Essay based film
documentary, something of an exploration of thought rather than a
statement, or investigation. Perhaps see, Chris Markers “Sans
Solie” or “London” and “Robinson in Space”, by Patrick
Keiler. in order to get an idea of the field.
Yet also since I trained in
fine art, and enjoy open creative processes, I like the idea of
starting a project off, with a push, and a direction, and then being
open as to where it goes and ends up. In this way the film will form
itself from the interactions of the practitioners and the environment
in which it takes it birth. The film therefore becomes a living
thing, given life by its process and the by the minds of those who
engage in its' construction. The film becomes a truly democratic
film, in that all the practitioners are equal in ownership of the
process and the ideas of the film.
The importance of process is
that, it is only through the action of doing something within a
creative setting that an underlying process of journeying through the
field of the subject/idea takes place. So rather than trying to plan
out in totally a film idea, storyboard etc, as in the case of
traditional film methodologies, the process is to agree on a creative
strategy, and see what comes of that. In a single film project,
several creative strategies may be used, which also may include the
“storyboard” if it be so desired. The importance is the focusing
upon the collective creative collaboration around the agreed “point
of the film”, the starting point.
The rest of this document
will detail, my proposition for the starting point. The suggested
title is already at the head. So lets explore this title.
The
heaps
The
heaps makes a reference to Buddhism and the concept of Skhandas or
heaps within the Indian philosophy at the time. Buddha made use of
this pre existent schema for the investigation of what goes to make
up a human, in the psychological and psycho-physiological senses. Yet
he then goes on to state that the skhandas are a description of our
dysfunction. He does this by referring to them within his description
of the 12 links of dependant arising. The skhandas here are referred
to as “name and form”.
If
one examines the 12 links, one sees the diabolic cycle of suffering
existence, and if one examines each of those links one can see that
they arise in dependence on each of the other links. The 12 links can
be seen to be active in many fields of observation, within a human
life, or beyond and even within a single human thought. The twelve
links can be seen also to have cycles within cycles, within
themselves. One of those cycles, and for me an alluring cycle is the
link of “name and form” the 5 Skhandas, which seem in some ways
to be at the heart of it all.
Me.
This refers the self, which
is the composite of those heaps. Yet the me is an active agent which
perpetuates the heaps themselves. In the Buddhist sense one would say
that the me or the “I” sits within the “name” Skhanda, but as
in the 12 links as a whole, each of the heaps or Skhandas are
interdependent on each other; they give rise to each other. So the
self identity comes from a reactive pattern dependent on sensory
data, which produces in turn a shift in the interpretation of the
sensory data and a shift in the reactive pattern. In this the
perceiver is in a dance with the perceived, both fooling each other.
More
exploration of context:
In this film idea, it is not
so evident how to proceed. Certainly the subject is subtle, and yet I
feel that the exploration of such a subject will be a journey for the
film makers first, which may produce a profound statement or teaching
with the film. It may be that the potentiality of the creative
process may enable such an outcome. If such an outcome is possible,
perhaps it is worth the time to investigate.
More
about the film.
Certainly there are formal
ideas already in my mind at least. There are themes, and parallels.
One thematic which does come to mind is the image of the loop, the
incessant mad loop, the loop of the thought, the internal dialogue,
the fixed idea, which outwardly in its worst manifestation produces
the behaviour of the obsessive compulsive, yet it is present in all
thought. The looping of the “mind made self” is structural.
Another thematic element can
be the rigidity which is an aspect of compulsion. That drive that
locking feeling, producing needs for certainty, solidity etc. It is
the basis of the wall, the defence, the division.
Finally one can also detect
an implosive motion, a grasping and consuming motion. A feeling of
never being satisfied, eternally toiling for no purpose.
This leads me to the
parallels. Which perhaps is the crux of the film, certainly in it's
external aims. For me the motion of the heaps is the very basis of
the madness of capitalism. Perhaps one can, through film, explore the
me, and heaps of me, and then extemporise and make connections with
the outward manifestation of it, which is the insane actions of
humans on a planetary scale.
