I found this reading extremely motivational. I particularly enjoyed the story about the theatre troupe who went into rural Polish villages to try to preserve their dying traditions. While I know this blog is partly intended to record the process, I also want to use it to help re-inspire myself and see where I was at different periods of this process. So I’d like to just pull out some quotes from the reading that struck a chord with me and I can go back to and read through and draw inspiration from later on.

“Audiences around the country seemed to crave being in a room together, moving communally through a fictional experience that harmonized with their present ambiguities.” (p. 8)

“The dark places of the soul that haunt our dreams are understandably matched by the tendency to shut out the issues with the busy work of the daylight hours.” (p.11)

“Words are powerful. Specific words and combinations of words are the keys that will unlock realms that seem closed off.” ( p. 18)

“If you cannot say it, point to it,”- Ludwig Wittgenstein (p.21)

“Stand up and articulate what you are, rather than what you are.” p.25)

“There is no need to come up with anything new…. If you recognize that your voice contains all the came  that came before you, then you will realize that when you speak you do not speak alone. All the people who made you presence possible on earth speak with you. ” (p. 28)

“Place yourself in situations where you are most likely to receive novel signals” (p.33)

“It is imperative that you define your very own version of success.” (p.47)

“Accidents are one of the most valuable commodities in the creative process.” (p. 48)

“The more you know, the more you can imagine. Art is always an expression of philosophy and point of view.” (p. 48)

The entire idea of “hold on tightly, let go lightly.” (p.48)

Ideas of Context Editing and Sausage Party

Sausage Party is easily one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. My style of humor matches perfectly with this film. I was reading an article about how Seth Rogen made the movie so funny and found it extremely interesting in the context of this class. Rogen screened the film in simple drawing form but with the entire script already written. He’d read it to audiences who would then give him feedback on his jokes -were they too insulting, too far, too overplayed, not enough, ust falling short. He’d then go back and rework the film. He called in his friends in comedy and have them critique it. It was reworked and reworker until it finally seemed ready to premier at South by southwest. And I personally think that this level of revision and collaboration is what made this film so funny to me. In respect to this class, I think it only proves that we will all really need to work with each other to be successful. If a man known for his comedy still turns to his peers to edit and adjust his work, so should we.