Concept worksheet #5 (I think or 7 or just one that I'm missing)

Elena Ortiz Concept #: 5

TITLE FOR YOUR CONCEPT (you’re not married to this title forever; but even working titles can help later on): Shrunk

PROJECT VENUE/FORMAT: This is a live action feature

RUNNING TIME (approximately): About 5 minutes

TYPE OF CONTENT: live action video. Real people, real locations.

VISUAL LOOK(S) OF YOUR CONCEPT (stay with the visual here, and don’t be afraid to cite examples from films, TV shows, videogames, etc.): Setting would be in a house like in the beginning of “girl, interrupted” when Susanna is visiting her father’s friend who is a therapist. The setting needs to be comfortable and homey like the set of “The Cosby Show” in order to properly contrast with the mood of the film.

STORY STATEMENT: Jen is a 20 something suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder. She sees a therapist, Carl, once a week at his in home office until one day she finds herself dissatisfied with his treatment. During their session Jen turns the tables on Carl, a small man, and ends up leaving him bound and gagged in his own attic while she has a little fun with his other patients.

NARRATIVE OUTLINE: The story would begin with Jen entering a house in a normal fashion. She uses keys and walks in, leaving her purse on the table and going through the mail. Everything would appear normal and we would follow her through the house into a cluttered office. The first words she speaks address someone named Carl, a character currently unknown to the audience. We aren’t meant to know if he’s in the house or if she’s merely thinking out loud. Jen rifles through the materials on a desk and looks over a list containing names and times. She then proceeds to a file cabinet and removes a large file. Opening it she begins to read the diagnosis of a woman named Jen. She reads her own file aloud as she moves about the house, stopping to get herself a glass of water with studied familiarity. The audience has yet to learn her name and doesn’t know the Jen she’s talking about is herself. She soon closes the folder but continues speaking. This time her voice is raised as if to make sure what she says is heard. She checks her watch and taunts a still unseen Carl. When a knock comes at the door Jen opens it and introduces herself, revealing that she was previously reading her own file. She persuades the woman at the door to enter and as she does the camera pans through the roof and into the attic, revealing a bound and gagged Carl slowly waking in panic.

WHY YOU THINK AN AUDIENCE CAN SHARE IN THIS (what are you trying to say or explore?): I just really enjoy psychology and want to create something that explores the psychological world. I like the idea of a completely knowledgeable patient effectively duping her psychologist and then psychoanalyzing others quite possibly better than her therapist has. I think seeing psychology from the point of view of someone who is considered ill but who has a remarkable grasp on the study itself would be extremely interesting and also maybe a little scary. I want to question what crazy is and make a point that maybe things aren’t as cut and dry as we wish them to be.

I will email you a script.

Week 14: Impact III - Reading

Showing your completed work is always the most nerve wrecking part of the process because it's the point at which you get judged. Everyone is analyzing and generating opinions and good or bad they reflect directly back on you. It's a terrible feeling to realize that you've failed to live up to the responsibility you set for yourself and if peoples' opinions are negative that is precisely how I feel. My personal responsibility is to create something that everyone will enjoy while putting out a message in my own way. If people don't enjoy it or my message does not come across the way I wanted I feel as though i've failed. I used to hate attaching my name to things until they'd been viewed and I'd received feedback because I only wanted to accept credit if it went well. That way of thing was far too unproductive for me because then everything turned out mediocre. When I had to start owning everything I had to start thinking more about what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it because I knew it was mine and that everyone else would as well.

Week 13: Impact II - Reading

I would have to agree with Kureishi. Whenever I sit down to write I think about what I want and what I wish was out there to see. That is always my starting point. The more excited I get about whatever I'm working on the more I want to know of it will excite other people and that is when I get input from others and "show it to an audience" aka my friends. If they like it I keep going and continue if they don't I shelve the idea. People enjoying your work and wanting more of it is always an extremely inspirational feeling and helps your creativity flow. When outside interest isn't there it's much harder to keep going simply for your own personal enjoyment.

Week 12: Interaction III - Reading

I think that any creative endeavor always carries with it a deeper meaning. What you write into a script or in a book is what you want people to see, but what you don't write is what's far more magical. When you write a film you have no idea what kind of chemistry your actors are going to have or how they're going to interpret your characters and no matter what story you've written the story that develops on the screen will be far more meaningful because of it. One film that really lingered with me was the film "W delta Z" or "The killing gene". I chose to watch it because I liked the actors involved with the project and what I thought was going to be a standard horror/suspense film ended up being extremely psychological and stimulating. It struck a chord not with what was on the surface but with the meaning beyond the dialogue and the visuals. The unspoken is really what makes a film.

Week 10: Interaction II - reading

I definitely think it's important to surround yourself with people you respect when creating a project. If you don't respect someone then you won't ever see eye to eye on a concept no matter what it may be and no matter how well it fits into your vision because you will always see your idea as superior. If you have someone you respect coming to you with ideas then you'll better appreciate their input and opinions and are more likely to come to a successful collaborative agreement.

Week 10: Interaction II - Weekly entry

A dialogue from the independent film Last Goodbye, written by Jacob Gentry and Patrick Kaye. The dialogue is between one of the main characters, actress Agnes Shelby played by Clementine Ford and a film producer, Sean Winston played by Faye Dunaway.

Sean: Just look at you, I mean the way you do that, you just do it. You know, that’s it see? I mean, you can’t write that. You can’t write it. Come here.

Agnes: What?

Sean: Come on, come on come on come on.

Agnes: What? What? What?

Sean: I want to see you.

Agnes: See me what?

Sean: I want to talk about some stuff, try a couple of things… Come on. Okay, come on over here. Alright, ok so you know, hold your arms out.

Agnes: Make me.

Sean: Haha, okay. Well there you go and there. Now take a deep breath and now let it go. This is you, huh, this is you being free. Close your eyes. That’s it. Whatever you want… that’s what it will be. There is nothing between you and anything. So, do you believe me?

Agnes: I don’t know yet.

Sean: Oh come on now let it all go. Let it go, and understand, you are alone, with whatever you make, of the rest of your time.

Agnes yells for some shots before returning to her meditation.

Sean: That’s it ok, come on come on. Alright, alright, now now, listen what do you want? What do you want Agnes? I don’t mean things, I want to know what you really want. This is a beginning for you. All that other stuff before was just practice. What is it?

1. I want to make films because it's what I love. I first picked up a camera when my sister had a film themed birthday party and I absolutely loved it. When i found an editing program on my computer when i was in middle school I fell in love with the idea of cutting and manipulating images and sound to create new dynamics and new feelings. I taught myself how to edit and shot footage for the purpose of giving myself something to cut. It's my favorite way to tell stories and it's sometimes the easiest way for me to express myself. It's like putting together a puzzle, you know you have all the pieces, you just have to put them together the right way so you come out with a beautiful picture.

