Blog #9: Self-Portrait

    I've got to admit, I am both extremely excited and extremely apprehensive about this project. I have no fear of sharing my personal feelings, but I worry that I will fail to truly portray my feelings in a way that I am satisfied with in such a short period of time. For my equipment, I plan on using all of my personal camera gear such as my DSLR and mirrorless cameras as well as my drone and GoPro. To me its not about what you capture the visuals on, its about how you capture it. In my film I will be in some of the scenes, but most will be fairly abstract and figurative. I don't want to just be standing in the frame, so when I put myself into the film it will be using unique perspectives. As far as content goes, I have written a piece that I will speak as a voiceover for the film. The main theme of the piece is being lost and not knowing where to go. I feel like these emotions are prevalent in the majority of college students lives. Instead of further explaining what I'm writing about I'll just post the piece, so here it is.

Completely and entirely lost. I choose a path one day and the next it’s changed. Is it because I have complete control over my life or because I have no control at all? I escape as much as possible. Is being lost a bad thing? My options are completely open. Don’t close any doors. I could go anywhere, do anything or be anyone I wanted to be. I am beginning to enjoy the feeling of being lost. In a world of identities I don’t want to have to choose, I just want to be whatever I want. People change, places change, relationships grow and fade. The more I experience life the more I want to be lost. I set no goals because once you achieve a goal the journey is over, but I want it to be everlasting. Ill admit it, Im a dreamer. The person I believe I am is nothing close to the person I actually am. I live in my head to further escape. The goal is blocking me from dissolving this issue. I must forget the goal and focus on the process. Being happy with your reality is more important than striving to be something you’re not, but I continuously tend to forget that. Be inspired, be truth, be vibrant, be youth. Just let me be lost, thats all I want. 

I really enjoyed learning about the works of Jan Svankmajer. His passion for animated filmmaking is quite remarkable and very progressive for his time. When watching his films it is clear that he had a major influence on stop motion animation and the Czech new wave in the 1960's. Although his visuals are captivating, I think the unique sounds Svankmajer uses make the films really pop. His films are generally not very satisfying to watch but at the same time you can't look away. He captivates you with visuals you have never even thought of before which in my opinion is the most important aspect of his work.