The heaps of me.
Essay based film documentary, something of an exploration of thought rather than a statement, or investigation. Perhaps see, Chris Markers “Sans Solie” or “London” and “Robinson in Space”, by Patrick Keiler. in order to get an idea of the field.
Yet also since I trained in fine art, and enjoy open creative processes, I like the idea of starting a project off, with a push, and a direction, and then being open as to where it goes and ends up. In this way the film will form itself from the interactions of the practitioners and the environment in which it takes it birth. The film therefore becomes a living thing, given life by its process and the by the minds of those who engage in its' construction. The film becomes a truly democratic film, in that all the practitioners are equal in ownership of the process and the ideas of the film.
The importance of process is that, it is only through the action of doing something within a creative setting that an underlying process of journeying through the field of the subject/idea takes place. So rather than trying to plan out in totally a film idea, storyboard etc, as in the case of traditional film methodologies, the process is to agree on a creative strategy, and see what comes of that. In a single film project, several creative strategies may be used, which also may include the “storyboard” if it be so desired. The importance is the focusing upon the collective creative collaboration around the agreed “point of the film”, the starting point.
The rest of this document will detail, my proposition for the starting point. The suggested title is already at the head. So lets explore this title.
The heaps
The heaps makes a reference to Buddhism and the concept of Skhandas or heaps within the Indian philosophy at the time. Buddha made use of this pre existent schema for the investigation of what goes to make up a human, in the psychological and psycho-physiological senses. Yet he then goes on to state that the skhandas are a description of our dysfunction. He does this by referring to them within his description of the 12 links of dependant arising. The skhandas here are referred to as “name and form”.
If one examines the 12 links, one sees the diabolic cycle of suffering existence, and if one examines each of those links one can see that they arise in dependence on each of the other links. The 12 links can be seen to be active in many fields of observation, within a human life, or beyond and even within a single human thought. The twelve links can be seen also to have cycles within cycles, within themselves. One of those cycles, and for me an alluring cycle is the link of “name and form” the 5 Skhandas, which seem in some ways to be at the heart of it all.
Me.
This refers the self, which is the composite of those heaps. Yet the me is an active agent which perpetuates the heaps themselves. In the Buddhist sense one would say that the me or the “I” sits within the “name” Skhanda, but as in the 12 links as a whole, each of the heaps or Skhandas are interdependent on each other; they give rise to each other. So the self identity comes from a reactive pattern dependent on sensory data, which produces in turn a shift in the interpretation of the sensory data and a shift in the reactive pattern. In this the perceiver is in a dance with the perceived, both fooling each other.
More exploration of context:
In this film idea, it is not so evident how to proceed. Certainly the subject is subtle, and yet I feel that the exploration of such a subject will be a journey for the film makers first, which may produce a profound statement or teaching with the film. It may be that the potentiality of the creative process may enable such an outcome. If such an outcome is possible, perhaps it is worth the time to investigate.
More about the film.
Certainly there are formal ideas already in my mind at least. There are themes, and parallels. One thematic which does come to mind is the image of the loop, the incessant mad loop, the loop of the thought, the internal dialogue, the fixed idea, which outwardly in its worst manifestation produces the behaviour of the obsessive compulsive, yet it is present in all thought. The looping of the “mind made self” is structural.
Another thematic element can be the rigidity which is an aspect of compulsion. That drive that locking feeling, producing needs for certainty, solidity etc. It is the basis of the wall, the defence, the division.
Finally one can also detect an implosive motion, a grasping and consuming motion. A feeling of never being satisfied, eternally toiling for no purpose.
This leads me to the parallels. Which perhaps is the crux of the film, certainly in it's external aims. For me the motion of the heaps is the very basis of the madness of capitalism. Perhaps one can, through film, explore the me, and heaps of me, and then extemporise and make connections with the outward manifestation of it, which is the insane actions of humans on a planetary scale.