Peter Sellars Knows The World's Secrets

As Peter Sellars entered the TFF Student Symposium classroom, a 'zone of coolness' was ushered in with him. That's right. A zone of coolness.

'Coolness' is Sellars' term for a person's aura, their vibe, the energy with which they greet the world; admittedly, this all might sound like a thrust towards bizarre new age philosophies and hippie hoopla, but let's run with it for a while. Let me convince you that Peter Sellars is the most loving, well-intentioned human being one may ever come to know -- Peter Sellars knows the world's secrets and he wants to share them with everyone.

It is not so much that Sellars has uncovered hidden relics or mysteries of human history, but that he has realized evident truths which not everyone is conscious of. Much like Ken Burns' philosophy on film, Sellars pays specific heed to the personal as a window into both a universal understanding and the underlying truth of who we are or are meant to be.

Film, like life, is all about framing -- in the frame, you choose what fits and what doesn't fit. A frame is that through which things are felt, experienced and understood. In Sellars' mind, developing a film is about coaxing its substance out from your nocturnal (ie. subconscious) self and presenting it in the daylight (ie. out in the open). It is about focusing on making what is personal to you, the director and filmmaker, accessible to everyone else -- it is about establishing a dialogue based on the personal which translates to the universal.

Sellars champions experiential knowledge over academic knowledge -- this is to say purely that he is more interested in what is written on a person's heart than on a piece of paper or in a book. As equal part inspiration and mentor, he cites the French philosopher Simone Weil. Sellars' claims that Weil once said something to the tune of 'work (meaning process) is what gives life meaning.' It is not thereby the end result that is the most satisfying, but the journey of getting there that is the true treasure. How true.

Sellars' main point, then, is about finding yourself and staying true to yourself by living actively in the process of life, accomplishing what you set out for yourself and being who you want to be. To this effect, Sellars said something remarkably poignant, that I don't think I will ever forget, if only because it struck such a chord with me personally.

"It's when you're in a miserable state in your life that you really realize what it is you want and who you really are -- also, you realize how to come to that ideal place." -- Peter Sellars (08/29/08)

I don't necessarily want to step up onto my own little soapbox here, but damn it all if Sellars' sentiment here doesn't ring gloriously true for me in my life. But, to a certain extent, I understand what Sellars is saying here based on personal experience. It is the reason the year 2008 was so far different from 2007 -- change needed to be made, and it is still happening. Thank goodness.

Sellars told us that the 21st Century is all about connecting, about being connected, about democratizing not only our technology but our lives in their entirety. He talked about the "gaze that goes both ways," which for Sellars means Darshon, a Buddhist principle of seeing God and having him see you back. For me, I interpreted this as the kinesthetic ability for response in live performance, the ability of performer and spectator to see one another, to be present in the same space at the same time; liveness personified.

Sellars urged us to articulate the world see ourselves living in. He posed an important question to us as a follow-up, a reflection of this sentiment.

"How do you move into a place in your life where all the things you look forward to (ie. dream about) are waiting for you?" -- Peter Sellars (08/29/08)

The answer he gave us to this query was three words long: "Imagine, Create, Live." The energy of one's being directed properly can accomplish what you wish for in your life -- make the effort, speak from your heart, don't deny yourself what it is that you need to become who you are.

Again, our world is all about connecting. After all, even the unconnected things can be connected through the existence of rhyme.

DGA Presentation Overview

Lisa Layer, Special Assignments Executive for the Directors Guild of America, came to visit the Student Symposium on Friday at approximately noon. In addition to bringing us DGA swag in the form of winter caps, she provided to us invaluable information with regard to low-income, independent pictures or in some cases no-budget experimental projects.

In her lecture/discussion with the Symposium, I learned a couple of important tidbits for the future. First, I learned of a program that I may take into consideration after finishing my undergraduate degree at Northwestern, which is a 2-Year Producer's Program through the DGA. It's official title is the Director's Guild Producer Training Plan.

Now, here's what it is all about. For two years, you live in the Los Angeles or New York area, working on a variety of different projects for a multitude of studios as a 2nd Assistant Director-in-Training. After two years of on-the-j0b, paid experience, mixed in with curriculum-based classes, you are placed on a Qualification List as a Second Assistant Director and become eligible for membership in the Director's Guild of America.

