Archive | Directing RSS feed for this section

Why Americans Want Happy Endings

3 Apr

I’ve recently been watching the films of Yasujiro Ozu, titles such as Early Summer and An Autumn Afternoon.  Although not as popular in the West as his Japanese contemporary Akira Kurosawa, Ozu was highly acclaimed and a box office success in Japan until his death in 1963.

Ozu had many strengths including a mastery of composition and narrative structure; however, what I appreciate most is his ability to capture mono no aware.  Although a literal translation in English does not exist, mono no aware is a Japanese concept adeptly translated by author Donald Richie.  During his audio commentary on Ozu’s film,  Early Summer (The Criterion Collection, 2004), Richie translates mono no aware as “…putting up with things and celebrating the fact that you are putting up with things.”  It’s when you find a rightness with the way things are, a place of absolution, even satisfaction in seeing things continuing as they must.

Mono no aware is invariably sad because our aspirations often want something different.  On the other hand, if we value how things must be, then it’s a good thing.  Mono no aware becomes a resigned form of sadness with a touch of happiness.

Us Americans like to feel happy after watching a movie, not sad – ever hear, “Nobody likes a sad ending”?  As a result, most American movies have happy endings without mono no aware, without a touch of sadness.  This not only contributes to superficial escapist fair, but, more importantly, it robs audiences from a deeper encounter with life.  Mono no aware is much more complex than mere sadness; there is infinite beauty within it.  Everything comes at a cost and, even if painful, that very cost ought to be celebrated as an integral part of life.

Mono no aware exists all around us.  A child celebrating her 8th birthday is a time of joy, but sadness as well due to her inevitable loss of childhood.  A wedding is a time of celebration, but also of loss to the bride and bridegroom’s parents.  Even seemingly mundane things like sharing a meal with friends or a stunning cloud formation must come to an end.

Mono no aware is a beautiful part of life that needs to be included in American films more often, even those with happy endings.  In my favorite Ozu film, which centers around a daughter’s marriage, the wedding itself is not shown at the end, rather, we are left with her lonely father in his empty house – a most beautiful and satisfying ending, indeed!

It’s Been Tough

10 Dec

I’m not going to lie: life’s been tough…

My father’s recovery from open-heart surgery has been a lot more challenging for us, his family, than we ever imagined.  I’ve spent countless hours at his home to support not only him, but my mother as well.  And on top of that, I’ve been bombarded with quite a bit of negativity elsewhere in life.

This has been quite a blow to my productivity, which was recently cut in half to begin with, since I watch my son, Simon, on weekday afternoons.  Creative work amidst all these immediate pressures has been nearly impossible.

I write this not to garner pity nor compassion, but to share my hardships in addition to my successes and creative work.  Perhaps some of you have been in my shoes or are currently right there with me.  I’m not sure what it is that keeps me going, creatively, that is; nonetheless, I’m just very fortunate that I’m making a bit of progress regardless.

Thank you all, sincerely, for your support and interest in my work…

Sacrificial Plot Point Lamb

18 Oct

Why do filmmakers repeatedly rely on death, especially murder, to move their story forward?  True, reckless killings happen often; however, they repeatedly happen in movies.   

I’ll never forget listening to the director’s commentary of a famous independent film.  During a scene in which an adolescent character is killed, the writer/director said that he “needed something to move the story forward…a device.” So he killed off a kid.  I’m sorry, but that is downright disgusting.

Personally, I feel death is the easy choice.  Like in life, one simply needs to pull out a gun and shoot their character – done, which leads to drama.  It gives the writer something to write about.  But I believe there are much better ways to generate drama and move the story forward.

More importantly, I believe these better alternatives to death lead to developments in the plot that would otherwise never have happened if death were chosen.  In other words, by simply choosing death as a plot point, other, more beautiful and exciting developments are also put to death.

Believe me, I’m not immune to death as an idea.  I am currently developing a feature film script and death has arisen as an option multiple times, not to mention rape and incest.  It’s sick, I know.  But from a writer’s perspective, they are “tools of the trade.”  They have been ingrained in me.

Not sure if that’s such a good thing….

CJBoghosian.com

14 Sep

Whereas FollowMyFilm covers all my filmmaking activities, such as this blog, I now have CJBoghosian.com, which showcases my filmmaking work alone. 

You can check it out here, at CJBoghosian.com, or by clicking the photo below…

Click to View CJBoghosian.com

My Soul, Their Flesh

22 Jun

A really cool thought flashed through my mind the other day: as writer/director I create the soul of a film and the cast and crew fleshes it out!

While writing Girlfriend 19, I envisioned the film quite specifically.  I could see the set, the camera moves, even how the characters would look and talk.  However, as soon as I began casting the film, things changed.  

The actors in Girlfriend 19 are dramatically different from what I envisioned.  For instance, I never once thought of the Alex character as a Frenchman; however, within minutes of his audition, I knew Guillaume was perfect for the part.  He, like the other actors, reflected the soul of the character and that’s what matters most. 

Guillaume Dabin-Pons as Alex; Lighting by Gavin Fisher

So from the casting process onward, I decided to let go and not flesh out the film on my own.  I went with the flow, demanding only that we stay true to the soul of the film.  Gavin Fisher, our director of photography, made lighting decisions that I did not envision, but I trusted him and I’m incredibly happy with the results.  My editors, John Nelson and Jarrod Burt made rhythmic and timing decisions that I never would have done myself, but the results are incredibly effective.  And now, my sound designer, Randy Barnes, is adding ambient layers that are intensely moody, deep, and dark – definitely not what I envisioned, but I love it!

A scene from Girlfriend 19; Lighting by Gavin Fisher

In the end, Girlfriend 19 has been fleshed out by a group of talented individuals and not by a lone director.  Of course, my direction has been involved from the beginning and it’s been my job to keep the film true to its soul; however, my cast and crew has fleshed it out and I’m eager to share the results with you!

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 420 other followers