Brad Simkulet's Blog, page 20
January 2, 2017
hefeastus:
why are gay ppl told to tone down their gay but no one tells straight ppl to not wear...
why are gay ppl told to tone down their gay but no one tells straight ppl to not wear fucking shorts in the snow
i am a bi guy who wears shorts in the snow and i am mocked EVERY time i go out. everyone has an opinion about my shorts in the snow. everyone. and no one ever filters the mockery. moreover, i’ve had to put up with more shit over my shorts than my sexuality.
January 1, 2017
December 31, 2016
frying pan 2016
fire 2017
frying pan 2016
fire 2017
December 21, 2016
"I’m going to tell you something: thoughts are never honest. Emotions are. Do not go around asking..."
- Albert Camus, Notebooks 1951-1959
(via fyp-philosophy)
fromdirectorstevenspielberg:
The Indiana Jones Interrogations:...
The Indiana Jones Interrogations: Jonathan Rogers InterviewLike its sister series, Star Wars, the Indiana Jones franchise is always inspiring creativity and innovation amongst its fans. One such fan is Jonathan Rogers, whose Shattered Star Productions has made a web-series called The Indiana Jones Interrogations. From Director Steven Spielberg spoke to Jonathan about the series and his love of Indiana Jones.
First things first: what is The Indiana Jones Interrogations?
The Indiana Jones Interrogations is a fan film mini-series currently being produced for YouTube but which is also available on Vimeo. It’s a small-scale, character-driven story that takes Indiana Jones to deeper places he’s never been allowed to go in the films proper, thus far. We get to see more of his inner demons, why he’s the kind of man he is, and truly explore the moral complexity of the character.
You’re obviously a big Indy fan. What’s your story with the franchise? What was the first Indy film you saw, what got you into the series, and why do you love it so much?
My first exposure to Indiana Jones was through a brief glimpse at The Last Crusade. When I was a kid, I was watching television in the living room one day, and my parents were channel surfing. They eventually stopped on a movie that was in progress, and on the screen was a man riding a horse chasing after a tank in the desert. When I saw the character’s face, I was vaguely reminded of Han Solo (not realizing yet there were the same actor) who I was already familiar with from seeing Star Wars much, much younger. To my eyes he looked like a cowboy, with his wide-brimmed hat and riding that horse. I was really intrigued by what I saw, and when my parents continued their channel surfing, the imagery of that scene stuck in my head.
However, another time later a similar scene occurred where my parents stumbled on Temple of Doom on TV, but thankfully it was just starting. They kept it on, and so I watched the entire film, absolutely gripped by the incredible action, hilarious antics of Willie Scott and Short Round, and thrilling pace. This time I finally recognized the main hero as Han Solo’s actor, but I found myself far more interested in this character than I ever was Han. The film was an unforgettable experience, and it immediately made me obsessed with seeing more of Indiana Jones and his world. I quickly sought out The Last Crusade to properly watch that one, and that was the movie that cemented my love for the character.
Bizarrely, it took me a few more years to see Raiders on video, and when I did, I have to admit at the time I was underwhelmed. After the amazing imagery and feats on display in TOD and LC, Raiders felt almost too grounded and restrained. I admit it, I had gotten used to Indiana Jones as a more cartoonish, outlandish series, not realizing that this was a stylistic evolution from the more gritty Raiders. But as I grew up and my tastes matured, I began to properly appreciate Raiders as the classic, brilliantly-designed and executed adventure it is, and so while I will gladly admit Raiders is the best film of the franchise, my personal favorite will always be Temple of Doom.
Concerning Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, that film was the first time I saw Indiana Jones on the big screen, and when it was coming out, I was neck-deep in my obsession with the franchise. So I went into it hyped out of my mind, and it definitely resulted in a bit of non-objective viewing. I immensely enjoyed it during it’s theatrical release, but as the years have passed, it becomes increasingly hard to ignore its flaws. However, I genuinely think it still has a lot to like, some of which would not be what you’d expect. It is a charmingly earnest and silly film, and embraces its pulpy roots in a way not seen since Temple of Doom. It’s undeniably the least of the series, but it’s chock-full of fun stuff all the same, and I always enjoy an opportunity to defend it’s reputation, in the wake of the internet trying very hard to rewrite history to make it seem like it was universally hated out of the gate.
