"The Harlem Shake" - Don't let the silliness fool you.

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Is the “The Harlem Shake” some sort of indescribable turning point
in media?  What is the precedence?  You can call it silly, or funny, or
whatever else you’d like, but, rest assured, the engine behind The Harlem Shake is worthy of consideration.  Think about this; This little dance movement is much much bigger, both in participation and in reach than YOUR MOVIE, or YOUR MUSIC, or YOUR ART PROJECT.  And it’s not just for the little indies, this thing blows away the big boys as well; ie: The Hollywood Machine in terms action.

Think about that for a second.  Advertisers spend millions of dollars trying to get you involved with whatever it is they selling.  When was the last time a seemingly spontaneous participatory movement occurred at this level.  It takes time, effort, creativity and resources for people to join in.  And join in they do, for free.  

Remember the days when some item of fashion, or car, or dialogue from a movie made its place into the public sphere with lasting effect?  It was probably a very long, long time ago.  

So, whether you “like” The Harlem Shake or not, it’s a piece of conscious harmonizing that is almost impossible to buy with money.  Professional advertisers living in the old model can write it off, but, they’ll be writing off their own existence if they don’t consider the new models and how it affects the world we are living in today, not 40 years ago.  

And I understand that this is very short lived, but so is everything else these days.

The Post Process

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Editing happens in two ways, much like everything else.  Moments of busy work, running through the motions, the habits, linear timelines and time frames; and then, you experience the solitude, those moments of reflection usually outside of sitting in front of a computer.    

It just so happens that in the seemingly innocuous rest period, a great deal of the major breakthroughs are birthed.  The moments in quiet contemplation, or when consumed in other daily happenings, perhaps during a jog, the shower, reading, in sleep or sometimes, doing nothing but sitting, in between mediation and nothingness (I guess you can plug in TV here if you like) are essential nourishment for the central brain computer trying to compartmentalize information, and give it structure and meaning.

If you're not open to such clarity, you will never get to those wonderful breakthroughs.  Busy work (productivity) is essential, but the capacity to go further is as important.  Cultivate the second part, and give yourself a little time to breath.  

One final note here: You can be productive without the breakthroughs, but you cannot have the breakthroughs without productivity.

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Check List to Infinite

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An observation that goes a little something like this -

Our "to do's" list fall mostly into two categories.  First up is "THE CHECKLIST’ER MASTURBATOR", a man/woman obsessed with the infinite busy nothings to the highest degree of pedantry, and the second, "THE BI-POLAR UP SWINGING ON A GOD COMPLEX"; a humanoid capable of all things and everything now, like right now.  

I find that on the occasions where I can find balance (center) I can get in the middle, and things generally get done at the rate and manner which is agreeable to universal laws.

A Dispatch from Mexico Seetea (or, 10 Line Items for a McNugget Breakdown of Mexico)

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-Mexican food is wonderful

-Cuernavaca is a magical place; especially if you’re a foreigner and purchased a huge villa with a botanical garden, next to your tennis court.  Although, the natives I met where very proud of the city regardless of villa size.  The weather; “Eternal Spring Stylz”.

-I traveled through the Sierra Madre's, wherein it reminded me of one of my favorite John Huston classics; THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.  This was a real psychological comfort.  Later, I was told that what we drove through was the Sierra Madre del Sur, and that the one in the movie was the other range, know as Sierra Madre Oriental which was situated on the gulf side.  And yet still, another range north of the Sierre Madre del Sur exist’s, named the Sierra Madre Occidental.  So, count em, three Sierra Madre Mountain ranges in Mexico. Don’t ever forget it.

Mexico City - shot from ABC Hospital 

Mexico City - shot from ABC Hospital 

-The airport smelled like diarrhea from a newborn (this description was provided to me by an extremely competent Surgeon whom I was traveling with).  My report wasn't as specific, nor as nuanced.

-I stayed at an Airport Hotel one night out of scheduling necessity.  First time.  And certainly last time if I happen to visit Mexico City again.  See above for reason.

-Observed hundreds of open aired eateries throughout the city.  Like, maybe thousands.

-The majority of Mexicans I talked to believe that the drug cartel problem is mostly American propaganda.  It exits, but, "doesn't really affect regular Mexicans".

-Always take more ADVIL on trips then you think is necessary.

-A red eye flight, straight to a shoot is not as efficient as it sounds. But it is just as horrendous as it sounds. 

-Alaska Airlines has the youngest flight attendants I've found among the US airlines.  Does this have to do with union status (can I pose a question without the need to verify?)

In Paris, waiting for Godot. (10-26-12)

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(originally written 10-26-12)

I've been out on assignment for the last week in Paris.  I've learned some things during this trip that’s dawned on me with more weight then the years previous.  Age does that, doesn't it.  Perspective is a fast track to the discovery of subjectivity in all human experience, and shit, the more of it, the better.  

Most of the things learned are of a personal nature.  I usually forget most of these insights once settled back into my norm, but still, its a good feeling and you can't take that away from me.

But, what I am most preoccupied with is the refinement of Parisians in aspects of society, compared to us Americans.  The dress code, the social habits, the little nuances.  We slobber over our apple pie, and they, with a fork in left hand, nibble at those little pastries with the delicacy of a surgeon.  Ironically, with all these refinements, Paris doesn't understand the concept of customer service.  And, this is NOT just my little opinion.  This is a known fact, like that of gravity, or the law of inertia (yes, i understand, we are past linear Newtonianism’s, but entertain me this one time).

