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Loneliness is better

12/3/2021

I was thinking about loneliness within the context of companion animals; the way we (humans) keep them as "companions" often without a second thought to their own need for companionship with their own kind.

It led me to an idea for a short film about loneliness titled, "Birds Of A Feather"

A man keeps a bird for company but yearns for human companionship. It is only when he frees the bird to find her mate that the man can find his.

As I'm working, this beautiful Greek song my father used to listen to when we were kids popped into my head.
"Loneliness is better" by Giannis Parios - Enjoy! (lyrics translation below)

If only loneliness had a color,
To draw on paper,
So I could make it light blue,
And a sea breeze

I would also put sails on it,
For one last journey
Your embrace,
Is a haven in the Aegean

Loneliness is better,
Than you who I can't reach
I find you, then I lose you
Loneliness is better

If only loneliness were a stone,
To climb up on
Το get lost into oblivion,
So I won't see you as you're leaving

And turn into smoke,
Just like a cigarette that's burning out
From now on you will be alone
And so will I.

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Musings on Mark Cousins 40 Days To Learn Film

29/11/2020

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Mark Cousins is the writer, director and soothing voice behind "The Story of Film: An Odyssey", a 15 episode documentary series which explores the creators and innovators that have shaped cinema since its inception. I've enjoyed this series for its depth, breadth and incisiveness but also for its focus on lesser known but no less important influencers from around the world.

So it was with great interest that I came across Mark's 2 hour video essay on filmmaking, 40 Days To Learn Film. Whilst tempting to watch it in one sitting, it's better viewed as intended, a roughly 5 min clip on a topic per day. This gives you time to make your own discoveries as you traverse the inevitable rabbit holes that it sends you through. Mark's passion for cinema is infectious and as I've been watching it prompted me to add my own thoughts.

Day One: Colour
This reminded me of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s seminal work, the Three Colours trilogy. Cynics might point to Kieślowski's admission that the colour theme was in part to appeal to French funding bodies but each film's colour motif, Blue (1993), White (1994) and Red (1994), was the glue on top of which deeper themes were explored.

A sidenote, I love that digital tools have now made the use of colour in this way more accessible to filmmakers.

Day Two: Eyeline
In this scene from the Godfather Part II, Michael is at the apex and forms a triangle with his antagonist on our left and his consigliere on our right.

His demeanor remains outwardly calm as his rival continues to goad him. A skillful use of shot reverse shot together with eyeline matching heightens the tension as he shifts his gaze between the two before delivering the iconic line "My offer is this... nothing".

Day Three: Wedding Films
The most commercially successful films in relation to their budget. We can be snobby about them but the universal appeal of wedding films is proof that we have more in common than we do differences.

A scene from Top End Wedding (2019), the second highest grossing Australian film of 2019.

Day Four: Drawing
Mark talks about the transformational nature of drawing and brings up Orson Welles and Akira Kurosawa as two directors who used drawings to communicate their vision. The truth is, few directors do their own drawings nowadays usually relying on storyboard artists.

We work in a visual medium and I feel drawing is a vastly underrated skill to deepen our understanding of perspective, composition and framing. I'm terrible at it but trying to get better through Drawabox.

Day Five: Focus
It seems to me that the lack of precision focus was more prevalent in the days of celluloid. Maybe the high dynamic range afforded by the medium was more forgiving. Maybe it was the difficulties of video monitoring on location.

In the Story of Film, Mark talks about the deep focus of Citizen Kane. Focus pulling has its place but there is something about empowering the audience to do some of the work with their eye.

Day Six: Depth (Z Axis)
On screen, depth is the third dimension in a 2D space, it is illusory.

Take a look at this breathtaking scene from Children of Men directed by Alfonso Cuaron and shot by Emmanuel Lubezki. We are Theo Faron.

Day Seven: Day Off

Filmmaking is all-encompassing. Get those ideas out of your mind and onto a piece of paper. Write them down, with that quaint object known as a pen. Check out the bullet journaling method to manage your life (and film projects!).

Day Eight: Obsessive Motifs

Day Nine: Nature

Day Ten: Thought

Day Eleven: Storytelling Before The Renaissance

Filmmaking is all-encompassing. Get those ideas out of your mind and onto a piece of paper. Write them down, with that quaint object known as a pen. Check out the bullet journaling method to manage your life (and film projects!).

Day Twelve: Walkabout

Day Thirteen: Story Economy

Filmmaking is all-encompassing. Get those ideas out of your mind and onto a piece of paper. Write them down, with that quaint object known as a pen. Check out the bullet journaling method to manage your life (and film projects!).

Day Fourteen: Kick Out The Truth?

Day Fifteen: Sublime

Filmmaking is all-encompassing. Get those ideas out of your mind and onto a piece of paper. Write them down, with that quaint object known as a pen. Check out the bullet journaling method to manage your life (and film projects!).

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Loneliness is better

Musings on Mark Cousins 40 Days To Learn Film

The search for truth continues in 2020

2019 Filmmaking Journey, films to watch and books to read

What you hear is often more important than what you see

The French New Wave And Its Influence On Contemporary Filmmaking

Embrace Open Source For A Better World

Crowdfunding Film Projects in Australia