For me Indiana Jones represents a kind of earnest, unpretentious form of cinematic glee that few other franchises so effectively embody. I am pretty wide-ranging in my tastes, but I have a soft spot for movies that are this simplistic but not in a condescending, lazy way. The Indy films are the ultimate example of ‘fun’ cinema that wants nothing more than to take you on a wild ride, to make you laugh, scream, cheer, etc. They are the greatest roller-coaster films ever made.
Tell us about the process. What was the inspiration for The Indiana Jones Interrogations, and how did you go about turning it into reality?
I had been interested in doing some kind of Indiana Jones fan film for a long time, and the concept of Indiana Jones held captive by the Nazis, and interrogated by a former friend turned traitor, was one I had in my head for a while. It was about two years ago that I finally decided to pull the trigger on the idea, and I consulted on the concept with my good friend Jonas Acuff, who I have a long, happy history of collaboration with. While talking to him, we came up with the idea of the film being a multi-part series, as well as the stylistic choice of it being in found-footage black and white. When that decision was made, the potential of the idea really began to take hold of me, and from that point forward, the series grew into a far more ambitious and creative project than I ever planned initially.
You make great use of found footage. What drove you towards that style of shooting and did you look at any specific films for inspiration?
A big motivator for the found-footage style came from the fact that when I first began the series, I was stuck with some pretty poor camera and editing equipment. And so by deliberately altering the footage/audio in post to make it seem like trashy, damaged old tapes, it would turn the low-quality filmmaking into a strength of the production. The filming process is quite simple: I just film myself in one take (with occasional jump cuts if needed) and then send the raw footage to Jonas to add the effects. I can’t say we ever look at specific examples of found-footage as inspiration, but the format of the series absolutely owes a debt to the style of a fan film series I am very fond of, The Joker Blogs, also available on YouTube. That too is a series built on the idea of a famous fictional character being psycho-analyzed by a female interrogator with conflicting loyalties. I started the Interrogations fully aware of the stylistic similarity, and I credit The Joker Blogs for inspiring the project in many ways.
The interrogations take place in 1937, so in terms of canon, they’re after Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom, before Last Crusade. Was there any reason for that placement?
From what I could tell, the Indiana Jones Expanded Universe had made the years before Temple of Doom and following Last Crusade very crowded with stories. The period this series takes place in seemed like a fairly open spot in the chronology, so that gave me some freedom. Plus, I definitely wanted to be able to reference the events of Raiders and Temple of Doom in some way, and it was also a good idea to explore Indy’s character before the events of Last Crusade started him down the path of maturity that we saw lead to the older, wiser Jones of Crystal Skull. I hope the Interrogations can retroactively give his arc in The Last Crusade more weight by showing the beginnings of Indy rethinking his darker, mercenary side.
There’s quite a dark tone to the series, and in Episode 3, we see a particularly dark side of Indy as he confesses that he doesn’t see himself as a good guy. Spielberg and Lucas were always very keen to underline the more anti-heroic side of Indy’s nature; was that important to you too?
Absolutely. Part of the appeal of Indiana Jones for me is how much of a walking contradiction he is. You have both a heroic, noble man that respects history and other cultures, but you also have a sometimes greedy, bloodthirsty mercenary. A dweebish, shy professor of archaeology, and a tough, no-nonsense man of action. He’s both a cynic and a romantic, a good man and a bad man, and so forth. These are the kinds of complex, nuanced characters I am compelled by, and I wanted to make sure this was retained for my take on the character. And I also wanted a major part of this series’ reason for being, to be the chance to explore Indy’s own feelings about himself, and show the moment when he began to transition from the man ‘only a nudge away from the dark’ to the man that demanded artefacts be put in a museum. That’s a big ethical leap for such a man to take within two years, and I thought it would be cool to show how it happened. By putting Indy in a situation where he is forced to admit he is no saint, and needs to re-evaluate why he does what he does.
Along with co-writing and directing, you also star as Indy himself (and do so very well!). Big shoes to fill. How do you go about taking on a Harrison Ford character, and what’s the key to nailing Ford’s distinctive voice and mannerisms?
