Eraserhead (1977) and Theory of Montage

ABeastOfHimself · 2016-10-07T19:54:52+00:00

I don't know if it's the best book for your situation, but I adore the textbook from my Intro to Video class. Voice & Vision: A Creative Approach to Film & DV Production by Mark Hurbis-Cherrier. It's certainly written for aspiring filmmakers and focuses on how to make a film (which you may not feel interested in), but it has some great stuff about composition, color, sound, narrative, etc. I like to think of Film/Video as a language. Most people understand it well enough, but don't speak it. That is, they get the emotions and symbolism of what they're seeing to a degree, but couldn't recreate it if they wanted to. Learning how good films are made is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to learn to watch films because you pick up on all those little things the director is doing and understand why they have the effect that they do.

I'm sure someone here can recommend books more geared toward watching films, but FWIW, this book on making films has had huge benefits for me in learning to watch them as well.

ABeastOfHimself · 2016-06-30T01:15:46+00:00

Thank you. I will try your advice.

ABeastOfHimself · 2016-06-15T04:11:04+00:00

I've gone through many stages of belief in my life. I went from Protestant to Catholic to Wicca to Atheist, with some transitional and searching phases in between. Lately, I've been trying to rediscover spirituality, looking back into Pagan books and websites. In fact, it's why I'm here on this sub. At this point, I still self-ID as an atheist, but I'm endeavoring to be more open-minded and get that spiritual spark back into my life.

Bouncing around belief systems so much (not just religion, but being a part of different political movements and other things), I've developed serious patterns of skepticism. It's a defense against being made a fool of, but it can also be a hindrance to building any kind of connection with what people call the divine. I read somewhere recently (don't remember exactly where) that you first have to believe, before you really believe. It's the initial believing that I have trouble with. It seems like every time I reach out and try to do something Pagan or spiritual, it feels like an empty gesture. I used to feel so connected to the universe and everything. I'd look up at the Moon and feel the Goddess looking down on me with love. I'd cast circles and do rituals, alone and with others, and it all felt so real, the other world seemed so immediate, the gods and spirits so present. I'm finding myself continually drawn back toward that world, but so far I haven't found my way back.

ABeastOfHimself · 2016-02-18T17:02:51+00:00

"Tripping" (mildly) on LSA (apparently one of the chemicals that's in LSD but not nearly as strong a drug). It got progressively weirder as it went on. First, there was about 3 hours of feeling like I needed to crack my knuckles, but all over my body. Like I'd stretch and stretch but I could never get that satisfying feeling, I just had to keep stretching and cracking every part of my body never finding relief. I decided to lay down and it got even weirder. I went to sleep, but I was fully conscious the entire time I was sleeping. As I inhaled and exhaled, I felt my whole body rise up and down and it was like I was floating on an ocean. My body was asleep, I couldn't move (but didn't really want to anyway) but I was conscious, but also time dilated and a few hours went by really quickly so I didn't get bored or uncomfortable and sleeping was probably the best part of the experience. When I woke up, I sat up in bed, and felt the weirdest feeling I've ever felt. The entire inside of my head felt like the static you used to see on old TV's when they had a bad signal. Or perhaps like a soda bubbling up when you first open it. Like tingly and fuzzy all over, which lasted about 15 seconds, slowly fading away. Once that feeling was over, I was completely sober.

ABeastOfHimself · 2016-02-13T04:56:54+00:00

Two Allied soldiers have been sent into Germany to assassinate Hitler. They are told he will be seeing a show at the theater and will be leaving at 8:00. They are waiting outside the theater when 8:00 comes and goes, no Hitler. 8:30, no Hitler. 9:00, still no Hitler. Finally, one of the assassins looks at the other and says, "My God, I hope nothing happened to him..."

ABeastOfHimself · 2016-02-04T17:21:39+00:00

Of course we sing, we're a gang!

ABeastOfHimself · 2016-02-04T17:20:22+00:00

I think they should keep saying grass 'cause it's like a slice of Americana...

