Some Call Me Big Time

During this week's lecture, we screened excerpts from Star Wars Uncut and Marble Hornets. Despite their general anonymity, the two videos truly demonstrate the evolution of archival media: departing slowly from the standard narrative structure for a seemingly random order of events. However, this concept isn't foreign; as mentioned in lecture, the "open-world" presentation has been used in many video games such as Grand Theft Auto. In addition, archival presentation has also been imitated in popular film and television (e.g. Pulp Fiction and 22 Short Stories About Springfield).

Despite its best efforts, I don't see this database format as the "next big thing," or as the replacement to traditional cinema. Why? Let's use Marble Hornets as a case study.

As a series of videos, Marble Hornets truly emanates  a sense of anxiety and fear, a trait that many modern horror films fail to capture. But, why delve into the history of Slender Man? Its sense of anxiety does not evolve; there is no thematic statement that the videos deliver. Despite the ease of watching a database, the narrative is what audiences primarily relate to.

WHAT HAPPENED TO ASK A NINJA?

Ask a Ninja, a weekly podcast, disappeared into obscurity after enjoying a brief period of mass popularity. As the internet is becoming a larger medium for individual expression and new talent, it's strange to see such a well-known "celebrity" disappear from the public eye. Thus, this (sloppily-assembled) remix of the first eleven episodes is a salute to the modern internet icons that gradually faded from our memories.

Bibliography

Ask a Ninja - Question 1 "Ninja Mart Store". Video. Directed by Douglas Sarine and Kent Nichols. Los Angeles, CA. Beatbox Giant Productions, LLC. 2005.

Ask a Ninja - Question 2 "Ninja Santa". Video. Directed by Douglas Sarine and Kent Nichols. Los Angeles, CA. Beatbox Giant Productions, LLC. 2005.

Ask a Ninja - Question 3 "Ninja Training". Video. Directed by Douglas Sarine and Kent Nichols. Los Angeles, CA. Beatbox Giant Productions, LLC. 2005.

Ask a Ninja - Question 4 "Hiring a Ninja". Video. Directed by Douglas Sarine and Kent Nichols. Los Angeles, CA. Beatbox Giant Productions, LLC. 2006.

Ask a Ninja - Question 5 "Ninja Skills". Video. Directed by Douglas Sarine and Kent Nichols. Los Angeles, CA. Beatbox Giant Productions, LLC. 2006.

Ask a Ninja - Question 6 "Master of Disguise". Video. Directed by Douglas Sarine and Kent Nichols. Los Angeles, CA. Beatbox Giant Productions, LLC. 2006.

Ask a Ninja - Question 7 "Ninja Grub". Video. Directed by Douglas Sarine and Kent Nichols. Los Angeles, CA. Beatbox Giant Productions, LLC. 2006.

Ask a Ninja - Question 8 "Roger". Video. Directed by Douglas Sarine and Kent Nichols. Los Angeles, CA. Beatbox Giant Productions, LLC. 2006.

Ask a Ninja - Question 9 "Ninja Love". Video. Directed by Douglas Sarine and Kent Nichols. Los Angeles, CA. Beatbox Giant Productions, LLC. 2006.

Ask a Ninja - Question 10 "Ninja Metal". Video. Directed by Douglas Sarine and Kent Nichols. Los Angeles, CA. Beatbox Giant Productions, LLC. 2006.

This week, the class was asked to read Rabiger's Directing the Documentary. Overall, the text did an extremely adequate job at "documenting" the history of documentaries, beginning with the Lumière brothers, and scouring through the esoteric origins of its improvements. In the similar FILM 1400 class, we also discussed documentaries. However, it was less focused on its history; rather, it highlighted its difference with feature film. To me, the differences contain the most interesting aspect: the truth behind a documentary.

Many postmodern approaches demonstrate the open-ended nature of documentary. For example, season eleven of The Simpsons featured a critically-acclaimed "mockumentary" episode called Behind the Laughter, which included a lot of self-parody and pop culture references. As an audience, we are aware of the show's nature as completely fictional, but Behind the Laughter presents such natural documentary conventions that the audience is forced to confront its presentation of facts: it's funny because it's not true.

As the end of the year approaches, I'd like to take the time to see how the course was so far-- not just as a reflection, but also as a suggestion to our instructors. In the end, I think this course is fundamental to helping inexperienced students develop experience with the camera and their creativity (just like FILM 1020 is for first-year production students). Practice makes perfect... or rather, practice makes "individual craft." In a study such as art, the largest obstacle is our own laziness.

But alas, creativity is an essence that requires proper direction. Therein lies the quintessential flaw to this course: when given the opportunity, most students will opt for the fastest, easiest method. We no longer seek our intended visions, because the result is bound to be lackluster. Thus, our projects become farcical--void of meaning.

Despite the partial sincerity found in the first two projects, this final assignment is just unrealistic. As mentioned in plenty of other lectures, one's interests is the inspiration and power behind ones work--as I search through this outdated archive, my passions remain to be seen.

THE STRANGER OF STAUNTON ISLAND

"Brevity is the soul of wit." Despite its ironic use by Claudius in Shakespeare's Hamlet, I apply this philosophy into every narrative I create or encounter. In an assignment where the run time is limited to a 60-second long take, the challenge comes from delivering a meaningful narrative under such time limitations.

What I can definitely say about How It Starts is that I admire it. As such a short clip, Julien has a lot of ambition in creating his vision. Moreover, the conclusion of the short film was definitive in creating an expectation from its audience, and breaking it. By turning away from the shot, we expect to see a violent stab into the zombie off-screen, only to see the two now walking listlessly back into view. Among other Film 1001 projects, this peripeteia (or reversal of fortune) was a rare surprise.

However, the film is only as strong as its weakest link, and the lack of concise delivery dilutes the focus on a visceral conclusion. The first half of the film was disorienting, focusing not on the conflict but on an unidentifiable subject living in their apartment.

A VIDEO ABOUT NOTHING

Why do we use closure? In our discussion during the week 3 lecture, we established that closure is not necessary. The justification was that film was not an essay and didn't need a thesis. Although this is demonstrated in some of the films we watched (such as Weekend and Vive L'Amour), I still believe that the presence of closure is the difference between a good movie, and a great one.

What do I call good closure? A film that fulfills its purpose, illustrated by the thematic statement (which, to me, is the equivalent to a thesis). For example, Scorsese's Goodfellas was about the definition of belonging: the insider versus the outsider. By the end of the film, the protagonist was forced to live as an outsider after working towards and living the glorious life of being a gangster. It was a very simple, very enclosed story. This doesn't mean things such as cliff-hangers are not allowed; Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrel ended with the lead characters on the brink of owning a fortune. However, the closure remains intact since the theme of the film is the chaos and inanity of the situation, not the success of its main characters. Finally, there's bad closure. Fincher's Fight Club aimed for a satire that ultimately failed because it approved the nihilistic lifestyle that it was mocking.