- The "Extreme Documentary" panel with Werner Herzog, Faye Ginsburg, and Jonathan Caouette was worth the wait; early on, Herzog advised students in the audience to drop out of school and make a film, and it's clear that a few hours in the presence of accomplished filmmakers sharing insight into their trade is more valuable than many more hours of film classes. Ah, but I'm singing a familiar song. Caouette was charming, self-effacing and lovely as always; Ginsburg seemed a little out of her league, but the selections she brought of films by a culture new to the medium were exciting (particularly the musical). Herzog, of course, responded to even the most asinine questions about Myspace, cell phone cameras and man/bear love with humor and insight. I'm so glad every day that I came to this area - earlier in the day, I sat next to Herzog at another panel (!) - and I can only thank my scatterbrained, spontaneous 18-year-old self for unwittingly stumbling upon a good decision. Who knows, maybe the next good decision will even be premeditated.
I was particularly happy that my friend Kate, who hadn't seen any of the filmmakers' works, was able to take a lot from the evening. It reminded me of the power of the film to reach us where we are. It doesn't take self-conscious "I'm a film geek" posturing to experience the magic of cinema; all it takes is an open heart.
- I'll be making a short in a few weeks with a good friend along a quiet stretch of road. It's the first time I've been behind a camera since Love House, and I can't wait. It's my belief that we don't engineer our ideas - they're out there, floating around, waiting to be discovered and given a form. The idea came to me about two months ago, but it was only yesterday that I realized what it was about. You can't plan these things, really; all you can do is open the door when they come knocking. I don't know what will happen on the day, and that's a wonderful feeling.
No comments:
Post a Comment