There are pros and cons to this program. It's selective, so it is an honor to be chosen for it. And, being placed on the aforementioned list of 2nd ADs almost guarantees one work immediately after the close of the program. It is, however, somewhat difficult to make the jump from 2nd AD to Director. Not impossible, as it can be done (and has been done). Time will tell whether this is the right path to pursue. It would be a great experience to be sure, but if I want to direct my own films... I'm not sure.

In the meantime, Lisa Layer also informed me of the DGA's Experimental Project Agreement for non-DGA members to use DGA-affiliated persons to work on independent and no-budget short projects, similar to student film projects essentially. This is something to look into for the immediate future. Already a number of ideas strike me for materializing a project such as this; indeed, one in particular seems remarkably approachable. I'll be attempting to put together a team in the near future, drawing from individuals both local and global. Exciting, no?

My Chance Meeting With Leonard Maltin

Early on Friday morning, at approximately 9:30 A.M., I made the decision to head down to the Staff Clubhouse in Telluride to grab a bit of breakfast. I wasn't quite certain as to the exact location of the clubhouse, so I was sort of ambling along down sidestreets and dusty trails, in an attempt to find the necessary sustenance to get me through the day. Pretty soon, I became relatively lost (albeit that Telluride's a small town).

As one does when lost, I looked about to see if someone in the vicinity could assist me with directions. Only two individuals stood within proximity - at the time, I had no idea who these people were. Without thinking, I approached with the aim of asking directions. As I asked the requisite direction-related, only then did I realize that I had approached renowned film critic Leonard Maltin. Let's have that again. I was asking Leonard Maltin for directions.

Maltin is the current president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the movie reviewer of Entertainment Tonight and teaches at the University of Southern California (USC) in their Cinema Studies department.

Our meeting is particular peculiar on the account that only a week before Telluride I had been looking at the USC website for Cinema Studies as consideration for graduate studies; in particular, I explored Maltin's biography and information on the course he taught at the university.

So, here I was, having gone from Maltin on my computer monitor to inches away from me, in real life. Talk about life-changing.

Maltin was standing on the sidewalk with his daughter Jessie near Telluride's gondola station when I approached. Both, I learned, were waiting for transportation to arrive to take them to their condo. He and his daughter were beyond cordial, even helpful as to the location of the Staff Clubhouse. After pointing out the location, the three of us talked about the festival, how it was my first time and how Jessie had been coming since she was ten (and she's only a year older than me). We also talked about USC. Maltin answered some questions that I had about the school, with particular attention to his course and then we parted ways. I thanked them for the jovial discussion and mentioned that it was lovely to meet them.

I left from the conversation ecstatic at having for the first time experienced the magic of the Telluride Film Festival. I was bright-eyed, having realized that the first story of many to come had just happened. Little did I realize that the Sunday afterwards, I would run into Jessie Maltin again at a concessions stand outside Le Pierre (one of the festival theatres) and our having met on the Friday before would be the cause of a wistful and striking conversation that ran the gamut from jazz music to linguistics. It was, in short, quite excellent.

She and I exchanged contact information thereafter and, having returned to Chicago, I look forward to our continued correspondence and our next meeting. Hanging out with her in Telluride and having one of those rare wittily magnificent conversations was one of the many experiences I will never forget from Telluride. Here's to more of such memories to come!

The Flowers, They're Goldblumin' (or I Prefer My Shakes Maltin)

I have a quick confession to make. Due to the rigorous nature of the festival, I may not be able to update the blog as much as I would otherwise like to do. It's currently 1:23 A.M. in Telluride, Colorado, and I've already got to be up for breakfast and a discussion at 7:30 A.M. -- yikes. Prepare not to sleep if you ever come to Telluride. By its very nature, especially relevant to Student Symposium, you are out and about at all hours of the day and the night -- it is (blissfully) unrelenting. I have absolutely no complaints.

I have a lot that I plan to write here, personal anecdotes and may venture into the realm of using videoblogs to condense information, but since I won't have time enough to prepare oratory on the subject matters, writing things down here or in a notebook seems to be a more appropriate way to store my thoughts for the time being. I've always been a writer first and an actor/improviser second, so I'll opt to stick to my guns on this one -- the deliciously serendipitous (and not-so-serenditious) occurrences here at Telluride deserve a meticulously and thorough relation, with careful attention to details.

