Making a K-Turn

Tonight I tried to get started on writing the short script I thought I was going to write. I just couldn't find a point and couldn't get past a couple of lines.

Instead, I came up with an idea that I found much easier to execute and should be relatively easy to coordinate and shoot. I will work on it more in detail tomorrow.

Oh, and in driving class today, I managed to pull off a K-Turn. It was no where near as difficult as I remember it being before.

Just Breathe...and Drive

Today was my first driving lesson. I was very nervous when I got behind the wheel, but as the lesson progressed, I felt better. I just need to remember everything, that's all.

Now that I'm finally working on my driver's license, maybe It's time to set certain things aside. That's not a bad thing, just that those things might need more attention than I can give to it right now.

Earlier tonight, I saw a collection of films by Maya Deren, and I have to say that this is the first DVD I saw since I've started this blog that really got me thinking about what I want to create. Two of those movies in particular: Meshes of the Afternoon and At Land. The latter has some incredible, breathtaking locations shot on Long Island. The opening scene reminded me of the opening scene of something I've seen before. Hmm...

I have a lot to think about right now.

I am Not a Consumer

"An art form is the manifestation of a huge preference for one mode of experience. Asked what kind of music he liked, Mozart said: 'No music. Artists are not consumers."

- Marshall McLuhan,
Counterblast, 1969.

Since I first got Netflix almost five years ago, I've had all the movies that I want at my disposal. I still have my subscription, but I'm starting to feel like their are other things I can be doing besides re-arranging my queue and watching movies at night to make sure I can get them back so I can get another one. I guess now I'm ready to create rather than consume, per the McLuhan quote above.

Speaking of needing "other things to do", I'm still trying to get my driving lessons set up. My representative's supervisor still hasn't approved my voucher yet, and it been nearly two weeks. I've never dealt with a state agency that is so awful in doing things in a timely fashion. I'd really like to get this set up, because I'd like to start working on the rest of my plan. I'm also hoping that my trip to New York in a couple of weeks will help me figure out those plans as well.

Earlier today, I was up at my sister's house. She's a music teacher, and she was showing me how George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization works. I've been trying to find some new ways to approach writing for myself, and being a jazz fan, I was hoping that his improvisational approach could provide me with some clues on how to...well, I don't know.

But I had an epiphany. All this reading of books and copying of articles have been a way to figure out what methods work for me, rather than the "one size fits all" that's in most screenwriting books. Perhaps I don't need to write a book critiquing other people's methods! What I need to be doing is devising a viable method for myself! However, as I have said previously, my efforts will provide me with a background with which to explain my methods.

Finally, I watched High School Musical 2 last night. Not too bad, but I think I would've liked it more without all the commercial breaks. Seriously. It was like ten minutes of movie followed by twelve minutes of commercials and buffers featuring the cast at their director's house. Couldn't they wait until afterward to show what happened behind the scenes.