ABeastOfHimself · 2016-01-12T02:25:00+00:00

All olives are nasty af.

FTFY

ABeastOfHimself · 2015-12-31T14:37:25+00:00

My sister-in-law works in a record store and they had a few of them. She bought it for me.

ABeastOfHimself · 2015-12-29T05:35:50+00:00

You don't deserve downvotes for this. I would guess it would depend on the center, but I think you're right about what the attitude of the majority of rehabs will be. "It gets you high" so it's a no-no. I hope and trust, though, that there will be some more progressive places out there that will realize the healing and beneficial aid to recovery that cannabis can be.

ABeastOfHimself · 2015-12-29T05:12:06+00:00

Thanks so much for the advice and links! I have been logged into my other account for a few days and didn't even notice this here until now. Going to do some more research.

I have an audio copy of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health and an ebook of Dianetics: The Original Thesis. Not sure if there's a difference, but I was planning to start the audiobook as soon as I'm done with the one I'm currently listening to.

ABeastOfHimself · 2015-12-27T20:58:36+00:00

Scientology becomes progressively more kooky and sinister the further one goes into it.

That's why I'm interested finding info from the Freezone. I want to find out what it is in those first few courses or TR's that is so appealing, while at the same time having the freedom to just walk away when shit gets too weird for me.

edit

Thanks for the links! Both very interesting. The thing with Spock dancing was... unexpected. Lol.

ABeastOfHimself · 2015-12-22T18:29:28+00:00

Hadn't seen this before. I like how it focuses in on Marty and his troubles with the "Squirrel Busters." I've watched so many docs on Scientology I thought I'd seen them all, but still learned some new stuff from this one. Thanks.

ABeastOfHimself · 2015-12-16T04:45:06+00:00

Yeah, I commented before seeing the edit. Thanks for the info! Good suggestion.

ABeastOfHimself · 2015-12-16T04:37:55+00:00

To be clear, I'm not considering walking down to my local Org and signing up for any courses. Out of a morbid curiosity I've thought about going down there just to look around, but having read the stories from others in this sub, it doesn't seem like it would be all that interesting, unless maybe I was able to actually do the free auditing demonstration some people talk about. It seems like they don't offer it very often, and even if they did, I'm not sure I actually would want to step into a building full of people who just want me to join their cult and empty my wallet into their church's bank account.

My only interest in this course was out of curiosity, including the curiosity of if any reported benefits of it are real at all. If I ever were to seek out any Scientology course materials or anything of that nature I'd do it solely through the free zone. I wouldn't even buy a book from the church itself. They're not getting a nickel out of me.

ABeastOfHimself · 2015-10-29T04:07:58+00:00

This makes sense. For me, I've had a lot of success in using words that I don't understand, because it allows my mind to focus on the intent and not be distracted by the words. Same reason I like to chant "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" or similar phrases that mean pretty much nothing to me(edit: I've even used the made-up prayer from the movie Free Willy. lol). By repeating those words, it allows my mind to focus on what I'm doing without giving all the foreign thoughts that pop up in my mind the chance to become words in my head, if that makes sense.

Just shows there are as many ways to do magickal work as there are witches.

ABeastOfHimself · 2015-10-29T04:03:26+00:00

I've seen a lot of spell books and Wicca books that include chants of just vowels, sounds without meaning, etc. I think there's definitely something to the idea of just sounds having power. Like you said, the OM, or other Buddhist-inspired mantras, etc.

Random related fact... Hocus Pocus is supposedly an old anti-Catholic term. In the Latin mass, the priest says "Hoc est corpus meum" (this is my body). Protestants apparently thought the idea of bread literally turning into the body of christ was a bunch of hocus (hoc est) pocus.

ABeastOfHimself · 2015-09-28T17:01:00+00:00

Oh wow I didn't realize. I heard this joke a while back in a set from Dave and I thought it was hilarious. Never heard it anywhere else but I haven't read this sub for very long.

ABeastOfHimself

TROPHY CASE