I've been putting this off because I feel like it will either be the longest blog ever, or I will feel like it's never finished because that's how movies are for me. In American culture, going to the movies is as regular as breathing, and yet it still manages to be a big deal. We go out of our way to make it happen with people that are important to us, or we, sometimes, go alone because some of us are addicts that may need to seek therapy... except film is my therapy...oops.
I can't remember what my first film was, but I do remember which one inspired thoughts of becoming a filmmaker. Man Without A Face (1993) directed by Mel Gibson. It was Gibson's first time directing, and it absolutely changed how I looked at movies forever. I, of course, was far too young to be able to see it in theaters, but I've watched it countless times since about the age of 9. It was the story, the acting, the film score, and a little later the directing that has made this the film I go back to again and again to remind me why I started down this road in the first place.
I've recently discovered that there are different kinds of moviegoers and moviewatchers (not sure if that's a word but by now it should be). There is the social moviegoer - a person of almost any age that calls up a bunch of friends and sort of uses the movies as a reason to hang out. Then there is the escapism moviegoer - teenage or above individual that watches a movie or goes to the movies to escape their reality for a couple of hours. There is the hopeless romantic moviegoer/moviewatcher - usually a girl or woman teenage or above that watches movies to take notes on how to find "The One." These, by the way, tend to be the ones that annoy me. There are the cult moviegoers/moviewatchers - people that watch movies to continue a previously started storyline such as Star Wars - Star Trek - Harry Potter - those sparkly vampire movies that make preteens act like those small dogs that bark at too high of a pitch, Chronicles of Narnia! and so on. The film critic moviegoer/moviewatcher has to be one of the easiest moviegoers to upset - all you have to say is "that was a pretty good movie" and then they turn into a tomato that finds a million things wrong with the film... usually the actors/actresses performance and their latest haircut. There is the film geek - people like myself who watch movies because a certain director, cinematographer, screenwriter, etc. is involved with the production of the film and they go to bask in the glory of their genius. They also tend to randomly say under their breath, "that was a fantastic shot."
I have been all of these at one point or another, and I still am. Movies serve all moviegoer needs...well maybe that's because they are moviegoers and they are going to the movies...hmmm so yeah...and of course all of we moviegoers watch movies because we want to feel something, and movies are always about relationships...about overcoming the odds... about love always conquering and evil always being defeated...well unless you watch No Country for Old Men...but anyways... I want to be a part of it all. We love stories because we love thinking about our own story and how it's being written. With film, stories can be experienced in a way that isn't like any other. By this I mean the theatre stage doesn't allow for close ups, cutaways, and dream montage. I think my story will be a pretty worthy one if I spend it telling other people's stories. Not just because everyone wants to be heard, but because there are a few that deserve to be heard above all others. These are the stories I want to tell... and I hope to tell them well.
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