2. My plan is to move to LA and continue working with some of the talented directors, producers, and actors I've worked with in the past year or so. I've done both editing and PA work with an independent production company that is based in West Hollywood and they've expressed interest in working with me more. I plan to get pro-certified on FCP and possibly also AVID so that I am more marketable to potential new employers. I plan on continuing to build my resume whether it be with PA or editing jobs and at some point I'd like to attend stunt school as well. I'm also considering staying in Albuquerque and helping my old high school create an introductory film program though that is a very recent and undeveloped idea at this point. There are several alums from my high school who are working in the industry and we all agree the school should have a program so who knows, but I would be interested in that as well.

Week 14: Impact III - Concept #10

Elena Ortiz Concept #: 10

TITLE FOR YOUR CONCEPT (you’re not married to this title forever; but even working titles can help later on): Untitled Lesbian Sci-Fi Action Adventure Film

PROJECT VENUE/FORMAT: This is a live action feature

RUNNING TIME (approximately): I’d say try to keep it around 100 minutes, 120 max

TYPE OF CONTENT: live action video. Real people, real locations when possible. Special effects and possible green screen when necessary.

VISUAL LOOK(S) OF YOUR CONCEPT (stay with the visual here, and don’t be afraid to cite examples from films, TV shows, videogames, etc.): Settings and costumes would resemble Joss Whedon’s Firefly. Costume would probably resemble both Firefly and some Terminator: Sara Connor Chronicles type battle ready clothes (i.e. leather jackets and boots etc.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H1BZ5QUMYM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8CYWGDxdQ0

http://thetvaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/tcast.jpg

STORY STATEMENT: Sarah Andrews is an Agent fresh out of the Eastern Verse Military Academy. Sent as a replacement to the most elite black ops unit in existence she must learn to work with a team that not only doesn’t want her but that challenges her in ways she never imagined. When one of there own is taken captive and all of their lives are on the line the task falls on Sarah to lead them to safety.

NARRATIVE OUTLINE: This story will take place in a future similar to that of Joss Whedon’s “Firefly” or “Serenity”. It is a future where we have some technological advances such as space travel and medical advancements but there are no phazers or laser guns or lightsabers and such. It will follow Agent Sarah Andrews, a 22 year old recent graduate from the Eastern Verse Military Academy. She is assigned to the military’s top Black Ops team which is captained by Alice Sebring, a hero of the Universal Civil War that took place 20 years prior to when this story begins. Conflict arises when Agent Andrews arrives on the ship and discovers she is not the only Agent on the team. Eventually it is revealed that she has been sent as a replacement for the other Agent, Reid Bennett. This is the reason behind some of the captain’s and crew’s resentment towards Andrews. Several small missions take place en route to the military hospital, where Reid is to be evaluated, which reveal the corrupt nature of the Eastern Verse Government.

When Andrews escorts Reid to the hospital she discovers that if the tests conclude she is a risk Agent Bennett will not only be removed of her position, but terminated permanently. Before she makes it back to her ship the government finds out that she’s learned of Reid’s fate and attempts to neutralize her. She escapes but not before getting seriously injured. She convinces the rest of the Crew to form a rescue mission and they successfully get Reid back. Instantly the government sends their 12 top agents in pursuit of Captain Sebring and her crew. They take refuge on Sarah’s home planet at the farm where she grew up. Sydney, Sarah’s younger sister is there to help them when they arrive. A few days later a final standoff takes place and only a few come out alive.

The main storyline is the action, the trouble with Reid and the growing tension between the Government and Sebring’s crew. The B line would be the relationship that develops between Sebring and Andrews. I said I was tired of the coming of age stories but in a way that is what this is for Sarah. In the beginning she is a cocky new recruit but by the end she’s become a hardened leader who takes nothing for granted.

WHY YOU THINK AN AUDIENCE CAN SHARE IN THIS (what are you trying to say or explore?): I want to write this because I am damn tired of all the lesbian romantic comedy and coming of age stories. I really want to be able to see an action/adventure or sci-fi movie that just happens to have gay main characters. The mainstream movie industry is full of different types of films and I feel like the gay and lesbian niche could benefit from that type of variety as well.

Side note: I have 70 (not necessarily consecutive) pages of a narrative written on this concept as well as about 20 script pages. I’ll send them to you in an email if you’d like to look at them.

Week 13: IMPACT II - Concept Worksheet - Documentary

Who is your documentary about?

Naya Rivera

What has your subject done that is unique and notable / Why is your concept worthy of being documented on film?

She started as a background player on the tv show Glee and in the span of a season became a series regular that now has a prominent storyline in which she deals with the everything that comes with being a gay youth. Her character and her support of the LGBT community has changed the lives of Gays and Lesbians of all ages, providing a role model for the young and an accurate view of the lives of so many of us that struggled with accepting who truly are. She pushed for this storyline and was instrumental in making it happen.

What do you see as the Visual Look of your concept?

I think it would have lots of media clips, from the show, from interviews and appearances, etc. There would also be interviews filmed in a comfortable setting. I don’t think this could be told from anything but a personal point of view because it is incredibly personal to me. That being said, my point of view on her and her character is shared by many many people.

How does your story unfold?

I think I would start it with a clip from one of the songs she’s performed on glee that would fade into a video clip of her performing said song. I think the important thing here would be to show who she is and what she does and to use that to lead into how she’s using her craft to change lives. There are lots of video clips available that I think would be nice little surprises to throw in every now and then. I would really want to interview people who have been deeply affected by her storyline and her support for it, i.e.: Kids who were afraid to come out until they saw her do it, kids who were contemplating suicide because they had no one in their lives they could relate to unitl they turned on their tv’s and saw her.

She has a background in performing and has been acting since she was little. While that is notable for her career I think it’s not so much as important to this particular story, though the fact that she is gaining so much notoriety for playing a struggling lesbian instead of for just how talented she is could be interesting too.

How will you present your story?

This story is very much a thank you to Naya for all that she’s done and is doing, highlighting the positive things that have come from her portrayal of Santana Lopez. I think I would be invisible because the point is that this is the story of many and it needs to feel as though it’s coming from everyone.

I would definitely be using library footage from glee and events and appearances as well as interviews. I would also include a few still photos, especially when covering her background. I think I would use the blank screen technique but only to punctuate a specific moment: the scene where Santana admits she’s in love with her best friend.

Sound wise I would use a combination of voice-over, narration, synchronous sound, and music.

