I took two classes from Irvin Kershner, and a scholarship from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation made it possible for me to complete an internship with him. He was generous with his time--in fact he once gave me an assignment that he had designed after pondering for a day how best to help me learn to tell a story in screenplay form.
I remember Kersh pausing during a lecture to ask passionately, "Have any of you seen someone die? Have you felt what it's like to not have enough to eat? How can you tell a story if you haven't experienced life?"
I often wish I could call him and stop by to ask his thoughts about what has happened to Star Wars (he directed "Empire Strikes Back") and about the consolidation of entertainment companies resulting in fewer original stories being told.
I read a quote recently about how, without stories, each new day would meld into the next without meaning. There is much we are losing as fewer original stories are developed and shared.
The problem of noise
I work across the street from a building site; live construction feeds of the site can be seen here.
For almost two years I'd glance out my office window and see construction workers guide immense pieces of the building hanging from cranes, into place. Some of them had worked on casinos in Las Vegas and when it was no longer needed, specialized machinery from the site was transported to a construction site at a NFL stadium that was being built.
For more than a year, construction sounds as 25,000 tons of steel became a building were part of my daily life. While sound levels every day were loud, most of the sounds I heard didn't bother me. Once in awhile, however, I'd hear a new sound -- a piece of machinery or a straining engine -- that would catch my attention, making it hard to concentrate.
The construction sounds were just as out of my control as the constant stream of content that is published on every platform and on every device.
A few weeks ago I joined the local community garden. Gardening supplies in local stores had been removed from shelves after 75 percent off sales shelves that had previously held potting soil and planters had been replaced by back-to-school supplies.
While friends said it was futile to plant seeds in a mini heat wave, in late summer in the desert, tiny makes shown climate and growing zones on the back of watermelon and cucumber, chard and basil packets said that the seeds could be sown in August and September.
Even if no seeds had germinated, having time away from cell phones, tablets and endless streams of content would have been worth it.
Green bean vines, watermelon and cucumber seeds sprouted and just as quickly aphids began munching on tender new leaves. Yesterday as I stopped by to water I wondered if the plants would survive. Garden rules do not allow the us of pesticides. I paused to examine the underside of a leaf and was surprised and thrilled to see a bright red, shiny ladybug doing her job. The small drama was an amazing gift. Delight!
While I've spent a couple of sleepless nights thinking about the entertainment industry and how difficult storytelling is, I will sleep well tonight. Storylines are also beginning to spontaneously pop into my thoughts.
The disheartening reports about the entertainment industry will continue be pushed to all available platforms. Motivated by the desire to capture the depth of humanity and create meaning, storytellers can benefit from disconnecting, and not just for a weekend or the duration of a writers' retreat.
Create. The world is waiting.
storytelling, inspiration, film, creative writing, entertainment industry
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