On Expectations of Short & Feature Length Films (GBE 2 - wk1)

I remember when "Titanic" came out and a lot of people who went to see it were complaining about it's three-hour long running time. One complaint in particular came from a friend who did not like this movie. Today, the complaint got me thinking about the way that short films are often given a bad rep at film festivals, among many filmmakers, film industry experts and even movie fans.

A lot of people treat short films like they are unimportant or some type of neglected second cousin of the feature film club. The disappointment from a feature length movie like "Titanic" or action films such as "Transformers" usually arise when they do not meet the expectations that movie goers had when they decided to visit the theater and watch it based on its movie trailer.

It is not unusual for a movie goer to feel like time was wasted that they cannot get back....two hours is a lot of time out of someone's life that is used to watch a film, so it should be good or at the very least....entertaining, right? This is an issue where short films should be given the benefit of the doubt because they are useful forms of entertainment that do not take two hours to watch.

Many short films are under 10 minutes in length, so whether they are exceptional pieces of cinematic art like some of the Oscar nominated short films...or whether they are bland...or whether they are bad....short length movies do not have to meet the same level of expectations that feature length films do.

More than one dozen short films can be watched in the same time that one views "The Lord of the Rings" (this is not to say that LOTR falls into the same category of "Transformers" because LOTR is a good movie!) so even if movie fans come across a short film that they do not like, there wasn't that much time wasted in watching it because the average person usually spends the same amount of time in the bathroom. In fact, you could watch a short film while you are using the bathroom and get it done and over with....unless of course, you spend the bathroom time reading a book!

This post was written for the topic of "Expectations" in the new Group Blogging Experience (GBE 2). Also, I want to thank Alana at Writercize for letting me know about this blogging project!

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Hyland Cinema Showcases Festival Darlings from Oscar Season

London’s Hyland Cinema was highlighted on this blog in April for a nice movie review that offered visitors a glimpse of the venue from a customer’s perspective. This weeks lineup at the theater continues to show how much little known films from around the world are given a chance to shine next to Hollywood box office hits that are screening and getting most of the media attention. Starting Friday, Hyland Cinema is showing Oscar contenders in the Best Foreign Language film category as well as a late night screening of Bruce Lee’s famous film “Enter the Dragon.”

Among the foreign language films are “When We Leave” about a mother and her son trying to live a better life but face tragedy as a result of the conservative religious and cultural beliefs of their family. This movie, which won Best Narrative Feature at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, is said to be based on a real-life honor killing that took place in Berlin.

The other foreign language film that put a bid in for Oscar gold is “Even in the Rain” from Spain (hey, that rhymes! nevermind.), a film about Christopher Columbus’s voyage to America. The subject seems to expand into multiple stories since the movie made during a time when Cochabamba, Bolivia was going through a water war. In April, The Wine Country Film Festival showed “Even in the Rain” as part of it’s 25th anniversary celebration.

Now that the Hyland Cinema is bringing these films to more audiences, it gives those who missed the film festival screenings another chance to see titles that many locals were likely unfamiliar with while watching the Oscars back in February.

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My Top 5 Favorite Places to Write

What are your five favorite places to write? This is the general topic for today’s theme during the WordCount Blogathon that I am currently participating in, which caused me to really think about all of the places where I write and then compare them all to figure out which ones are the locations that I like the most. Here are my five favorite places to write everything and anything from blog posts, freelance articles, love letters and screenplays to grocery shopping lists, poetry and parody songs....in no particular order.

1. On the Bus

First, let me get something straight.....I hate buses. Now that we have this out of the way, I do find bus rides to be useful places to write in some circumstances. In fact, I wrote my Day 17 blog post (and a portion of my Day 19 post) for the WordCount Blogathon while riding a bus out of town......all on an iPod. I figured that I might as well write to pass the time since there is not much else to do while on a long bus ride.

2. A Family Member’s House

When floppy disks were still popular among computer users, I filled a lot of them with my writings and often completed the task while visiting relatives. I’ve written at least two screenplays using a family member’s computer and have usually enjoyed the process. In such a setting, I get the best of both worlds.....the ability to write in a remote location and also the comfort of a home-like atmosphere.

3. The Library

Since many public libraries are only open during afternoon hours, there is something about having this limited time-frame that I have found to be rather beneficial to my writing activities. Being allowed to work on a computer for only 20 minutes up to 60 minutes maximum can sometimes be the driving force necessary to make sure that I am being productive.

The small window of computer access does not leave much room for idle time, which is a great way to influence me to work on some of my writing in advance before visiting the library so all I have to do is type it up or produce a final draft. I also like to write at the library because it is like an automatic source for references and research material.

If there is a word that I am not familiar with or some historical facts that need to be checked before referencing them in an article, blog post, screenplay, etc. I need not look any further than a public library.

4. My Apartment

This is a no-brainer because if it’s raining or snowing or late in the evening and I do not feel like going out, all of my writing can be done in the comfort of my own home. Much like the public libraries, my home has a lot of resources and supplies that I can utilize during the writing process.....some of which other places, including relatives houses may not have available. These resources include notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, markers, magazines, index cards, my favorite books on screenwriting and other tools that help me get work done without needing to travel.

5. The Movie Theater

Okay, so this one is a bit distracting because the whole point of going to the theater is to watch the movie....right? However, I brought a notepad with me and wrote down notes about a movie that I had to write a review on (It was “Hanna,” for all of you nosey people, lol) in hopes of obtaining a weekly writing gig for a media company.

I did not think that I would remember some of the important points that I wanted to make or key aspects of the movie that I wanted to cover. So, while this may have been an odd thing to do and was certainly a little difficult experience because I had to write whenever there was a bright scene that added more light into the theater, it is productive enough to make my list of five favorite places to write.

What are some of the best places for YOU to write?

Does the ideal location to write depend on what is being written or do you think that people can and should write wherever and whenever they are inspired to do so?

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