True Grit Is Out There Somewhere
August 20th 2008 04:04
The essence of drama is conflict. Welcome to “Filmmaking: 101”.
Sadly though, this definition of drama has become a one-size-fits-all justification for the on-screen atrocities that are the majority of movies today. How else can we see real drama played out without language to make a teamster blush, not to mention nudity, violent splatter, and S – E – X (hey, my kids are reading this, you know!)?
The cadre of self-appointed custodians of realistic, dramatic, filmmaking, all parrot the same word in their smooth defense of their “art”: Grit. And the media fauns all over them with gushing compliance, manically – or maniacally, take your pick – nodding their agreement.
Frankly, I always thought grit was simply part of a balanced diet, and vital for proper, fulsome, regularity. But it seems, in the movie-makers lexicon, it is the coverall for offences against God, nature, manhood, womanhood and everything in between.
It’s the battle Audience Alliance - a new and exciting member-driven movie studio - is fighting. To borrow from Marion Morrison, we could call it the search for True Grit. And just like eating a balanced diet over the sugar-filled, highly processed rubbish that most of us consume – because it’s easy and convenient to buy, prepare, eat – we suddenly realize that it tastes good, and more than that, makes us feel better.
Take the majority of the cast and crew on the set of Audience Alliance’s first Young Filmmaker feature, Broken Hill. Every single person I interviewed, or simply chatted with, acknowledged that the drama of Tommy’s story was not left wanting in the grit department. In fact, cast members, like Alexa Vega, Rhys Wakefield, and Luke Arnold, all commented to me on the breath of fresh air that was the script. Words like rare, treasure, gold, fell from their lips.
Christmas Jars, and other upcoming Audience Alliance films promise more of the same. Imagine a fact-based spy picture (A Train to Potevka), or the gripping human drama of Peter’s Candle with True Grit?
In terms of today’s current crop of the released and recently released, True Grit pickings are slim. I’ve highlighted a number of them in my other posts, and willl add to that, and so can you. The reality though is, that like the truth, engaging adult dramas, with True Grit, are out there.
It’s just a matter of knowing where to look.
Sadly though, this definition of drama has become a one-size-fits-all justification for the on-screen atrocities that are the majority of movies today. How else can we see real drama played out without language to make a teamster blush, not to mention nudity, violent splatter, and S – E – X (hey, my kids are reading this, you know!)?
The cadre of self-appointed custodians of realistic, dramatic, filmmaking, all parrot the same word in their smooth defense of their “art”: Grit. And the media fauns all over them with gushing compliance, manically – or maniacally, take your pick – nodding their agreement.
Frankly, I always thought grit was simply part of a balanced diet, and vital for proper, fulsome, regularity. But it seems, in the movie-makers lexicon, it is the coverall for offences against God, nature, manhood, womanhood and everything in between.
It’s the battle Audience Alliance - a new and exciting member-driven movie studio - is fighting. To borrow from Marion Morrison, we could call it the search for True Grit. And just like eating a balanced diet over the sugar-filled, highly processed rubbish that most of us consume – because it’s easy and convenient to buy, prepare, eat – we suddenly realize that it tastes good, and more than that, makes us feel better.
Take the majority of the cast and crew on the set of Audience Alliance’s first Young Filmmaker feature, Broken Hill. Every single person I interviewed, or simply chatted with, acknowledged that the drama of Tommy’s story was not left wanting in the grit department. In fact, cast members, like Alexa Vega, Rhys Wakefield, and Luke Arnold, all commented to me on the breath of fresh air that was the script. Words like rare, treasure, gold, fell from their lips.
Christmas Jars, and other upcoming Audience Alliance films promise more of the same. Imagine a fact-based spy picture (A Train to Potevka), or the gripping human drama of Peter’s Candle with True Grit?
In terms of today’s current crop of the released and recently released, True Grit pickings are slim. I’ve highlighted a number of them in my other posts, and willl add to that, and so can you. The reality though is, that like the truth, engaging adult dramas, with True Grit, are out there.
It’s just a matter of knowing where to look.
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