The Power of Movies
People sometimes ask me why I host this blog. The other day I posted this and in comments dashed off a rather rambling slice of personal history that gets at some of my thoughts and feelings, so I thought I’d share it here for wider reading:
I always loved movies. Growing up a military brat, we moved around a lot. Movies became one source of constancy in my life. Plus when you live in a desolate place like Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota for four long years, just about the only thing to do in some weather conditions is go to the movie theater (as I remember, it cost a quarter for a ticket).
I took every cinema course I could in college and joined several film groups which expanded my knowledge of film to European and Japanese movies (the serious ones, I had seen all of the Godzilla type movies as a kid). This had nothing to do with any perceived career choice, just following my passion for films.
I really knew very little about the actual production of movies, even screenwriting, I just lived in those story worlds. They became an essential part of how I think, how I speak. To this day, I probably reference a line or scene from this movie or that in conversations a half-dozen times per day. Films are one of my primary experiential touchstones.
I do remember reading William Goldman’s, “Adventures in the Screen Trade” when it came out. Not sure what drew me to it. Think I just stumbled on it. That must have made an impression on me re screenwriting.
But beyond that, when I blurted out, “I can do that,” I really had no legitimate basis upon which to say that with any confidence… other than the fact I loved movies, and I had always been a writer of some sort (for the last decade songwriting).
Of course, looking back, I can say it was Destiny at work. For nine years, I had been putting myself and my creativity out there to the Universe, searching for something to do, somewhere to land. Leaving a clear pathway to an academic career for the uncertain realm of creative pursuits is not a logical move… rather an act of faith.
My life has taken many, many twists and turns since that fateful day in 1987. It boggles my mind to reflect on how I have wound up doing what I’m doing now. And I know enough to understand there are likely more shifts to come.
At the end of the day, if there’s anything I’ve discovered about my existence, it’s that Joseph Campbell is right: Follow your bliss. That is our calling. To determine what it is that excites us in an existential way and pursue that. And for me, it’s movies.
I am excited whenever I meet people who pursue their creative path. I am also saddened when I hear stories about people who live with the regret that they KNEW what they loved, yet never pursued it.
In a big way, that’s why I teach and host this blog. I want to do whatever I can, admittedly in my own small way, to fan the flames of creative aspiration of others.
The world desperately needs great stories and great writers. There are so many forces at work heaping destruction upon our Earth. Stories and storytellers counteract some of that by feeding our individual and collective souls.
Which brings me back to my first point: I absolutely love movies. Some of the most transformative moments in my life have come sitting in a darkened theater sharing a story on screen with a crowd of strangers. It’s like a kind of sacred experience… and I mean that quite literally.
Obviously there is no guarantee for anyone in the creative arts. As I wrote in a blog post: Movies don’t owe anybody a living. But there are all types of ways to judge success. Even if a writer never makes one thin dime from their creative efforts, if the experience of writing brings them joy and enlivens them, isn’t that a success, at least in an existential way?
Follow your bliss. It really all comes down to that. To all who are brave enough and persistent enough to follow theirs, especially if you love movies as much as I do, I extend my virtual embrace… and offer to you as a tiny daily gift, this humble blog.
Who else has been moved by the power of movies? Why do you love movies? I welcome any of you to share your stories. See you in comments!
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