High Clarity

He crawls onward, etching his fingernails into a coarse, frozen, sand-like surface. This realm is devoid of light entirely, a perpetual vacuum of space absorbing every type of energy, consuming every wave of sound. As if trapped in a chamber of sensory deprivation, his brain emits flashes of intense visions, forgotten faces and misplaced memories. A heightened state of self-awareness carves away rationality with a knife forged in cold fear. Disoriented by the overpowering hallucinations, nerves on the verge of overload, he struggles forward, foot by foot, inch by inch. His throat constricts as subzero air enters with each breath, a decaying air delivering futility to the fibers in his lungs, weakness to the cells in his body. Anticipating the end, he tilts a heavy...

Posted by on Apr 16, 2010 in Shorts | 0 comments

Attention Span

A study by Cornell University found that an average shot length in Hollywood movies has gradually decreased over time. In fact, editors have been trying to find the perfect sequence by emulating a strict mathematical formula that parallels the brain’s attention span. If such practices continue, they will mark the death knell of creativity and innovation. Robert Wise, the editor of Citizen Kane, did not splice together the “greatest film of all time” so it conforms to a method developed by psychologists in a marketing department. One day, studio executives may start believing that “the key thing is having shots of similar length that recur in a regular pattern throughout a film.” As filmmakers around the world are sure to agree, a calculator should not...

Posted by on Mar 26, 2010 in Commentary | 0 comments

Floating By

I tread past them, exasperated, forcing myself not to look. I’m floating by one cubicle after another, on and on a tedious maze of minuscule offices, each belonging exclusively to equally minuscule, expendable workers. If I could only close my eyes and be at peace, momentarily free from this headache of unexceptionalism. They’re all wearing the uniform of blandness, speaking the language of corruption, staring at numbers on backlit screens. Their jobs, their laudable, professional careers as tricksters and storytellers are stamped on their resumes, their excuses. Nobody wants to be here. This floor is supposed to be a temporary stepping stone, a gatekeeper, an eventual means to one’s wants. But how many will the elevator invite to the top? How many will end...

Posted by on Mar 14, 2010 in Shorts | 0 comments

Movie Magic

Once the suspension of disbelief dissolves, the allure of cinema reverts to what “motion pictures” really are: twenty-four frames per second. In the process of dismantling the medium and systematically breaking it down, a childlike awe subsides forever. Movies engage the audience and may even bring alternate universes to life, but by studying their original formulas and strict rulebooks, something special disappears. An experience, a means of escape, becomes layers and layers of easily identifiable technical caveats. Games are written, designed, developed and released. Songs are written, tracked, mixed and downloaded. Movies are written, produced, edited and distributed. Each industry has a fundamental core grounded in pre-conceived modus operandi usually...

Posted by on Feb 19, 2010 in Commentary | 0 comments

Avatar

“Just relax and let your mind go blank …” At the brink of a new decade, a motion picture that redefines the science-fiction genre immerses spectators into a world unconstrained by convention. Innovative technologies and filming techniques bring awe-inspiring visuals to a higher echelon of realism. Of course, that motion picture is The Matrix. James Cameron insists that avatars are not “synthetic alter-egos in cyberspace” and Avatar is “not a Matrix-type story.” However, he describes avatars as “controlled by a human driver who projects [his] consciousness via a technology which links [his] mind to the avatar body and they … live through that body in a kind of remote control as the human body is in a coma-like state.” If the “driver”...

Posted by on Jan 9, 2010 in Reviews | 0 comments