The key is lots, and lots, and lots, and lots of repeat viewings of the films. All of them. Harrison has such a specific manner to his way of talking, his body language, how he breathes, laughs, scowls, and so on. A lot of what makes Indy ‘Indy’ comes from the little details natural to Harrison, and trust me, it took a lot of careful, sometimes frame-by-frame study of how he plays the role. Heck, I even watched interviews of Harrison in real life, to see what traits were specific to the Indy role, and were just him being him. I am lucky that I have even a passing resemblance to a younger Harrison, though it’s certainly not perfect, but I think it’s more important that I honor the spirit of the character through the acting, rather than the exact look.
Was there a specific film or scene(s) you drew particular inspiration from?
I definitely took pointers from the few moments when we see Indy in a more emotionally vulnerable state, such as his conversation with Henry on the Zeppelin, or when he learns Abner is dead from Marion, or when he’s visibly wounded by Elsa’s betrayal. It’s definitely a challenge to portray Indy in a way that’s convincingly raw without making him turn into an out-of-character angsty teenager. It’s all about making sure whenever Indy does drop his guard and let others see the hurt, insecure man inside, that it be done in a way true to how Indy would handle being so emotionally compromised in the films.
We meet (or at least hear) Claire Capshaw (ace reference, by the way). There are elements of all Indy’s women in the character, but she still feels her own woman. How did you go about crafting the character?
I think it’s extremely important that any Indy story worth it’s salt have an excellent female role. Claire Capshaw was actually originally going to be a man, more of a nerdy British fellow that Indy took under his wing when he moved to America before the events of the series. But I chose to change the gender specifically because of the mantra I stated above, and because I thought it would add even more fire to Indy’s anger at this person he used to care very deeply about, given how colorful his relationships with women usually are. He looks at her like a surrogate daughter, not as a love interest, which was another important point for me, as I think that gives their dynamic something more unique than just another Bond Girl-style chick of the week. As I developed her, I settled on this woman that is shy and unnerved by how fate has forced her to interact with her old mentor in these circumstances. But in spite of this outward appearance of a meek, uncertain individual, Claire has a lot of strength to her character that we will see in future episodes.
Can you give us any indication as to where the relationship is heading
Both their lives will be changed forever by the end of the story. That’s all I’ll say for now.
And do you have any further plans for other Indy series?
This really is meant to be my ultimate love letter to Indiana Jones. Once this is finished, I think I will take a hiatus from Indy-themed projects. Especially since we finally have official word of a fifth film being developed, I almost feel like I’m not needed anymore to keep the Indy flame alive, if that doesn’t sound too egotistical. I look forward to doing other projects in different genres, and increasing my chances of being noticed by the industry and given opportunities to work in Hollywood proper. One can dream of someday scripting a Star Wars or Indiana Jones film, right?
Tell us more about Shattered Star Productions: who are you, what other work have you got going on, and how can people learn more about you?
Shattered Star Productions is what I’m calling my personal hub of projects that I oversee, as part of my growing portfolio. I don’t consider it a professional film studio or anything, but it’s meant to operate more or less like one, as best as I can pull if off. For right now, the Interrogations is the only project being produced under that banner, but as I said earlier, that will change down the line. You can find an official Facebook Group community for fans of the banner, as well as a page for ‘The Indiana Jones Interrogations’, and recently I have created a website through Weebly for the company, as well as a Tumblr blog. Check them out!
Thanks to Jonathan for taking the time to answer these questions.
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybr...
there’s just no point, is there?
no. there’s really not, so why do you continue?
sheer stubbornness, i imagine. hanging on for others mostly.
because suicide is selfish, they say.
yeah, but emotionally blackmailing me to stay alive in the face of meaninglessness isn’t selfish. making me suffer beyond my capacity because you made me, or i’m your blood, or because my death would make you sad isn’t selfish. fucking hypocrites.
there was this time i remember, a long time ago, it was winter but not super cold, maybe one or two degrees below, with just that powdery dusting of snow. you know the sort? and i was lying out in the snow, completely naked. we had those three foot fences all around our place, but my mom and dad could have seen me from their window, or p– and i–, our neighbours could have seen me because their fence wouldn’t have blocked anything, and the cold and the snow took me into that zone of pain, and i was handling it fine. but then i heard my mom through the firing of my nerve endings, i heard her wailing over my frozen corpse, and i crawled my ass inside because i couldn’t be her tragedy. my death would and should have been mine. but she was going to make it hers.