A story might be fun to hear in person, but my one experimental venture into videoblogging (or vlogging) resulted in a fairly circuitous, rambling and incoherent relation of several anecdotes, including but not limited to a brief and spastic tour of my condo (by means of spinning my computer around in a circle). So. Let's put that brief bit behind us, ignore it for now, and hope for the best via the textual relation of my stories to all of ya'll.

A brief note that I will expound upon after the festival's close comes from our class discussion with filmmaker Peter Sellars -- Sellars, in his forty-five minute lecture to us all, talked of the importance of praise and of understanding intentionality. His focus with these two main core subjects was on defining who you are in the truest form, and admittedly having to go through some relative hell or tumult to arrive at a sense of peace or appropriate purpose in one's life. He said something to us all that really struck a chord with me -- I may be paraphrasing a bit when I transcribe this quote from my hastily-written notes, but the sentiment that follows is a near perfect illustration that my life has taken in the past year.

"It's when you're in a miserable state in your life that you really realize what it is you want and who you really are (and who you need to become) -- also, how to come to a place that mirrors that."
-- Peter Sellars

What Sellars said to our symposium is outstandingly relevant in the sense that a less than favorable state in my life led me to realize exactly what it was I needed to be doing with my life. I was in a situation where the circumstances were unfavorable, where I was making choices based on the concerns and opinions of others instead of first consulting myself.

I am being purposefully cryptic because I intend to expound on this a bit more in a later post, but trust me when I say that in the past year (since having realized the changes that needed to be made), life has been close to ideal. A place like Telluride makes me (at least) realize that everything I have come to believe in the past year of my life and have realized as aspirations, goals and wants, is intensely valid if potentially less poetic than the linguistic stylings of Peter Sellars, filmmaker and honorary motivational speaker, in my book.

Also, I have some additional quick notes for further explication. Look forward to hearing about the following:

• My Chance Meeting with Leonard Maltin
• Meeting Jeff Goldblum (complete with pictures to prove it!) + Bonus Random Anecdote
  
• Symposium Discussion with Ken Burns
• Symposium Discussion with Peter Sellars (in further detail)
• Paul Vester's short film In The Woods (and aftermath)
  
• U.S. Premiere of Waltz With Bashir & Meeting with Director Ari Folman (w/ Folman's video introduction that almost got me kicked out of the Chuck Jones' Cinema -- sorry, Telluride Staff, I honestly didn't know that it was forbidden!)
  
• U.S. Premiere of A Private Century by Czech Director Jan Sikl & Meeting Afterward

It's true what they say about Telluride, in that you have every opportunity to meet anyone who is in attendance. The Ari Folman story, in particular, is an excellent illustration of how making the right choice (what would normally be considered going the extra mile) allows that which is unbelievable to become a distinct reality.

Everyone here really is within an arm's reach. The opportunities can slip away as easily as they present themselves -- but, thankfully, I have rarely been one to turn down an opportunity. And, since being here in Telluride is such a special honor, I'll be damned if I am going to walk by someone I respect or who has inspired me in some way without at least introducing myself. Some are content to observe from afar and say, "Hey! It's Jeff Goldblum." But, I got to talk to the man, all because I made the effort to do so. It's not hard, per se, but it takes some courage.

For me, the fact that I am here in Telluride is courage enough. Cheers.

Arrived At Last!

It's official!

After approximately six hours worth of travel from Evanston to Chicago, Chicago to Denver, Denver to Montrose, one shuttle ride later I have arrived here in Telluride, Colorado. And, perhaps obviously, I couldn't be happier to be here. Honest.

After having visited Colorado once before (in Westcliffe, Colorado) only last Spring, I am pleased to return to the place that I consider the easily the most beautiful state in the United States of America. As aforementioned, I miss all the oxygen that comes along with any other location in our country, but the view is incomparable, along with the festivities that are yet to come.

