Monday, November 30, 2009

Blurring Reality

Hey! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving last week! To keep on going with last week's senses inspired theme, I want to share with you my favorite part of having the sense of sight, watching movies. I am soon beginning a TV and film production degree, with a minor in film studies, so visual media is definitely a major aspect of my life. Of course, almost everybody enjoys seeing films, so I'm sure you all can relate too. A quotation from A Clockwork Orange perfectly describes how I feel about this subject (viddy = view/watch): "It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen."

Sometimes, real life seems like an illusion. Everything passes by so quickly, people get into habits and become numb to small, yet beautiful, human experiences. Emotions are dulled, not appreciated. Things sometimes turn out the opposite of how we want them too, and often there aren't inspiring moments where you suddenly find your true self and your inner happiness. But life in movies is different. The best ones seem to bring out potent emotions in people which they struggle to conjure up in their real lives. For instance, if you have ever seen American Beauty (If not, go see this masterpiece!), you know how Kevin Spacey's character cherishes the little details of life. He says at the end,
"It's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst...and then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... You will someday."
This is one of my favorite movie monologues ever. But the point is, when watching this film, people (including myself) actually get emotional over the beauty of the world. It can make one appreciate even the most insignificant seeming of things, such as the fluttering of leaves on a fall day or the warmth of the sun on your skin. A movie is able to make people feel gratitude like that! Incredible, isn't it? But guess what? A majority of people leave the theater or pop out the DVD and then immediately stop feeling thankful for everything again. Life goes back to being robotic, and the wonder of our senses is diminished and forgotten... Until the next movie, of course. If you are able to see the beauty in life, that is a a rare and amazing gift. For those who may go through the world on mental cruise control though, getting lost in movies has a crazy way of making one feel truly alive (while watching them). In the fantasy world of film, human experiences and emotions strangely seem more real and less like the odd dream of life. I find this fascinating.

Anyways, I think that everything in existence is beautiful and that film is too. I am so thankful for my sense of sight. To add onto this topic, here are two great (very) short films I have found for you.


Leave Me from Daros Films on Vimeo.



Notte Sento (English subtitles) from napdan on Vimeo.

Please let me know your thoughts on the short films! I would also love to know how you feel about the rest of my post. Thank you for taking the time to read it!

xoxo, Caylee

10 comments:

  1. I love this post! I was just thinking about how lucky I am to be a healthy person, and especially to have my sight. Seeing is the most wonderful gift in the world. I love those last two videos! Very eclectic and different. x

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  2. Caylee, I honestly think your posts and your writing is getting better and better! Not that it was ever bad, I'm just trying to say that you're onto something here - each post beathes positivity and beauty! And TV and film production degree sounds awesome, I remember I once considered it too and sometimes think that I should've gone for it or at least give it a try. I really love both quotes in your post, I think I'm going to steal them and save them somewhere in my PC :) Will watch both movies a little later when I have more time, but for now, let me leave a little something for you in return too - I think it relates to your post and this topic, the following video is short but I've always found it incredibly warm and peaceful, it's shot so beautifully, hope you like it!

    http://www.vimeo.com/1027669

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  3. thanks so much for your comment. i look forward to reading your inspiration post soon!


    :) btw i love this post!

    xo

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  4. Oh awesome! One of my best friends got her BA in film production at USC and I took a bunch of film studies classes while there as well. Now she's working in LA for a film production company and wants to be a producer. Her man is a cinematographer. What are your ultimate goals? Exciting! Beautiful post and short films :)

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  5. I must agree, American beauty is such a great film with wonderful casts...great performances!
    xo*

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  6. Shannon, I am incredibly jealous of your best friend! Sounds like she and her husband have some pretty amazing jobs! I would love to go to California for school, but it does not fit into my budget unfortunately. In the next few years I hope to experience different aspects of film-making to see what fits best for me. I would also like to get some sort of internship to test the waters out soon. :) Thank you for the lovely comment!

    To Julia: Thank you, thank you! Your comment means so much to me, I really do appreciate your kind words. And thank you for the short video share as well, I'll be sure to watch it soon. <3

    To everyone: You guys are the best! Thank you for the comments :)

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  7. You're very welcome, Caylee :) Btw, I did watch both shorts you posted. The idea in the first one is interesting, although sad too. Loved how teh second one was shot and I also thougth that girl was beautiful. Another thought that crossed my mind was that it would probably be even cooler if they just left the video with no commentary at all... It would have the audience a bit confused maybe at first, but the film tells a beautiful story that can be undertood without words. Don't want to spoil it for those who haven't watched it yet, but I think no commentary would add to the film ;-)

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  8. I know, the girl in Notte Sento is completely gorgeous! Interesting idea you have with the no commentary... that would actually be pretty neat! Thanks for the great input, Julia :)

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