Stream of Consciousness Inspired By a Writing and Production Class

Filmmaking is magic. Magic, people. MAGIC. You create a freakin' world and then control everything in it and it's MAGIC!!! Can't you see? You have the power to alter the destiny of millions of people who exist only because you imagined them! You decide what they say, where they go, how they live, and how they die. IT'S MAGIC!!!! It gets inside your head and even when you're just walking from class to your dorm you're thinking "hey, how would I shoot this if it was a movie? Would I use an establishing shot, or would I start with a close-up to build suspense? Holy crap, there's a car coming. Maybe I could do a truck shot and follow the car, then use that as a lead to show myself walking up the stairs and swiping my card, then switch to another camera inside the building...which wouldn't cross the Line of Action because the actors can move and establish a new line..." And then you start thinking about all the other possibilities and realize that in a movie, you can do anything you want. You can defy the laws of physics or create scenes that would never happen, but the audience will believe it because they're seeing it with their own eyes, so how can it not be true? I wonder what it would be like to create a film where everything that happens is the exact opposite of what the audience expects. A film where human nature is completely different, and nothing is predictable...a few more psychology classes may help with that, but in any case...

IT'S MAGIC! WHY DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? MAGIC!!!!!

(If any of you have ever wondered why I'm studying film despite the fact that I write so much about politics, maybe you understand now. Something similar to the above runs through my head several times a day.)