URLs:

http://dorothysurrenders.blogspot.com/2011/03/time-makes-you-bolder.html

http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2011/03/ryan-murphy-says-santana-is-a-lesbian

http://dorothy-snarker.tumblr.com/post/4981961079/the-brittana-chronicles-flirt-locker-hurt

Week 12: Interaction III - Concept #4

Elena Ortiz Concept #: 4

TITLE FOR YOUR CONCEPT (you’re not married to this title forever; but even working titles can help later on): Curly & Sandy
PROJECT VENUE/FORMAT: This is an animated short.
RUNNING TIME (approximately): I’d say 20-30 minutes
TYPE OF CONTENT: live action video. Real people, real locations.
VISUAL LOOK(S) OF YOUR CONCEPT (stay with the visual here, and don’t be afraid to cite examples from films, TV shows, videogames, etc.): I’m thinking Pixar Animation. Sandy would look like Carl from Up. And Curly would have a face like Buzz lightyear.

STORY STATEMENT: Curly, an87 year old candy maker in NYC, accidentally gets sucked into one of Supervillian Time Traveler Curly’s time Vortexes and must help him steal a magic lantern before he can return to present day. Curly continually outsmarts and outwits his companion and saves the day.
NARRATIVE OUTLINE: Time traveling Super Villain Curly discovers that a magic lantern is housed in one of New York's most famous museums and decides to go back in time to steal the lantern before it is under the protection of the museum. While opening the time vortex Curly fails to notice an unobservant Sandy trip and fall within the safety field. They both end up back in time circa 1840. Sandy is immediately aware of the change in location and starts rambling about why everything looks like it's from the mid 19th century which draws Curly's attention. Since Curly cannot regenerate another time vortex for at least 24 hours he cannot return Sandy to the proper time and upon realizing his companion's intelligence decides to use Sandy to his advantage. He convinces Sandy to aid him in stealing "something" by refusing to return him to modern times until he has it. When Sandy discovers what they're stealing he changes his mind and refuses to help. Curly then decides to bribe Sandy with a wish on the lantern and it works.

Once back in present day, Curly wishes to restore his teeth, which had been destroyed from all of his evil doing. He then uses his second wish and hands the lantern to Sandy. Sandy decides on a little payback and wishes for Curly to become addicted to his Salt Water Taffy. Curly's new sweet tooth ends up rotting his teeth all over again.
WHY YOU THINK AN AUDIENCE CAN SHARE IN THIS (what are you trying to say or explore?): I think this would be a fun family film that would be both funny and adventurous for both kids and adults. It carries the message that crime doesn’t pay and also that it’s cool to be smart.

Week 12: Interaction III - Ready-Made Story

Part 1:

My character is Sandy Sucroshakova, an 87 year old Candy Maker from Russia. He has a large nose and ears as many old people do but beady little eyes. He is highly intelligent and is also a secret Chess Grandmaster. He always wears a red vest with a pocket watch attached by a chain in his right pocket. He wears dentures that he removes when he eats his favorite candy: Salt Water Taffy.

He is a Russian immigrant and owns a Candy Shoppe in NYC with his twin sister Rosemary and they make all the candy themselves every evening. He has never been married and has no kids but his next door neighbor, Carlo, is like an adopted son to him. He has 5 cats named Sugar, Butter, Cocoa, Salt, and Ginger. He loves to swing dance in his free time and just this year was named USA Today's Best Taffy in the USA.

Part 2:

Time traveling Super Villain Curly discovers that a magic lantern is housed in one of New York's most famous museums and decides to go back in time to steal the lantern before it is under the protection of the museum. While opening the time vortex Curly fails to notice an unobservant Sandy trip and fall within the safety field. They both end up back in time circa 1840. Sandy is immediately aware of the change in location and starts rambling about why everything looks like it's from the mid 19th century which draws Curly's attention. Since Curly cannot regenerate another time vortex for at least 24 hours he cannot return Sandy to the proper time and upon realizing his companion's intelligence decides to use Sandy to his advantage. He convinces Sandy to aid him in stealing "something" by refusing to return him to modern times until he has it. When Sandy discovers what they're stealing he changes his mind and refuses to help. Curly then decides to bribe Sandy with a wish on the lantern and it works.

Once back in present day, Curly wishes to restore his teeth, which had been destroyed from all of his evil doing. He then uses his second wish and hands the lantern to Sandy. Sandy decides on a little payback and wishes for Curly to become addicted to his Salt Water Taffy. Curly's new sweet tooth ends up rotting his teeth all over again.

Week 12: Interaction III - Weekly entry

Week 11 Interaction III - Concept Worksheet 3

Elena Ortiz Concept #: 3

TITLE FOR YOUR CONCEPT (you’re not married to this title forever; but even working titles can help later on): EVE(L) – untitled future episode

PROJECT VENUE/FORMAT: This is a live action short.

RUNNING TIME (approximately): 10-12 minutes – This is one episode of an 8 part webseries.

TYPE OF CONTENT: live action video. Real people, real locations.

VISUAL LOOK(S) OF YOUR CONCEPT (stay with the visual here, and don’t be afraid to cite examples from films, TV shows, videogames, etc.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Oq4f_wUFwg&feature=related

STORY STATEMENT: While in the midst of stealing records Eve is confronted by Betty, a stranger watching her from the coffee shop across the street. During the confrontation Eve manages to turn the tables on Betty and gets her to reveal her morals and motives.

NARRATIVE OUTLINE: Betty sits alone at a coffee shop. She is estranged from her family and extremely bitter. IN her solace she sees Eve at an outdoor kiosk and watches in silence as she steals 2 records while the clerk’s back is turned. She walks by the coffee shop and Betty calls out to her. She informs Eve that she knows what she’s done and Eve proceeds to use her wit and observational skills to turn the tables on Betty. She gets Betty to open up about her family and why they are not around. Eve describes her situation as being like ice – while rubbing an ice cube against her hand - It should be cold, but it burns us instead. Eve makes her exit and leaves a stunned Betty behind. She watches as she sees Eve hand some money to a homeless person on the corner.

WHY YOU THINK AN AUDIENCE CAN SHARE IN THIS (what are you trying to say or explore?): This episode touches on peoples’ expectations and how things aren’t always what they should be or how they seem. Eve is not what she seems and neither is Betty. Families are not always what families should be. The message in this episode is basically that you should always look at all sides of things for an explanation and that your family can be whatever you make it.

Week 10 Interaction II - Concept Worksheet 2

Elena Ortiz Concept #: 2

TITLE FOR YOUR CONCEPT (you’re not married to this title forever; but even working titles can help later on): Lasciar Andare

PROJECT VENUE/FORMAT: This is a live action short.

RUNNING TIME (approximately): 5 minutes – This is just a glimpse, one moment in an epic love story. It’s one point in time that gets straight to the point.

TYPE OF CONTENT: live action video. Real people, real locations.