i couldn’t have that.
there was that motivation to live, it’s true, not letting her have her tragedy, but be honest. that wasn’t the only thing that you dragged yourself inside for. there was your skin and the firing, prickly, lightning shots of pain, and the call of the luke warm shower that offered scalding anguish without scalding at all. something new. a sensation. always something that you might miss, no matter how hard or shitty things got or get, what if you miss something? what if?
yeah, i suffer for sensation, i guess, but there are those long, and increasingly longer stretches, like the fucking pacific doldrums in a tall ship, when nothing happens and even the best sensations, maybe a satisfying shit or a popping orgasm after a few days masturbation celibacy, can’t keep me connected to this life. i don’t move like a zombie through it; i keep going, engaging, seeking, but it’s when i feel the vacuum in me, when the ice cold nothing grows and grows. it’s growing now.
December 20, 2016
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangryb...
there’s just no point, is there?
no. there’s really not, so why do you continue?
sheer stubbornness, i imagine. hanging on for others mostly.
because suicide is selfish, they say.
yeah, but emotionally blackmailing me to stay alive in the face of meaninglessness isn’t selfish. making me suffer beyond my capacity because you made me, or i’m your blood, or because my death would make you sad isn’t selfish. fucking hypocrites.
there was this time i remember, a long time ago, it was winter but not super cold, maybe one or two degrees below, with just that powdery dusting of snow. you know the sort? and i was lying out in the snow, completely naked. we had those three foot fences all around our place, but my mom and dad could have seen me from their window, or p– and i–, our neighbours could have seen me because their fence wouldn’t have blocked anything, and the cold and the snow took me into that zone of pain, and i was handling it fine. but then i heard my mom through the firing of my nerve endings, i heard her wailing over my frozen corpse, and i crawled my ass inside because i couldn’t be her tragedy. my death would and should have been mine. but she was going to make it hers.
i couldn’t have that.
there was that motivation to live, it’s true, not letting her have her tragedy, but be honest. that wasn’t the only thing that you dragged yourself inside for. there was your skin and the firing, prickly, lightning shots of pain, and the call of the luke warm shower that offered scalding anguish without scalding at all. something new. a sensation. always something that you might miss, no matter how hard or shitty things got or get, what if you miss something? what if?
December 19, 2016
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
there’s...
there’s just no point, is there?
no. there’s really not, so why do you continue?
sheer stubbornness, i imagine. hanging on for others mostly.
because suicide is selfish, they say.
yeah, but emotionally blackmailing me to stay alive in the face of meaninglessness isn’t selfish. making me suffer beyond my capacity because you made me, or i’m your blood, or because my death would make you sad isn’t selfish. fucking hypocrites.
there was this time i remember, a long time ago, it was winter but not super cold, maybe one or two degrees below, with just that powdery dusting of snow. you know the sort? and i was lying out in the snow, completely naked. we had those three foot fences all around our place, but my mom and dad could have seen me from their window, or p– and i–, our neighbours could have seen me because their fence wouldn’t have blocked anything, and the cold and the snow took me into that zone of pain, and i was handling it fine. but then i heard my mom through the firing of my nerve endings, i heard her wailing over my frozen corpse, and i crawled my ass inside because i couldn’t be her tragedy. my death would and should have been mine. but she was going to make it hers.
i couldn’t have that.
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
there’s just no point, is...
there’s just no point, is there?
no. there’s really not, so why do you continue?
sheer stubbornness, i imagine. hanging on for others mostly.
because suicide is selfish, they say.
yeah, but emotionally blackmailing me to stay alive in the face of meaninglessness isn’t selfish. making me suffer beyond my capacity because you made me, or i’m your blood, or because my death would make you sad isn’t selfish. fucking hypocrites.
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
hotangrybruises:
there’s just no point, is there?
no. there’s...
there’s just no point, is there?
no. there’s really not, so why do you continue?
sheer stubbornness, i imagine. hanging on for others mostly.
because suicide is selfish, they say.
