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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Prompt of the Week: Books

After waking up too dejected to make a micromovie yesterday --or even to do my dishes-- I ended up making two.
And both because of other people.

First, Kellie sent me Dutch sprinkles, which were like tiny percussion instruments drumming their little feet demanding to be filmed [they're in the post below].

Then, Art Sparker repeated her prompt for this week: "books." (On Thursdays, she links to people who take up the prompt.) Books! I had to create something new for that topic.
So, here I am at a local café...

"Proofreading a Manuscript" (55 sec.)



(The publisher I freelance for still proofs on paper, which I like.)

These micromovies surprise me. I thought I'd make nothing but sci-fi special effects, and instead Romanticism keeps sneaking in.
Maybe it's something about working with film on its own--not trying to tell a story--and film loves moody light?
I don't know.

I'm reminding myself of me at seventeen, when I read The Sorrows of Young Werther in bed recovering from an illness, on codeine, and was entirely satisfied with it--and me.
Not a Captain Kirk stage of my life, at all.

I'm surprised, but I'm pleased too, to meet this side of myself again.

*heads off to kitchen sink to tackle the dishes*

14 comments:

  1. When you mentioned Romanticism, I thought of the German poet Holderlin...then I saw you proceeded to Goethe. Thank for the film on process..

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  2. In fact, Young Werther is the only Goethe I ever read.
    I was in the right mood but actually didn't delve into German Romanticism at that age.

    I wonder if I would like it now... even though it seems a young person's thing.

    Oddly enough, I like Beethoven better at mid-life. Maybe because I can see him *now* through a wide angle lens...? and don't get quite so "peevish". (Remember, young Lucy Honeychurch in "A Room with a View" says playing Beethoven makes her peevish).

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  3. You don't think The Good Captain would take to Romanticism, eh? I could see it ocassionally, like when he goes a bit haywire and starts talking about "a beach to walk on" and such.

    I think on a conscious level, I feel I should be repulsed by Romanticism. I know it is absurd, but usually, I welcome it anyways. I wonder why it tends to be something people grow out of.

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  4. I heard one of the (background) people in the movie mention "seedlings"--there's Romanticism for you, believing in summer in the middle of a Minnesota winter.

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  5. Margaret:
    Well, I'd Kirk and Romanticism is like Kirk and existentialism: they're something he worked through when he was younger, with gives him depth; but as captain he is firmly in the action camp now (as you point out, he has to be! he can't stop and worry "to be or not to be");
    and he only expresses those hidden depths when infected with space viruses and the like...
    Or maybe once in a while in private with McCoy or Spock.

    I don't know what the connection with Romanticism and age is... But, in fact, I've never really grown out of it.
    I know I too feel I should bee repulsed by Tchaikovsky, say, or Mahler... but I still secretly (is this a secret?) thrill to it.
    I think it's that I have learned it's not reality--or not the WHOLE of reality; indeed can even be dangerously misleading (Nazis loving Wagner, for instance); but it still touches this tender place in my heart that wants life to be that achingly beautiful.

    BINK: I know! There's this conversation going on about gardening that I had no idea the camera was recording until after I'd already chosen this clip (for the light and the hand and paper movements).

    "They're seedlings so they need the sun" the woman says. Too wonderful.

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  6. You are going to ruin your eyes reading in that light! (well, that's what my grandmother, mother and husband have told me) I joined Viemo because of your success but don't seem to have the software to compress my movie files (from digital camera) into MP4 files. I will work on it. I think I would like to make videos too.

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  7. FMISMO: Yes! Make movies! Make movies!
    I don't know enough about technology to advise you, but can't you save your movies on Quick TIme? (I'm on a Mac, with iMovie, but Quick Time is a free download for PCs too, if that's what you're on.

    Re: Lighting. You're right. I gave up proofreading at that cafe after they dimmed the lights. I'd been there much of the afternoon.)

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  8. Such a calming activity, kind of like stacking harvested grains...there's more talk of summer for you.

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  9. I love the crisp sound of the paper shifting and the light on the paper (you do such cool things with light!)...I didn't even notice the conversation behind it, I am far too good at tuning out background noise, but I read about the line about the seedlings in comments and that's perfect too. :)

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  10. Glad you liked the light---and yeah, the sound of paper---I miss that, and the smell of paper too, now I'm on the computer so much.

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  11. My favourite so far...putting a frame around work makes it performance art...places huge importance on the movement of a pen over paper. Also, like your violin playing, excellent!

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  12. MANFRED: Framing is such magic, isn't it? Put a frame around anything and voila, it's An Important Piece.

    You have a good ear (of course). I chose this clip because of the music playing in the background.

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  13. I'm so off the pace with your prolific posting....must catch up!!

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  14. I have missed your comments, Manfred. (No pressure, of course, but it's nice to see you.)

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