VISUAL LOOK(S) OF YOUR CONCEPT (stay with the visual here, and don’t be afraid to cite examples from films, TV shows, videogames, etc.): It needs to feel old but not black and white old, sepia old. Old Italy but like how rosselini does italy, without showing the famous monuments and buildings. *I have a file with images and video I'll bring to class

STORY STATEMENT: A lonely Italian widower cannot accept that his wife is truly gone. Unable to cope he finds himself stuck in an endless routine of false hope and disillusion.

NARRATIVE OUTLINE: Ed and Betty have been together for 50 years. They go shopping together every week walking hand in hand in perfect sync with each other. They are walking home from their daily shopping trip and reach the steps to their home. Ed offers Betty his arm and she refuses to take it reaching for the railing instead. Ed reaches the top faster and Betty’s image fades as she climbs disappearing entirely before reaching the top. Ed sighs and continues into his house alone passing an in memoriam photo of Betty before shutting the door.

WHY YOU THINK AN AUDIENCE CAN SHARE IN THIS (what are you trying to say or explore?): Everyone wants to find someone they can grow old with and Ed and Betty represent that, but they also reflect the idea of loving too much, of obsession. Ed cannot and refuses to let Betty go so he carries her with him every day

This week's best of me:

There once was a man named enron who grew up amongst the selfish aritocrats in the deep south of the bible belt part of America Olivo.

He had gastrointestinal issues caused by over exposure to oil

This made people dislike not only his personality but also the scent of his presence made them vomit

and I don't mean normal vomit

I mean like that high velocity projectile grey vomit that brittana shot out of there mouths while singing tik and also tok by ke dollar sign ha

but that's a different story

enron was also insanely obese

he took up too much space and too much attention

as a matter of fact... he is so fat that he sat on his neighbor benevolence and completely destroyed her helping hands

one of the reasons he's so fat is because he eats way too much salt. like veruca salt from the willy wonka factory of chocolate

she was the greedy bitchy one that turned into a purple tomato right??

Week 9 Interaction I - Concept Worksheet 1

YOUR NAME: Elena Ortiz Concept #: 1

TITLE FOR YOUR CONCEPT (you’re not married to this title forever; but even working titles can help later on): EVE(L)

PROJECT VENUE/FORMAT: I want this project to be a live action web series. I think this project is suited for the web because the story is best told in episodes, piece by piece in short installments.

RUNNING TIME (approximately): I'd say an average of 10-12 minutes an episode. Because it's for the web episodes need to be short enough to be interesting but long enough to provide sufficient development and story arc.

TYPE OF CONTENT: live action video.

VISUAL LOOK(S) OF YOUR CONCEPT (stay with the visual here, and don’t be afraid to cite examples from films, TV shows, videogames, etc.): It would have the look of the standard television dramedy. Because there would be both funny and dramatic moments, the lighting and cinematography would reflect that, but it would be shot in a standard format using real people and real locations.

STORY STATEMENT: A young girl's need for risk and reward pushes her to lengths her family never imagined. When Eve's need for adrenaline and excitement becomes too great for even boxing and rock climbing to sate she turns to a life of thievery not to hurt others, but to thrill herself. Her mischievous ways are kept out of sight of her family and friends until one day a situation arises where she's forced to out herself or lose everything.

NARRATIVE OUTLINE: This series is about a girl named EVE. She was raised by her Aunt Lynn “LYNNEY” Ryder when her mother was sentenced to life without parole for murdering Eve’s father during her pregnancy. Eve’s uncle JACK, Lenny’s brother, is also very central to Eve’s life.

The series begins on the last day of Eve’s junior year of High School. Throughout the series we will gradually find out more about Eve and her dysfunctional little family. Each main character as their own addiction:

Eve: Adrenaline

Lenny: Pot

Jack: Gambling

Despite his or her addictions everyone is fairly normal. We will see that although Jack is not thoroughly introduced until the second episode that he is the one who has influenced Eve’s life the most. The two of them do a lot of bonding and one of their favorite activities is going downtown to people watch. Often, they pick out random people they think the other should date.

Eve is a very smart and talented girl. She is outgoing and active and has a keen interest in psychology. Some of her favorite things are boots, weapons, boxing, and breaking the law whenever possible.

The meat of each episode will be just another day in the life of the Ryder family and will serve the purpose of revealing more about the characters and who they are. The episodes will be book-ended by action montages of an illegal activity of some sort in which Eve has participated.

The timeline for the episodes will be mostly chronological except for the action/crime sequences. For example, Eve may be wearing a pair of shoes in episode one that she steals in episode six. The goal is to make the timeline of criminal activity hard to decipher.

WHY YOU THINK AN AUDIENCE CAN SHARE IN THIS (what are you trying to say or explore?): I think this is a side of myself I'm trying to share with others as well as find in others. I don't do crazy things or take big risks but it's something that I constantly want to do. It's a side of myself I hide from others because I think their reactions will be negative and I think a lot of people have aspects of themselves that they keep private as well. This isn't so much about the abnormality of certain situations as it is about how normal the abnormal is. I think it's about taking what isn't considered average or normal or regular and proving that it is.

Week 9 Interaction I - Starting With Sound

Starting on black I would first bring in heavy breathing joined shortly thereafter by a lock clicking, floorboards creaking, and lastly running footsteps. My first shot would be of feet pounding the pavement, but not in running shoes. They would be boots on a jean clad 17 year old girl. There would be a smile on her face and a record in her hand and she'd be navigating the streets of and average suburban neighborhood with ease and familiarity. I like these sounds because there is an uncertainty to them. Breathing can have any variety of meaning and when combined with the noise of a lock can invoke any amount of images to appear within the mind's eye. The footsteps are last because the real image that the sounds are illustrating is happening chronologically. The girl steals a record from someone's house. She's breaking and entering but we don't see it. We hear it. We hear it and then are presented with an image that doesn't quite tell us what happened but shows us that it probably wasn't what we thought. I like being deceptive with sound and story cues, getting people to think one thing only to have the reality be something completely different.

Week 9 Interaction I - Reading

I think Kate Amend says it best, "if they just want a pair of hands, they don't need me." It's important to have a vision for your film and to have ideas and a picture of where you want to go and what kind of aesthetic you want to have but you have to be open to change too. Setting yourself in stone only insures that you have a last resort, not that you have something beautifully crafted and well executed. A rock is not a diamond. A director is not a set designer is not an editor is not an actor is not a DP and so on and so forth. There are different specialities because everyone brings something different to the table. The point of collaboration is to work together to create, not to make a single person's vision a reality. If you view the world differently then I do, show me what you see, maybe what you're seeing is better than what I'm seeing, and I'm okay with that.