Paris - shot from Hotel du Louvre

Paris - shot from Hotel du Louvre

And, most important, the thing that I'm taking away from this particular journey, is the same as any of those recent trips I've taken recently, where, by necessity and a little willpower, I turn off the data on my GODDAMN SMART PHONE.   A wonderful thing happens after you survive the initial shakes of withdrawal.  A simple lesson we all intuitively understand; Life is better lived, then wasted eyeing a little screen, scrolling endlessly in the sea of public opinion, whose constantly engrossed in sharing a few of those tidbits of information and ideas that comes to ones head, with few if any conscientious filters. Ah, the pedestrian, mundane and irrelevant thought of the second. It’s gross desire for declaration!  I'm through with these pocket sized opinions and observations for the time being.  I never wanted them to begin with (is this really true), but, psychology has me (we, us) lacking self-control, gripped unconsciously, deep in a Pavlovian headlock because of a few loopholes of mind.  

See, you might not know it, but if your updating your social media accounts 20 time a day, or logging in 20 times a day its probably a solidified, honest to goodness habit at this point.  Your a little dog salivating at the ringing of the bell, telling you its lunch time, whether your getting a real treat or a trick, doesn't matter. 

Writer's Block in B Minor

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Presenting: An ANIMALS Christmas Special in Ultra Technicolor 2D!

The story for this evening revolves around one man in for the fight of his life. 
Suspense, drama, anticipation, a cat!

________________________
concept + video: Amir Motlagh
produced by ANIMALS
words: Amir Motlagh / Sean Gillane
titles: Sean Gillane
animation: Pixopop 
cat: Flash
© Dec 2012

Music was a performance of Richard Wagner's Die Walkure (The Valkyries) 
performed by The United States Marine Band. It is available under Public Domain.

RIP Filmmaker Celso Ad. Castillo

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My friend, and fellow filmmaker Chris Castillo's father passed away a few days ago.  His father was Celso Ad. Castillo, a heavyweight in the Filipino Film World.  Here is an open letter he posted about his father's passing.

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AN OPEN LETTER ABOUT MY FATHER, CELSO AD. CASTILLO 

As soon as I received the news that my father had passed, I sat there not knowing what to do. I didn't cry. I couldn't. So I did the only thing my father loved doing the most - I went to the movies. I watched Lincoln. The little kid in him had always admired Spielberg. They had met before and he was going to direct a movie for him at one point.

 

And inside the dark theater, I cried. 

As the images flickered on the screen, as Lincoln fought for the future of humanity, I saw my father fighting all his life for his vision, his morals, his values. He was going to make the films he wanted to make. No matter the personal cost. He was The Kid, The Messiah, the Philippine's first truly independent and renegade filmmaker. The man who was larger than life. Fitting. 

I am the first born son of Celso Ad Castillo. Growing up on film sets, I was destined to follow in his footsteps. Never to eclipse him but to be the best that I can be in using the gifts he gave me. My path had always been set. As my mother always said, I am my father's son. 

We had spoken recently about some exciting things that the future was going to bring. My project with producer Alemberg Ang was short listed in the upcoming Cinemalaya 2013 and after I finished my interview with the selection committee, it dawned on me the excitement that I might have a chance to work with my father once again. But this time with with me in the director's chair and he as an actor. Our last talk was about the long awaited and much anticipated Ang Lalaking Nangarap Na Maging Nora Aunor which was going to be his FDC film. It would be his swan song, a tribute to his love for Philippine Cinema. He would be Salvatore in Cinema Paradiso. I was going to write it for him. 

As I sit here and pen this missive, not just for me but for everyone that admired and was influenced by him, I always think back to a night in San Francisco over two decades ago that truly defined who he was. When for the first time, he explained to me the reason why our family broke apart. We were living in Las Vegas at that time when he came to join us for good but decided to leave after a couple of months back to the Philippines. He told me that he made the hardest decision of his life. He had to choose between his art and his family and he chose his art. And from that decision came some of the greatest films cinema has ever seen. I have never begrudged my father for what he did. I have never questioned his love for us. I have always understood him and felt sadness that he was put in that situation. No one should ever have to make those kinds of decisions. But all of us in his life have always competed with the characters in his head and stories in his mind. 

Film was his family. Film was his life. And we are all the better for it.

We will celebrate the man and his films. We will honor him with words and tributes. But let us not forget the greatest gift my father gave us. The strength and courage to be an original, to be rebellious without fear, to dig deeper into ourselves and embrace the madness within us, to question art and mold it to our own perception, to test people's comfort zones, to force the audience to watch what is uncomfortable in their own lives. 

So to those filmmakers influenced by him, continue the fight to make the films you truly want to make and extend the path that he paved and pass along the gift that he gave to you to the next generation of filmmakers. It would be the only thing he would ask any of you. I wish all of you would have met hm. Then you would see the true man behind the legend. A man of wit, wisdom, and a huge sense of humor. 

To some people, he was the greatest filmmaker of his generation. To me, he was simply a wonderful father. I will truly miss him until I see him again. 

- Christopher Ad. Castillo 

Celso Ad. Castillo

Celso Ad. Castillo