You Can’t Take That Away From Me
Of late I’ve been feeling down, and down is not the path I choose for myself. I’ve maintained writing on my personal blog, and less at CINEs. I suppose that has something to do with the fact that I am no longer employed or taking graduate classes. My dreams and livelihood were put in limbo in the most ugliest, uncomfortable way. It’s time to bounce back more so than I have been.
I’ve been job hunting like crazy, and writing. Writing helps me a lot. I’m looking forward to writing some new reviews of films or discussing aspects of cinema studies. I still love film and I absolutely love screenwriting. I didn’t stop on my dreams, and I still want my masters degree. As to what form my dreams will take is anyone’s guess. God willing, I will see myself rise from the series of actions that were beyond my control, but will come back to my control and care.
Improvement starts with creating more posts. By writing with more frequency and clarity, I can increase my productivity. I get that graduate level quality I’ve been missing for some time now. I feel the silver lining in the situation is that I have all the skills that I was taught by my graduate professors, so there’s no reason why I can’t work on my blogs, prose fiction, and screenwriting. Many can try to strip me of my integrity and dignity, but they can’t take those skills from me. Thank God for these moments where being reflective means progress.
For starters I’m editing a current short story, and will complete another I started yesterday. I will give the new story a week to “cool down” then will edit that. Will work on other projects/screenplays this week as well. part of me is like, “Go get your masters, son!” While other parts of me say, “get your writing on!” All of it is saying to me, “Get your life on track. It was always far from over.” Every day is brighter and brighter. It’s so worth the time and effort for me to write, and focus on myself. I’m 100% worth it.
Thesis Fridays
I decided that before I go any further with pages I needed to narrow my focus much more significant;y than I did before. That meant addressing all the questions I’m supposed to ask during the preliminary research phase, which I did, but never clarified. This means I need to address the proposal stage of writing the research paper.
Needless to say I went to the computer lab and forgot my notebook, which had all my current ideas written down. That is what I get for not packing the night before. I still had several notes and info with me so I worked from there, and managed to bounce some ideas off of a friend since we meet up on Fridays.
What would be a simple page of information turned into two pages of me doing some fact finding and looking up some sources. Luckily I kept my Key Concepts book with me. Mind you the notes I took form this book were still at home. They had to be redone. So now I have a more clarified paper and can narrow my thoughts and research. \We call that scope and methodology.
So the revised proposal got a cooling off period while I played Dragon Age 2, and today I will look over my notes to see if anything can add to what’s been written. I have to watch t least one of the films in the paper, and take notes on it. Maybe today. No big plans outside of enjoying this day.
Thesis Fridays: It’s Almost Here
I’ll be working on more of my thesis paper tomorrow. The goal is to get two more fully cited pages, which will add to my seven and one half pages. It will bring me closer to ten, and I need to add my handwritten notes as well as review a few other items I put aside for my thesis. That will give me the ten I need for this week, because I want to repeat the process for the next week.
I do need to complete what I feel is a fully cited contextualization of the comedy genre. I also need to have solid definitions of satire and romance since these sub-genres overlap in the films I’m discussing, as well as horror. Yes I’m running a gamut here, but if the thesis were easy I may not want to do it at all.
Even more so I need to crack open a few more books and get more sources on the pages. I’m in strict need of making this process a lot more productive than last week. If I can get four fully cited pages tomorrow I feel I’ve achieved more positive than simply passing by. Thesis is tricky. I’m looking at clarifying what I need to make this pop. At the moment my paper feels fragmented without shape, and definitely unpresentable. I suppose that is the nature of a rough draft though.
Thesis Update 2011
I’ve been working on my thesis. It’s been pretty raw writing at the moment. Nothing looks good in my eyes. I am more than positive that I will print out what I have so far and revise the material. I feel a congested in my thoughts tonight, which means its never a good time to look at anything.
I have a few more products and projects to work on, and complete sometime between now and tomorrow. Everything is in slow motion. Sometimes I wonder how I will get what I need done, like screenwriting if my mind feels like a hot mess, but I know that with some time, patience, and dedication I can take my work to new levels of productivity.
Also I made myself write this post. I refused to not write at least a few sentences regarding Cinema Studies, Cinema, and my creative writing endeavors.
Living in Slow Motion
I so need to update CINEs. I will begin with getting a new post this weekend. Was going to go see The Last Airbender, however, from those who saw it, they strongly suggested waiting for HBO. It’s not worth spending money on. Without seeing it, I’ve been told the acting and the story are horrible. I’m gonna confer with a couple more people before I wipe The Last Airbender off my list.
Worked on my thesis. Got my works cited page initiated. These things are never completed. I so need to get some terms and ideas committed or else I’m screwing myself out of some free time to write it. Besides it’ll be fun. Getting started is the hardest part.
The First CINE of January…
Shall be CINE 715, American Cinema. It also happens to be my LAST lecture class for Cinema Studies. All that is left is my review, comprehensive exam, and finally, my Master of Arts thesis.
Am I nervous? Yes! I am positive if I put my material forward I will be fine.
My CINES for Fall
Paper topics can be tricky and I still need an abstract for my World Cinema class. I got my Narratology paper topic (CINE 710) approved. I feel I can breath easier than I have been. For me, starting the paper gets a little rough. I liken the experience to that of sleeping on a worn out mattress.
For those not in the know, I created a presentation on the topic of “desire” for class that I thought I could expand upon. I made an abstract, and submitted it to my professor. After a quick revision, I got the topic approved. The films I will explore the topic of desire in will be, Elizabeth, V for Vendetta, and Interview with a Vampire.
The original class presentation included Batman Returns, but I wanted to use Interview after watching it last weekend.
I will discuss Pan’s Labyrinth for World CINE but I need my thoughts to gel properly.
CINEs Have Standards: Film Form
Have you ever been aware of film form? Well these are the elements of a film that cinema studies students look at when you’re analyzing a film. While I can’t break it all down for you without giving you pages of notes, I can tell you what they are, because going forward, and review I use for CINEs will contain these elements or variations of them.
The five components of film form:
- Narrative
- Mise-en-scene
- Cinematography
- Editing
- Sound
The length and amount of time you spend on each component is up to the writer. I know that it can change from film to film, as easy as it could change from writer to writer. This is only a fraction of what we do as cinema studies majors. We’re like detectives, looking at films, picking up clues, and giving our results.
I have a few films to discuss in the coming weeks. So I think we will have some enjoyment in discussing films. Furthermore, I may revise the older reviews on this page using the film forms.
The CINEs Have Begun for the Fall
As stated earlier, it’s all about world cinema, and critical concepts. I’m both excited and nervous. I did want to take the “Writing a pilot” as another class, but Cinema Studies is my priority. I can’t take three classes, as I know my stress level and ability to get work done would be compromised in a bad way. Gotta know my limits, and I sadly walk away from that class.
Been thinking of staying another year to get a degree in film & television. That’s not an easy decision. After four years of classes and work I do feel like its time to go. I have a lot to weigh on my mind. Fist I MUST finish the cinema Studies program. If I happen to take a producing, editing or more screenwriting classes along the way, I may have to settle for that.
Besides I don’t want to rename the blog, “Several Deadly FILMs.” I am Cinema Studies all the way!
My CINEs for the Fall
In the fall quarter I’m taking two cinema studies classes. That’s two 15-page papers. Oh man. This is a challenge on top of another challenge. My CINEs for fall will be 710 & 725 (Critical Concepts in Cinema Studies & World Cinema). Let’s hope I can not be a big hot mess by time the quarter ends.