Week 8 - Intuition II: Place Changes

I watched the sun set. I saw the light change. I sat in a slightly different spot than usual, on a boulder instead of the ground. Less dirt. The wild grass is taller and no longer dead, rather, it's greener and less brown, I don't think it ever really dies... Pretty soon I'm not going to be able to sit there at night anymore because the temperature is getting warmer. I say that because the snakes come out and I really hate snakes. Like really really. But yeah, it's getting warmer and things are coming alive. There was only a little wind today so no dust was kicked up and the rustling of the trees and bushes was inaudible and invisible. The boulder on which I sat was pock marked at the frequency of a golf ball but in nowhere near as smooth or as perfect a pattern, which I think actually makes it more perfect. It's smooth and rough at the same time because it's not lumpy but it's not soft. The little trail I created for myself to get here is clearer now, easier to see. The ants are still around and thank god I've yet to see any spiders though I'm sure they're here too. There's less traffic that I can hear tonight, but more people nearby. I hear their footsteps and occasionally parts of their conversations when their voices echo properly. It's kinda cool, how the sound carries away from houses and electrical hums.

This week's best of Me:

this is a character. A man. Almost 80 years old. 2 marriages. 6 kids. The youngest still in college. He worked his entire life, finally retiring when his youngest child was in her 2nd year of college. The family still needed his income, but he just couldn't work anymore. He's well past retiring age so his daughter understands. His wife doesn't. She's working two jobs, trying to make ends meet. He spends his days online, checking emails, falling for gimmicks, thinking he's gonna get millions of dollars from the UN from some foreign bank. He sees his family struggling to get by and wants to make them happy again so he starts working with a couple guys on selling bonds. Again, he thinks he's going to get millions of dollars when the deal goes through. Every time, there's a catch or a fee. He moves his family into a new house but he borrows money to make a payment on it. He alienates people by not paying them back because his "money" hasn't come in yet. He believes it's all true and you want to believe in him, but you know deep down all hell is about to break loose. Best case scenario, you become a millionaire. Worst case, you get evicted from your house for the second time in 3 years and are left wondering, "What happens now?" Is this man delusional? Sick? Stubborn? Hopeful? Senile? I don't know, because this man is my father.

Week 8 - Intuition II: Reading

I can't write with other people, but I often can't think or see alone. I can't work with someone looking over my shoulder constantly but I can't finish without feedback. When I sit myself down to work I do it alone. I take everything I've talked about and everything we've discussed and I put it to use when I'm alone. The structure comes from not working. I stay focused when I'm not working. The second I sit down to work I have notes in front of me so I know where I'm going but aside from that, it's anybody's game. Whether I'm busting out paragraphs or slicing and dicing footage, I go where it takes me, referencing notes and concepts and structural decisions only when my flow starts to slow. The preparation is the structure that builds the skeleton and the actual doing of the work is where I create the muscle and the meat. In the moment, I go with it. It may not be the exact plan that I had set out for it, but it has a structure. When I lose sight of that structure and intuition is getting me nowhere I have to step back from it all and bring in other eyes and other ears and recreate the plan and redevelop what's starting to crumble. Once I figure it out then it's back into isolation for me.

Week 8 - Intuition II: Music and Creativity

I took my love and I took it down, looking all around when I'm lost and I should be found, offer you, all of my love, please take it, take me, look at who we are, what have we become, I was scared so I ran away, pushed you back 'cause I couldn't say, that I love you, well I do, It's all i want to do...

I had Stevie Nicks' "Landslide" stuck in my head so I wrote a rap to go over the guitar solo. I couldn't turn off my conscious thinking during that exercise and kept thinking about what I wanted to do for my animation final since I keep changing my mind. At the time I was thinking of remixing or sampling a song, writing a rap over part of it, and then doing a hybrid animation/live action music video for it. "Landslide" would be angsty. I actually wrote out all of the lyrics to the song as well prior to writing the rap and sang it to myself quietly over and over while trying to figure out what to include.

Week 4 Inquiry 1 - Reading

I often find it's really easy to get blocked when trying to work on imagination and creativity alone. Things start to feel inauthentic and because you have no experience with the situation you lose sight of where you're going and you also have no idea how to get there. I think it's extremely important to have experiences to draw on because even if they aren't exactly what you need for your story or what have you, they create an authentic representation in a way just imagining it can't. An example would be that I've never been in outer space, but if I have someone get into a sparring match on a spaceship I can write it because I've been in sparring matches and I've fought before. I know the feel of adrenaline in my veins and I know what it feels like to get hit by a professional fighter. I can write about fighting as a dance and as a psychological battle because I've felt it and I understand it. It's not about throwing punches or scoring takedowns, but about calculating and reacting and understanding your opponent on levels unimaginable to someone just watching.

Week 3 Introspection III: Reading

I have a natural inclination towards psychology. I like learning the way people work, reading their body language to hear what isn't said, and understanding what they're saying when they're saying nothing at all. I like listening and observing. I read books on love and philosophy and mental illness for fun. Sometimes I really wish I could double major in psychology and film because I feel like the two go hand in hand. I took a psychology class in Savannah and it was my favorite class. I passed with ease because I was so interested I actually did my assignments immediately and sometimes even did the reading before it was assigned. Even when I was seeing a counselor, a young woman who was currently getting her masters in psychology, I put to use what I'd learned in class, seeing if she'd pick up on certain body language cues and the like. Granted, that was unproductive in regards to the reason I was seeing her, but I was highly amused and highly intrigued. And my interest in psychology is extremely visible in my creative writing and filmmaking these days. I not only develop the standard character profile but I look at the psyche of the character. I think of whether they're introverted or not and how the hold themselves physically. I think about how their minds work and why they work the way they do because someone who appears psychologically sound isn't always so.

Week 2 Introspection II: Reading

From a writing perspective it is much easier to make things your own because you are the one creating the material and voicing the story. From an editing perspective the challenge of finding myself in a project and somehow making it my own is a bit different and in my opinion still a hard task. You are given the material, you are given someone else's story, and it's your job to put it together. It's written a specific way and then interpreted and reinterpreted by multiple people before it ever ends up in your hands and at that point, you get to interpret it again. You choose the best take, you choose whether it's better to hold on someone's reaction for two more frames or to go ahead and make the cut now. You manipulate the emotion of the scene with your cuts and I think a lot of time, my emotions are reflected back at me when I edit whether I intend them to or not.

Week 1 Introspection I: Reading

I feel that I too was predisposed to be in the film industry because my fascination with recording and editing became extremely evident when I was about 7. My sister had a "hollywood" themed birthday party one year and invited all of her friends over and they basically filmed the entire party and at some point I got ahold of the camera and was pretty much as smitten with a piece of technology as someone could be. I didn't get into the editing side of things until I was 11 and I discovered windows movie maker on my computer. A couple months later and I was buying the basic version of Sony Vegas Movie Studio and a few years later I had FCE in my hot little hands. Making Movies and editing them was just something I found and loved. I didn't take a class or have any type of instruction in how to do it until I attended a 2 week crash course at Chapman University the summer before my senior year in high school and that was when I realized that my inclination towards a film career was more of an "I am going to study film, no ifs ands or buts" kind of thing.

