Last night I watched a film by an 18-year-old action junkie shot entirely on his dad's camcorder in an old steel warehouse in Pennsylvania. It was violent and contained a lot of nudity and made me laugh repeatedly at the bad special effects.
And it was beautiful. As the film's producer/writer/cinematographer/star sat beside me, a grown man now and with a much better haircut, explaining occasionally that the squeaky sound in the office was a result of a broken tripod or why metal cans filled with fire suddenly disappeared in the middle of a fight sequence, I thought about how much I wish I'd had the gumption to make a movie like that when I was 18.
The dialogue was all improv, the story was convoluted and the acting was pretty bad. But every so often you'd see a glimmer of something promising like an unexpected close-up or a sudden shot of boobs to introduce a ridiculously bloody fight montage. It was popcorn fare to be sure, but it was made with the love of a promising director. And it showed an enormous amount of creative energy.
And I know 18-year-old films. I've had to sit through many a video about Don Quixote or King Lear. They're usually funny, but they don't try very hard to be clever. This film was clever.
That's what I tried to get across as the director sat beside me, sad that I didn't love his film the way others love his film.
But he's wrong. I do love his film. I love that he made it. I love that anybody picks up a camera and shoots a story from beginning to end. I wish I'd done the same a lot sooner.
I'd love to see a sequel. I want to see what that kid can do all grown up.
It's that drive to, as Nike so fondly trademarked, "just do it." Sure, some kids might make a lot of crappy movies, but if they've got the spark, eventually they'll refine their technique and become the next Scorcese or Kurosawa. And even if they never get any better, well - look at Ed Wood and Roger Corman! You wouldn't know who they were if they didn't achieve some fame (or notoriety) in their trade...
ReplyDelete