlie Parker, and Charlie Brown will get your head clearer then your retort at someones latest blog post about NO-BUDGET FILMMAKING or HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY IN 60 MINUTES.
Stay original. Don't worry about the noise. Don't worry about the grain. Grain is beautiful after all.
routine.
in life, Thoughts, words, Amir Motlagh
routine.
dead ends.
in Amir Motlagh, life, words
Things can turn from good to bad in a blink. And when the animal instinct takes over, it clouds all logical, thoughtful consideration necessary for good judgement.
This is the scary moment. When we feel that regardless of how much willpower or drive or control we have, we sometimes don't. Nor can't.
Better to recover faster by affording it the time it takes. Sometimes fighting the feelings prolong the suffering.
dead ends. from that one Burbank Nights series.
Doggies on the Westside.
in Amir Motlagh, life, words, Thoughts
I'm a dog person. This is an understatement. I'm also a cat person, but not to equal affinity.
I like big breeds, but I have room for the little guys as well.
At this very instant, two adorable pit bulls are taking a little nap on the couch adjacent to where I'm typing this.
I could make a hyperbolic statement like so; "I just don't get people who don't like dogs". Or, "I can never trust anyone who doesn't like dogs." In both statements, you can superimpose dogs for any animal, or, actually, just about anything.
I hear statements of this type constantly. And, I’m sure at some point or another I've made similar creeds. I mean, HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU NOT LIKE DOGS? Really, they directly sped up human evolution. They're also cute as a mofo. And loyal. And they love you, for being you. So, while the rest of the world is busy trying to shame you, the dog, she just wants her tummy rubbed and a little snack.
One of my uncles came to visit from another country recently. He’s not American. He's old school. Where he's from, at least in his times, dogs were not thought of as pets, the same way we think of them. Dogs were mainly used for working or even when identified as pets, they were kept outdoors exclusively. And, all the while, carrying around with them an antagonistic stigma, that they were dirty (this is of course true in the literal sense at times). Dirt equates to not cleanly, thus, not suited for man to sleep next too, on the couch.
In fact, this is one of the reasons your favorite MC/Weird Loveable/Crip creature Snoop Doggy Dog changed his name to Snoop Lion. Turns out that them Rasta's think dog's are a lowly animal (pop culture ya’ll). Still love Bob Marley, even though he thought your dog was filthy, like a pig? (pigs are cute as well, and the answer coming up)
So, keep this little thing in mind. Not everybody thinks about things like you do. And, that's probably a good thing. Once you set outside of your worldview, you might open the door to a little more empathy because you’ll be working to look through someone else’s lenscrafters. Of course, you can still love your doggies the same. You might even love the human race a little more, you misanthropic scoundrel.
Roscoe & Buckley do the dew.
finite musings.
in Amir Motlagh, life, Thoughts, words
finite musings.
Title #23
in Amir Motlagh, life, Thoughts, words