Week 1 Introspection I - Paul Auster

"Why Write" was full of seemingly impossible occurrences that made it extremely interesting, though the fact that clearly, they are possible, would render the term improbable more appropriate. While I definitely agree that it is important to always have a pen on you - and most of the time I do - I have the bad habit of not using it. Yes, I will write when inspiration strikes, but rarely do I remember to write down the things that I see everyday. I am rather closed off in the sense that I am constantly looking for specific types of inspiration or that I am only consciously aware of situations that somehow apply to me or to a story I'm working on. And those times when i do feel like I should write something down, I often either get distracted before I can or just let myself get lazy and put it off until it is no longer accessible in my mind.

Museum Visit

Favorite Piece(s): The series of "House on Fire" pieces by Kim Russo were my favorite part of the exhibit. They were simple in that they consisted of only graphite and watercolor on paper but they were also intriguing in their subject matter. The large piece, 2 squirrels, is I think the most simple. It's natural that squirrels would be more interested in stealing food than the house on fire behind them. They are oblivious to it and it makes me smile. The other two pieces are equally interesting in that they draw your attention not to the tragic burning of someone's home but to the bizarre presence of a man in a chicken suit and a bull. It feels like a reminder to remember the little things when the big things get crazy.

Least Favorite piece: I think my least favorite piece was "La Guadalupana" by Delilah Montoya. It was huge and I understand that it is supposed to reflect an alter but all it made me think of was Johnny Tapia and his huge tattoo of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It just didn't move me or interest me visually like I think it was supposed to.

Most surprising: I think I was most surprised by Max Cole's "Tomah II". I didn't notice the ink at first or how intricate and detailed it actually was and I actually felt a stronger connection to the piece once I took the time to look at all of the tiny ink marks.

Most moving: It wasn't moving in a particularly emotional way but I found Peter Sarkissian's "Gathering Series I" to be moving in an inspirational way. It's almost interactive in a sense and it isn't just visually interesting but it you can also hear it and it creates a very dynamic sensory experience. It pulls you into the piece because you can stand inside of it, you can imagine the people around you talking and it allows you to be a part of it instead of just being a piece to observe.

I really don't understand this last question. Like content and approach how? Like I could create an interactive film that incorporates aspects of Sarkissian's piece if I wanted? I'm confused.

This week's Best of Me:

The impact of words.

Tears wept over simple prose.

I'll never hurt you.

Week 7 Intuition I - Storytelling 3.0

I say that the presentation was not quite what I was expecting, though I'm not really sure entirely of what I was expecting. Most of what he talked about I've heard many times from different people. The evolution from simple verbal recounts to the written word, photos, film and television, and now to the internet are all things I've either been taught about before or experienced myself. I agree that the evolution of communicative media has had a huge impact on what and how stories are told, i'll never deny that, but I thought the way it was presented was a little blase.

I tell stories all the time. I say that because I don't believe any recounting is ever the truth and is always a personal or generally accepted story. I can't remember which philosopher it was who said it but the concept was this: the act is fact and after that, it's untrue. Throwing a chair across a room is fact. Describing it is a story. Slamming my fist into a table is fact. Feeling the pain is a fact. Saying it hurt is a story. The only truth is in the act and in the moment. After that we are putting our own interpretations on it.

Even though I understand the presentation was for a community of filmmakers I feel like the written word was just kind of glossed over in favor of talking about social media and facebook. Yes, things happen on facebook. Things are shared on facebook. But what about blogs? What about chain emails? I don't know... I just felt like there was a lot more value to be had from this presentation that just wasn't there.

Week 7 Intuition I - Limbering

My mind tends to wander at the most inappropriate times. For example: when I'm trying to sleep or when I'm trying to write a paper that actually matters. If I want to escape, if I want to daydream, I usually just kind of recede into myself and start thinking of stories in my head. If I try and keep to a specific train of though it almost always diverges into something different and that's when I reach the state of daydreaming. Sometimes listening to music helps me day dream but more often than not it's reading that does it. My mind tends to feel the need to wander every five minutes so trying to focus on something for longer than that invokes a push-pull between my conscious and subconscious which tends to result in my eyes rereading the same paragraph repeatedly while my mind tells me a completely different story.

Week 7 Intuition I - Reading

I definitely think that our reality influences our dreams just as much as our dreams influence our realities. I am a person who often interprets my dreams after writing them down by going to dream dictionaries and such and there is almost always a direct reflection of what is happening in my life. I once dreamt of boxes upon boxes of macaroni and cheese, not having seen any or had any in weeks. When I looked up what it meant it said that I need to be more frugal an conscious of my spending. At that point in my life I was struggling with knowing I'd have to give up boxing because I couldn't afford it anymore and I was constantly upset about not having the money for it.

I have also had some of the best ideas for films or novels come to me in dreams. While reading a piece of syfy fiction online I found it coming to life in a series of dreams which pushed me to begin writing my on. I think dreams are such an amazing look into our subconscious and really would like to be able to lucid dream fluidly. I've managed it once and it was the most awesome experience ever.

Week 7 - Intuition I: Evocative object

Junk yard dog was a world class wrestler, but having been alone since his creation, all he's ever wanted was a hug. He's trapped by his appearance and marred by a violent past. He searches for someone who can look past the clenched fist and wrestling pants but all are too afraid to approach him. He is far past his prime as a wrestler but if you look into his eyes you can see all the sadness he carries. His arms are open in waiting, his face soft and concerned instead of angry and threatening. He just wants a hug.

"I wasn't meant for a life of violence," he thinks to himself. "I should have been a pound puppy."

People think his fist is clenched as a threat but really he rescued an ant from the evil intentions of a young boy's magnifying glass. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, but he already gave it to the homeless Ken doll he saw by the dumpster last week.

He gets beat up day after day, week after week, and all he wants is a hug.

I kinda want to see this done Toy Story style. It could be about the struggles of a stereotyped and prejudged toy that reflects the bias and judgements of the every day world.

Week 7 Intuition I - Dream Journal

When I remember a significant portion of a dream I always write down the key images or instances i remember and I look them up in dream dictionaries... this is one:

The dream at BIG 5 w/ Lindsey

There were racks of clothing

To see a rack of clothes in your dream, represents your indecisiveness and lingering uncertainty or self doubt.

I was shopping

To dream that you are shopping, indicates your needs and desires. It also represents opportunities that you come across in life.

I went to the parking lot

To dream that you are in parking lot, suggests that you need to slow down and take some time to relax from your daily activities.

I was looking at a restaurant

To dream that you are in a restaurant, suggests that you are feeling overwhelmed by decisions/choices that you need to make in your life. Alternatively, it indicates that you are seeking for emotional nourishment outside of your social support system.

