Saturday 4 September 2010

A Film Blog By A Film Blogger - For Blogging's Sake

So I've started out for God knows where
I guess I'll know when I get there
-Tom Petty

I haven't had much to blog about recently. Or at least, I haven't felt like blogging. This thing has been going constantly for about a year and a half now; and that's been a lot of posts.. so recently, I've been doing other things. I'd rather blog when I have something to say rather than just shit something out regardless, like they do with the Hollywood movies. It's 2.31am on a Sunday morning; and, for today, I thought I'd write a blog for blogging's sake; and see what comes out.

Recent movies:

The Expendables - I loved it! The scene with Willis, Stallone and Swarchenegger was cinema gold! I'm sure this film wasn't particularly great in reality -- and it's not the type of film I usually watch, but it was great to see all these old time action stars on the screen together.

Scott Pilgrim - It was alright. Pretty much just a big geekfest though, for people in their twenties to feel understood. It was very cool and clever cinematically; but I was pretty bored throughout most of it. I know I'm in a minority with this opinion; everyone seems to love it. I liked Michael Cera in it though, he's so good at what he does.

Grown Ups - I enjoyed it! Had lots of warm hearted fun; as all Sandler produced films do. They have a big heart, which is very rare in modern cinema.

Last week I was due to direct a music video. It was all exteriors, and the main theme of the video was summer. It pissed down with heavy rain on both days. We didn't film a shot. This is England. The day before that I was a camera operator on a corporate gig. It was a sports thing, outdoors. We scheduled to shoot for eight hours. We shot for thirty minutes, then it rained.

I signed a deal with a producer this week for a feature film I'm writing and directing. The fun starts now.

Things to ponder:

'THE SUN' newspaper has, for two days, run front page headlines about a footballer and pop-singer who are divorcing. There's a lot going on in the world -- why do we all care about this nonsense?

It's September. Everyone is off to University. Another group of eighteen year olds pressured into going into higher education because 'otherwise you won't get great jobs.' Should we celebrate the fact that they'll average £30,000 of debt by the time they're finished, or that nearly 30% of graduates under twenty-four are currently unemployed? The world is so large, paths so vast-- yet every teenager has it pounded into them that they need to enter into a system that will keep them indebted for most of their adult lives, and will do little to help or improve their career chances. The Government has said recently it wants 75% of young people to be educated to degree level. What for? Why? For what jobs, specifically? For what opportunities? That of course, can't be answered. Right now, unemployment is soaring, businesses are closing - and everything is changing. So what are we educating young people for? Let that be pondered as a bunch of teenagers begin their two lectures a week; for three years; before being £40,000 in debt for a degree they're not interested in.

While we're waiting for a cab I'll give you your lesson for today. Don't listen to what your teachers tell ya, you know. Don't pay attention. Just, just see what they look like and that's how you'll know what life is really gonna be like.
-Woody Allen, in 'Crimes & Misdemeanors'

Facebook - Why the hell are we there? What are we doing? Sure, I can talk to my friend Betsy in America and I can add people from Norway and tell them about my blog. But really; what are we all doing there? Why are we telling people "Bryan Frimp is totally annoyed today!" We go about our days and, every three minutes; log in to tell a bunch of people we hardly know, something that is entirely forgettable almost immediately. What are we doing? Do we even enjoy concerts anymore, or do we just enjoy making statuses about the fact we're attending them?

We're an entire generation of people saying 'maybe' to events, and Facebook chatting to our loved ones who are two doors away, and we are constantly refreshing, alt-tabbing, logging out and in, poking, and clicking. But why, what for? Why are you logging into Facebook; what important message are you expecting? How many great screenplays didn't get written because the writer spent too much time logging in and out of Facebook? What are we doing??? Why are we doing it? What is it doing for our lives?

It's 3.22am.
Sleep.

Care to share?

11 comments:

  1. As a person still in high school, nothing about this article didn't depress me.

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  2. As a person currently racking up said college debt, I'm inclined to agree

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  3. Your opening reminded me of that Joseph Conrad quote: one doesn't write because they want to say something, one writes because they have something to say.

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  4. On The Sun newspaper, and this will come as no surprise I'm sure but here goes:

    A couple of years back I did a day course in writing text for museums (I work in the museum industry). The chap running the course told us that the text in The Sun is written to the ability of the average 11 year old except the sports pages that has a higher age reading ability. This is because when someone (of any reading ability) is actually interested in the subject matter they will work harder to read it.

    Apart from that - great early hours of the morning 'what's all this shit' about blog.

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  5. Guess FB is just our little way of saying, "Hey! Over here! Look. I exist. I am someone."

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  6. Cera was good, as was the Vegan jokery, but I found Scott Pilgrim flashy, trying too hard, and ultimately uninvolving - that probably makes me terminally uncool but I'm old enough now not to care hurrah!

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  7. I'm with you on the uni thing. I finished a few months back and am now dealing with the fact that about 70 media graduates are applying for each job

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  8. University killed my creativity or what was left of it after 13 years of German schooling. I am in year three of recovery and still looking to get my creative juices flowing again. Ponder this, during Uni I STOPPED READING! There was simply no room for anything that wasn't course required. Unfortunately, I did not study art, or drama, or literature. I studied law and business because I was convinced that I HAD to.

    I watched a 2006 TED speech by Sir Ken Robinson the other day. He asked, 'Do schools kill creativity?' (link below) I have always known this, the question is just how do I get it back? As I said, I am in recovery.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY&feature=player_embedded

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  9. Hi, I just started to 'follow'. Like your style and good luck with the film deal. As for being rained off... I live in Malta and the chance of being rained off for the last 5 months would be a fine thing. Problem is, shooting outside during the summer here turns make-up in to cake mix!

    If you'd like to check my blog out, it is:

    www.shrimpography.blogspot.com

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  10. I say we push for a National Celebrity-Free Day (Week?) - all media will be required to participate.

    Then we'll see what kind of withdrawals folks go through. "Do they really expect me to get on without my daily Lindsay?!"

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  11. I just deleted my Facebook. It had absolutely no value. It annoyed me -- although I never went there, they kept sending me 'Friend Request notifications' from people I've never heard of! It was creepy. I don't understand it at all...

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