I have settled into my condominium, located in the center of the small mountain village on Main St. -- luckily, I couldn't be any closer to everywhere I would want to be in this town. It's a great little two-bedroom abode, elegantly decorated in a style that reminds me of a log cabin. And, perhaps unbelievably, I am able to get wireless internet right from the condo. Having this available will make future blogging much easier. I had previously been told that cafes and the local library would be our only option for internet access. I am glad to find that this is untrue.

I don't want to spend all of my time inside, and I am eager to explore the town (and to take pictures!). But, before I come to the close of this quick update, I'll provide a little bit of an anecdote to accompany the preceding information. Here goes.

I exchanged business cards for the first time on this trip while in-transit from Denver to Montrose. As it turns out, I was seated next to a woman who is a patron of the Telluride Film Festival. Her name, Julie Friesen. Ms. Friesen is representing Anderson Friesen Film Appreciation here at Telluride, which is based out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Our discussion revolved around many topics -- as it turns out, she spent most of her summers in college working in and around Chicago for the Malnati family, who own many businesses including the famous Lou Malnati's Pizzeria. Perhaps most significantly, we talked about our respective reasons for attending the festival. She was impressed to hear that I had been selected for the Student Symposium and, in contrast, everything she said to me was something I couldn't believe.

She mentioned she would be attending a private preview screening that is exclusive to patrons, supposedly happening tomorrow (Friday, August 29th). As we exchanged contact information as our 45-passenger plane touched down in Montrose, she mentioned that she would let me know what the "super secret" film is and her opinion of it, as well. If and when the information comes to me, I'll be sure to put it up here.

But, for now, I'm about to grab lunch and walk around for a bit before the Symposium festivities begin at 4:00 P.M. this evening. There are more stories to tell already, but not enough time. I'll save them for the next post.

Caught in a Rainbow of Disbelief

There's been a change of venue.

I received an e-mail only yesterday informing me that my original lodging arrangement with Paul Gandell (see earlier post for stories/explication) had been canceled. Hearing this only two days before the festival's opening, I appropriately allowed myself a moment of panic.

Erika Gordon, Education Coordinator of the Telluride Film Festival, was the sender of the e-mail. Her details were purposefully cryptic and spare, but what I could glean from her message was that Paul apparently ran into personal reasons that has resulted in an inability to host a student for the duration of the festival. Bummer.

Talking with Paul on the phone was like talking to an old friend -- and, I looked forward to meeting both him and his family. I can only hope that all is well in his life. It worries that Erika did not offer any details of Paul's situation, but then again I assume the omission is less than an oversight, more so a nod towards privacy on his part. It's not that I particularly mind, but I cannot help but attempt to fill in the blank for myself.

All speculation aside, Erika soon afterwards informed me that alternate arrangements had been made. And, with the results, I couldn't be at all happier. Okay. Perhaps that's a bit of a stretch. I could be staying with George Clooney for the festival, but what has come about as a result of the complications on Paul's end is just as good, if not better. Don't get me wrong. This isn't schadenfreude. It's a delightfully ironic turn for the best.

My lodging will be provided by Elaine and Tom Schroedl, in a condominium located in the exact center of town (on, wouldn't you know it, Main Street). Elaine and Tom are what Telluride locals might call the talk of the town -- for a small mountain town like Telluride (with a population of barely over 2,000 residents), these are the individuals that paint its high altitude palette with sky blue brilliance. The Schroedls have a son, age seventeen, who is about to embark off to college at the close of the festival. He's into basketball, soccer, athletics in general. The Schroedls describe their home as a bit of a circus, people coming and going willy-nilly.

But, rightly so. I spoke with both Elaine and Tom today on the phone during my lunch break at work and hearing them talk about what could be expected out of the festival sent my level of excitement to a brand new high. Allow me to explain.

Every year, on the Thursday before the show, Elaine and Tom host an immense shindig for all the festival guests, meaning the filmmakers, actors and honorees in attendance. It's a social soiree of an epic sort. It's the kind of thing you read about in books or see in the movies. Before, the thought of even ambling through the streets and bumping into a celebrity by serendipity seemed like an opportunity with limitless results, but here will be practically everyone, all in the same Telluride home for several hours.

I, too, have been invited to the party. Utterly unbelievable.