This week's Best of Me:

Okay so I am a closet Gleek. I like Glee. So much in fact that I'm seeing Glee Live this summer. And I will admit the only reason I started watching was because of the possibility of a lesbian couple on a prime time television show. Also, the actresses are immensely talented and attractive. My favorite character without a doubt is Santana Lopez (played by Naya Rivera). Her character started out as a bitchy boy-crazy cheerleader who simply tells it like it is to everyone. Recently though her character development, however minimal, has intrigued me. Her character, a 16 year old, got a boob job over the summer, had a moment of gay panic whilst making out with her best friend, and in the past few episodes alone has been given more dialogue, more feelings, and more screen time in general.

There is so much potential for a great story-line here but I fear that that potential will not be realized because of the nature of the show. Santana intrigues me to the point that I often find myself wishing I were a writer on the show so that I could give her the proper development and backstory she deserves. I really hope the writers do this right because if not I will consider it one of the biggest wastes of potential and talent (Naya Rivera's acting chops are superb) I've ever been privy to.

Week 6 Inquiry III - Reading from Text

I think I definitely agree with and practice Walter Murch's concept of closed-openness when working and creating because I definitely have to have a bare bones structure in place in order to get anything done yet I also thrive on the serendipitous moments that take place during the creative process. I love spontaneity as much as the next person but I can't start from an absolute zero in hope that something will spring to mind. There has to be a balance between intellect and intuition, there has to be a fluidity to my work style. I can tell myself to write a page everyday but I have to also be willing to write when inspiration strikes.

Week 6 Inquiry III - Visual Clustering

I had fun with this little assignment. It was interesting to see how we each interpreted the pictures and where our minds went as we put more down. We all had separate ideas for where we wanted the story to go at various points but we were pretty quick to find compromises that made everyone happy.

1. The alarm clock rings

2. "Bob" the main character wakes up to find

3. his girlfriend is aiming a gun at his face and his first thought is how he had picked out his gravesite the day before

4. However, she doesn't shoot and we cut to them talking on a couch

5. At which point she decides to leave

6. Taking off on Bob's motorcycle

7. Sometime later Bob is seen perusing the TV guide but

8. When he goes for the remote it is nowhere to be found

9. So he looks everywhere... Behind the tv

10. Outside

11. He searches for it day and night (montage)

12. Suddenly he looks up to find an Alien spaceship hovering over him

13. A look of awe comes over his face as he is abducted

14. Ten years later he is returned to the same spot

15. He sees a house in the distance

16. When he gets to the door it is pulled open by

17. His ex-girlfriend!!!!

18. Due to some unknown reason, most likely his prolonged contact with the aliens, his ex bursts into a pile of ash and bone

19. So he sweeps her up and buries her

20. No one ever knows what happened that night except for John Mclane... (Close up and cue opening titles sequence for Die Hard 5)

This week's Best of Me:

I hate how dirt and grime feel. The way walking barefoot across a hardwood floor leaves tiny particles of rocks and dirt and dog hair stuck to the sole of your foot. You end up tracking it everywhere and it gets in your bed and you just feel disgusting. With carpeted floors all the tiny wiry fibers trap the hairs and dirt and you feel cleaner because it's not stuck to you. Houses are way dirty.

Week 5 Inquiry II - Reading

I am one of those people that loves doing research for work. Whether I'm writing a short story or a script, if it's a subject I'm interested in I research the hell out of it because I want it to feel authentic. I use philosophy books as references a lot and also psychology books. I've used the wisdom of Buddhists and psych patients to shape my descriptions and dialogue and I think it enhances pieces in a way that is extremely real and believable.

Week 3 Introspection: Family Story Part II

Week 5 Inquiry II - Out of the Car

Flying Star Patio - I hear all the traffic going by a few hundred feet behind me. the constant stop and go and the occasional motorcycle or mufflerless junker. I can also hear snippets of conversations but I can't really focus in enough to decipher what exactly is going on. two women sit talking while their dogs (on leashes) sleep at their feet completely unmoved by all the strangers and smells surrounding them. The doors open every so often when this seemingly perpetually thirsty man goes to refill his tea or when a server brings out food or something. Speaking of which my water is empty... I like how everyone, except the woman on her laptop, let's their eyes snap quickly to the door whenever it opens, is it like a protective thing or simple curiosity? I feel kinda like a creeper now. Watching everybody, trying not to linger too long so as not to get caught looking. I feel like a spy doing recon and at any moment I may have to leap over the wall behind me and onto a not so discreetly hidden motorcycle in order not to be taken out.

Week 5 Inquiry II - Place Changes

I went at night again. I think someone was having drag races with their friends or casing a house nearby or something because I kept hearing the same car go by over and over. I am so familiar with the sound of the motor now that I could probably recognize the car on the street if it drove by even though I never saw it. It's still cold but not as cold as the last time. The silhouettes of the shrubbery are cool. Both wiry and kinda fluffy looking at the same time. There are still ants, though from what I can tell there are fewer than last time. Are ants nocturnal? It smells like pine. Very strongly of pine. I moved to one of the nearest trees and briefly contemplated stealing some sap in order to describe the feeling but I really can't stand how sticky it is and how hard it is to get off. So I just stared at the little oozing spot in the dark. I really want to see an animal. I hear things from time to time, like rustling but I'm pretty sure it's just the wind.

Week 5 Inquiry II - Digital Dome

I think the digital dome was pretty cool though I don't think, at this point in time that it's for me. I think it's got a long ways to go in terms of using it effectively. I think it definitely requires a different approach both to stories and to creative techniques. You have to think a lot more about space and what is both spatially dynamic and interesting. The story you're telling would need to be set in an environment that would be enhanced by the dome otherwise I think it would fall completely flat. If I was commissioned to create a work I think I would try something along the lines of a first person POV adventure. I guess it would be kind of like virtual reality in the sense that everything would be seen from the audiences eyes, if that makes sense. kind of like first person shooter games where you can look around you and see every viewpoint.

Week 4 Inquiry 1 - Limbering

I am extremely interested in psychology and if I could double major I would. I took a psych class when I was at SCAD and I had more fun and honestly put more effort into that class than any other class I have taken. I have copies of all my homework from that class (something I rarely keep) and i still do extra reading on specific subject matter in my spare time.

I would love to shoot a psychologist session in a film. Specifically with a sociopathic patient or just a very knowledgeable person who knows psychology better than their shrink. A battle of genius minds. Especially someone young seeing someone older. Highly intuitive youth are far more interesting to me than educated and learned adults. Though it might be more interesting to just have a film center around a highly intuitive young person than to just have a scene in a shrink's office. The way people see the world is more interesting and telling than the words spoken behind closed doors.

I think that the character "Eve" from a webseries I'm writing called "EVE(L)" is the perfect outlet for my interest in psychology because she is so intuitive and snarky and relatable.

