The Actor Behind the Mask

Masks. A lot of them. What we all wear.

A few days ago, I jotted down a rough paragraph to write this from. It was inspired by something I noticed a while ago that I will explain after the paragraph;

"What is appearance? It is a representation of who we are; but then anyone who sees us judges us on that, and may interpret what they see as something entirely different from what the person intended; and who that person really is. It is because we all see things differently. We see a person with a flaw, and our attention is caught by that flaw. We may even be more apprehensive about approaching that person. There is much truth to the idea that appearance may be a barrier between people."

I jotted down the above paragraph after contemplating some people in my past, and others' pasts that I have heard about. I was surprised to realise, a while ago, that a few people I have become friends with in the past are people who, prior to meeting them, I have observed with negative judgement (I admit to this even though it's very shallow of me.. sometimes I have trouble talking to, or even trusting, people because of how they appear - too many horror movies? :P). The friendships I've formed with these people, and what I have learned about them and their histories, has taught me that appearance, even that which we create ourselves, can be considerably deceptive.

Of course, the problem may simply be that other people are perceiving our appearance differently to how it is intended, as I suggested above.

I suppose a good example of this would be any character in a movie or TV show, and the actor playing them. It's sometimes very surprising for some people to learn that an actor is different from their character (I could even go so far as to say it's sometimes surprising that an actor ISN'T their character, no matter how much we'd wish them to be so; how many movie couples have audiences wished would get married in real life?). Do people act in every day life, perhaps hiding various parts of their personality for fear of judgement? Are we all trapped within the bars of social expectations? (Just to get deep ;)).

Of course, the (sometimes) difference with actors is that they intentionally deceive the public into believing the character they play is an existing person (although it can be slightly disappointing when we realise the actor isn't, in fact, the character they portray.

I hope this wouldn't be the case in real life though; it is sad, and a bad reflection on society, when people fear revealing their true selves. Not to sound totally cliche and corny (although I know I'm going to anyway), but individuality / uniqueness should be cherished. That's how half of our entertainers came to the point where viewers smile and feel excitement simply upon hearing their name or seeing their face. It seems to be a common story in the entertainment industry that many successful actors / actresses / musicians etc had difficult childhoods and youths.

So, really, be nice to everyone, it may be the least likely person that you see that could be the person you are luckiest to meet ;)

The World In 3d: A Whole New Perspec- Wait.. really?

I just saw the headline ‘Avatar: Biggest. Film. EVER.’ And it made me wonder what it is about this film that is drawing so many viewers. If I didn’t know better, I may go so far as to suggest there is something hypnotic about the blue stare of Sam Worthington’s humanoid. However, I’m not going to make such a ridiculous suggestion, because their eyes are actually greener in colour; it is just their flesh that glows blue.

Clearly, from the view point of setting / scenery and special effects in general, it is an amazing movie. Visually, it is captivating, even by normal viewing (i.e. for those of us who have only seen the film in 2d, as defeating-the-purpose as that is). However, there have been many other films in the past with scenery and effects just as incredible, and the storyline isn’t exactly original (many comparisons made to Pocahontas and other older films), so what exactly is it about this film?

Is it a case of psychology; we see our everyday lives in 3d, yet the idea of experiencing the same perspective of a fantasy world is compelling? Perhaps, instead of simply being a spectator, it creates the illusion for the audience that they are indeed part of the drama (minus the risk of being killed or the opportunity for that perfect romance). I was taught a while ago that watching a movie isn’t the same as escaping reality; it is simply experiencing another version of it; or a version of another reality. I see a lot of truth in that, since we apply our own memories and experiences to whatever image or animation we see; whatever story we investigate via words, performances or recordings.

So, Avatar is a film that was 15 years in the making, mainly because it was originally designed to be a 3d film, and the technology wasn’t available a few years ago. That’s something that straight away distinguishes this film from the others; it is in its own category, a form of technology that has no competition in its level of advancement. As humans, we are naturally curious about new inventions, technological feats and so on. That’s obviously one of the main reasons for the overwhelming popularity of this film; because it successfully evokes curiosity in those areas.

In saying this, would it be fair to hypothesise that a film could have the most generic, predictable storyline, but with the most advanced special effects possible, could overshadow any other successful film, owing simply to the power of human nature?

Animania

I make no secret of it; Walt Disney was (and still is) my biggest idol and inspiration. While my writing style isn't quite the same, it is something like his position that I dream of being in (and I'm not entirely talking about the wealth ;)).

As I begin this paragraph, it is about 5 hours later. Mainly because the power went out for 3 or so hours. When sitting in darkness, one has plenty of time to think; and sing the numerous Disney songs remembered from childhood (and more recently), but that's another story :)

Media Frenzy

This was originally included in the post dedicated to Haiti, but on consideration I thought it might be nicer to keep my thoughts separate. So, here is the new post.

At times like this, I find I start to think about the global community. I mentioned in a previous post how, at certain times and in certain places it feels like people are divided more so, and more definitely, than they would be usually. It seems to be the complete opposite when disaster strikes; people bond at times like this.

This post is a dedication to the victims of the Haiti Earthquake disaster, a 7.0 Mw earthquake causing devastation to the Haitian community on the 12th January 2010, although its effects are going to last much longer. Six days after, the death count had reached 75 000 people, and is still increasing.

This video, as stated on youtube, is based on a song called 'Touch Someone', written in December 2009, to help those in despair. It was written by a Haitian-American.



I would like to offer my deepest sympathies and well wishes to those directly and indirectly effected by this disaster.

Only a small number of people may read this, but I feel it is still worth asking people to donate to the Australian Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Appeal.

Terminating the Digital Age: Revenge of the Traditional Artist

As we enter further into the technology era, I wish to bring back to the forefront of people's minds the more traditional art forms that seem to have been brushed aside for the digital age (and yes, I realise writing this on an internet blog seems rather silly).

My Pride, My Pride

Wasn't sure whether to post this or not, but I suppose it's a new year's resolution to maintain the attitude; 'why not?'. It's definitely a work in progress though.

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My Pride, My Pride

When the pillars of night, succumb to the day,
My roar will force form from disarray.
I look on heroically; I will never retreat,
Oh, my pride, my pride.

I will race to the edges and never look back,
I will round all the zebras til white melts with black,
My mane will not quiver in the morning frost,
Oh, my pride, my pride.

My thirst is to living, as rain is to life,
With our paws to the ground, we will conquer this strife,
With the earth as our flesh and the sun as our heart,
Oh, my pride, my pride.

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