I am sure that there are many moments to come that will make me feel as if I'm caught in a beautiful rainbow of disbelief, but this is the first to strike me so. I have no way to predict exactly what will occur in the coming days, but I have a pretty good feeling that it could change my life.

Who's With Me?

No, seriously. I'm asking the question and hoping for answers. Who visits this website? Who are all of ya'll? I cannot help but reach out to satisfy my insatiable curiosity -- it may have killed the cat, but hopefully this human will survive. So, do me a favor and post a comment saying your name, where you're from and how you found out about this blog. Alternatively, if you're someone who I have personally made aware of this blog, why not post a little hello if you feel up to it.

Onward!

For readers of 24 Frames, I sincerely hope that this weblog serves as a way and means for you to experience the 35th Telluride Film Festival as if firsthand. This blog post inaugurates a feeling of unity that I hope will continue to remain prevalent on this blog henceforth -- thereby, the use of the enclosed fist raised into the air. We stand together. Myself and you, the internet. As they say in what I imagine to be the only Spanish I'll ever need to know, "Mi Telluride Film Festival es su Telluride Film Festival."

I will not solely be writing for myself in keeping this blog updated throughout the course of the festival, but equally for family, friends and those who stumble upon this page and find that they're intrigued with its contents. The locus of my writing efforts will be to recreate the festival experience -- I want the reader, more than anything, to feel like they are proverbially 'along for the (Tellu)ride.' Excuse the pun. I could not resist.

Neglecting to share this experience in any fashion would be a tragedy. In fact, in being given such a rare gift as to attend the 35th Telluride Film Festival Student Symposium, it is my opinion that making all of the information accessible globally is a necessity. All of the facts, the critiques, opinions and, above all, the mind-bending stories that will come from this experience, as I see it, will be too precious to keep to one's self.

In recording the six days I am in Telluride, Colorado, I am making a commitment to hopefully inspire others in ways that I have been inspired. I am of the opinion that nothing affects the mind to greater effect than the relation of personal storytelling. For me, this is most certainly true. I have been impressed, inspired, challenged and frightened all through examples from the lives of others -- never have I been more moved as when someone told me something that has happened to them. In this way, the story is personal, real and tangible.

Such stories beg the asking of a particular question. It is, so it goes, "if it can happen to them, why can't it happen to me?" Or, if painful, the opposite is true. "I hope nothing like that ever happens to me," one could be heard to say.

Personal stories of all kinds have led me to where I am today. In six days, I start to tell my own. The rest is yet to be told.

I'm Counting Down...

...to Telluride. Duh. What else?

As evidenced by my mildly obsessive visits to the Telluride Film Festival Student Symposium website, counting down to the day of the festival is just about the only thing I can think about. It is not as if by scouring the internet I will uncover newly revealed or leaked information on the festival's schedule, so even as I continue to do it, a voice in the back of mind keeps asking, "Why? Why are you doing this? This is pointless." In fact, the voice sounds a lot like someone I know, a peer of mine who might have the initials of GG. Here's to you, good sir.

But, in this case, the congenial and playful nagging is out of place. Despite the odds, searching throughout the internet has turned up a couple of intriguing nuggets, both from past festivals and about the upcoming 35th.

First, coming from a Telluride Film Festival Flickr pool, a collection of photos from a number of past TFFs. It turns out to be quite a treasure trove, as the saying goes, depicting both the natural beauty of the secluded mountainside and the joyous pandemonium that is the festival proper. I'll post here a couple of the photos that I find the most enjoyable, but feel free to peruse the collection for yourself -- it is not to be missed. (Images are, of course, copyright of their original owners.)

Festival guests with Werner Herzog!
Hey! Look! It's an attendee with Michel Gondry!

And, then, slightly more exciting than the images is a little jewel of information that I found earlier today while perusing various weblogs and news websites. It's an article based on source material taken from Variety and posted on TO411Daily.com. The article is almost wholly regarding the Toronto International Film Festival. But, right at the end (in the third to last paragraph) the author mentions what seems to be a potential spoiler for this year's Telluride Film Festival, though I have no way to officially confirm whether it is true.

From TO411Daily.com:

"While Toronto has announced Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” for the fest, the recently shuttered Warner Independent Pictures is shopping the film to other distribs. The Telluride Film Festival has also invited the film."