Week 4 Inquiry 1 - Raw Material to Story

I have a few entries about tumblr and what goes on there so I think I'd do a story about that. Perhaps about someone who's obsession with the internet distorts their reality in such a way that real life now exists online and what's around them is immaterial. I really like psychological films so it would have that kind of a feel to it. The main character would be a college female whose interest in online blogs etc starts out as innocent curiosity. I think it would first effect her personality in a very noticeable way which would garner the attention of her friends and it would only escalate from there. It's a transformation story I guess and it would result in the girl seeming to make a full recovery but with the implication that she can never really escape the reality she's created for herself and that she's (open to interpretation) either blessed or cursed to live her life in a dream.

Week 4 Inquiry 1 - Lists

1. Classmates from Childhood

Deonte

Liesel

Abass

Enrique

Hassim

Michael

Jeremy

Jason

Jordan

Dominique

2. things that make me angry

ignorance

my mother

lying

dementia

hate

Bartie

when people insult my friends

being used

not being able to get away, escape

poor grammar

3. things that make me happy

friends

basketball

fighting

music

rachael yamagata

naya rivera

"Brittana"

Dark Chocolate

Skype sessions with Scott

dancing in my car to really loud music

4. things I enjoy doing now

writing

roadtrips

creating music

creating art

messing around on tumblr

playing with my dog

bonding with my niece

thinking about my future

decorating my room

coaching

Week 3 Introspection: Place Changes

I can hear more today. The wind through the branches behind me, the traffic on the nearest street. Why are there so many different sizes of ants? I mean really... Some are so small and others are big yet they intermingle, kind of like humans in that sense. We're different shapes and sizes and colors but we're all people. They're all ants. I didn't see the smaller ones last time. It was dark, maybe that's why. Kids are afraid of the dark right? the little ones? Is it too much of a stretch to compare little ants to little children? I don't think so. It's a little more... well, I can't tell if things look more dead or more alive but the tone seems to have changed. It looks... I feel like I can see the cold in the flora. Like, I can more than feel it, I can actually see the temperature reflected in the shrubs and trees. Things look hard and drawn back. Like when it's warmer out things seem more inviting or something like that. The dirt feels more coarse too. God I hate dirt. I know I'm not supposed to have technology out here or whatever but for the purpose of observing change my cell reception is still the same. I don't think that's really relevant though.

This week's Best of Me:

I think this is the first time I've seen my nephew (he's 25) genuinely in love. I've been privy to his many girlfriends and, unfortunately, baby mama's but this is the first time I've actually seen him genuinely happy when they're around. He treats her differently from the others and though I may have liked a couple of the other girls more she's growing on me pretty quickly. I think he's growing up for real this time too. I dunno. It just makes my heart happy.

Week 3 Introspection: Family Story Part I

Secret Rendevous'

A boy helps his big sister marry the man of her dreams.

My dad used to help sneak his older sister, My Aunt Connie, out of the house for dates with her boyfriend, My Uncle Eli, when they were in high school. He'd "take her to a movie" where she'd meet up with my uncle while my dad went off to do something with his friends. They kept it secret from their parents for I don't know how long. they've been married for over 50 years now and are so fricken adorable it kills me.

I think that it will show how tight knit our family is and how we much fun we have with each other even if it's not outright. There's familial love and romantic love and it would be set in the late 40's which is when they were in high school. So it's got the old school classic feel to it too.

Week 3 Introspection: 10 cars

I am sitting in "Lurch" listening to KP talk. She's telling a story. We're driving down a highway in South Carolina talking and laughing though everything is inaudible. We stop in front of a California style house. It's huge. 2 stories with fancy steps. I walk towards the front door and stop. I'm inside on the second floor looking out the window. I see lurch but KP is no longer in the front seat, Nay is. She's waving to me from the driver's side window. She smiles and beckons me to her telling me to hurry so we won't be late. I run to her. I'm sitting in the front seat while Nay drives, wind whipping through her hair. She laughs heartily though I still cannot hear it. I hear only the wind. I'm smiling; grinning from ear to ear. I love driving, especially driving for no reason but to go. I"m happy she's with me. I'm happy she's happy. We are driving along the California coast now and the sun is setting. I'm driving and Nay is beside me. I sing along with music I can't hear and Nay laughs at how terrible I am. It's raining now. I'm sad and Nay is quiet. We stop. We sit in the car in the middle of the storm not speaking or laughing or smiling.

I'm alone now, sitting in the driver's seat gripping the wheel. Tears stream down my face. Lurch is back in the garage and I'm 3, sitting in the backseat. I look around and outside the car are stacks of files and our old minivan. I just want to grow up. It's raining outside so I walk away and lay down. The rain falls on my body. I am 22. I'm alone.

Week 2 Introspection II: Roots

I remember feeling a lot less self conscious as a child. Like, I didn't care what people thought about what I was doing or why. Now, I just feel kinda stupid. I mean, I understand it, the appeal for a child, but it's still slightly awkward. I think I was more proud of myself as a child, more proud of the way my mind worked. I'd think of these awesome scenarios for my kooshlings and be all " I bet no one else has these kind of adventures." but now It's like... ooookaaaayyy... I think that stems from innocence. As children we're encouraged to be creative without restraint but as we get older society starts trying to make us conform and we lose that innocence and that freedom. We know we're going to be judged and we expect it. As kids we expect praise and encouragement. As adults we expect criticism and critique.

This week's Best of Me:

The Torrid Affairs I Have in My Head. I am going to write a book with this title. I mean come on... it's relevant. I was thinking about the idea of fantasy/makebelieve/roleplay and how the concept and definition changes from our youth into adulthood and that phrase just popped into my head. I mean, think about it. As children fantasy is innocent. Roleplay is playing house with your best friends and putting your pretend children in timeout for eating a mudpie before their dinner. As we get older fantasy becomes a genre and a type of game that nerds play and as we get older still the word takes on a sexual nature. We make believe all the time, imagining where our lives could and should go and I dunno, I just thought it'd be interesting to write down all of the fantasies and make believes I had in my head from a child through today. it's just something that intrigues me I guess.

Week 2 Introspection II: Orange

Honestly, I hadn't eaten lunch so when I found out I was gonna get to eat an orange I was quite pleased. I thought the exercise as a whole was interesting and I was particularly amused by the amount of time that had passed without my realizing it. I let my mind wander a lot so I didn't really learn anything extra special or new. I do think the exercise is relevant to understanding the creative process though because it allows you to break down your observations piece by piece until you are focusing on one sensation at a time. You feel it. You smell it. You hear it. You taste it. I think you have to be able to focus yourself like that on a regular basis if you expect to be successful as a creator.

Ideation

This is where my personal stuff ends and the Class Required Stuff begins. I don't care if you look at the other stuff, I'm just clarifying and separating.