Saturday, December 15, 2007

An Introduction.

"The kind of seeing we experience in the cinema is emotional seeing--the seeing of emotions with emotions. Eye and heart are locked inextricably together, just as they are in dreams. This is not disinterested, clinical seeing, but seeing charged with feeling."
- Colin McGinn, The Power of Movies: How Screen and Mind Interact, pg 105.

Why Blog About Film?

I've been asking myself that question lately. I've had this urge to write, to set down in words thoughts and conversations about the medium of film. This is an experiment truly geared at expanding my own understanding of cinema, philosophy, theology, and culture. I'm not here with answers, I'm actually here with questions. The exercise of writing is a sort of mental weight lifting that helps sharpen one's intellect and better equips one to understand the world around him or her. That's why I'm blogging about film.

What's Going On Here?

First of all, I want to be clear about one thing: I am not a film critic. That's not why I'm writing this blog. There are plenty of intelligent critics out there, and I will often draw from their writing to help understand particular films. I am here as a storyteller. I am a writer and filmmaker myself, and I am seeking to better understand the medium of cinema. Thus, I'm here as a student, a commentator, an annalist of sorts. This blog isn't about how good a particular film is (thought I'm sure I won't be able to hold back certain expressions of love for specific films, or loathing for others). This is a place to explore, debate, and occasionally argue about why cinema matters, why we are drawn to it, and what it might have to teach us.

I also want to point out that I'm not here to discuss my own work. I'm a young filmmaker (in terms of body of work and experience). What I'm really interested in is learning from those who have gone before, and those who are currently making films. Occasionally, when appropriate, I might point out how a particular film or filmmaker has influenced me, and how that has worked out in a particular project of mine. But as a rule, I don't plan on discussing my own short films (few of which are much good, since they've all been learning experiences and only more recently have begun to gain a little attention).

In discussing films, I will approach it from a simple perspective: I'm writing this blog, so I guess I'll write about whatever happens to be on my mind at the time. I often watch a combination of new and old films in a given week, and thus, this blog will certainly be splattered with discussion about old (Charlie Chaplin old) films as well as brand new films.

Finally, I love discussing film, philosophy, theology, art, culture, writing, so forth. So, if you are reading this introduction for some reason, please do not hesitate to comment, to interact with me. In the process we might be able to learn from each other and help each other understand this medium better, and thus increase our appreciation for cinema among other things.

"Just as people's dreams are keys to their real selves, their deepest longings and anxieties, so their taste in movies tells you a lot about them."
- Colin McGinn, The Power of Movies: How Screen and Mind Interact, pg 135

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really look forward to seeing what happens here. I mean, I REALLY look forward to this!

In fact, I have something to share with you, hopefully sooner rather than later, that I'd love for you to be a part of. I'm just holding back on saying too much to anyone at this point in time.

Greg said...

I look forward to reading more.

Mikel J. Wisler said...

Thank you. I hope I can live up to the expectations here.