Readers will likely remember Boyle as the director of Trainspotting, Boyle's 1996 hipster drug-culture movie starring Ewan McGregor and a host of other actors who lend towards an unforgettable ensemble cast.

But, the question is will Danny Boyle's picture premiere at Telluride instead of at Toronto? There's no way to know for certain, but I would certainly welcome this as somewhat of a distinct possibility. And, even if not, will the surprises that Telluride holds overwhelm its attendees regardless? Unquestionably. But, speculation on the festival's line-up is just one of many pre-festival activities to enjoy, as much a part of the experience as being there in person.

A Dream Postponed

Look at those puppy dog eyes. It can't be denied that those eyes are issuing a fierce apology to this blogger -- or, at least, that is exactly what I would like to think. I say this on account of a bit of news that came to me early this morning. With the aforementioned news came what in my opinion is an equal dose of good and bad news. Spike Lee's eyes, in the above picture, might say it all.

An anonymous reader of 24 Frames wrote a comment on my last post about Brandon Colvin's dream regarding myself, Spike Lee and the Telluride Film Festival. The anonymous reader wrote first that he is a fan of the blog and second that Spike Lee's film Miracle at St. Anna is set to premiere at this year's 33rd Annual Toronto International Film Festival, which happens only two days after the 35th Telluride Film Festival. Read about it here.

Apparently, it was announced in early July, which just goes to show how much news one can miss out on while abroad -- for those not in the know, I spent the last seven weeks or so abroad in the Czech Republic, where national cinema is on the rise, but where Hollywood blockbusters are the only things you'll find at the cinema otherwise. And, the arrival of these films is almost always unimaginably delayed -- for example, by the time I was about to leave Prague, The Hulk and Made of Honor were just being released. Pretty sad, though I did get to see a fabulous Czech film (with Eng. subs) by director Petr Zelenka, entitled Karamazovi based on Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. Highly, highly recommended.

Now, I mentioned earlier that hearing this news was something of a blessing and a curse. While I am understandably somewhat despondent to hear that Lee won't make it to Colorado to premiere his film, an important set of realizations come along with this sad news. First, I realize that this is by no means the end of a dream -- as the title of the post suggests, the dream is not over but only postponed. In fact, it hits me clearly now more than ever before that sitting idly by wishing that something were to happen is likely to be the least productive method of making these dreams come true.

Sheer force of will alone cannot direct one's future -- herein lies the difference between thought and action. Also notable is the fact that each individual is in complete control as the primary agent in his or her life -- in short, you are responsible for what happens. I can will towards coincidence as long as I want, but that won't change the fact that Lee's film is debuting at Toronto. By contrast, if I am to meet Spike Lee, another route must be taken.

Thankfully, this alternative route does not involve the act of stalking. That would be far too creepy and disrespectful. Instead, I am lucky to have as a friend a fellow by the name of Dan Sandford, Director of Graduate Admissions at New York University, where Spike Lee is Artistic Director of the Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television and teaches the 3rd-Year MFA Film Production Program. Sandford is a great friend with an incomparable taste in contemporary and classic jazz music. He also represents a direct connection to New York University and Spike Lee.

I visited Dan in New York for the first time last December, both to reunite with him and explore the university, as I intend to apply to New York University for graduate studies. Herein lies the opportunity to not only meet Lee, but to have him as an instructor and close mentor. I still am not certain whether I will attend graduate studies for film production or analytic cinema studies. If I am accepted and attend for production, I will be taught by Lee. If I attend for cinema studies, I won't be instructed by him, but I will still have the opportunity for him to read the analysis of A Huey P. Newton Story that I presented at the University of Notre Dame in April. That's the dream that needs completion.

In looking forward, I see that Spike Lee's absence at the festival is not a major loss. The mystery of Telluride is still, and truthfully has always been, the draw of the festival. Any way you spin it, Telluride is going to be life-changing. You can't spoil a thing so great at this.

And, the other exceedingly positive thing that I learned from this news? I learned that people outside of my friends and family are frequenting this blog. Knowing that makes me beyond ecstatic. I hope that what I write from now until the festival's close brings you as much joy as it will me to be able to write it. Here's to you, anonymous reader(s). Cheers!